Editorial Review

Ina Garten, bestselling cookbook author and beloved star of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network, is back with her easiest recipes ever.
 
In Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? Ina proves once again that it doesn’t take complicated techniques, special equipment, or stops at more than one grocery store to make wonderful dishes for your family and friends. Her newest must-have cookbook is all about saving time and avoiding stress while having fun in the kitchen.

These are not recipes with three ingredients thrown together in five minutes; instead home cooks will find fantastic Barefoot Contessa recipes that are easy to make but still have all that deep, delicious flavor Ina is known for—and that makes a meal so satisfying. Think Pink Grapefruit Margaritas served with Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs—two classics with a twist. For lunch, Ina makes everyone’s favorite Ultimate Grilled Cheese sandwich and Snap Peas with Pancetta. For dinner, try Jeffrey’s Roast Chicken (tried and true!); Steakhouse Steaks, which come out perfectly every time and—with Ina’s easy tip—couldn’t be simpler; or an Easy Parmesan “Risotto” that you throw in the oven instead of stirring endlessly on the stovetop. Finally, Ina’s desserts never disappoint—from Red Velvet Cupcakes to Chocolate Pudding Cream Tart.

To top it all off, Ina also shares her best tips for making cooking really easy. She leaves bowls of lemons and limes on the counter not only because they look great but because they also remind her that a squeeze of lemon in a dish brightens the flavors. She shows us the equipment that makes a difference to her—like sharp knives, the right zester, an extra bowl for her electric mixer—and that can help you in your kitchen, too.

Filled with 225 gorgeous full-color photographs, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? is the perfect kitchen companion for busy home cooks who still want fabulous flavor. ... Read more

Reviews

Not so easy...
I didn't think it was possible to be disappointed with anything Ina Garten is associated with, but I guess there's a first time for everything. I loved her last book (Back to Basics), but this one just fell flat for me for a few reasons:

1. The recipes aren't neccesarily easy, especially when you have to search for some of the special ingredients (duck fois gras, Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookies, Fox's U-Bet chocolate syrup, etc.). Also, "good ketchup such as Stonewall Kitchen"?!? There were just too many instances of blatantly trying to advertise other people's products. I think the only people who will have no trouble finding these specialized ingredients live in New York City, East Hampton or near a Whole Foods store (which for me is a 2 hour drive).

2. Some of the tips are not realistic for regular cooks, especially in these tough economic times (having 2 dishwashers!?!?!). Sure, I'd love to have 2 dishwashers in my kitchen, but unless you regularly host dinner parties with > 10 people or you run a catering business out of your house, what's the point? And who has room in their kitchen for that?

3. Unlike Ina's other books, none of the recipes here made me want to drop what I was doing and start cooking. Also, Ina's other books have included a chapter on breakfast foods, so I was sad when I saw that this book did not.

The book was not a total disappointment. As always, the pictures and layout of the book were beautiful (although I didn't understand the full page individual photos of each of Ina's friends). Also, some recipes, such as Lemon Chicken Breasts, Ultimate Peach Ice Cream and Old Fashioned Banana Cake are really good.

I'm still a big Ina fan and I'll continue to buy her books. I guess not everyone can hit a homerun everytime they step up to the plate. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller Deceptively Delicious goes beyond purees and kids’ foods to make family mealtime more delicious, more wholesome, and simpler than ever.

In her bestselling book Deceptively Delicious, Jessica Seinfeld inspired millions of parents to improve their kids’ eating habits by giving everyday classics a nutritional boost with hidden vegetable purees. Now in Double Delicious!, she’s turned her attention to the whole family. Here are more of her easy, imaginative recipes that use the power of purees to make everything healthier, from a hearty Turkey Meatloaf to an irresistible Tiramisu. Again, she’s raised the bar nutritionally and eliminated unnecessary sugar and fat, boosted fiber and nutrients, and cut way back on sodium to bring us more healthful food with fantastic flavor. (She’s even developed a Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie that nutritionist Joy Bauer loves!)

