The New Basics Cookbook

by Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins

It's the 1.8-million-copy bestselling cookbook that's become a modern-day classic. Beginning cooks will learn how to boil an egg. Experienced cooks will discover new ingredients and inspired approaches to familiar ones. Encyclopedic in scope, rich with recipes and techniques, and just plain fascinating to read, The New Basics Cookbook is the indispensable kitchen reference for all home cooks.

This is a basic cookbook that reflects today's kitchen, today's pantry, today's taste expectations. A whimsically illustrated 875-recipe labor of love, The New Basics features a light, fresh, vibrantly flavored style of American cooking that incorporates the best of new ingredients and cuisines from around the world.

Over 30 chapters include Fresh Beginnings; Pasta, Pizza, and Risotto; Soups; Salads; every kind of Vegetable; Seafood; The Chicken and the Egg; Grilling from Ribs to Surprise Paella; Grains; Beef; Lamb, Pork; Game; The Cheese Course, and Not Your Mother's Meatloaf. Not to mention 150 Desserts! Plus, tips, lore, menu ideas, at-a-glance charts, trade secrets, The Wine Dictionary, a Glossary of Cooking Terms, The Panic-Proof Kitchen, and much more.

Main Selection of the Better Homes & Gardens Family Book Service and the Book-of-the-Month Club's HomeStyle Books.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Culinary, Foodie

849 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 1988

About the author

Julee Rosso is an American cook and food writer. In 1977 she and Sheila Lukins opened and ran a gourmet food shop in New York City called The Silver Palate. In the 1980s they wrote The Silver Palate Cookbook, The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, and others. A 25th Anniversary update of the Silver Palate Cookbook was published in 2007.

Reviews

[lindsey dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

while i love cook books and cooking magazines, i typically don't read a cook book cover to cover. however, i'm in the delayed process of moving and had already packed all my books except 1 which i just finished. luckily "the new basics" was left out because i recently used it.
what i love most about this book is not the recipes themselves but that the authors explain the ingredients used and show you many ways to use them. i've never read "the joy of cooking," but i use this book in a similar way. i'm pretty intimidated by cooking meat, but the authors explain different cuts and the best methods of preparing each one. that information alone is invaluable to me. i also love that the recipes range from the everyday ("meal in a hamburger" and a whole chapter dedicated to cookies) to the sublime (several uses of caviar and explanations of how different caviar from different types of fish taste and a recipe for a red wine sorbet). i highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking at any skill level. personally, i'm a novice, a passionate novice, but a novice none the less.

[okyrhoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more of an encyclopedia/ reference book than a cookbook. It's over 800 pages, to begin with. In addition to the recipes, there are countless sidebars and panels with valuable information - quotations, anecdotes, techniques, lists of fruit and vegetable varieties, wine selections, etc.

There is also a wealth of information on how to set up your kitchen - what tools to purchase, what ingredients to stock up on. And you'll learn the basics of several ethnic cuisines - Moroccan, French, Italian, Mexican, Indian, Chinese, Thai, etc.

I found myself using this as a research manual rather than actually preparing recipes, although several of them have indeed become 'basics' in my cooking repertoire - the pie crust, tomato sauce, corn chowder, california sandwiches, caesar salad dressing, carrot cake, etc.
(You must absolutely try out the Carrot Cake! If you're too lazy to make it yourself, you can find it ready-made at Barbara's Food Company in Athens. Actually, Barbara admits to relying on recipes from Julee Rosso's & Sheila Lukins' The Silver Palate Cookbook.)

But there are soooo many variations and fusions, sometimes I wonder if the authors are more keen on showing us their expertise and their ability to invent trendsetting combinations than teaching us the 'basics'. It's all about having fun in the kitchen, yet sometimes I'm just looking for a simple, fool-proof recipe.

[Leona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...okay, but not great. There are better cookbooks out there. I bought this one years ago and have made a few recipes from it, but not a ton. I heard so much about the The Silver Palate Cookbook, I decided to buy this one instead. I now own both, and I would say that The Silver Palate Cookbook is better.

Also, I've experienced the same issue as other reviewers. The book binding is coming undone in places. Since, it's not a cookbook I reach for too often, it's not a showstopper. However, given the price I paid, I expected better quality.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for novice cooks. The recipes vary in difficulty and are easy to understand. The authors give concise explanations of cooking terms and methods, and various foods. I know a later book by Rosso (I think it was "Great Good Food") got a drubbing from the critics when it was revealed she didn't actually test all the recipes in a test kitchen. But this isn't THAT book. This does have basics like "how to cook a turkey", with some nice simple vegetable sides.

[Jeffd134 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my 'dirtiest' cookbooks. This means that it has been used, used, used! I have so many 'go-to' recipes which came from this book and they fill such a wide range. Strawberry shortcake, cilantro and black bean pestos (make them both so that you use the entire bunch of cilantro!), grilled butterflied lamb, fajitas, I can go on and on and on....

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pick up the first book she wrote with Sheila Lukins:
"The Silver Palate Cookbook" and skip the other two.

