Customer Rating: 
Summary: A lot of work for mediocre results
Comment: I was pretty excited to get this book. It's beautiful and I love Italian cooking. Sadly, after making at least 15 different recipes and finding them all to be time-consuming, complicated, expensive disappointments, I have decided that this is one of the worst cookbooks I have ever owned. I traded it to a used book store for $5 in credit and was happy with the deal.
Customer Rating: Summary: Baking recipies fall flat
Comment: I received this book from my brother and love the concept of it. However, my early experience with the recipies is terrible. All I've tried so far is the baking recipies, so perhaps other chapters are good. I agree with Eric Lyman's review comments about inadequate directions. Several of the baking recipies failed outright, including the Biscotti alla Canella (p.1050). Even when I added more & more olive oil than called for, the mixture never became dough that could be formed into balls. All of the recipies produced dough that was extraordinary dry or tough. The yoghurt cake recipe (p.1069) says to "pour" the batter into the pan; it was not remotely pourable, barely scrapable. I've been a joyous home cook and baker for 27 years and have never had this many culinary failures in a year, let a long a morning. Is Italian flour different from American? Did anybody test these recipies or read them before the book was published? Phaidon is a great outfit so this work is all the more disappointing. The Sables turned out good (p.1051) but one hardly needs the Italian cooking bible for a basic butter & sugar cookie.
Customer Rating: Summary: Great Italian cooking - not just for chefs or Italian mothers!
Comment: This is an incredibly vast and informative collection of Italian recipes, set to make your mouth water and your cooking skills improve. It contains hundreds of traditional recipes at all levels, so even if you're not a chef or properly trained by your mother (or father) in the schools of Italian cooking, you'll find something to your taste. I've just browsed the book and tried out some gnocchi and pizza, but am looking forward to testing more recipes. Besides, it contains great photographs, not your usual food pornography, but simple, daylight-lit pictures of delicious real food!
Customer Rating: Summary: THE Italian Kitchen
Comment: Pluses: Comprehensive and organized in an extremely user-friendly way (by food category and within that by specific ingredient).
Pluses for some: Telegraphic- you get the gist quickly. Less suitable for people who like detailed step by step instructions. I would almost say it is as much a Italian food "concept" book as it is a "cookbook."
Questionable: I'm not sure how long the binding will support its almost 1300 pages. Time will tell.
Customer Rating: Summary: Great recipes!
Comment: My sister-in-law is Italian and recommended this to us. It is supposedly the Italian version of the "Joy of Cooking".
