Food and Drink

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition

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  • Create Date：2022-09-06 03:21:38
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marcella Hazan
  • ISBN：0593534328
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Summary

A beautiful new edition of one of the most beloved cookbooks of all time， from "the Queen of Italian Cooking" （Chicago Tribune）。 A timeless collection of classic Italian recipes--from Basil Bruschetta to the only tomato sauce you'll ever need （the secret ingredient: butter）--beautifully illustrated and featuring new forewords by Lidia Bastianich and Victor Hazan

"If this were the only cookbook you owned， neither you nor those you cooked for would ever get bored。" --Nigella Lawson

Marcella Hazan introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food。 In this， her magnum opus， she gives us a manual for cooks of every level of expertise--from beginners to accomplished professionals。

In these pages， home cooks will discover:

- Minestrone alla Romagnola
- Tortelli Stuffed with Parsley and Ricotta
- Risotto with Clams
- Squid and Potatoes， Genoa Style
- Chicken Cacciatora
- Ossobuco in Bianco
- Meatballs and Tomatoes
- Artichoke Torta
- Crisp-Fried Zucchini blossoms
- Sunchoke and Spinach Salad
- Chestnuts Boiled in Red Wine， Romagna Style
- Polenta Shortcake with Raisins， Dried Figs， and Pine Nuts
- Zabaglione
- And much more

This is the go-to Italian cookbook for students， newlyweds， and master chefs， alike。 Beautifully illustrated with line drawings throughout， Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking brings together nearly five hundred of the most delicious recipes from the Italian repertoire in one indispensable volume。

As the generations of readers who have turned to it over the years know （and as their spattered and worn copies can attest）， there is no more passionate and inspiring guide to the cuisine of Italy。

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Reviews

Kate Herr ，

This is absolutely the best Italian cookbook ever written， and I have many Italian cookbooks…。。 my husband loves Italian food。 I bought this book 30 years ago and still use it at least once a week。 You can prepare a fancy Italian feast or a simple peasant dinner with recipes from this book。 The straight forward directions are easy to read and follow。 The recipe for linguini with white clam sauce is absolutely the best ever。 There is a secret in this recipe that I have never seen in another cookb This is absolutely the best Italian cookbook ever written， and I have many Italian cookbooks…。。 my husband loves Italian food。 I bought this book 30 years ago and still use it at least once a week。 You can prepare a fancy Italian feast or a simple peasant dinner with recipes from this book。 The straight forward directions are easy to read and follow。 The recipe for linguini with white clam sauce is absolutely the best ever。 There is a secret in this recipe that I have never seen in another cookbook and it makes all the difference。 I cannot recommend this book enough！ 。。。more

Capn ，

Consistently an excellent recipe book， with clear and precise instructions （albeit in imperial/US/non-metric measurements）。THE best roast chicken recipe I have ever， ever， ever had。 I have become famous for it - it's always requested， and I always feel so sheepish about it because all the credit goes to Marcella。The frittatae recipes are incredible。 There's a broccoli recipe （maybe two） that children will actually eat （yes， that's tested！）， a lasagne recipe that I will never forsake （and her bec Consistently an excellent recipe book， with clear and precise instructions （albeit in imperial/US/non-metric measurements）。THE best roast chicken recipe I have ever， ever， ever had。 I have become famous for it - it's always requested， and I always feel so sheepish about it because all the credit goes to Marcella。The frittatae recipes are incredible。 There's a broccoli recipe （maybe two） that children will actually eat （yes， that's tested！）， a lasagne recipe that I will never forsake （and her bechemel method revolutionized my cooking）， and。。。 well， I could go on。 There are a few recipes that were just "meh" or okay or a little on the bland side， but true Italian cuisine isn't the salty， garlicky， over-seasoned mess that North American Italian restaurants have been conditioned to serve。 Sometimes it is just bland （like Ribollita， which a Tuscan coworker insisted I try in Firenze。 Meh。 I get that it's comfort food to an ex-pat， but it was just bland to me）。I also own the La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy tome （this is easily the largest book I have - HUGE！）， but it's Marcella's that's got all the crinkled， stained and crusty pages in the end。Buy this for that one roast chicken recipe alone and it'll be worth the investment。 Lots available secondhand。 ;） 。。。more

