The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry

the Editors of Cook's Illustrated

The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry is, bar none, the Great Mother Hen of all poultry cookbooks. If it is incomplete in any way, it is only that the editors have not included poultry recipes from absolutely every culture in the world familiar with the birds. But with this book tucked under your wing, you can check out poultry recipes in cookbooks from all corners of the globe and know exactly how to get the results you want. Thanks to the Cook's Illustrated magazine test kitchen, all possible contingencies have been exhaustively covered.

There are 38 chapters in this book, starting with a guide to buying poultry (the more expensive birds are better than their commercial sisters) and ending with a note on smoking. You won't even get to Chicken Salad until chapter 23. You will find nearly 500 recipes, the perfect roast turkey among them. There are 300 pen-and-ink illustrations demonstrating everything from carving a bird to getting the pit out of a mango. Want to know which is the best canned chicken stock? The best countertop deep fryer? The best roasting rack? The best way to sauté chicken cutlets? It's all in here, in meticulous detail. That stir-fry that has always given you trouble? It's a thing of the past. Always felt intimidated by duck? Forget about it.

Plan on getting lost in The Cook's Illustrated Complete Book of Poultry once you open the cover. You will surface only long enough to go to the grocery store. Your life will never be the same. It's that kind of book. --Schuyler Ingle

1 Everything you ever wanted to know about "the bird"
Great book for cooks of all levels for everything from how to cook chicken/turkey, soup, stews, and ideas for left-overs. Similar format to the Best Recipe book in the many tests were done for the best recipe. Included are not only recipes, but ideas for modifications, how to turn over a bird that is cooking, and what flavors go well together. This was a gift to my husband and I - we have used it a great deal find it helpful for everything from ideas to practical questions. A great gift for cooks.

2 Better Holiday Dinners Mean a Better Turkey...
Last week me and my boyfriend made the basic roast turkey recipe and it was the best turkey I ever tasted. The skin is cooked crispy but not burned. The meat, even the white meat is juicy and tender, and the gravy compliments the bird so well you'll want to make turkey every week. Some may be discouraged that you need to soak the turkey for 12 hours beforehand, but believe me, the end result is worth it.

This book is worth buying just for the praise you would get on holidays from making this recipe.

3 Definitely a book on chicken.
If you like chicken, you'll love this one. It's a good one for the library as are all CI's works. If you're familiar with them, then you know what to expect.

I agree with the previous reviewer about the index not only of this book but all of the Cook's Illustrated books. For having such high standards, they really should correct this problem. I don't have this issue with any other books in my library and it's extremely annoying coming from them especially.

4 Nearly perfect
Almost every recipe I've tried from this book has been marvelous. I do, however, have a BIG problem with the curry recipes. As any good Indian cook knows, it is essential to fry the spices before adding the liquid. You can't, as this book says, add the liquid and the spices to the oil at the same time and expect the spices and oil to "separate" from the liquid. The spices are more likely to blend with the liquid, not the oil, and not fry at all. This makes for an unpleasant curry. I have to wonder how well-tested the curry recipes were.

5 A Must For Poultry Lovers!
I'm an avid cook and, while I no longer subscribe to "Cooks Illustrated" magazine, I respect editor Christopher Kimball and his expert "Cook's Illustrated" kitchen crew and have had good luck, more or less, with their recipes which, if followed exactly, are virtually foolproof. I also never fail to learn something from their informative kitchen commentary. All in all, Kimball's recipes and advice are beneficial to both novice and experienced cooks.

That having been I have to point out that taste is, of course, subjective. For instance, I've found, from trying a number of Kimball's recipes, that he is a salt-a-holic. I prefer to cook with little or no salt, as I find the taste harsh and unpleasant, and if I followed Kimbell's recipes exactly I'd be drowning in the stuff. I prefer pepper and tend to double or triple the often meager amounts Kimbell calls for in his recipes (usually he calls for four or fives times more salt than pepper, and I almost reverse that ratio). But, if your taste is the same as Kimball's when it comes to a particular food, his well-researched and thoroughly-tested recipes will be amazing! (In this particular cookbook he endlessly recommends "brining" chicken before cooking, which means soaking it in salt water. This is something my grandmother has done for years, but with vinegar and water, instead of salt. I still prefer the latter method and use either apple cider or white vinegar--half water, half vinegar--with great success and no salty after taste.)