Reviews

I really wanted to like it...., November 6, 2010
I saw Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah and the recipes and tips she was giving seemed awesome. I thought this would be a good healthy cookbook that would have quick and easy recipes that also (supposedly) tasted good. The recipes are neither quick nor are they any good. And I hate saying this, I usually never give things a bad review but these recipes are just awful. My daughter and I made 5-6 recipes from main dishes to deserts and every one them was wasted ingredients because no one would eat them, not even me. And we are good cooks, we can follow a recipe at least, so this wasn't 'operator error'. The food tastes bad. The doughnut cookies literally made my son gag. Healthy recipes do not have to taste that gross. Sorry Jessica :(

Disappointed Too, November 7, 2010
Like others have mentioned, I saw Jessica on Oprah and I really liked the meals she cooked. They seemed quick and easy. I purchased the book right after the show. I was very disappointed that the crock pot lasagna and chicken recipes were not included. I realize that the recipes are on Oprah.com, but that is not the point. If you are on a show to promote a cook book shouldn't you use the recipes that are actually in the book you are promoting? Also, she did not use purees on the show. Almost every one of the recipes in this book calls for a vegetable puree. While this is not a bad idea, I bought this book because I wanted easy and quick meals. I do not have time to purchase a weeks worth of veg.,peel them, boil them, puree them and freeze them into 1/2 cup increments only to get them out a few days before each meal to thaw them. While it would be healthy it just honestly isn't going to happen. Next time I will wait for reviews before purchasing another cookbook. Hope this helps others.

Dissapointed, October 27, 2010
I saw Jessica on Oprah and thought the book would be great. I bought it to discover the 3 recipies that she showed on Oprah are NOT in the book.
What happened to the Crock Pot Lasangna, the steak,asparagus dinner and the Whole Roasted Chicken? She never mentioned the use of Purees in the recipies. None of this seems fast with the use of the vegetable purees. I am not saying it is a bad cookbook, it was represented as something else.

Double Delicious????, November 2, 2010
I bought this book after watching the author prepare great simple meals on the Oprah Winfrey show. I assumed the meals she was making on the show would be in this cook book that she was touting. Wow was I wrong. This seems to be like her other book. More about sneaking puree's into foods but for adults. I don't have trouble getting my husband to eat his veggies. The title is misleading in itself. If I need puree's for some of the meals then that makes it more complicated, not less. Now I need to make a bunch of different puree's to make some of the recipe's. I have a busy complicated life and this food isn't that simple. Very dissapointed in the purchase. Wouldn't reccomend this book to anyone who wants good food that can be quickly and easily made. I don't wan't chick peas in my cookies or brocoli in my brownies. I want MEALS!!!!!! I couldn't wait to get this book after hearing how great it was going to be for people who don't have time to cook or just can't cook. This was supposed to simplify making meals. I'm afraid it falls very short in that area!

LOVE IT!, November 8, 2010
I honestly do not know how other people are giving this cookbook a low rating. It is fantastic! It's very unfortunate for Jessica that the rating is being lowered by a few people who are "disappointed" because it is missing the recipes they saw on Oprah. Go print it off of Oprah.com. I don't really care if it's in the book or not...because I can get it there. Plus, it leaves space for other fantastic meals! I have a very hectic lifestyle, mostly because I am the mother of a very mobile 9 month old, and I was in need of some quick and simple recipes. THIS IS IT! The purees do not bother me one bit. Now, the purees weren't mentioned on the Oprah show, but seriously, do you people who are leaving the bad reviews not preview a cookbook before you purchase it? I stood in the aisle for about 5 minutes, skimming through the pages, before deciding to buy it. I saw that it called for a lot of veggie purees....but like I said earlier....I am the mother of a 9 month old. I am VERY familiar with pureeing food. Plus, you can puree a ton of it at once, put it in ziploc bags, freeze it, and thaw it out in hot water. Then you can cut a corner off of the ziploc bag and squeeze it out as you need it. You do not have to thaw it out days in advance like one reviewer stated. Just so you know! =) Also, it is very easy to steam veggies in the microwave and it is MUCH faster for people who do not have much time. Find you some Pyrex microwavable glass dishes. They come with a plastic lid and they have a little steam flap that can be opened. They are fantastic for quick steaming. I bought mine at Walmart and they were fairly cheap.