=^。^= Janet =^。^= ，

Publication date: September 20， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day！Most of what we call Italian food is not true/real/authentic Italian food， but an Americanized version of it: hubby could live on Spa Publication date: September 20， 2022Thank you to NetGalley， the author， and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this book。 This in no way affects my review， all opinions are my own， are not a result of compensation and may be affected by the fact that I currently have nothing better to do than read multiple books a day！Most of what we call Italian food is not true/real/authentic Italian food， but an Americanized version of it: hubby could live on Spaghetti and Meatballs and good luck finding that in Italy， or the huge bowls of pasta and garlic bread one loves from the Olive Garden！This shows how fresh， seasonal ingredients can sing on your plate and make you want to book a vacation to Italy ASAP。 The recipes are well written and understandable by cooks of all levels and the photos make the food very appealing to me and other food lovers out there。I especially love the book because it uses primarily whole ingredients instead of pre-prepared and packaged foods。 My nephew says that I never have any food in the house， only ingredients --- that is why I cook so much。 I also refuse to eat or cook with Frankenfoods such as "chick'n" and its 88 ingredients vs。 🐔chicken🐔 having one and cheese that does not come from an animal is udder nonsense！）Don't feel guilty about using dried pasta instead of making it yourself: just be sure to buy pasta made in Italy！ There are 11 grades of wheat and the cheap stuff from the grocery store uses the lowest grade possible: the real stuff is better for you and less processed。。。you can literally taste the difference！ 。。。more

Jane ，

Some recipes in this book were beyond my skill level。

Dennis Steele ，

I devoured this book in two sittings。 Good info on the history of Italian cooking， the fundamental foods using in many regions of the country， and some info about how to cook specific foods。 Many， many， many recipes， of which I'm only getting started on trying。 I devoured this book in two sittings。 Good info on the history of Italian cooking， the fundamental foods using in many regions of the country， and some info about how to cook specific foods。 Many， many， many recipes， of which I'm only getting started on trying。 。。。more

Melissa ，

I have cooked through several cookbooks at this point but this one wins in terms of consistently incredible recipes。 Cooking from this book is like dining out every night at a gourmet Italian restaurant— it’s absolutely the cookbook to use if you want to impress。This teaches you key principles and techniques of Italian cooking while also giving you classic Italian recipes that you will want to make on repeat。 My top-faves were: tomato bruschetta， minestrone alla romagnola， pasta e fagioli， tomat I have cooked through several cookbooks at this point but this one wins in terms of consistently incredible recipes。 Cooking from this book is like dining out every night at a gourmet Italian restaurant— it’s absolutely the cookbook to use if you want to impress。This teaches you key principles and techniques of Italian cooking while also giving you classic Italian recipes that you will want to make on repeat。 My top-faves were: tomato bruschetta， minestrone alla romagnola， pasta e fagioli， tomato pasta sauce with onion and butter， zucchini pasta sauce with basil and beaten egg， clam pasta sauce with tomatoes， butter and sage pasta sauce， gorgonzola pasta sauce， bell pepper and sausage pasta， cappellacci， cannelloni， parmesan cheese risotto， potato gnocchi， spare-ribs with sage and wine sauce over polenta， pan-roasted chicken with rosemary， garlic， and white wine， artichoke torta， asparagus and prosciutto bundles， eggplant parmesan， potato croquettes， cannellini bean salad， olive bread， focaccette， margherita and marinara pizza， and EVERY deep fried vegetable recipe… this is a huge list of favorites but the depth of flavors in every one of these dishes was amazing， I couldn’t believe that I had made them myself！The only section that didn’t wow me was the desserts chapter。 Maybe I’m just not that into these types of desserts， but I made most of them and didn’t find any that stood out。 Also， a lot of people don’t like Marcella Hazan because she’s so adamant that we have to buy imported-Italian-everything rather than use local products。 I agree that she overdoes the import-everything message， but it’s pretty easy to just ignore it and buy local。 I did so and still had incredible results。Highly recommend checking out the blog Pomodori E Vino， in which 9 cooks cooked through this cookbook in a year and posted their results for every recipe。 Marcella Hazan herself commented on their posts with encouragement， extra tips， and occasional deeply affronted criticism… it’s a very entertaining accompaniment to the cookbook itself！ 。。。more

