American Classics and Italian Classics are both relatively slim collections of “best recipes” from Cook’s Illustrated, organized around a theme. (There are many of these volumes, but these are the two I happen to own at the moment.) If you already have The New Best Recipe, I would recommend against purchasing either of these because there is a lot of duplication between them. However, if you don’t have TNBR, either one is a nice cookbook to have.

Italian Classics has a few more originals, but I wouldn’t look to this cookbook if you’re searching for really authentic Italian food. The list of recipes reads more like the menu at the local mom ‘n’ pop Italian eatery/pizza joint — not that there’s anything wrong with that. These recipes are all crowd pleasers and useful to have in your repertoire.

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