If you have a toddler or child who refuses to eat veggies, you MUST buy this cookbook. I had the chicken enchiladas tonight and was shocked at how good they were with CARROT puree! My husband loved it and he is the pickiest eater EVER! I didn't tell him it had carrots in it and he kept commenting on how smooth the sauce was and how it tasted much better than the regular chicken enchiladas I make. I wanted to tell him so badly that it was half the fat and calories and MUCH better for us than the alternative.....but I kept that part a secret. =) Good job, Jessica. I look forward to your next cookbook.

Falsely Advertised on Oprah, October 30, 2010
I completely agree with other reviewers that are disappointed in the recipes in this book. When she was on Oprah she made great, easy looking dishes that had veggies in them, but had nothing to do with purees. I thought this cookbook would have included those recipes and other similar recipes. I don't mind using purees sometimes, but I didn't want a whole book full of recipes with them in it, and was not aware that this book is just like her first "Deceptively Delicious".

I feel as though this book was falsely advertised to viewers because NONE of the recipes she made on the show are included here. Who would have guessed that? If you're on Oprah talking about your new book, why not highlight some of the recipes that are in the book? Maybe she (and the producers) knew that recipes with purees wouldn't appeal to everyone. I would not have bought this knowing what I do now. I could have just gotten the recipes I wanted, for free, online.

BUSY PEOPLE???, November 29, 2010
Worst cookbook ever. If I had time to puree all those vegetables, it would be a miracle. The crockpot lasagna shown on Oprah wasn't even in the book.

Go back to Kraft recipes on line for fast, easy and nutritious.

Simply healthy, October 29, 2010
This is a spiral bound cookbook that has as its goal less fat and more healthy cooking. Jessica Seinfield shows you how to shop for better well being, how to read labels and her hints for picking out more wholesome choices in fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, poultry, fish, oils, breads and cereals, pasta, rice, beans and grains, juices and sodas, snacks. In my book the spiral binding is very tight and especially for the first 25 and last 25 pages, they tear even as I tried to carefully flatten them.

The recipes are: breakfast, mealtime, dessert.
An example of how she makes her food better for you is in some of the ingredients for her cinnamon buns: nonfat milk, orange juice, whole wheat flour, non fat milk powder, carrot puree, trans fat free margarine, cauliflower puree. If you have very sensitive taste buds, you can taste these purees and sometimes the different texture they result in. I counted 66 various recipes with the following purees: broccoli, sweet potato, carrot, cauliflower, pumpkin, spinach, butternut squash,, yellow squash and 16 with no purees used- so this seems to be one of the keys to this healthful cooking. In all honesty my family prefers regular recipes and has voted unanimously to eat less rather than to use the pureed vegetable ingredients.

Loved Deceptively Delicious, but this was very disappointing, October 27, 2010
I loved Deceptively Delicious, but Double Delicious was really disappointing. Creating a cookbook focused on easy, healthy and delicious meals for your entire family is a great idea and I wish more authors would incorporate this concept into their books, but this particular book is made for someone who is so beyond moronic in the kitchen. The recipes were flat and uninteresting.

I will say, incorporating Nutrition Facts is appreciated and wish more cookbook authors would include.

PLEASE go to a book store first, flip through it and then decide.

Disappointed, November 4, 2010
I was very disappointed with this cookbook. I saw Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah and thought the book would be great. The receipes she did on the show are not even in the book! The 1/2 cup puree stuff just makes it harder for me because I don't puree food and it just seems random. Its just a really bad cookbook. actually want to return it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Today's Favorite Kitchen Companion—Revised and Better Than Ever

Mark Bittman's award-winning How to Cook Everything has helped countless home cooks discover the rewards of simple cooking. Now the ultimate cookbook has been revised and expanded (almost half the material is new), making it absolutely indispensable for anyone who cooks—or wants to. With Bittman's straightforward instructions and advice, you'll make crowd-pleasing food using fresh, natural ingredients; simple techniques; and basic equipment. Even better, you'll discover how to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen as you prepare delicious meals for every occasion.

