Bittman has added hundreds of new dishes, and completely updated the remaining recipes and every line of guidance. New features abound: Each chapter now opens with "Essential Recipes," a section that highlights the core dishes for every cook's repertoire, such as building blocks for simple soups or ten ways to cook any seafood. He has also expanded the chapters on vegetables and fruits, grains, beans, and desserts. New charts will help you customize recipes with a variety of flavors and ingredients, and new how-to illustrations bring the total to nearly 400. With this revision, Bittman also tags fast, make-ahead, and vegetarian recipes with icons for easy menu planning.

The new How to Cook Everything provides a lifetime's worth of quick, simple, and delicious options. Its 2,000 recipes and variations cover everything from Pad Thai and Carrot Salad with Cumin to Simplest Whole Roast Chicken, Six Ways and Traditional Apple Pie. All of the recipes are easy to prepare—more than half can be completed in 30 minutes (many in even less time)—and none requires special equipment or fancy techniques. Throughout, the emphasis is on fresh, widely available ingredients and healthy, uncomplicated preparations.

As always, Bittman's recipes are instantly appealing, uniquely accessible, and refreshingly straightforward. And many of the special features you loved in the original are still here, too, fully updated. Bittman's thoughtful and inspiring sidebars and lists (like "Twenty-Five Pasta Sauces You Can Make in Advance") and suggested menus for every occasion make How to Cook Everything more valuable and indispensable than ever—the one cookbook you need for fast and flavorful home-cooked food every day of the year.

Here's the breakthrough one-stop cooking reference for today's generation of cooks Nationally known cooking authority Mark Bittman shows you how to prepare great food for all occasions using simple techniques, fresh ingredients, and basic kitchen equipment. Just as important, How to Cook Everything takes a relaxed, straightforward approach to cooking, so you can enjoy yourself in the kitchen and still achieve outstanding results.

Praise for How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman:

In his introduction to How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman says, 'Anyone can cook, and most everyone should.' Now, hopefully everyone will — this work is a rare achievement. Mark is in that pantheon of a few gifted cook/writers who make very, very good food simple and accessible. I read his recipes and my mouth waters. I read his directions and head for the kitchen. Bravo, Mark, for taking us away from take-out and back to the fun of food.

— Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of the international public radio show The Splendid Table with Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Mark Bittman is the best home cook I know, and How to Cook Everything is the best basic cookbook I've seen.

— Jean-Georges Vongerichten, award-winning chef/owner of Jean-Georges

Useful to the novice cook or the professional chef, How to Cook Everything is a tour de force cookbook by Mark Bittman. Mark lends his considerable knowledge and clear, concise writing style to explanations of techniques and quick, classic recipes. This is a complete, reliable cookbook.

— Jacques Pepin, chef, cookbook author, and host of his own PBS television series

Sometimes all the things that a particular person does best come together in a burst of synergy, and the result is truly marvelous. This book is just such an instance. Mark Bittman is not only the best home cook we know, he is also a born teacher, a gifted writer, and a canny kitchen tactician who combines great taste with eminent practicality. Put it all together and you have How to Cook Everything, a cookbook that will inspire American home cooks not only today but for years to come.

— John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger, coauthors of License to Grill

Mark Bittman's award-winning How to Cook Everythinghas helped countless home cooks discover the rewards of simple cooking. Now the ultimate cookbook has been revised and expanded (almost half the material is new), making it absolutely indispensable for anyone who cooks—or wants to. With Bittman's straightforward instructions and advice, you'll make crowd-pleasing food using fresh, natural ingredients; simple techniques; and basic equipment. Even better, you'll discover how to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen as you prepare delicious meals for every occasion.

"A week doesn't go by where I don't pull How to Cook Everythingdown from the shelf, so I am thrilled there's a new, revised edition. My original is falling apart!"

—Al Roker

"This new generation of How to Cook Everythingmakes my 'desert island' cookbook choice jacked up and simply universal. I'll now bequeath my cookbooks to a collector; I need only this one."

—Mario Batali

"Mark Bittman has done the impossible, improving upon his now-classic How to Cook Everything. If you need know-how, here's where to find it."

—Bobby Flay

"Mark Bittman is a great cook and an incredible teacher. In this second edition, Mark has fine-tuned the original, making this book a must for every kitchen."

—Jean-Georges Vongerichten

"Throw away all your old recipes and buy How to Cook Everything. Mark Bittman's recipes are foolproof, easy, and more modern than any others."

—Isaac Mizrahi

"Generous, thorough, reliable, and necessary, How to Cook Everythingis an indispensable reference for both experienced and beginner cooks."

—Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook

"I learned how to cook from How to Cook Everythingin a way that gives me the freedom to be creative. This new edition will be my gift to new couples or for a housewarming; if you have this book, you don't really need any others."

—Lisa Loeb, singer/songwriter

Introduction.

Kitchen Basics.

Sauces, Condiments, Herbs, and Spices.

Appetizers.

Soups.

Sandwiches and Pizza.

Salads.

Vegetables and Fruit.

Beans.

Grains.

Pasta, Noodles, and Dumplings.

Fish and Shellfish.

Poultry.

Meat.

Eggs, Breakfast, and Dairy.

Bread.

Desserts.

Menus.

The 102 Essential Recipes in This Book.

My Top 100 Fast Recipes.

My Top 100 Make-Ahead Recipes.

My Top 100 Vegetarian Recipes.

Sources.

Index.