I enjoy watching the show - they explain some of the science of cooking, ala Alton Brown, and supposedly try hundreds of different methods and recipes for each dish so you don't have to. So, about two years ago, I bought one of their big cookbooks, "The New Best Recipe". Great explanations of why some things work, others don't. Everything seems perfectly logical, and you are eager to try the recipes.

BUT -

After trying about a dozen recipes, I'm ready to give up on them. Some were OK, most were not very good. This comes up because the Mrs. saw one of their mini-cookbooks in a store (Cook's Illustrated "American Classics" with a picture of cupcakes on the cover), developed a craving for cupcakes, bought the book ($7.95 wasted), and spent 2 hours yesterday meticulously following the directions. After that, we each ate one half a cupcake and threw the remainder of the dozen away - absolutely awful.

I've not had this experience with other cookbooks. I've found my ancient Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and my Family Circle Encyclopedia of Cooking to be absolutely reliable, as well as my Southern Living cookbooks.

Anybody else try the America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Illustrated stuff? What has been your experience?