"A week doesn't go by where I don't pull How to Cook Everything down from the shelf, so I am thrilled there's a new, revised edition. My original is falling apart!"
—Al Roker

"This new generation of How to Cook Everything makes my 'desert island' cookbook choice jacked up and simply universal. I'll now bequeath my cookbooks to a collector; I need only this one."
—Mario Batali

"Mark Bittman has done the impossible, improving upon his now-classic How to Cook Everything. If you need know-how, here's where to find it."
—Bobby Flay

"Mark Bittman is a great cook and an incredible teacher. In this second edition, Mark has fine-tuned the original, making this book a must for every kitchen."
—Jean-Georges Vongerichten

"Throw away all your old recipes and buy How to Cook Everything. Mark Bittman's recipes are foolproof, easy, and more modern than any others."
—Isaac Mizrahi

"Generous, thorough, reliable, and necessary, How to Cook Everything is an indispensable reference for both experienced and beginner cooks."
—Mollie Katzen, author of the Moosewood Cookbook

"I learned how to cook from How to Cook Everything in a way that gives me the freedom to be creative. This new edition will be my gift to new couples or for a housewarming; if you have this book, you don't really need any others."
—Lisa Loeb, singer/songwriter ... Read more

Reviews

A Classic Got Even Better, November 7, 2008
I got my copy of the new edition of How to Cook Everything the other day and am beyond thrilled. I own the old yellow edition and have cooked from it far more than any other book, so I knew the new book had a lot to live up to. Well, it by far exceeded my expectations. While the book still feels familiar, it also feels new and improved. The essential recipe sections beginning each chapter are a great way to find the basics. But even the basics have changed. For example, Mark's roast chicken recipe, which I've used and liked in the past (though I still love Barbara Kafka's) has changed. He suggests you heat the pan before putting the chicken in and placing the chicken breast side up (instead of side down as he suggested in his old book). The heat of the pan helps cook the thighs faster so the breasts don't dry out. It worked perfectly the first time I tried it. Beyond the basics, there are just so many new recipes in here. The variations, lists, and charts that Mark is famous for seem even more plentiful than before, and there are tons of beautiful new illustrations. I'm so excited to cook with this new edition and foresee a day when it's pages will be stained with grease and flour just like the old edition. But I still can't get rid of the old one. It's like a good friend. I'll just put the new one on the shelf right next to it, red by yellow, and know that I can always count on them.

Innovative, hip, and inspirational - it's The One, November 25, 2008
If you have room in your heart for only one cookbook, this is the one. With 2000 recipes it really does have everything. With variations. It's got vegetables from A to Z, with several recipes for each, primers on meat, fish and fowl, on stocking the kitchen and preserving your tools.

Bittman, author of the Minimalist column in the New York Times, has overhauled the original to reflect the changing times. Almost half the material is new, showcasing more international dishes, more vegetarian fare, and a tighter organization. Best known for keeping it simple - fine food, with minimal fuss - Bittman would like to see the home cook spend an hour a day cooking but most of these dishes can be made in half that time.

If the dishes are inspirational, the organization is breathtaking. Organized by course, each chapter begins with "essential" recipes, the "building blocks," and icons accompany every recipe, indicating fast (under 30 minutes), make ahead, or vegetarian. Charts and sidebars abound, offering ideas for using different techniques with similar ingredients or the same technique with different ingredients.

As always with Bittman, the watchword is variation, the goal is inspiration. Cooks of all levels of experience and interest will spend hours with this book and never run out of new ideas and new tricks.

I love this cookbook!, October 21, 2008
In addition to the typical American basics, I love that this cookbook includes recipes for international and less than every day foods. There are plenty of suggestions for varying recipes and I find his "quick" versions of many recipes helpful and well suited to work night dinners. The recipes tend to be fairly easy while using mostly fresh and healthy ingredients. I find so many things that sound delicious that I have a hard time deciding what to try first. Bittman explains techniques and ingredients clearly enough for real beginners, while going into enough depth that even more experienced cooks can learn something. I am already buying a second copy to send to my daughter at college.