Isobel ，

Here’s what I want

Gabriel Rousseau ，

The recipe notesBy her husband， I believe，Are bossy but fun

Warren Hall ，

I have not completed this book。 I have read the introductory elements， some of the cooking tips/essentials， and made numerous pastas and one pizza from the text。 The primary reason for my giving this book 5-stars is therefore not because I have read the whole thing， but rather because I have been educated upon classical Italian cooking through it， and used the educational knowledge to make better pastas and pizzas （among， I imagine， in future， other things） than before。I have tried numerous of t I have not completed this book。 I have read the introductory elements， some of the cooking tips/essentials， and made numerous pastas and one pizza from the text。 The primary reason for my giving this book 5-stars is therefore not because I have read the whole thing， but rather because I have been educated upon classical Italian cooking through it， and used the educational knowledge to make better pastas and pizzas （among， I imagine， in future， other things） than before。I have tried numerous of the recipes。I love the pizza dough recipe and the plain yellow noodles。 Most of the sauces are good （I really liked the Smothered Onion sauce for pasta）， and the pizzas--if a bit different than what I am used to--are delicious。 。。。more

Bradley Bielenberg ，

By

Patty ，

On the same important shelf as Julia Child， it so simple， so easy， so flavorful。 Proof that food doesn’t have to be complicated to be fantastic。

Maryalene ，

I don't think of myself as really loving Italian food， but this cookbook has me rethinking that。 The introduction had fantastic descriptions of the country's regional differences which cast its cuisine in a whole new light。 The book also had my favorite feature -- suggested menus -- at the back。I borrowed this book from the library and was excited to see recipes that would allow me to use up this year's abundance of zucchini。 I made the zucchini sauce and pasta which involves frying the zucchini I don't think of myself as really loving Italian food， but this cookbook has me rethinking that。 The introduction had fantastic descriptions of the country's regional differences which cast its cuisine in a whole new light。 The book also had my favorite feature -- suggested menus -- at the back。I borrowed this book from the library and was excited to see recipes that would allow me to use up this year's abundance of zucchini。 I made the zucchini sauce and pasta which involves frying the zucchini and was delicious。 I also made the frittata with zucchini and basil which was also good， although not quite as good as the zucchini sauce。My only complaint is the lack of timings。 For instance， in the frittata recipe， it called for cooking onions over low heat until they reduced in size and changed color。 There was no indication of how long this should take， and I would guess my heat was too low because after 30 minutes， my onions had barely darkened。 Having some basic time guidelines would help but that is a minor complaint。 Overall， I liked this cookbook enough that I might buy it。 。。。more

Hope ，

I learned a lot about Italian cooking from this book。 Recommended to vegetarians as well， as there are lots of vegetarian recipes in here and they are some of the best ones in the book。

Mardel Fehrenbach ，

Purchased this a replacement and update to my tattered copy of Hazan's first cookbook。 This includes the first and second cookbooks and fortunately also contains most of the informative and evocative text and descriptions from the first book as well。 I read the entire volume through this past weekend， comparing old to knew before becoming confident that this could replace the original on the active shelf while my old favorite was archived to a safe and protected space。 Purchased this a replacement and update to my tattered copy of Hazan's first cookbook。 This includes the first and second cookbooks and fortunately also contains most of the informative and evocative text and descriptions from the first book as well。 I read the entire volume through this past weekend， comparing old to knew before becoming confident that this could replace the original on the active shelf while my old favorite was archived to a safe and protected space。 。。。more

Sharon Reamer ，

Insulting to the busy home cookI guess this is authentic Italian and probably based on time-tested recipes。 BUT embedded in the descriptions there's a huge amount of arrogance and disdain for home cooks who really don't have time for wringing out lasagna sheets or to cook a Bolognese sauce for over four hours。 I have tried a couple of the recipes and they turned out okay， but I wasn't blown away by them。 And I get angry every time I look up a recipe and have to first read a lecture。 Sorry！ And t Insulting to the busy home cookI guess this is authentic Italian and probably based on time-tested recipes。 BUT embedded in the descriptions there's a huge amount of arrogance and disdain for home cooks who really don't have time for wringing out lasagna sheets or to cook a Bolognese sauce for over four hours。 I have tried a couple of the recipes and they turned out okay， but I wasn't blown away by them。 And I get angry every time I look up a recipe and have to first read a lecture。 Sorry！ And the Kindle version is terrible to navigate。 。。。more

