Pasta lovers, rejoice! "The Encyclopedia of Pasta" by The Coastal Kitchen provides a comprehensive guide to the world of this beloved food. With over 100 pasta shapes and recipes, it certainly offers a wide variety. However, a few quirks keep it from being a definitive pasta bible.

**What I Liked:**

- **Extensive Pasta Profiles:** The book delves deep into the different types of pasta, offering details on their history, regional variations, and ideal sauce pairings. You'll discover shapes you've never heard of before and gain a newfound appreciation for the diversity of pasta.

- **Beautiful Photography:** The visuals are appealing, showcasing the pasta shapes and finished dishes in a way that makes you want to head straight to the kitchen.

- **Variety of Recipes:** From simple weeknight meals to more elaborate dishes, there's a good range of recipes to explore.

**What Could Be Improved:**

- **Conversion to Ounces:** While I appreciate the effort to cater to different measurement systems, the insistence on converting gram measurements to ounces is perplexing. Pasta is traditionally measured in grams, and these conversions often result in awkward fractions that can complicate cooking unnecessarily.

- **Recipe Clarity:** Some recipes lack precision in their instructions, which could be challenging for novice cooks.

- **Organization:** The book is organized alphabetically, but a section categorizing pasta by shape families or cooking times would be more helpful.

**Overall:**

"The Encyclopedia of Pasta" is a valuable resource for pasta enthusiasts, offering a wealth of information and inspiration. However, the odd insistence on ounce conversions and occasional lack of clarity in the recipes prevent it from being a truly outstanding cookbook.

**Recommendation:** If you're passionate about pasta and want to expand your knowledge and repertoire, this book is worth considering. Just be prepared to do some mental math with the measurements and don't hesitate to improvise with the recipes.

All the pasta...

This is an exceptional cookbook. It truly is the encyclopedia of pasta.
I knew quite a few of the pastas but there were still a number I was unfamiliar with.
All the noodles, a number Asian noodles and dishes, all the pasta and tons of recipes and even soups.
If you had to have one book to start your cookbook library, this would be an excellent choice.
Ten stars.
Highly recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. I liked the sprawling review of many different shapes, but there were ample opportunities for more diagrams and explanation to help the reader understand the mechanics much better than the short descriptions. Also would have strongly preferred measurements were by weight!

There are definitely recipes I'm going to try in this book but the sheer amount of text is intimidating. I wish there were more pictures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for this Advanced Reader Copy!!

While filled to the brim with recipes and lots of information, the page length and density of text makes it kind of intimidating. Additionally, the lack of descriptions for recipes and inauthentic feeling photos make it lack the homey vibe I personally like my cookbooks to have. Overall, this is obviously a well-compiled book. It just felt a bit too robotic to me.

Let’s get one thing straight: I simply adore pasta and pasta recipes. For a pasta nerd like me, who gets fussy about the quality of the dough, this was right up my alley. Fresh is best and although I may never actually get around to make each and every type, there were so many to discover. It was great learning the process of making the pasta, and then the complete dishes, sauces and soups that pair best. I would have appreciated more pictures as there were many shapes and dishes to keep track of; this definitely felt more like an encyclopaedia rather than a regular cookbook because of that. There’s a recipe for everyone, but it is an overwhelming amount of information to take in at first.

Thank you to Cider Mill Press and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Who would have ever known there were so many types of pasta in the world. This cookbook was a real learning experience for me and I enjoyed finding out the differences of all the different types of pasta. There are so many recipes to try and they al sound so good that it will take me forever to try them all.

But I will try and I have to say I enjoyed this cookbook but I do wish there were a few more photos so I could get an idea of the pasta shapes and sizes and how they should look. But overall it is still a great book with plenty of recipes to be made and experimented with. It is certainly what I would call an Encyclopaedia and a great book of reference.

Thank you NetGalley and Cider Mill Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The title says it all. This is a prolific book about pasta in all its incarnations. From making pasta from scratch to a litany of recipes that include entree dishes, sauces and soups. I did make one pasta (orrichetti) and it was a fun process and delicious, but imagine I will only do make it for special occasions. A lot of good fresh pasta available. I have made a few various recipes and all have been easy to follow and delicious. There is a broad spectrum of main courses, soups and sauces. This would be a nice book for all level of cooks. I enjoyed it and have quite a few more earmarked to try out.

I was able to try quite a few of these pasta recipes for a party I went to over the weekend, and I can confirm that they are delicious! Plus, I actually did learn quite a bit about pairings between sauces and toppings, different shapes or styles and other things I never knew about one of my favorite types of food! Definitely pick this up and try some of these recipes - you won't regret it!

The Encyclopedia of Pasta is set to be published on November 19, 2024. Thank you to Cider Mill Press, NetGalley and the author for the digital advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is a very impressive collection of from-scratch noodle recipes from all over the world - by this I mean both base ingredient and dishes.
We start with literally 100 pages of how to make anything from tagliatelle, to gnocchi, gnudi, udon, spaetzle, Chinese egg noodles and anything you can think of.
Then we get hundreds of recipes using those various noodles in dishes from Italie to North Africa, Vietnam and so many more places. Most are simple and perfect for the home cook.
It is really an impressive collection, but sadly there is barely any photos of finished dishes, and since this is what I usually base myself on for cooking, I know this isn't a book for me. Which explains the lower rating despite the quality of the content.
It will appeal to people who enjoy making pasta from scratch and want to expand their knowledge and try less well-known types. There is quite a few fun projects that don't require special material too, which is always nice when starting out, or as a holiday project far from home when you finally have a little time to yourself.