All of Kimball's "Cook's Illustrated" cookbooks follow the same basic format: a long-winded, but often interesting, discourse on how Kimball views the "perfect" version of whatever it is he's showing you how to cook, including a lengthy explanation of variations he has tried, followed by his "Master Recipe" for the food. I recommend carefully reading this introduction, focusing on what Kimball considers "perfection," before attempting the recipe. If you don't feel the same way about, say, roast chicken as the author, his "master recipe" for roasting a chicken will leave you cold (he likes it quite salty and greasy--though he uses terms like "savory," "succulent" and "moist" to describe what I think of as "salty" and "greasy"). But this can all be easily adapted to create a brilliant chicken you will love. In short, the basics are all there, you just may have to fiddle with the seasonings.

I must also warn cooks that Kimball's cookbooks are books not necessarily made for cooking (odd, isn't it?). They are standard-bound hardcover editions that rarely lie flat (the latest, "The Best Recipe," is a little better than the others) and the index is dreadful--a fairly major gripe when you consider how important an index is to a cookbook when, say, you quickly want to find a recipe for "Chicken Soup" and you can't even decipher where the "Cs" start! There may be six or seven pages under the tiny heading "entrees," five of which may start with "chicken," leading you to believe you're in the "Cs" when you're actually in the "Es." It's very confusing. Many other people have recommended putting dictionary like letter headers (for example "CHI-CLA") at the top of each index page and, after trying it, I have to say I highly recommend this method.

Usually my biggest problem with Kimbell cookbooks is this: If you have one, you have them all. He lifts whole passages and recipes and uses them in multiple books. "The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook," and the "Cook's Bible," for instance, have at least 50 identical recipes, not to mention verbatim introductions to each section and cookware recommendations repeated word-for-word. "The Best Recipe" features ALL of the recipes (as far as I can tell) from the "Cook's Bible," with the same commentary, which is, in turn, lifted in whole chunks from past issues of "Cooks Illustrated." I'm sure this saves Mr. Kimbell a great deal of time when compiling his cookbooks but it leaves little reason to own more than one edition of his work. The "Complete Poultry" cookbook though, is an exception to this rule. While it does contain exact repeats from other books, it also add a wealth of new recipes and information, making it more than worth your while for anyone who cooks poultry regularly.

While I wouldn't take his meat recommendations too seriously--I'd say that most of us can't REALLY tell the difference between a $90 special-order free range turkey and a $15 Butterball (I did try both and it's not worth the cost)--Kimball's recipes will help you make the best Thanksgiving dinner ever and help answer that near nightly question: 'What on Earth am I going to do with these boneless, skinless chicken breasts this time?'

6 The final word on poultry
Very impressive study provides well-documented, carefully-considered answers to every imaginable question about poultry cooking together with a remarkable variety of recipes. Introductions to each of the 38 chapters (e.g., braised chicken, roast chicken, stir fry, grilled chicken parts, turkey cutlets, smoked poultry, etc.. -- ) provide excellent, well-illustrated descriptions of specialized techniques. Although there are some more complex recipes, many are straightforward enough to be whipped up after a full work day. I have tried 8-10 of these recipes and each has come out beautifully. I have made particular use of chapters on braised chicken, roasted chicken parts, and sauteed chicken cutlets, but also plan to try recipes for curries, peking duck, etc. Lots of great healthy recipes, but the chicken in morel cream sauce can't be beat for a special occasion! I have dozens of cookbooks but this has become, and undoubtedly will continue to be, my primary resource for poultry recipes.

7 Like Poultry? This is a must have
Ever get tired of chicken? This book will certainly liven up your standard chicken recipes. I didn't know there were so many ways to prepare chicken. This book has recipes that are clearly written, illustrations, and has the reasons behind why you do things. I have used several recipes from this book, and they have been fantastic. In fact I didn't know broiled chicken could taste so good. They have a marinade recipe in here that bets everything that I have ever tried hands down. So if you cook a lot of chicken, and need some new recipes to liven up your dinners this is the book to get.

8 Every kind and description is covered
This book is so complete it is amazing. Chicken, Turkey, Duck, Quail and on it goes. Even Peking Duck? I could not even begin to describe all that this book covers. Every recipe a success. Wonderful Detail and explanation, also the reason why. I love "The Cook's Bible, and now this one just adds to the greatness of the idea of a perfect master recipe through thorough testing. I doubt you would ever need another book on poultry. This one tells it all. Definitely worth owning. I love the 40 cloves of Garlic Chicken recipe, exactly like what I enjoyed in Paris at a bistro there. Most authentic flavor and easy to prepare. Everything tried turns out delicious.

9 Everything you wanted to know about poultry and more!
This book is extremely thorough and detailed, in addition to being well written and easy to use. An essential for every kitchen! :)