A wonderful resource that I can't say enough good things about., January 13, 2009
This book is not only a wonderful resource; it is a rather significant achievement. The book is useful and helpful for beginning and developing cooks as well as a handy reference for experienced culinary professionals. Much of this usefulness flows from the way Mark Bittman has organized the book around 102 Essential Recipes. He then shows you other dishes and variations that build on or can be adapted from the core recipe. For example, on page 508 he has a nice recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese (which I made and my family loved). He then provides four variations and then six mac-and-cheese combos. So much of learning to cook is developing the ability to see how dishes relate to each other and gaining a sense of what you can do with them even without a specific recipe or permission from some authority to do something different. You gain understanding and freedom through experience and seeing connections. This book fosters the development of this understanding and way of looking at food.

You can tell the core recipes because they have a white star inside a red circle by the recipe title. The author also uses three other handy symbols (all in red circles). F means that the meal is fast and can be made in less than thirty minutes. M means you can make the dish ahead (or at least to significant degree of completion) of when it will be needed. V means it is a vegetarian recipe.

I like the way Bittman takes care to explain things to the reader without condescension. He assumes that someone using the book will need to know, for example, what basic pots and pans he should have or what her basic set of knives should be. Every beginning cook needs to learn how to use knives safely and what core ingredients should be in their pantry. Bittman explains all this and so much more. He also uses helpful diagrams to explain to how carve chickens, prepare fish, peeling and deveining shrimp, dice veggies, and so forth. The book also has many tables to help you get at the core types of ingredients such as apples, spices, herbs, and so much more. This is a cooking resource, not just a collection of recipes.

The way the author writes the recipes is especially helpful. He does not use the cryptic shorthand seen in so many recipes. The steps he provides are careful explanations of not only what you should do, but they also include explanations of why you need to do it and if something might be unclear he also tells you how to do it. Sometimes he even includes alternative approaches in the steps of a recipe. The recipes read as if he were talking to you as a friend and sharing with you so you can share in the fun he is having. Each recipe also tells you the yield in servings and the amount of time you should plan on spending to make the dish. He also lets you know when most of the time making the dish is actually in unattended mode.

You should also go to the back of the book for some other handy resources. These pages all have a red edge. He offers a series of menu ideas for Breafast and Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Celebrations. He also lists the 102 Essential Recipes on page 974 and 975. He then provides his own top 100 fast recipes, his top 100 make-ahead recipes, and top 100 vegetarian recipes. On page 982 he provides a list of specialty resources you can use for items you might need if they aren't available in your area. Of course the book has an index, which is extremely useful. Inside the front and back covers are some handy bits of conversion and temperature information.

Does the book really tell you how to cook everything? Pretty much. Remember, this isn't about cooking every possible dish in the universe, but of providing ways of handling a vast range of ingredients to get wonderful and easy to prepare dishes. I didn't find dishes with foie gras or caviar in the book. But they might well be there and I just missed them. However, it is insignificant either way. This subtitle is spot on: "Simple Recipes for Great Food" and that is what you need to know in approaching this wonderful book.

I recommend this to everyone who loves food and wants to begin cooking or develop their repertoire of dishes from the few they use over and over again. Take the plunge and you can thank me later. This book would also be a terrific gift to kids and grand kids setting up their own house or apartment. Learning to cook will not only be cheaper than eating out or ordering in, it will be far healthier. And it offers much more opportunity for healthy socializing than the usual stuffing of faces in front of a glowing tube.

Strongly and fervently recommended.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

Beverages are missing!, November 18, 2008
I gave away my first edition of this book as soon as I got the new one. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the entire beverages chapter has been omitted from this new book.