I am a lover of all things pasta, so as you can imagine this was such a fun read! The variety of recipes and options was endless and I can’t wait to cook my way through this cook book. I have yet to make my own pasta because it seems daunting, but I feel the recipes and tips provided will make it a breeze!

Thanks to netgalley & publisher for this arc!
I was expecting this to be more pre made pasta recipes but it's actually making the pasta yourself which great to those that can and want to but I'm not sure I'd have time or energy to but good to know for if I ever do! This book has pasta making recipes, pasta dish recipes, soups, & sauces!

An excellent compendium of pastas and their sauces. I love these encyclopedias from Cider Mill Press and was so excited when I got this one. It has so much information but is easy to find exactly what you are looking for. A great gift for the cooks in your family or for those looking to learn!

This truly deserves the title of "Encyclopedia"! With over 800 pages, this book offers an incredibly comprehensive look at pasta in all its forms. It’s fascinating to see how many unique types of pasta exist, many of which I hadn’t heard of before. From classic dishes like carbonara and penne alla vodka to unique, lesser-known recipes, this book really shows the endless possibilities for making and enjoying pasta.

The first part covers recipes for pasta dough itself, while the rest includes both simple and complex pasta dishes. There’s a good range to suit every taste and skill level, so there’s something for everyone—from pasta enthusiasts to beginners wanting to try something new.

One point for potential improvement is the scarcity of visuals. As I was reading, I noticed that only every few pages included a photo, which can make it difficult to visualize unfamiliar pastas or intricate pasta shapes. Including more pictures, especially for recipes that are unique or complex, could help readers understand the end result and possibly include step-by-step visuals for dough formation.

Overall, this is an impressive, well-researched guide that will appeal to any pasta lover, whether a beginner or seasoned cook. A fantastic resource for anyone looking to broaden their knowledge of pasta and explore authentic Italian recipes.

I love pasta – if I had to choose one kind of food to eat, it would be it. So I am always interested in new recipes and new ways to relish it.

This cookbook is a perfect gift for pasta fans. It covers every possible angle, from making home pasta to classic Italian dishes to dishes from other parts of the world, like ramen or noodles.

Thanks to the publisher, Cider Mill Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

The opening pages give some interesting insights that makes me set high hopes for learning about pasta, especially with a title calling it an "encyclopedia" of recipes. Unfortunately, as I read on, it didn’t fully meet those expectations. Calling it an "encyclopedia" might mislead readers since it doesn't go as deep as expected. A different title might be better for readers just looking for pasta recipes. But then, for those wanting detailed recipe guidance, there aren’t many final photos showing what the dishes should look like. The book may not fully satisfy readers with different goals in mind.

I love pasta, so when I saw this had 350+ recipes (it's almost 900 pages). I was very on board. An encyclopedia of pasta? I can make any kind of pasta I'd ever want, right?

Well, first off, if you're going to call something an encyclopedia, it should be more thorough and more organized. The pastas aren't arranged by style or shape, like by long past or cut pasta or even in alphabetical order. It looks like they just threw the recipes in it in a random order.

I also shouldn’t have to look up elsewhere what these pastas are, since most of these pastas I had never head of and rarely will you find an accompanying photo for the recipe. The index is also super long (50 pages in the digital copy), so it was very hard to find any kind of specific recipes.

The positive is there are recipes for many types of pasta and it’s not just Italian pastas. They have recipes for pastas like Chinese egg noodles, udon, and spätzle too. I just wish there were pictures so I'd know what I was using. Although, many of the meal recipes required pasta that didn't have a recipe for it in the book, which I found odd. Especially for an "encyclopedia".

I love the idea of an encyclopedia of food and I'm not saying you aren't going to find something you like in here, but you're literally going to have a hard time finding it. It's too bad because if it were edited better, and had pictures of all the pastas, it would be an amazing cookbook.

Thank you to Cider Mill Press and NetGalley. I voluntarily read an early copy of this cookbook.

As someone who absolutely loves pasta but gets bored of eating the same few pasta dishes everytime, this pasta cookbook was perfect for me. This has a wide variety of pasta recipes for beginner cooks like me but also ones that more experienced cooks will enjoy making. I loved the inclusion of the amazing photography of the dishes which just makes you want to eat it straight away. I'm so glad I picked up this book and I can't wait to try more of the recipes in the future.

Thankyou so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in return for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I LOVE pasta, so I knew this was a book for me. This has it all - simple and quick dishes, new and original recipes, dinner party greats, and comforting classics. The step by step instructions are really clear, and easy to follow - perfect for a beginner cook, but also has plenty of exciting new dishes for the more experienced cook.
Would recommend.

With thanks to the publisher, and NetGalley, for an e-ARC to read and review.

This is a comprehensive reference on almost every pasta dish you can think of, most from Italian cuisine, but there are also recipes from China, Japan and other countries. This has many tasty dishes, but there are very few pictures, and the format is extremely bare bones. Many of the pages have text and only text, and it was a bit off putting. Most people like to see what the finished product looks like, so I’m a little puzzled why there aren’t more photos. I’d honestly rather have a shorter cookbook with more pictures.

All in all, it gets a 3.5 from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cider Mill Press for the eARC. All opinions are mine.