I enjoy the PBS series "America's Test Kitchen," so when I received this book as a Christmas gift last year I was very excited. Now, almost a year later, I have cooked my way through scores of the recipes in this cookbook and there is not a dud in the bunch. This book takes basic, American fare and boil it down to it's most essential (and flavorful parts), allowing you to cook tasty favorites. My only caveat is that is you are looking for quick meals, this may not be the best choice--many of the recipes are quite time consuming. However, if you only want one cookbook in your kitchen, this is the one!