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Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen
Bursting with bold, complex flavors, Mexican cooking has the kind of gusto we want in food today. Until now, American home cooks have had few authorities to translate the heart of this world-class cuisine to everyday cooking.
In this book of more than 150 recipes, award-winning chef, author and teacher Rick bayless provides the inspiration and guidance that home cooks have needed. With a blend of passion, patience, clarity and humor, he unerringly finds his way into the very soul of Mexican cuisine, from essential recipes and explorations of Mexico's many chiles to quick-to-prepare everyday dishes and pull-out-the-stops celebration fare.
Bayless begins the journey by introducing us to the building blocks of Mexican cooking. With infectious enthusiasm and an entertaining voice, he outlines 16 essential preparations-deeply flavored tomato sauces and tangy tomatillo salsas, rich chile pastes and indispensable handmade tortillas.
Fascinating cultural background and practical cooking tips help readers to understand these preparations and make them their own. Each recipe explains which steps can be completed in advance to make final preparation easier, and each provides a list of the dishes in later chapters that are built around these basics. And with each essential recipe, Bayless includes several “Simple Ideas from My American Home”—quick, familiar recipes with innovative Mexican accents, such as Baked Ham with Yucatecan Flavors, Spicy Chicken Salad, Ancho-Broiled Salmon and Very, Very Good Chili.
Throughout, the intrepid Bayless brings chiles into focus, revealing that Mexican cooks use these pods for flavor, richness, color and, yes, sometimes for heat. He details the simple techniques for getting the best out of every chile-from the rich, smoky chipotle to the incendiary but fruity habanero.
Then, in more than 135 recipes that follow, Bayless guides us through a wide range of richly flavored regional Mexican dishes, combining down-home appeal and convivial informality with simple culinary elegance. It's all here: starters like Classic Seviche Tostadas or Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles; soups like Slow-Simmered Fava Bean Soup or Rustic Ranch-Style Soup; casual tortilla-based preparations like Achiote-Roasted Pork Tacos or Street-Style Red Chile Enchiladas; vegetable delights like Smoky Braised Mexican Pumpkin, or Green Poblano Rice; even a whole chapter on classic fiesta food (from Oaxacan Black Mole with Braised Chicken, Smoky Peanut Mole with Grilled Quail and Great Big Tamal Roll with Chard with the incomparable Juchitan-Style Black Bean Tamales); and ending with a selection of luscious desserts like Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan with KahIua and Yucatecan-Style Fresh Coconut Pie. To quickly expand your Mexican repertoire even further, each of these recipes is accompanied by suggestions for variations and improvisations.
There is no greater authority on Mexican cooking than Rick Bayless, and no one can teach it better. In his skillful hands, the wonderful flavors of Mexico will enter your kitchen and your daily cooking routine without losing any of their depth or timeless appeal.
In this book of more than 150 recipes, award-winning chef, author and teacher Rick bayless provides the inspiration and guidance that home cooks have needed. With a blend of passion, patience, clarity and humor, he unerringly finds his way into the very soul of Mexican cuisine, from essential recipes and explorations of Mexico's many chiles to quick-to-prepare everyday dishes and pull-out-the-stops celebration fare.
Bayless begins the journey by introducing us to the building blocks of Mexican cooking. With infectious enthusiasm and an entertaining voice, he outlines 16 essential preparations-deeply flavored tomato sauces and tangy tomatillo salsas, rich chile pastes and indispensable handmade tortillas.
Fascinating cultural background and practical cooking tips help readers to understand these preparations and make them their own. Each recipe explains which steps can be completed in advance to make final preparation easier, and each provides a list of the dishes in later chapters that are built around these basics. And with each essential recipe, Bayless includes several “Simple Ideas from My American Home”—quick, familiar recipes with innovative Mexican accents, such as Baked Ham with Yucatecan Flavors, Spicy Chicken Salad, Ancho-Broiled Salmon and Very, Very Good Chili.
Throughout, the intrepid Bayless brings chiles into focus, revealing that Mexican cooks use these pods for flavor, richness, color and, yes, sometimes for heat. He details the simple techniques for getting the best out of every chile-from the rich, smoky chipotle to the incendiary but fruity habanero.
Then, in more than 135 recipes that follow, Bayless guides us through a wide range of richly flavored regional Mexican dishes, combining down-home appeal and convivial informality with simple culinary elegance. It's all here: starters like Classic Seviche Tostadas or Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles; soups like Slow-Simmered Fava Bean Soup or Rustic Ranch-Style Soup; casual tortilla-based preparations like Achiote-Roasted Pork Tacos or Street-Style Red Chile Enchiladas; vegetable delights like Smoky Braised Mexican Pumpkin, or Green Poblano Rice; even a whole chapter on classic fiesta food (from Oaxacan Black Mole with Braised Chicken, Smoky Peanut Mole with Grilled Quail and Great Big Tamal Roll with Chard with the incomparable Juchitan-Style Black Bean Tamales); and ending with a selection of luscious desserts like Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan with KahIua and Yucatecan-Style Fresh Coconut Pie. To quickly expand your Mexican repertoire even further, each of these recipes is accompanied by suggestions for variations and improvisations.