Recipes are not the best, October 19, 2009
I too was surprised at all the five star reviews, because as others have pointed out, the individual recipes are not always the best for the task. Specifically, I needed a pie crust recipe today. Bittman suggests using all butter, which is fine, but that makes an extremely short crust -- not the most ideal for a quiche, for instance. Check Julia Child, Alton Brown, Better Homes and Gardens ... you will find that they all suggest the addition of a proportion of vegetable shortening to make the crust tender. I improvised since I basically needed the proportions of flour/fat, but for a novice baker the crust would probably be a bit disappointing.

It's a nice idea to create a book that would supplant all your other cookbooks (and I can't believe John-George Vortigern said to throw away all your other cookbooks, and why does Lisa Loeb have the authority to review a cookbook, she's a rock star), but in fact one person can't make everything well. From what I have seen, he hasn't taken the best of the best to make up this volume. It's too easy to turn to this book and get a mediocre result, without realizing you could have made it better using another source. A good cook should use a few different sources, with a couple of well-tested basic books such as Better Homes and Gardens or America's Test Kitchen, or even Joy of Cooking to have core recipes on hand.

An Essential Resource for Those Who Want to Go Beyond Mixing Simple Ingredients to Make a Quick Meal, January 22, 2009
As someone who was banished from the kitchen by my mother (except for dish-washing chores), I have always had lots of questions about what to do and when for the kinds of dishes I like. My wife was similarly banished so we are like the blind leading the blind. Our mothers' culinary skill caused us to appreciate great home-cooked food, but unable to provide it for ourselves. As a result, we are fond of cookbooks where you toss a few ingredients together and get something tasty in a few minutes. We also look forward to restaurant meals where great flavors are experienced beyond what our mothers gave us.

That seemed to me like where we would stay until I found the Completely Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition of How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. With this book, I can create almost anything I used to enjoy at my mom's house or in a restaurant. I also feel confident about achieving those results because this book answers my unanswered questions.

I was astonished to see how many flavors I like in sauces can be created very easily. Wow!

In addition, I can now look forward to healthier eating by knowing what ingredients are being used rather than relying on so many prepared ingredients.

Thank you!

If you already know how to make great recipes from scratch, you won't be as impressed by this book as I am. In fact, you probably won't need it.

To use a metaphor, this book isn't the ultimate cook book. It's the step-up cookbook for those who have mastered the simplest kitchen preparations but want to learn how to do more and create the kind of results that you don't experience in 90 percent of American kitchens.

Enjoy!

A Classic Revised and Better Than Ever!, February 11, 2009
Often times, "completely revised" and "anniversary editions" don't live up to the billing. The original "How to Cook Everything", is my "go-to" cookbook whenever I need to learn about a technique or food I'm cooking with for the first time. Reflecting the changing food and cooking industries, many of the recipes are new, yet stick to Bittman's principles of simple, fresh food. Icons label the recipes as fast, make-ahead, and vegetarian; charts and lists enhance each section. The organization is superior, making it easy to find everything. With essential recipes and variations on just about everything, plus an encyclopedia of techniques and information, in addition to accessible, easy-to-use organization, this is the one cookbook that should be on everyone's shelf.

My new favorite cookbook, December 31, 2008
I received this book for Christmas and have already made 6-7 recipes from it. The instructions are clear and simple enough for those who aren't gourmet cooks.

This is NOT a book for those who choose recipes based on photographs, but for those who have a basic idea for what they want to make...but maybe with a new twist.

Many of the recipes have alternate versions for those who like to experiment and wherever there is an option for homemade ingredients (like mayonnaise or sauces) the book refers to the specific page where they can be found.

Overall, this is the best How To I've found so far. I'm buying the vegetarian version for a friend!

