Updated, expanded, thoroughly revised, and now in full color--the definitive guide to cooking equipment and utensils

This book offers detailed evaluations of more than a thousand items of kitchen equipment--from paring knives to grill pans to espresso machines--providing you with practical information about brands, models, size, function, and performance. Each entry is accompanied by a color photograph and includes features and tips on care and usage. Also included are sections on what to look for when purchasing, as well as recipes and sidebars by more than a hundred culinary celebrities.

Whether you are setting up a kitchen for the first time or adding to a long-standing collection, you will find The New Cooks' Catalogue an invaluable and entertaining guide to making the right selections.

Contributors include:

Bruce Aidells
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich
Mario Batali
Michael & Ariane Batterberry
Rick Bayless
Daniel Boulud
Terrance Brennan
Giuliano Bugialli
David Burke
Penelope Casas
Helen Chen
Julia Child
Bernard Clayton
Shirley Corriher
Marion Cunningham
Ariane Daguin
Rocco DiSpirito
Alain Ducasse
Florence Fabricant
Susanna Foo
Larry Forgione
Edward Giobbi
Dorie Greenspan
Jessica B. Harris
Marcella Hazan
Maida Heatter
Pierre Hermé
Ken Hom
Dr. Ernesto Illy
Steven Jenkins
Thomas Keller
Gray Kunz
Daniel Leader
Sarabeth Levine
Michael Lomonaco
Nobu Matsuhisa
Michael McCarty
Danny Meyer
Joan Nathan
François Payard
Jacques Pépin
James Peterson
Alfred Portale
Paul Prudhomme
Eric Ripert
Claudia Roden
Douglas Rodriguez
Michael Romano
Julie Sahni
Marcus Samuelsson
Nancy Silverton
Raymond Sokolov
André Soltner
Jane & Michael Stern
Christopher Styler
Jacques Torres
Barbara Tropp
Margaret Visser
Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Alice Waters
Nach Waxman
Jasper White
Paula Wolfert
Kevin Zraly

Average Customer Review:
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There were some items that we had acquired that we knew were really good -- the authors had done their research and it was encouraging that they found the same and for similar reasons. That gave me some reference as to their experience.

The book is up-to-date. They have equipment that is top-notch and widely available. The photos are excellent.

The book is also a great resource for items you may not have considered or known about. I know that we now have several more items on our list of equipment to buy. This makes it especially good as a gift to newlyweds or people starting out on their own and want to cook.

2 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Not exactly a catalogue....Apr 27, 2002
.....but more of an encyclopedia. This is a good book if you don't know what a certain kitchen tool does or would like a breif history lesson. This not the best consumer buying guide around, but a good buy none the less.

7 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Interesting but FlawedDec 18, 2001
This is a large coffee table sized book. You'll find more cooking tools and appliances than you ever dreamed existed. Yet it is flawed by the fact that not a hint of the relative cost of the items compared is provided. The publisher probably didn't want to date the book by providing actual prices but some mechanism should have been used to gauge the relative cost of items within a category. That's a major shortcoming! Still, it's an interesting book for hardcore cooks.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:

Great Resource!May 19, 2001
I love the New Cooks' Catalogue for several reasons. It's comprehensive, easy to use and well written. I also enjoy the historical anecdotes and recipes. The book's design is beautiful, but even more important, the contents are practical and well researched. I used it to determine which kind of food processor to invest in, and now I wouldn't make a serious purchase without first consulting this book. When in doubt, the New Cooks' Catalogue will help you figure it out! This has become an indispensable tool in my kitchen and a lovely addition to my library of reference books.