There is no greater authority on Mexican cooking than Rick Bayless, and no one can teach it better. In his skillful hands, the wonderful flavors of Mexico will enter your kitchen and your daily cooking routine without losing any of their depth or timeless appeal.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 1996
15 people are currently reading
1818 people want to read
About the author
Rick Bayless
26 books83 followersRick Bayless has written six cookbooks, including Mexican Everyday and Fiesta at Rick's. His product line of prepared foods is sold coast to coast. With his wife Deann he owns and operates Chicago’s casual Frontera Grill, named “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, and the four-star fine-dining Topolobampo. XOCO, a Leed-certified quick-serve restaurant, opened in 2009. He is the host of the public television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 31, 2014
There's 3 men in my life: Dick, Nick and Rick. And Rick is my "go to" chef for Mexican food.
Rick's recipes are simply, or not so simply, terrific, but always approachable! The recipes never fail and are packed with tons of flavor. The smells that come out of my kitchen and around the corners as any of his dishes cook are earthy, robust, intoxicating. Talk about anticipation. And then finally, the dish is ready to be eaten and oh my goodness! All your senses are raised and you're in for a treat.
Here's the recipes that I've made from this book. All tried, true and delicious:
Caldo de Siete Mares - a main dish seafood soup or stew
Seared Zucchini with Roasted Tomato, Chipotle and Chorizo
Robust Red Chile Beef Soup with Mexican Vegetables
Drunken Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon -- super! thank you Mel
You just can't go wrong with this cookbook. Buen Provecho!
Rick's recipes are simply, or not so simply, terrific, but always approachable! The recipes never fail and are packed with tons of flavor. The smells that come out of my kitchen and around the corners as any of his dishes cook are earthy, robust, intoxicating. Talk about anticipation. And then finally, the dish is ready to be eaten and oh my goodness! All your senses are raised and you're in for a treat.
Here's the recipes that I've made from this book. All tried, true and delicious:
Caldo de Siete Mares - a main dish seafood soup or stew
Seared Zucchini with Roasted Tomato, Chipotle and Chorizo
Robust Red Chile Beef Soup with Mexican Vegetables
Drunken Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon -- super! thank you Mel
You just can't go wrong with this cookbook. Buen Provecho!
September 14, 2018
The first time that I saw Rick Bayless was in 2003 on his PBS show. I loved the man's personality and his cooking skills, as well as his respect for and vast knowledge of Mexican culture and cuisine. I would recommend this wonderful and colorful cookbook to others who, like myself, enjoy a variety of authentic Mexican cuisine.
January 17, 2012
At first I was very dubious of this cookbook. A book on Mexican cuisine written by a very seemingly Caucasian man? A 450-page book with less than 20 pictures? I have never been happier to be utterly wrong in my first impression. Today I consider this book to be one of the most essential pieces of my kitchen.
Reading and using this book is like taking private lessons in Mexican cooking. We rarely go out to eat Mexican food any more because I can make it better at home, thanks to Bayless. This is so much more than recipes: it teaches techniques, essential seasonings and ingredients, endless improvisations and modifications based on the American palate and ingredient availability, history and regional variations, and comfort. By comfort I mean: this book will teach you to cook by smell, sight, touch, feel in a way that no other book I've seen can. The pictures (which I usually insist on) really are not needed as the instructions are so clear, so detailed, so precise, that you don't need pictures. His recipes leave no detail uncovered, nothing to guess at. Yet it never seems too fussy, or over-explained. It truly is like having a chef standing at your side helping you through the dish.
Note: a lot of the recipes in here are very involved, so I would not recommend this for the 30-minutes-to-dinner type of individual. However, for those that like to cook I can't recommend this book highly enough. For those that have a love of authentic Mexican cuisine, I have yet to make anything from here that hasn't been fantastic and an impressive display of the complexity and yet simplicity of most Mexican food.
Reading and using this book is like taking private lessons in Mexican cooking. We rarely go out to eat Mexican food any more because I can make it better at home, thanks to Bayless. This is so much more than recipes: it teaches techniques, essential seasonings and ingredients, endless improvisations and modifications based on the American palate and ingredient availability, history and regional variations, and comfort. By comfort I mean: this book will teach you to cook by smell, sight, touch, feel in a way that no other book I've seen can. The pictures (which I usually insist on) really are not needed as the instructions are so clear, so detailed, so precise, that you don't need pictures. His recipes leave no detail uncovered, nothing to guess at. Yet it never seems too fussy, or over-explained. It truly is like having a chef standing at your side helping you through the dish.
