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Summary: Recipe-free zone cooking
Review: When I moved overseas to a country with outstanding fresh produce and reliable meat and poultry--but no way to find the exotic or everything for a specific recipe--I discovered that I didn't really know how to cook. I knew how to follow a recipe. Without the "right" ingredients, I wasn't sure what to do. This book saved me from a year of limited menus and is my most prized cooking tool. What it does is explain how to just 'whip something up' using a simple technique, what you can substitute, how to create variations, and what will give you a meal of elegance and ease. You don't spend hours cooking and never open a jar of pasta sauce. I have loved everything I made in this book and I lost weight eating it, all because the food is tasty, modern, simple, fresh, and doesn't rely on overprepared foods. This book is so great that when I thought we might be evacuated from here, I carried it in my purse to be sure I got it out with me! That's quite the cookbook.
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Summary: This will be a "always in use" cookbook!
Review: This book guides you through the basic recipies while giving you the freedom to make your own unique cooking choices. I especially appreciate the time saving tips and the section on what to continually stock in your pantry.(Trust me ladies-it works!)
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Summary: This is the most useful cook book I have ever purchased
Review: So many ideas!!!!! Great for low carbers like myself...just ignore the starch dishes.I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
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Summary: Perfect for busy people who need some kitchen confidence!
Review: I am loving this book. As a busy mom of three, who is oh so tired of unwrapping her food, this book was the boost I needed. It is definitely not for an experienced cook, but if you are trying to learn, this is the way to go. Everything I have made so far has turned out so well my kids couldn't even find anything to complain about. Best of all, I haven't needed to run to the store for extra ingredients and we are finally able to stay away from fast food even on those busy nights. Plus, I also feel successful in the kitchen for the first time in a long while!
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Summary: If you didn't learn cooking when you grew up, this can help
Review: I'll bet most people cook without a cookbook and aren't even aware of what they are doing --improvising on known dishes and techniques. And I learned to cook as a child from my mom, so I've been cooking for decades. But what if you didn't learn to cook and now you have to? This is a great book for learning important basic techniques. I didn't like all of the recipes I saw, but the IDEAS are right. And keeping broth and frozen spinach on hand is a good thing--I always do that myself. Wonton skins are useful as well, but I don't agree with a no-bake lasagna. The blueprint for creating stir-fry is also helpful. If you already know how to cook, you won't need this book. If you are learning how to cook and want to streamline the process, this can help.
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Summary: Something We All Need
Review: The title is interesting ... but what does it mean? Less cookbooks ... maybe. More confidence ... yes. More creativity ... definitely so! We all have a certain number of dishes that we cook often, perhaps often enough that we tend to get bored with them, even though they taste good. By providing the reasoning and guidelines behind why certain recipes are good and work well, the author supports the reader in experimenting within wise boundaries. (Since we know what the recipe takes to make it work, just use the foundations and have fun from there. It also encourages the reader (at least it did for me) to walk away from the "precise measurements" that plague many other cookbooks and concentrate instead on flavors and tastes.
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Summary: A Class in a Book
Review: There is not another cookbook out there like this one. If you think you have enough recipes -- this is different. Learn to cook based on techniques that work and believe me -- they work. After reading this you'll think how sad it was that you've spent so long not knowing that making wonderful food was this easy. It takes some application and practice but this is the basis for good, tasty cooking.
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Summary: No more takeout!!!
Review: Fabulous cookbook for weeknight cooking. Contains basic, well timed techniques along with helpful time savers. Have cooked several meals from this book and it has taken me 30-40 min max from start to finish (i.e. actually sitting down to eat) Wonderful section on stocking a pantry and how to get out of that daily trip to the grocery store. While she does suggest the use of bagged spinach, sliced mushrooms, canned broth etc there is minimal use of processed foods.
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Summary: Great book with a Neat concept!!
Review: This is a great book for learning basic recipes and adding your own unique touches!!
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Summary: No More "What to Cook For Dinner?"
Review: Saw the reviews here, and was pretty impressed. This book did not dissapoint: the food allows you to come home and make easy, tasty "gourmet-like" meals with what you have in mostly about 20-30 minutes. It's all about understanding the basics and improvising with what's in your kitchen. Pam Anderson has some really terrific recipes: highly recommend the Steamed/Sauteed Squast, the Parmesean Pepper Pilaf, and the Pasta with Veggies. My husband likes the fact that most of it only requires a pan or two. What a relief to drive home at the end of the day and know a good meal awaits, no matter what's in the pantry!
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