Some folks cook with aplomb, treating recipes more as approximate guides than precise flight plans. Those who stress if instructions aren’t spelled out down to the last detail should pick up The Best International Recipe: A Home Cook’s Guide to the Best Recipes in the World, from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine (HarperCollins, $41.50). The book consists of almost 600 pages of small print, precise illustrations, and thoughtful essays on the exhaustive testing behind the 350 recipes for everything from tarte Tatin to Argentine-style short ribs with parsley and garlic sauce.