Note: a lot of the recipes in here are very involved, so I would not recommend this for the 30-minutes-to-dinner type of individual. However, for those that like to cook I can't recommend this book highly enough. For those that have a love of authentic Mexican cuisine, I have yet to make anything from here that hasn't been fantastic and an impressive display of the complexity and yet simplicity of most Mexican food.
July 19, 2025
I bought this book maybe two decades ago, when I saw it in a bookstore I used to frequent (the edition I have is the 1998 version).
I confess to struggling with it at the time, given my absolute lack of knowledge of anything more than UK stereotypes of Mexican food (chili-con-carne, Taco Tuesday), but more recently, I've grown to appreciate it.
For someone who has to now cook in fits and starts due to physical limitations, and who uses "base" recipes a lot, this is ideal - it starts with a number of "essentials" which are then used through the rest of the book as bases (eg. tomato-serrano sauce, salsa, chipotle sauce, tomatillo sauce and so on) for more substantial meals.
As an example, he has an "essential" tomato and chipotle sauce recipe. I can knock this up in maybe 30 minutes on a Sunday, and it gives me a litre of sauce.
From that base, I can then make pork tacos, prawn tostadas, picadillo, chilaquiles, or more complex like dishes like tinga de pollo or pollo enchipotlada, all from having done the "hard work" beforehand.
He's also very conscious that people cooking from the book may well not be able to get hold of certain ingredients (in the UK, there's a lot that are simply impossible to get), so he gives alternatives where relevant, which is appreciated.
I don't think this should be the *only* Mexican cookbook in your collection, but it's a very useful reference to go back to, and I've found it enormously helpful in developing my own way of cooking given my limitations.
I confess to struggling with it at the time, given my absolute lack of knowledge of anything more than UK stereotypes of Mexican food (chili-con-carne, Taco Tuesday), but more recently, I've grown to appreciate it.
For someone who has to now cook in fits and starts due to physical limitations, and who uses "base" recipes a lot, this is ideal - it starts with a number of "essentials" which are then used through the rest of the book as bases (eg. tomato-serrano sauce, salsa, chipotle sauce, tomatillo sauce and so on) for more substantial meals.
As an example, he has an "essential" tomato and chipotle sauce recipe. I can knock this up in maybe 30 minutes on a Sunday, and it gives me a litre of sauce.
From that base, I can then make pork tacos, prawn tostadas, picadillo, chilaquiles, or more complex like dishes like tinga de pollo or pollo enchipotlada, all from having done the "hard work" beforehand.
He's also very conscious that people cooking from the book may well not be able to get hold of certain ingredients (in the UK, there's a lot that are simply impossible to get), so he gives alternatives where relevant, which is appreciated.
I don't think this should be the *only* Mexican cookbook in your collection, but it's a very useful reference to go back to, and I've found it enormously helpful in developing my own way of cooking given my limitations.
January 4, 2020
I like watching Rick Bayless cook while talking. I like how he talks and how he puts the ingredients together to make the meal. His show is interesting to watch. Thumbs up Mr. Rick Bayless the chef on you and your show.
January 21, 2019
just for record-keeping purposes.
checked this out of the library and made a few dishes, and got a tortilla press from Ace Hardware and masa harina from Meijer, and have been working my way through.
checked this out of the library and made a few dishes, and got a tortilla press from Ace Hardware and masa harina from Meijer, and have been working my way through.
October 20, 2024
Always great recipes and made easy!
July 31, 2011
I love Rick Bayless and have a foodie crush on him because I've watched him on his public television show and I am a sucker for his passion for food. That being said I prefer his Mexican Everyday cookbook because it's much more realistic in fitting in with my life. I imagine 12 years from now I will be able to delve into this Mexican Kitchen cookbook more, and maybe even be able to give it the 5 stars it surely deserves, as many of the main dishes are more time-consuming than I want right now (especially because at each meal I cook for 2 vegetarians, 1 onmivore, and 1 highly-selective eater and that's time consuming enough for me currently). I DO plan on trying some of the many salsas presented in this book.
August 29, 2008
This is one of those cookbooks you can actually read as well as cook from, and recently, while trying to find epazote in London for putting in a pot of black beans (turtle beans, as they're called here), I discovered, "If this is your first time using epazote, think that you're holding an herb with the aggressiveness of fresh rosemary, the pungent assertiveness of cilantro and the tenacity of anise." Alas, all I could find was dried epazote, which Bayless says is not, in his opinion, good enough for cooking, but I followed his black bean recipe anyway and thought it was delicious.