Pat McDermott ，

This is a one-volume version of two cookbooks， with revisions to a number of recipes originally published in Classic Italian Cooking and More Classic Italian Cooking。 I prefer the originals， but my mass-market paperbacks are falling apart and unusable。As always， Marcella Hazan was opinionated and dismissive of inferior ingredients。 She is your very critical Italian aunt， who will teach you wonderful things， but insists that you must do it her way at all times。Her pesto recipe has ideal proportio This is a one-volume version of two cookbooks， with revisions to a number of recipes originally published in Classic Italian Cooking and More Classic Italian Cooking。 I prefer the originals， but my mass-market paperbacks are falling apart and unusable。As always， Marcella Hazan was opinionated and dismissive of inferior ingredients。 She is your very critical Italian aunt， who will teach you wonderful things， but insists that you must do it her way at all times。Her pesto recipe has ideal proportions （4 cups packed basil leaves， 4 cloves of garlic， 1 cup olive oil， 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese， 2 tablespoons pine nuts）。 If you love Italian food， this cookbook is essential。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

"Never cook a sauce in a covered pan， or it will emerge with a bland， steamed， weakly formulated taste。" - Marcella HazanWhat I really like about this book is how very opinionated Marcella Hazan is。 She knows what she likes - not just the final dishes， but the thoughtful time spent to prepare them。[T]he microwave does not produce for me the satisfying textures， the vigorous， well-integrated flavors that I look for in Italian cooking。 This is aside from the fact that the oven's principal advanta "Never cook a sauce in a covered pan， or it will emerge with a bland， steamed， weakly formulated taste。" - Marcella HazanWhat I really like about this book is how very opinionated Marcella Hazan is。 She knows what she likes - not just the final dishes， but the thoughtful time spent to prepare them。 [T]he microwave does not produce for me the satisfying textures， the vigorous， well-integrated flavors that I look for in Italian cooking。 This is aside from the fact that the oven's principal advantage， that of speed， declines precipitously when cooking for more than one。 I believe with my whole heart in the act of cooking， in its smells， in its sounds， in its observable progress on the fire。 The microwave separates the cook from cooking， cutting off the emotional and physical pleasure deeply rooted in the act， and not even with its swiftest and neatest performance can the push-button wizardry of the device compensate for such a loss。 [Preface] The alphabetical "Components" section at the beginning of the book （several pages） is particularly wonderful， with detailed descriptions: tips on when to buy， what to look for， what to use （or not to use） in the case of unavailability， storage tips （her method for restoring dried out cheese sounds great）， and method（s） for using the many and various essential ingredients （as well as Karin Kretschmann's lovely line drawings of many of them） for Italian cooking。 The bread crumbs used in Italian cooking are made from good stale bread with the addition of no flavoring of any kind whatever。 They must be very dry， or they will become gummy， particularly in those dishes where they are tossed with pasta。 [Bread Crumbs Pan Grattato]~ ~ ~ ~ The basic dough for homemade pasta in the Bolognese style consists of eggs and soft-wheat flour。 The only other ingredient used is spinach or Swiss chard， required for making green pasta。 No salt， no olive oil， no water are added。 Salt does nothing for the dough， since it will be present in the sauce; olive oil imparts slickness， flawing its texture; water makes it gummy。 [Homemade pasta] There were a couple of things that gave pause in the section on "Salsa Verde and Other Savory Sauces"。 While Marcella Hazan does make a point of giving the method to make salsa by hand-cutting， she begins by saying to put "all the ingredients into the food processor and blend to a uniform consistency， but do not overprocess"。 The hand-cut method is appears to be just as easy and quick; it also does not require washing so many dishes。 For her Salsa Rossa recipe， she suggests skinning the red peppers with a peeler！ Is this even possible？ If the peppers are going to be cooked anyway， surely it would be simpler to blanch them with boiling water， plunge them into ice water， and pull the skins off。One of the really refreshing - and practical - things is her view on what equipment is necessary to have。The thing most cooks probably need least these days is another shopping list of cooking ware。 Nearly all the kitchens I have seen， mine included， have more tools and pots and gadgets than are strictly needed。 Nevertheless， there are certain pots and tools that， more efficiently than others， meet the fundamental requirements of the Italian way of cooking。 [Equipment] I particularly like that neither a stand mixer or a food processor is included in the essential tools， but that a good quality food mill is。 She suggests splashing out to get the kind with three interchangeable disks， even though "the one you will need most often is the one with the largest holes"。 （We only got a food mill about five years ago and cannot imagine how did we managed without it！）I also like that she cautions against using non-stick sauté pans because the surface will "inhibit the full development of flavor a true sauté is designed to accomplish"。 