Having subscribed to "Cook's Illustrated" for many years, I'm a fan of America's Test Kitchen. I've also subscribed to the website. It's filled with test results, reviews and recipes; however, it is annoying and pricey. A small portion of the website information is available to the public, more to subscribers, and everything is available to "premium" subscribers.

America's Test Kitchen is synonymous confidence in cooking. Recipes are said to have been tested and tweaked until they work perfectly and are as tasty and appealing as possible. So, this America's test kitchen cookbook is a bargain in that it contains equipment recommendations, reviews of many foods needed for the recipes, illustrations of knife skills and carefully tested recipes.

"Quick" is the keyword for this cookbook. Each recipe must be achievable in 45 minutes or less, including prep time. Yet, the cookbook includes traditionally slow cooked items, such as stews and casseroles. Shortcuts in ingredients and method make this possible.

Changes in cooking technique save time. Some items are cooked on the stove top in a skillet or in the microwave and finished in the same skillet or baking dish in the oven. "Skillet Baked Macaroni and Cheese" uses one oven-safe skillet to boil the macaroni, make the sauce, and finish it in the oven. Final baking is usually in a very hot over, 475 to 500 degrees, but only for ten minutes or so. The pressure cooker is an important time-saving tool. By necessity, most cookies are of the no-bake style.

Other ways to increase to shorten prep and cooking time are using:

* "Convenience" or "processed" foods. Some convenience foods are shortcuts to better flavor, such as using soy sauce in beef stew. However, many other are needed to create products in the 45 minute time frame. These include: coleslaw mix, frozen breaded chicken cutlets; rotisserie chicken; Bisquick; vanilla pudding; refrigerator rolls, pie crusts, and cookie dough; frozen phyllo and puff pastry dough; Nabisco Social Tea cookies; Oreo Cool Mint Cookies; Carr's Whole Wheat Crackers; Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers; granola; marshmallow fluff; Nutella; potato chips; pretzels; and mini-marshmallows.

* Substituting more tender cuts of meat for traditional cuts. For example, for beef stew you use steak tips instead of chuck.

The shortcuts for quick recipes require some sacrifice of flavor. For beef stew, chuck meat will be tastier than steak tips. Some recipes produce a form of the product, but don't expect the real thing. You just cannot make authentic Beef Carbonnade or Pork Cassoulet in 45 minutes.

The convenience foods increase the cost of the product. To make coleslaw, it's much more expensive to buy shredded cabbage in a plastic bag rather than buying a head of cabbage and cutting it up.

There is an interesting "Kid Friendly" chapter. This means food that appeals to kids, not necessarily recipes designed for kids to make. This chapter includes a county fair favorite - corn dogs.

Be aware that this cookbook is in no way concerned with calories. Recipes do not include calories per serving. Shortcuts using convenience foods can increase calories. Some recipes seem to use more fat than needed. One serving of Chicken BLT Salad contains three tablespoons of mayonnaise, one-quarter pound bacon, one one-inch thick piece of Italian bread and 3 ounces of chicken (I didn't include the lettuce and tomatoes because their calories are negligible). "Perfect Popcorn" calls for three tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of vegetable oil for ½ cup popcorn kernels. I often make the same popcorn using just one teaspoon popcorn using the Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper. "Lunch Bag Microwave Popcorn" uses one tablespoon oil for 1/4 cup popcorn kernels. Alton Brown of "Good Eats" fame makes the same popcorn with NO oil. I've done this and it works!

This cookbook isn't for everyone. I never buy convenience food of any type, and I am concerned with reducing fat and unneeded calories in our meals.

I do appreciate the quality of this cookbook. It is loose-leaf in a very sturdy binder with nice tabs. The paper is heavy and glossy, with numerous well-made color photos. ( )