Book needs more editing, hit or miss recipes, July 30, 2009
First of all whoever put this book together did not read through it very well. Sentences are cut off and incomplete. I would recommend people with little or no cooking experience do not buy this book. Many recipes need adjusting or maybe some steps or ingredients are just plain missing. Also in the back index there is not a lot of cross referencing and sometimes hard to locate a recipe. I've tried several recipes, many needing adjustments so I end up looking up other recipes either on-line or in other books I own. There have been a few winning recipes but not enough for me to recommend this book to others. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Finally, all in one handsome volume, the best 1400 slow-cooker recipes!
New York Times bestselling author Phyllis Pellman Good has gathered the biggest collection of tantalizing, best-ever slow-cooker recipes into one great book.
The recipes in this amazing treasure are all-
Collected from some of America's best home cooks.
Tested in real-life settings.
Carefully selected from thousands of recipes.
Eight small "galleries" of full-color photos of delectable slow-cooker dishes from the collection add sparkle throughout the cookbook.
Phyllis Pellman Good's cookbooks have sold nearly 10 million copies. Her five beloved Fix-It and Forget-It cookbooks have themselves sold more than 8 million copies! Three of her cookbooks have been New York Times bestsellers.
This is the perfect BIG COOKBOOK! Easy to understand, easy to use.
Absolutely manageable for those who lack confidence in the kitchen.
Convenient for those who are short on time.
Will bring a "make-it-again" request from all who are lucky enough to enjoy these tasty dishes.
Fix-It and Forget-It BIG COOKBOOK, with its 1400 best slow-cooker recipes, is another winner!

... Read more

Reviews

THE Go-To Cookbook for Slow Cookers, January 13, 2009
With 1,400 recipes, the Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook is the only book for slow cooker recipes you'll need. It will be your go-to cookbook when you're in a hurry for dinner. The recipes are SIMPLE: simple ingredients and simple preparation. You can throw together many of the recipes if you have 20 minutes before you run off to work in the morning. You are likely to have most of the ingredients in your kitchen -- no exotic, hard-to-find ingredients in this cookbook.

You also will save grocery money. Many recipes call for less expensive cuts of meat since cooking at a very low temperature all day will make meats as tender and juicy as the more expensive cuts.

The recipes are laid out in an easy-to-read style that not only identifies the serving number, but you'll know how long it takes to prep the ingredients. The directions are step-by-step and are very easy to follow.

Two features from the cookbook are worth mentioning. Recipes that are healthier and lighter are marked in the corner. You can use these recipes for a healthier meal (or appetizer, soup, etc.), and they are just as convenient and quick to put together as the traditional ones. Another standout feature is the surprisingly helpful little hints that author Phylllis Pellman Good put on the bottom of every other page or so. Though most hints are slow cooker-related, other hints are surprisingly helpful when preparing any type of food. At 658 pages of recipes, you'll find loads of hints -- worth reading on their own.

I also was intrigued with many of the appetizer recipes. Does anyone ever think, "I need an appetizer. I'll pull out my slow cooker"? Not me! But I have to say, "Irresistible Cheesy Hot-Bean Dip" and "Fruit Salsa" were recipes I marked for future party bring-alongs.

People like me who love to cook usually have scores of cookbooks on the shelf, and we probably regularly use only a couple of them. The Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook will be the the only slow cooker recipe book on your shelf. It has all the recipes you'll ever need for slow cooking.

Great Variety, Lots of Unexpected Ideas, February 3, 2009
At first glance, this cookbook seems like a bad crockpot joke. Almost every recipe I flipped to requires cream of mushroom soup or a packet of dried onion soup. Seriously. Two of the five recipes for Sloppy Joes call for cream of mushroom soup.

Then it dawned on me. Two of FIVE recipes for Sloppy Joes. I started looking more closely and realized that most recipes in the book offer several different versions. Sometimes it's the ingredients that vary, sometimes it's the amount of preparation, sometimes it's both. You're bound to find at least one version of each recipe that works for your tastes and cooking style. You may find other versions that you're willing to try.
The recipes are arranged by type, and a small icon at the top corner of each page makes it easy to flip through the book and find the chapter you're looking for. There are also clear icons to indicate if a recipe is considered light, or if it's meatless.

The book is in the style of a hometown fundraiser cookbook. Each recipe includes the name and town of the person who submitted it, and some include a brief comment from the cook about how you might want to serve it, or to whom. The author also scatters random little kitchen tips throughout the book.

The recipes are well organized, with cooking times and recommended crockpot sizes clearly indicated at the top. Any recipe marked "light" includes nutrition information at the end.

