Two years ago my cooking ability was fairly limited. I could make a few simple dishes, but I had no training and no real understanding when it came to the art of preparing delicious food. All of that changed at holiday time when a relative received this cook book as a gift. I picked it up and casually thumbed through it. A recipe caught my eye; Sautéed chicken breasts with an orange/fennel/garlic relish, scallions, and feta cheese. I read the recipe, I knew I had to try it, and I ordered my own copy. That simple recipe is delicious, and is still a favorite today. Beyond that, I was absolutely enamored with America's Test Kitchen's style of recipe layout, and their educational approach to cooking. This book is a PERFECT place to start if you want to learn to cook. 2 years later, I have made perhaps half of the recipes in this book and my physical copy is decidedly ragged. Not every recipe is a hit, but most are a great place to start, and with the techniques you will learn along the way, it should be easy for you to know exactly how to doctor-up a recipe to your own liking. Thanks ATK! My newfound deep appreciation of food, and the skills I now have to cook like a pro, are all due to this book...

This is an awesome cookbook for 2. The recipe for pan seared rib-eye steaks actually has the recipe for steak au poivre. I wish they would fix it.