DIY Cookbook: Can It, Cure It, Churn It, Brew It

My husband and I have a ridiculously extensive library of America's Test Kitchen cookbooks and we subscribe to their magazines as well. We keep saying that we don't need anymore of their cookbooks, but then they come out with stuff like this and we can't help ourselves. I wanted this as soon as they put it out for pre-purchase. Reading some of the reviews on this, however, made me somewhat unsure how I would like it.My husband made fun of me for purchasing yet another ATK cookbook, but we when we got it I couldn't pry it out of his hands long enough to look at it myself. Obviously, we like to cook and we are especially interested in DIY. I like to can in the summer, so I was particularly excited about canning recipes from ATK. There is nothing more disappointing than making a giant batch of jelly, going to the trouble of canning it, only to have it turn out...meh. Or worse, turn out awful. But I knew with canning recipes from ATK, they would turn out good. There weren't as many canning recipes as I would have liked, however; so, if you are getting this book specifically for canning recipes then you will probably be disappointed.My biggest beef with ATK cookbooks is usually the sheer amount of repeats. If you subscribe to their magazine and have their cookbooks, you will know what I mean. Also, some of these recipes are online for free on their blog, as another reviewer mentioned. However, for me this did not detract from the usefulness of this book. I still think there are a lot of recipes in here that are not on their blog and also I generally prefer using a cookbook than using the internet or printing out a recipe. So, I have been quite pleased with this.I love the explanations of the recipes and, best of all, the step-by-step instructions and full-color pictures. There are so many things in here that I'm so excited to make. I never thought we could make root beer at home, but now I'm looking forward to it. For the last couple of years, my husband and I have been making salted caramels with the intention of giving them away for Christmas gifts, but they just never set up right and were just kind of gloopy globs not great for gifting (but perfectly acceptable for eating, as we did). I just tried the salted caramel recipe from this cookbook last night and they turned out beautifully. Soft, chewy, and they actually hold their shape! I wrapped them up in little candy wrappers and they look professional. Plus, their taste exceeds any other recipe I have tried.Very, very, very pleased! I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to try making things like root beer, cheese, vinegar, Thin Mints, Oreos, bacon (yes, bacon) etc., on their own and actually having them turn out fantastic. Admittedly, I'm already a big fan of ATK, but I think they hit it out of the park with this one. Would make a great gift, too.

I became of fan of America's Test Kitchen cookbooks when I got the Grilling & Barbequing cookbook and finally learned how to smoke amazing ribs, brisket, and (my personal nemesis) pork butt. So when they released this latest -- with the tagline 'Can it, cure it, churn it, brew it' -- I was desperate to lay my hands on it. As a homebrewer with 10 batches under my belt, the prospect of learning how to do more awesome stuff like properly pickling kimchi, making my own goat cheese, and (could it be??) breathing life into homemade sriracha was irresitible. Knowing I'd be learning it the ATK way, which undoubtedly had countless attempts at each recipe under their belt before publishing, sealed the deal.Honestly, I was slightly nervous after reading a review on Amazon from someone fairly convinced the ATK would be unleashing dangerous, even negligent recipes. But I waded in anyway (and complimented it with Ball's Blue Book Guide to Preserving). I can't see meaningful inconsistencies between the two when it comes to canning, but hey, the raspberry jam I made from the DIY cookbook was marvelous and won't last more than 3 weeks in our fridge anyway.Similarly, the chocolate hazelnut spread was easy, amazing to watch come together, and unbelievably delicious (especially on homemade banana bread -- sorry, that recipe was not from this cookbook). The candied ginger was slightly tricky to get the timing right, but has a nice kick. And consistent with the recipe recommendations, the residual ginger infused simple syrup has been quite a perfect accompaniment with 1 part spiced rum, 1 part syrup, ice, lemon zest, and a top-up of seltzer water. And with that in hand, I keep perusing the great photo-supported step by step instructions for each recipe as I contemplate what great adventure I'll take on next. I highly recommend this and hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

I heard about this when NPR interviewed two of the contributing authors. I only caught the end of the program, but I was sold on the super-simple strawberry jam recipe they mentioned. I tried a sample of the book on my Kindle (which actually included a recipe or two, not like the usual "samples" that only include 2 pgs of a foreward) and decided to buy the paper edition. I've since made about 10 batches of jam (I'll never eat store-bought again, and it really is incredibly simple), just made the apple butter (had to hide it in the back of the fridge so I don't eat the whole jar at once), and have ordered supplies to make vanilla extract for Christmas gifts. And the book is covered in post-it bookmarks marking "need to try" recipes. Yes, a lot of the recipes could be easily found elsewhere on the internet for free, but I find that when cooking from Americas Test Kitchen recipes I can feel pretty confident that they'll turn out well. The color step-by-step photos are great, and recipes are grouped and organized well. There are recipes in here for things that I had no idea could be made at home; there are relatively easy recipes for a novice as well as involved and technical recipes for those looking for a challenge. I'm pretty sure that no matter what your skill level or taste or sense of culinary adventure you'll be able to find something in here that'll excite you. And because many of the recipes are for things that are usually expensive and hard-to-find gourmet items, there are lots of things that would make great handmade gifts for the holidays.

This is a fantastic book. You learn to make most things,vanilla extract, beef jerky and marshmallows.

Amazing book with excellent guidelines for really interesting recipes. I've got three so far for presents to family friends I really appreciate.

Brilliant book filled with lots of useful recipies and advice that encourages you to be a bit more adventurous in what you are doing if you are a beginner.The Bread and Butter pickle recipe is delicious

Great information on more unusual things to make in the kitchen. The tofu worked a treat. Not that I'll be making it too often.

if i could give more stars, i would definitely do so