However， it is quite surprising that she neglects to mention the importance of having at least two good sharp knives （paring and large）。But there is a misstep in the instructions for roasting red peppers， saying: "When done， put them in a plastic bag， twisting it tightly shut。 As soon as they are cool enough to handle comfortably， remove the peppers from the bag and pull off the charred peel with your fingers。" A plastic bag？ Just put a bowl over the peppers！ （We've got to stop the indiscriminate - and needless - use of plastic。）Of course， there are recipes galore， and pointers on how to make them better。 The "Risi e bisi" recipe alone makes reading through the whole book cover to cover worthwhile。 Who knew that peas would taste sweeter if the pods （after shucking the peas） were added to the cooking pot？ Outside of spinach， no other coloring can be recommended as an alternative to basic yellow pasta。 Other substances have no flavor， and therefore have no gastronomic interest。 Or， if they do contribute flavor， such as that of the deplorable black pasta whose dough is tinted with squid ink， its taste is not fresh。 Pasta does not need to be dressed up， except in the colors and aromas of its sauce。 [。。。][A]ll the artificial methods by which fresh pasta is kept soft—sprinkling it with cornmeal， wrapping in plastic， refrigerating it—are not merely unnecessary， they actually undermine the quality of the pasta and ought to be shunned。 When cooked， properly dried fresh pasta delivers all the texture and flavor it had originally。 The limp product marketed as "fresh" pasta does not。 [Pasta] Of course， Italian food is not just pizza and pasta dishes。 There are wonderful looking seafood， chicken， rabbit， pork， lamb recipes galore。 And then there are the vegetable dishes！ In planning an Italian menu， choosing the vegetables is often the most critical decision you will have to make。 It will probably determine what kind of a pasta sauce or risotto you are going to make， which in turn affects plans for the second course， the vegetable contorno， and the all-important salad。 [At Table] There are zillions of them: artichokes， asparagus， beets - with the note "one of the bonuses of buying raw beeets is getting the tops"， cauliflower， etc。 etc。 I particularly like the look of the "Green beans and potato pie"， and "Swiss Chard Stalks Gratinéed with Parmesan Cheese"There are also recipes for pizza and foccacia， as well as bread。 Of course there are: "Among the savory riches of regional Italian cooking， nothing can excite our wonder more than the toothsome diversity of its country breads。"。 The recipes are on the old-fashioned mid 20th century side， calling for what seems now to be an excessive amount of yeast。 The role of bread One of the Italian words for a meal is companatico—that which you eat with bread。 At an Italian table， food and bread are inseparable。 In Italy， you will notice people begin to nibble on bread the moment they sit down to eat， just bread alone， without butter。 No bread is eaten with pasta， but it will be used to wipe the dish clean of any sauce that might be left over。 Morsels of bread punctuate the consumption of the second course， sop up the juices of a stew， or of a vegetable gratin。 The bread is removed from the table only after you have finished the salad， whose most delectable part many claim are the tiny puddles of lightly salted and vinegary olive oil that， at the end， you soak up with bread。 [Composing an Italian Meal Principles and examples] ++++++++++++++++++A note about the rating: 4 stars for "cookbook"， but just 3 stars for "bread cookbook"。 For really good Italian bread recipes， see "The Italian Baker" by Carol Field。 。。。more

Carol Bakker ，

I'll be honest: I didn't read the entire 700 pages。 But as the library due date loomed， I went ahead and bought it。 That's the highest compliment I can give a book。 This is the kind of food my husband adores。 My brother and his wife made Marcella's Bolognese Meat Sauce in 2003 for our son's rehearsal dinner （for 110 people！ - don't you love large families？！！ ♥♥♥） It was a revelation。 I have a dream of designating one night a week Italian Night and cooking a new recipe from this book。 Risotto， Wh I'll be honest: I didn't read the entire 700 pages。 But as the library due date loomed， I went ahead and bought it。 That's the highest compliment I can give a book。 This is the kind of food my husband adores。 My brother and his wife made Marcella's Bolognese Meat Sauce in 2003 for our son's rehearsal dinner （for 110 people！ - don't you love large families？！！ ♥♥♥） It was a revelation。 I have a dream of designating one night a week Italian Night and cooking a new recipe from this book。 Risotto， White Clam Sauce， Cabonara， Pesto and pasta。 I love cooking with Curt。 We could take the book on road trips and flag recipes to make。 #goalsChoice quotes::: Flavor， in Italian dishes， builds up from the bottom。 It is not a cover， it is a base。 In a pasta sauce， a risotto， a soup， a fricassee， a stew， or a dish of vegetables， a foundation of flavor supports， lifts， points up the principal ingredients。:: True balsamic vinegar is used sparingly。 In a salad it never replaces regular vinegar; it is sufficient to add a few drops of it to the basic dressing of olive oil and pure wine vinegar。And my current favorite::: A sauce must be sufficiently savory to season pasta adequately。 Blandness is not a virtue， tastelessness is not a joy。 。。。more