November 5, 2012
Rick Bayless writes about and explains authentic Mexican cooking like no other--an excellent resource. My favorite recipe from this book is the Mexican-Style Sweet Roasted Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo Estilo Mexicano): http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20.... although the Avocado Soup With Orange and Tomatillo (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) and the Tangy Grilled Fish Tostadas (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) were also delicious.
March 9, 2008
I love this book and use it every time I make Mexican food. I love the salsas and his very in-depth explanations of technique and ingredients. My only complaint is that some of the basic every-day Mex dishes I want to make are not in here. What if I want to make simple beef tacos or enchiladas instead of Spicy Pasilla Mushroom Tacos (which are great)? I know he has another Everyday Mexican book, so I might try that one.
October 9, 2015
I hated Mexican food until I went to Mexico with a friend.
There, I discovered that I adore Mexican- just not the American version. True authentic Mexican food is amazingly yummy. Rick Bayless is authentic Mexican food. The only tacos I've ever liked are from a Rick Bayless recipe. I grew my own habaneros this summer because I was so inspired. If you want to sample the true cuisine of Mexico this is the cookbook for you.
There, I discovered that I adore Mexican- just not the American version. True authentic Mexican food is amazingly yummy. Rick Bayless is authentic Mexican food. The only tacos I've ever liked are from a Rick Bayless recipe. I grew my own habaneros this summer because I was so inspired. If you want to sample the true cuisine of Mexico this is the cookbook for you.
July 30, 2011
I love Rick Bayless for teaching me to appreciate and make good Mexican food. I have four of his cookbooks and this is the one that I would recommend as the "must have." He's as much a teacher as he is a master chef. I've learned so much and always, always get lots of compliments when I make any of his dishes.
June 18, 2010
Most of these recipes looked delicious, but I can't imagine actually making almost any of them. Lots of the recipes were two full pages of text, with up to half a page of ingredients listed. While I respect the author's commitment to authenticity and ingredient quality, and I enjoy watching his cooking show(s), I just don't feel compelled to make anything.
November 10, 2012
There isn't a single recipe in this book that I don't want to try to make, from the beans to the plantain pie. Everything is clear and well explained, often with detailed drawings for unfamiliar techniques. If you like Mexican cooking at all, it would be criminal not to have this book in your library.
November 12, 2007
One of two Rick Bayless books that I always recommend to people asking about Mexican food and cooking techniques. What I like best is that he includes background information on various key ingredients.
May 27, 2009
Anything and everything you could possibly want to know about Mexican cuisine is included in this book. Taking nearly a decade to write, this book covers the fare from every region of Mexico and even gives great in depth info about specialty foods and preparation techniques. HIGHLY recommended!
March 6, 2010
Few people think of Mexican food when they think "Gourmet" cooking. Those people obviously have never read/tried any of Rick Bayless' books. I admit, I love to read cookbooks. I almost needed a spit pail for how much these recipes and their stories made me salivate. Time to cook!
unfinished
April 16, 2011I wish I had the time and energy to cook these meals but at this point in my life it just isn't feasible with 2 little kids and a busy schedule. These are traditional labor intensive recipes-lots of grinding and chopping of chiles, onions, peppers, etc. Maybe one day...
July 15, 2012
this book has some great recipes and ideas in it, but it's suited to a cook who has a grill, lots of time, and a very, very hearty appetite or cooks for big crowds. there aren't very many light entrees here. seems like a better book for the fall, when people (me) are excited to eat richer food.
June 29, 2015
Great book elevating Mexican cuisine into something much better and more interesting than American palettes were previously exposed. I refer to this one often. Chipotle shrimp and chicken with creamed spinach are favorites.
August 9, 2007
everything we've made from this cookbook has been awesome! the instructions are very clear, with advice on what you can make ahead of time and how to substitute for hard-to-find ingredients.
December 25, 2007
I got this book because I wanted to learn more about Mexican cooking, and chilis in particular. It has lots of readable, accessible recipes.
March 15, 2011
I love the way he tells you a bit of history behind the recipes and includes variations. This book has several recipes that have become staples in my kitchen.
September 11, 2012
amazing
October 30, 2012
Fantastic recipes...some involve a lot of steps but well worth it. Delicious! Better than restaurant quality food!
December 19, 2012
I check out Rick Bayless's books all the time.
January 6, 2013
Great cookbook! You'd be surprised how much this old white guy knows about traditional Mexican cuisine. I can't wait to make all sorts of recipes from this one!
January 13, 2015
Step into true Mexican. As much textbook as recipes
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews