I bought this as a gift for my sister. I flipped through it extensively when it came in. I love it so much I am going to buy 2 more - one for a friend and one for me! I am a very visual person and the pictures in here are awesome. I love that they aren't photos, but rather hand-drawn-looking pics done in a watercolor way. I love the recipes that are full page visuals. There is lots of humor throughout. Make no mistake though, this is a cooking book, NOT a cookbook. It is teaching methods and how-to techniques. Yes, there is a section in the back third of the book with recipes to apply all you have learned. I love everything about this book. Can't wait to really dive into my copy. I highly recommend it.

Note: Like many people, I rely heavily on Amazon reviews before purchasing anything, online or brick-and-mortar. Because of this, I am very honest when reviewing products. If I love something, you'll be the first to know. And if I hate it, I'll tell you that too. I try to be thorough to help people make informed decisions before buying new products. If you've found my review helpful, please click Helpful below. Thanks! :-)

I want to love this book. The first half is interesting, even for experienced cooks. And then you get to the recipes. The section is a mess and seems like it bypassed the editing table. The text will often reference bolded recipes, not all of which can be found in the book; reference page numbers are wrong, and the index does silly things like list a text reference under "tart dough" but a recipe under "Aaron's tart dough" - which is helpful if you can remember Aaron but that's not really the point. Illustrations - which are lovely - in some cases contradict text and/or recipe 'matrices' (cf: onions or no in a beet and citrus salad?). Of course the whole point of the book is that you don't need strict recipes to follow - and I love that notion plus the very clever flavor wheels that talk about logical combinations - but this book reads like it was made to be hyperlinked, and if you're trying to follow a paper version I find it endlessly frustrating.

It strikes me as strange to be asked to review a book I ordered from an "other seller", only to have my order promptly canceled with no explanation, then ordered again, from another "other seller", only to find out that it was a scam and my order, and apparently that of many other customers, was delivered to persons unknown in another state... Amazon very promptly reimbursed my money, hats off! But somebody in the front office must know I never received the book!
THAT SAID: I got SFAH, as admirers call it, out of the library, and I WILL, by hook or crook, get my own copy! (Gee, maybe I'll have to pay closer to full price...) It is fantastic, an absolute must-have for any aspiring or accomplished cook. Entertainingly written, absolutely spot-on about what people think and do in their kitchen, whether they're right or wrong: you can tell Nosrat has made all the mistakes and learned from them, and now wants to pass on her experience and knowledge to us. Everyone needs to have a book like this, that tells you not only what to do and ideally how to do it, but most importantly WHY to do it. Good cooking is not the result of magic tricks and incantations and superstitious adherence to what I call "cookbook diktat", it depends on an understanding of flavor combinations, science, observation, and a degree of daring. Samin Nosrat sets us on those paths.

This was an excellent, excellent book. I read it cover-to-cover over the course of about two weeks. Despite a lifetime of mediocre-to-occasionally-excellent cooking, this definitely upped my game by giving me these 4 simple touchstones to examine each dish and ingredient through. When it comes to the science, it's a little light, and some aspects differ from other books in minor ways. The Food Lab is better suited for someone who is more technically minded and wants a better understanding of the "why, and show me your data" kind of answers to the kitchen. But if you are looking for first principles to get started cooking, or to kick up your habits and meals and the lense through which you'll view them, then this is THE best combination of education, recipes, and reference guides.

If you get one cookbook, get this one (!!!). If you get two, get this and The Food Lab (...or if you need four, then also get McGee's On Food and Cooking & Cook's The Science of Good Cooking). But THIS is the book you NEED!

This is the most comprehensive and practical book I've bought on cooking.

I started home cooking about two years ago. I started with the Great Courses cooking videos, then subscribed to one of the home delivery services to get some practice. So, I have "repertoire" of recipes and personal favorites. I immediately tried some of the techniques offered in the book modifying my approach and the results were a dramatic improvement in what I considered proven recipes.

The book has a lot of recipes, but the value is in the "how and why" of cooking. The book promises that you can cook without recipes, and I believe this to be true (with practice).

On a hunch I bought the hardcover book instead of the Kindle version - I'm glad I did. The descriptive artwork is wonderful, and the book has several fold-out pages that would prove to be difficult on the Kindle.