Sue Cole ，

Simple ingredients often found in larder。

Gregory ，

I purchased this years ago when Jonathan Gold called it the definitive Italian cookbook。 When the lockdown hit， I had only skimmed the book and cooked a handful of the recipes within。 Eager to expand my repertoire during the pandemic， I decided to actually read it cover to cover， like it were a novel， and I have been cooking one or two dishes from it every week。 I discovered it’s kind of the ideal pandemic cookbook because its recipes can be enjoyed again and again without getting old。 Also， the I purchased this years ago when Jonathan Gold called it the definitive Italian cookbook。 When the lockdown hit， I had only skimmed the book and cooked a handful of the recipes within。 Eager to expand my repertoire during the pandemic， I decided to actually read it cover to cover， like it were a novel， and I have been cooking one or two dishes from it every week。 I discovered it’s kind of the ideal pandemic cookbook because its recipes can be enjoyed again and again without getting old。 Also， the ingredients it calls for are readily available at standard supermarkets， so there are no wild goose chases for obscure spices。When you read 20 pasta sauce recipes in a row， patterns emerge in a way they don’t during when casually skimming a book。 I now understand how a sauce is constructed， and if I were in a pinch， I feel confident that I could use the principles I absorbed， and improvise a sauce on the spot based on what is available。 Moreover， in the 600+ pages， there is not a single photo， only a handful of small illustrations。 This was a welcome departure from the glossy， bright food photography and design that many other cookbooks embrace these days。 The focus was on teaching the cuisine。Marcella Hazan had a reputation for being stern。 She does have strong opinions that come through clearly， but the thing is， she is usually right。 When I follow the recipes as written， they come out balanced and precise。 She also anticipates common mistakes and offers suggestions for cooking variations of dishes — her recipes are clearly the products of experience。 Some of my favorites so far: tomato and anchovy sauce （174）， grilled fish Romagna style （288）， and braised carrots with capers （481）。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Jennifer Hale ，

Not the most practical cookbook--I imagine a lot of the niche ingredients were hard to find in 1992 and in many cases still not available near me。 But there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than reading through amazing Italian recipes。

Nicole ，

I appreciate the goal of this book: to teach the reader about Italian food and the traditional methods used to make it。 I enjoyed learning the origins and history behind many of the dishes。 I plan to make several of the recipes in it。 I do not appreciate， however， reading how much better everything will taste if I import only the finest quality ingredients from the corresponding region in Italy。 Although I agree with the sentiment， doing that isn’t practical for me or within my budget。 I suppose I appreciate the goal of this book: to teach the reader about Italian food and the traditional methods used to make it。 I enjoyed learning the origins and history behind many of the dishes。 I plan to make several of the recipes in it。 I do not appreciate， however， reading how much better everything will taste if I import only the finest quality ingredients from the corresponding region in Italy。 Although I agree with the sentiment， doing that isn’t practical for me or within my budget。 I suppose I’ll be happy with my subpar， store-brand Italian food。 。。。more

Ariane Seixas ，

This is the only Italian cookbook you need。 This was one of the first cookbooks I bought almost 15 years ago when I started to learn how to cook。 I've learned so much from Marcella。 I love her witty writing to start。 And her recipes are just perfect and never fail。 Her Bolognese sauce is a masterpiece of a recipe。 I've made many of her recipes and they are always delicious and many became family favourites。 This is the only Italian cookbook you need。 This was one of the first cookbooks I bought almost 15 years ago when I started to learn how to cook。 I've learned so much from Marcella。 I love her witty writing to start。 And her recipes are just perfect and never fail。 Her Bolognese sauce is a masterpiece of a recipe。 I've made many of her recipes and they are always delicious and many became family favourites。 。。。more

