Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I can sense there might be some debate in store about America's Test Kitchen's new cookbook, "The Best Mexican Recipes." There are people who pride themselves on their familiarity with authentic ethnic cuisine. Out of their passion for the real thing, they can at times become choosy about anything that isn't 100% genuine. When you consider this cookbook, I think it is for the best if you realize that it is written by America's Test Kitchen, recipe developers whose mission it is to produce consistently delicious recipes that can be replicated by the American (or should I specify estadounidense) home cook. Here is a quote from the Introduction to this cookbook: "So with this book, we set out to tell the story of Mexican cooking in the United States through a collection of foolproof recipes that range from little-known authentic dishes and Tex-Mex favorites to fresh, modern dishes inspired by the flavors of Mexico...We think this book presents the very best of American cooking put through the filter of what makes sense for the American home kitchen. No incredibly exotic local ingredients or complicated techniques best left to chefs." With that mind, I am very excited to have this collection of Mexican(ish) recipes. Here is the breakdown of chapters: 1) Getting Started (intro to ingredients, equipment, and basic methods) 2) Appetizers and Drinks 3) Soups, Stews, and Chilis 4) Tacos, Tostadas, Tamales, and More 5) Burritos, Chimichangas, and Quesadillas 6) Enchiladas and Casseroles 7) Poultry 8) Beef and Pork 9) Seafood 10) Vegetarian Mains 11) Eggs 12) Sides WHAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK ***So far, not much I don't like about it. The only thing is when I opened it to the halfway page and attempted to pull it to its "fully opened" book position, the binding made a noise that no binding should ever make, but maybe it was just stiff. I will, of course, update if I have any issues with the durability of the book. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK ***The size of the book--it isn't so heavy that my wrist hurts when I hold it with one hand, the way ATK's "The Best Recipe" hardcover does. It is pretty flexible and easy to page through. ***Full-page illustrations of many recipes (I counted about 88), and many other smaller photos and photo sequences such as "Assembling Flautas" and "Shaping Flour Tortillas," which I expect to be tremendously useful ***The "Getting Started" section at the beginning includes some helpful information, including a photo glossary of fresh and dried chiles, corn products and common Mexican seasonings/herbs THE RECIPES ***A decent variety of bold and conservative, depending on your mood or company ***Some I have tried: --fresh tomato salsa (good, but I still prefer the soupy looking salsa at the local restaurant) --classic ground beef tacos (my go-to recipe for taco meat, instead of those seasoning packets) --easy chipotle chicken tacos (my husband absolutely RAVES about these tacos!) ***What I am looking forward to trying: recipes for both corn tortillas and flour tortillas, enfrijoladas, queso fundido, chicken burritos mojados, cheese enchiladas (unabashedly Tex-Mex), skillet chicken fajitas, meatballs in chipotle sauce, Mexican breakfast sandwiches, cilantro rice/lime rice/chile rice, mashed spiced pumpkin, mango, jicama, and orange salad I will update as I try out some of these recipes! To conclude, this is a very user-friendly and tutorial cookbook for those who are looking for something more authentic than Taco Bell but not quite so authentic as to call for...I dunno, tripe or brains. It is a good starting point for those wishing to explore Mexican cuisine and don't want to waste time with recipes that don't turn out. You can always try a purist cookbook later if you feel the inclination, but in the meantime, you will have some solid recipes to try out. I give this an enthusiastic five stars.