[Anne Wingate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Quite Basic

There are some basic recipes and even a few whole sections of basic information and recipes.
But in general, and especially in the first section, what is presented is anything but basic.
The authors seem to assume that we all have unlimited budgets and can easily buy scads of such things as saffron and imported ingredients of all kinds.
They assume that we all have unlimited time and can spend hours or in some cases days on one meal or even one recipe.
They assume that none of us have any medical, religious, moral, or financial reason for not matching every food to the appropriate wine or including alcohol in every dish it can possibly be thrust into.
Don't waste your money on this one. I wish I hadn't

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are just starting out and have a desire to cook great food then this is the book for you. It breaks cooking down and simplifies everything. I have made many of these dishes and my family now considers them ours. I love the fajita recipe and the "guacomole is hot" and the "Black Bean Salsa". These recipes are loaded with flavor and I go to them again and again. I have given this book many times for wedding showers.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased this book because the Silver Palate Cookbook the our guidebook for special / holiday meals and was hoping New Basics would be as useful to our day to day meals but this wasn't too be. It's a fine cookbook, but there are numerous other cookbooks which provide recipes which were quicker, tasty, with more complete nutritional information.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

my dear friend Rosary gave me this -- my first cookbook -- and I managed to lose it during some blasted move or other! i'll have to pick up the revised edition that just came out (hopefully with full-color and copious photos?). some of these recipes are superb.

OF NOTE: sheila lukins's eggplant/chevre/bechamel lasagna bomb CHANGED my freaking LIFE. it's amazing. it takes, like, several brief lifetimes to compile, but when made as written, it will not only convince you that eggplant is not gross (huge hurdle!) but also that bechamel is not scary and ought to be in ALL OF THE FOODS.

now, pardon me; i'm off to stir some bechamel into my coffee.

oh. wait. no i'm not. a note on the production: as with The Silver Palate Cookbook, this book's line drawings are completely charming. BUT! the lack of any photographs of finished products is a huge, HUGE bummer, especially because some of the recipes are so unfamiliar to me. basically, cooking their recipes is a leap of faith, both for the flavor profiles and the lack of reassuring photographs. but what you get if you listen closely is vurrah, vurrah good.

NOW done.

[Catwalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another of my three 'fat' cookbooks. I have two other Silver Palate books--the recipes are great.

This book is beautifully designed, and perhaps because the authors are caterers, it has some unusual sections. There is section at the front called 'Amusements' that contains really interesting recipes for finger food. Another section is called Microwave Miracles, although the authors also have some reservations about microwave ovens. As you would expect for a book on basics, there is a page or two of information on handling and preparation of the standard ingredients, and helpful tables for ingredient types like citrus fruit, beans, and salad greens, where there are a lot of choices.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a number of years, this was my go-to reference cookbook -- when I needed to know what to do with a celery root, when I was looking for a recipe for coq au vin. At the time, its new wave takes on classic dishes seemed refreshing. Now these twists feel a little dated to me, but it's still full of sound and useful advice on food preparation and entertaining, and it's well organized, so I'll often start there, even if I don't always end up there.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

All recipes I have had/made from this cookbook have been GREAT! Unfortunately, for me anyway, it is not really an 'everyday' type of cookbook- there are a lot of ingredients in most recipes, they are not 'quick' and definitely not particularly healthy. It is sort of a special occasion/things to take to a party or dinner kind of cookbook for me.

[Allisonperkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways this was the cookbook that taught me how to cook. I cut my teeth on their lasagna and Moroccan chicken. However the book hasn't aged well. I rarely turn to it these days, and when I do I leave a little disappointed. Its not a bad book and it can still help you learn the basics however the recipes are very 1980s - a little too much for my tastes these days.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provides, for its time, strikingly different interpretations of tried and true favorites. Recipes align with my own preference for strong flavors--many of them showstopping, "wow" recipes. I've been relying on The New Basics for almost 20 years and it still is the first cookbook I reach for.

[Larry Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books which makes a perfect gift for someone who is getting into cooking. The included recipes are very basic and written in such a way that anyone can follow them. If you're a versed home cook, you may find the contents pretty tedious. It does live up to its title, in that it covers the basics of cooking (albeit most of which is not too "new" any longer).

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My paperback edition is well used and unfortunately falling apart, so I got a hardback copy. Ingredients in this are easier to find that those required in the Silver Palate. I often give this as a gift to those starting a new household since it contains so many handy tips.

[Scott Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read since 1989 and it is a knock-out.

They are basic recipes, but recipes you forget about when you are 1) working on complex recipes on the weekend or 2) just feeding yourself to get through the week.

Glad I reconnected with this one.

It is a modern classic.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my first cookbook, and I would read it to sleep every night when I was in middle school. the recipes aren't always the most practical, but dang, they all sound so delicious.

[Wendy · Rating 1 out of 5]

eh -- not very basic at all

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marvelously encyclopedic, but a bit dated, assuming the reader doesn't know what pesto is--but giving us credit for wanting to find out.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really, really comprehensive cookbook. That being said, it can be overwhelming how big it is (both for finding receipes and for trying to keep it open while cooking).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an modern (canned soupless) and simple, but gourmet-oriented, upgrade on the traditional basic comprehensive cookbook. Bon Appetit!

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there are many recipes that are variation on their other 2 cookbooks, I still use this one almost once a month even after 25 years.

[Anna Piranha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't use a lot of recipes in this one. Many of these basics have been made overly complicated and a little too fussy.

[Carolyn Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook, especially enjoyed Mrs. Clark's Soda Bread!

[Mmcdv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my go to book for basic, classic recipes like pie crust.

[Patti S. Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refer to this cookbook often.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the best cookbook on my shelves. For years.

[J K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for years, and always go back to it for great basic ideas. I have several of Julie and Sheila’s cookbooks and they never disappoint.