If you are a real person who cooks things that aren't from scratch, this is pretty useless to you. Go get Betty Crocker's cookbook instead, which is how everyone I know cooks. This is for foodies and people with way too much time on their hands.

Anything that -is- vaguely useful in here can be had for free on the internet. ( )

This excellent book quickly became my "go to" basic cookbook, comprehensive and easily accessible with consistent and outstanding results. It's become the book I give to young people to encourage them to learn to cook. Unfortunately, this year I have watched the PBS television show "On the Road to Spain" and felt a real and growing distaste for Bittman's television persona, which has slightly tarnished the important place this book has in my kitchen. Nevertheless it is undeniably the best basic all-around cookbook I've ever used. ( )

Bittman's new edition only gets a half star addition because I don't give out five stars, so consider this a 4.5+ rating. The re-organization makes it easier to use, the new recipes wonderful (including the famous no-knead bread), the expanded recipes welcome, the deleted ones not missed. Buy it, use it, love it. ( )

If you can have only one cookbook, this should be it. Simple, straight-forward recipes which don't (usually) require odd ingredients or special equipment. Part of what I love about this cookbook are the asides and explanations from substitute leaveners to different ways to serve steamed clams to which herb is good for what. ( )

This book earns two of its stars simply for being the only place I could find a recipe for sauteed apples two years ago. True, I wasn't terribly familiar with the epicurious and allrecipes websites at the time, but I turned here and its recipe has been my method of choice ever since. How to cook everything is a great reference for novice cooks. The recipes aren't terribly fancy schmancy and the instruction is simple and straight forward. Great book to have around. ( )

We arenot yet sure if we will keep this book since about two-thirds of the recipes we've made have been awful. It does give you a lot of basic recipes to use as starting points, but that means you have to have a bad meal first to know what you need to change. We'll see if it stays on the shelf. ( )

With 2,000 recipes packed onto over 1,000 pages this is a very dense and serious cookbook. No color photographs or pictures of the author to catch your eye and the recipes are packed in one after the other. Initially I had a hard time reading this cookbook and processing so much information. Then I found the lists in the back: "My Top 100 Fast Recipes" was my favorite. These lists provide a nice way to take the book in bite-sized chunks. The recipies I've tried:
Real Popcorn - My mom used to make popcorn like this (on the stove) and I had forgotten it. It is a fast and easy way to make more flavorful popcorn.
Poached Pears in red wine - holy cow these were good! Very elegant, easy to do, and light and healthy for when you mght be maxed out on rich, heavy desserts. This is a recipe I will make over and over.
Cranberry Relish with Orange and Ginger - Fresher tasting then cooked cranberry sauce and I loved the addition of ginger. This was a big hit at Thanksgiving.
Braised Potatoes with Kielbasa, Cheddar, and Beer - very tasty, one pot meal. The beer gave the whole dish a nice flavor. This is perfect comfort food for a COlorado winter!
Peanut Brittle - my only loser so far from this collection. It was such a complete failure that I think being at high altitude was the problem.

Overall a very complete collection! There are still many recipes I would like to try and I know many of the illustrations will come in handy in the future (how to clean squid, roll sushi, bone a chicken...). This cookbook would be a great gift for an avid cook. ( )

If you can only have one cookbook, this might be the one to get. Mark Bittman really does show the reader how to cook nearly everything in this heavy tome but does so in a manner that is accessible to beginning cooks as well as the seasoned gourmet. This is an indispensable reference for every home kitchen. ( )

Really useful. Although, I recommend getting a hardbound edition as my paperback started to fall apart right away.

I still think the title is more than a little pretentious, but it is certainly one of the most useful cookbooks I've ever had and there are recipes in it that I make over and over again. ( )

The title is probably meant as a joke, but this book's breadth does make it indispensable to the home cook. Written by one of the best food writers today (in my opinion), Bittman's no-nonsense, minimalist approach is non-threatening while giving the reader confidence that he or she can cook a good meal. This book does not pretend that it will turn you into a five-star restaurant chef - such efforts would only frustrate the average cook. Instead, Bittman focuses on making good food accessible to everyone. You don't need fancy, expensive equipment or years of training to entertain your friends or feed your family. "Anyone can cook, and most everyone should," says Bittman in his introduction. By paring down recipes to a few ingredients and fewer steps, good food is in everybody's reach. ( )

This is a great reference in the vein of The Joy of Cooking. It covers each food item one at a time followed by some recipes which include it. There is great information for beginners such as how long to bake a potato as well as simple recipes which always work. It is a must have for anyone who loves to cook. ( )

like I'm going to look at this enormous book ever?

'How to cook everything' - as long as you can find it in your typical American supermarket. ( )

An ambitious title that doesn't deliver. The "Joy of Cooking" is more thorough. ( )

This is the most used book in our house - everything from chocolate to chicken fat splotched all over the pages. If you're looking for a good all-purpose reference cook book that really does list recipes for d*mn near everything I suggest you buy this book. Make sure to get a hardbound version though because I'm not sure a paperback will hold up to the constant wear and tear. ( )

I thought nothing could replace the Joy of Cooking as my basic "what do I do with this?" reference. This has.

I've never managed to go very wrong with a recipe out of this book. ( )

This cookbook never fails. I can always find a basic how to in this cookbook. And then I can elaborate on the recipe to make it my own. Great ideas! ( )

We used to get an organic "surprise box" every week, and this book always had at least one recipe for whatever oddity we found there. It offers many suggestions for variations and substitutions, which makes it easier to throw together a dish that works--even if you don't have the "ideal" ingredients. Unlike most cookbooks, which seem rigid, this one encourages me to experiment. ( )

You know you have a good cookbook when it is falling apart from overuse. ( )

Apples and Onions.

Suppose you live with someone who Can Cook Everything. Now you want to cook something for him. This is where you go. He was so surprised and delighted the night I cooked the apples and onions to go with the pork he knew we were having.

I can work with this cookbook, even though I can burn tomato soup. It simply has the best organization of any cookbook I have ever tried. And Bittman really does tell me everything I need to know.

Unfortunately he does not turn the burner off. You still have to manage that on your own. ( )

I love this one because it lives up to its subtitle: simple recipes for good food. 'Nuff said! ( )

This book and the "Joy of Cooking" are my two standard references. "How to Cook Everything" excels when you need a simple, no-frills recipe from the standard American repertoire; but it is also invaluable when you need simple, good-tasting ideas for dinner. Bittman specializes in "minimalist cooking", and this comes through to great effect in "How to Cook Everything". "Joy of Cooking" recipes can be quite involved -- these recipes never are. Highly recommended for beginning cooks or anyone who wants a fast, no-nonsense reference cookbook. ( )

As basics go, I use this book & the Joy of Cooking almost exclusively. It's a good book, well-organized, with clear, concise recipes for almost everything. The subtitle has proven to be correct: when compared to other books, the same recipe will be simpler, with fewer steps and/or ingredients in this one, and the dish is just as good if not better. ( )