I just received The Complete Make-Ahead Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen (ATK). Having just wrested it away from “Beloved Husband” I have finally managed to look through it. I know that right away this is going to become a cookbook for the special shelf, the one where all of my favorites are kept.

It’s a big cookbook with over 500 recipes that you can make up in advance. Every one of them can have at least part of the recipe made in advance, sometimes well in advance. Making in advance is so important for those of us with a busy life.

That this is an awesome cookbook isn’t terribly surprising. America’s Test Kitchen has produced some pretty great work for a long while now. Most of the recipes are tagged either Easy (which are 30 minutes or less of active time) or Freeze It which means it can be made ahead of time and then frozen. Many of the recipes have one or both of these options but all have options for prep ahead and reheat.

ATK has come up with several tips and tricks, you could even use them to adapt your own recipes. One excellent tip is about food storage containers. It explains their testing and the various uses for different types of containers because all containers are not created equal. With the wrong container, a casserole dish could virtually explode if taken directly from freezer to oven, not a fun time.

As ATK’s name suggests they test everything. There are results on what plastic wrap to use, zipper bags, what type of equipment will work best, even recommended appliances like slow cookers, Dutch ovens, and thermometers. They even go into quite good detail on how to stock your refrigerator and your freezer for best results. The eight rules for safer and more efficient food storage is an essential read and leads right into the first chapter of recipes.

Recipe Chapters

Appetizers
Soups, Stews, and Chilis
Salads
Pasta and Pizza
Poultry
Meat
Fish and Seafood
Vegetarian Mains
Sides
Holiday and Brunch Classics
Desserts
It all finishes up with Conversions and Equivalents.

Throughout the book are little pages of information about various topics. The one that caught my eye was all about mushrooms. The page describes the various types of mushrooms, their uses, how to buy them, how to clean them, how to store them, everything you need to know.

The recipes themselves couldn’t be more clear. Each recipe tells you how much it makes, how much active time it will take and the total time etc. It would probably be unreasonable to ask a recipe book that has 500 recipes in it to have full page photos of each recipe. But many do have lovely colour pics of the dish. Visualize how a step is completed with the step-by-step photos included with some recipes.

Each recipe starts off with “Why This Recipe Works”. This information will help you with the recipe itself and perhaps with adapting your own recipes. The Make Ahead section clearly explains each option you have to make it ahead or reheat etc.

This book is one for every cook, an excellent choice for someone just starting out. What a terrific first place gift! Enjoy the Individual Chicken Pot Pies for the Freezer included with the review on RecipesNow! The Reviews and Recipes Magazine.

This review is based on a hard copy of the book sent to me from the publishers in return for an honest review. ( )