Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I did my research before buying this book. James Beard award, Julia Child Cookbook award - how could I go wrong? Unfortunately, I did. This book, while beautiful and expansive, is neither accurate nor helpful. For example, in the Potato Leek gratin on p282, Madison does not tell you whether the milk you should pour into the baking pan is the same milk you boiled the potatoes in. Furthermore, she does not advise that you use a thickener in the milk and so the end result is a watery mess. Far from a creamy potato gratin. The Cranberry-Nut Bread on p636 is another example of poorly written instructions. The ingredients list includes 2 different types of sugar. And in the step-by-step instructions, she does not tell you which type of sugar to use when. Additionally, you are not told whether to discard or include the cranberry boiling liquid into the bread mix. And to top off this frustrating experience, I am never told what size bread pan to use. I'm simply told to "Spray or butter and flour a bread pan or 18 muffin cups." Anyone who has baked bread knows that there are a plethora of bread pans available! These are the only 2 recipes I have tried so far and I'm honestly hesitant to try anymore. A good writer of a cookbook, travel guide, or software user manual should TEACH someone how to do something well. Unfortunately, in this case, I am lost in her recipes. And the only way I am able to pull off a decent meal is by applying my previous culinary knowledge to putting together the fragments of her recipes. Use at your own risk.