Kendrick ，

Modern cookbooks are filled with beautiful photos of the food， lots of spacing， large fonts for easy reading and detailed instructions。 This book does not have those things。This is a glorious， dense， compact， and extensive covering of Italian cooking。 Broken up into sections by main ingredient， this book is filled with all the food you would want for glorious Italian food。 Including， at the end， a well compiled series of menus for building an entire dinner around the various dishes found in this Modern cookbooks are filled with beautiful photos of the food， lots of spacing， large fonts for easy reading and detailed instructions。 This book does not have those things。This is a glorious， dense， compact， and extensive covering of Italian cooking。 Broken up into sections by main ingredient， this book is filled with all the food you would want for glorious Italian food。 Including， at the end， a well compiled series of menus for building an entire dinner around the various dishes found in this book。 It doesn't show photos of what the food should look like， and the instructions are packed into small print， but if you take the time to learn the ways in here you'll enjoy some wonderful food。 。。。more

Casper van der Schaft ，

Haven't made every recipe yet， but I am planning to do so。 The recipes simply haven't failed me yet （and probably will not）。 It also includes some in-depth knowledge on cooking skills specifically used for traditional Italian recipes as well as more general used skills and knowledge about ingredients。 For inexperienced cooks it might pose a bit of challenge as it doesn't save you from gaining years of cooking experience。Though， to me this is the Bible of Italian cooking。 Haven't made every recipe yet， but I am planning to do so。 The recipes simply haven't failed me yet （and probably will not）。 It also includes some in-depth knowledge on cooking skills specifically used for traditional Italian recipes as well as more general used skills and knowledge about ingredients。 For inexperienced cooks it might pose a bit of challenge as it doesn't save you from gaining years of cooking experience。Though， to me this is the Bible of Italian cooking。 。。。more

Connor Walton ，

This is the encyclopedia of Italian home cooking and has become my go-to resource for Italian food。 A word of caution for beginner cooks: Marcella's recipes assume some experience in the kitchen。 For example， whereas other cookbooks would prescribe specific cooking times （e。g。 "cook for 20 minutes"）， Marcella will simply write "cook until done"， or another favorite line， "cook until the fat floats free from the tomatoes。" She will not hold your hand， but her instructions are clear nonetheless an This is the encyclopedia of Italian home cooking and has become my go-to resource for Italian food。 A word of caution for beginner cooks: Marcella's recipes assume some experience in the kitchen。 For example， whereas other cookbooks would prescribe specific cooking times （e。g。 "cook for 20 minutes"）， Marcella will simply write "cook until done"， or another favorite line， "cook until the fat floats free from the tomatoes。" She will not hold your hand， but her instructions are clear nonetheless and quite delicious when followed accurately。 。。。more

Jessica ，

Clearly a classic。 I’m sure I will use it and enjoy it although I doubt I will ever bone a chicken。 My favorite is that it there is commentary just when needed。 Sometimes cookbook authors force themselves （or their editors do） to write something about every recipe and it can be useless and forced。 Marcella only adds info when she wants to。。。 most is pretty informational but my favorite passages are when she gives her opinions。。。some of which are rather cheeky。

Gene Bobker ，

I can't really cook like this， but it's wonderful reading。 I can't really cook like this， but it's wonderful reading。 。。。more

Douglas ，

The only thing better than reading and trying to emulate her brilliance， are my imaginary images of cooking with Marcella in her home kitchen。

David Smith ，

Truth is - I'll never finish this book。 I'll continue consulting it until either it falls apart or I do。 It's been in my kitchen for a week and I've tried something new every day - always a big success。 There's a lot of space between an average recipe book and a great one - this one goes straight to the top， sharing that shelf with my Larousse Gastronomique。 Thanks Marcella！ And thanks for suggesting a liberal use of parmesan in hundreds of your dishes。 Truth is - I'll never finish this book。 I'll continue consulting it until either it falls apart or I do。 It's been in my kitchen for a week and I've tried something new every day - always a big success。 There's a lot of space between an average recipe book and a great one - this one goes straight to the top， sharing that shelf with my Larousse Gastronomique。 Thanks Marcella！ And thanks for suggesting a liberal use of parmesan in hundreds of your dishes。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0