Pam Anderson roasted more than 40 turkeys, steamed and boiled more than three dozen lobsters, cleaned and cooked more than 100 pounds of greens, baked more than 50 cobblers — all so you can have the perfect recipe . . .

Which comes first when mashing potatoes — the butter or the milk? What grade and grind of meat make the best hamburgers? How do you roast a turkey so the breast meat is as moist and juicy as the legs? For the tenderest muffins, should you use buttermilk, yogurt or milk? At what temperature should you cook prime rib for the most succulent results? Is it possible to create a fudgy, cakey, chewy brownie all in one? Most of us don't have time to figure out the answers to questions like these. We need somebody to do the work for us and get our favorite recipes just right. In this book, Pam Anderson, the food editor of USA Weekend magazine, does just that. Painstakingly conducting test after test, Anderson arrives at not only the best recipe but frequently the most convenient and sensible one: • A simple formula for a stir-fry that can be varied with different combinations of meat, vegetables and sauces • French bread so easy it can be baked every day • Chicken pot pie for weeknights, made with convenient chicken breasts rather than a whole chicken • Macaroni and cheese as effortless as boxed, but three times as satisfying • Pizza dough that rises in just one hour or throughout the day • A cobbler that can be prepared with dozens of different fruits, making it 40 desserts in one.

THE PERFECT RECIPE includes more than 150 recipes in all, with dozens of step-by-step illustrations of techniques, comparisons of products and useful tips.