I'm giving this four stars instead of five because:

(1) I don't love the binding. It's a large cloth-bound volume (think big dictionary) that is awkward to use in the kitchen.
(2) The organization is a little loose. For instance, all hot dog recipes are listed in the pork section, even those calling for all-beef franks.
(3) The definition of "light" isn't really fair. The nutrition analysis assumes you use the smaller amounts in any range and leave off anything listed as optional. This seems reasonable, until you notice that the light recipe for chicken and dumplings indicates that the dumplings are optional.

I plan to try many of the recipes, and to use this cookbook for inspiration for my own creations. The sheer variety of options for each recipe makes me want to experiment with ingredients and combinations I may not have come up with on my own.

Too many processed ingredients, January 30, 2009
This cookbook is huge and full of recipes, and the variety is such that there is something for everyone in it. There are "light" and vegetarian options. However, the vast number of recipes in this book (at least half, I'd say) call for processed ingredients like canned soup and powdered soup mix. A recipe for applesauce where the first ingredient is a jar of unsweetened apple sauce is not a cookbook-worthy recipe by my standards. If you cook this way, you'll love this cookbook. It makes me wish I had had it (and a Crock Pot) in college, when my idea of alfredo sauce was a can of cream of mushroom soup.

Also use your discretion with the directions in the recipes and test your Crock out first. I've made one thing so far and found 8 hours on high to be far too much time for a pork tenderloin. It was done after 4. The book does tell you this too of course. It also is helpful by giving the ideal Crock Pot size for each recipe, with a good amount of variation.

Not for gourmets, November 21, 2009
I bought a slow cooker after hearing gourmets say wonderful slow-cooked food is. I also bought this cookbook. A month later I haven't used my slow cooker. None of these 1400 recipes are anything I want to make. A typical recipe is "take a pound of hamburger and a can of cream of mushroom soup and 12 hours later you'll have beef stroganoff." Then the next five pages have ten slightly different variations of the same thing. Plus there's no table of contents and the index is a mess. This book is just a compendium of recipes people sent her, with little or no editing. I was hoping for a book like "Microwave Gourmet" by Barbara Kafka, which I bought at the same time and have used many times, because it shows how to make gourmet meals with less time and effort.

destined for donation at this point, February 28, 2010
First I must say that I am a huge fan of the slow cooker and use it five times per week. I have about twenty slow-cooker cookbooks and use them all the time. This particular book is a collection of recipes with comments submitted by home cooks all over the country. Someone has calculated the nutritional content of each one. I am doubtful that most of these recipes have been tested by the author or by anyone actually involved with the publication of the book. It says on the book's cover "tested in real-life settings". I guess that means by the people who submitted them. I have prepared about a dozen of the recipes and have found none worthy of repeating. They tend to be bland, boring or worse. There are, as many reviewers have noted, multiple versions of the same dish. I can only guess that including all of them was easier and less painful than tasting them. It makes for a very big book which I'm sure will be probably find a new home at the library book sale.

Just Combining Cans, February 1, 2009
I was disappointed to find that so many of these recipes are simply a few cans of this and that, heated up in the slow cooker. Since I am trying to cook more to get away from using so much processed food, this did not further my aim. Also, though there are hundreds of recipes, there is an amazing amount of near-duplication. I really found very few that struck me as interesting, tasty and wholesome recipes.

Great addition to my collection, September 18, 2009
This book has allowed me hours of pleasure just looking for interesting and easy recipes for my slow cooker. I am a great fan of cooking with my slow cooker because even though I am retired, it frees up my whole day and we still have a delightful meal to put on the dinner table. I have adapted many recipes to my slow cooker, have two on hand, and have worn out two of them. This book is the first one I pull off the shelf when I need a new recipe or one that I have partially made up and need to spice it up a bit. This is the biggest and best slow cooker cookbook I have ever seen and I am glad It is mine. I saw it advertised in one of the many catalogs I receive and the first thing I did was check on Amazon as I always do since I inevitably get a lower price. This one was really a winner. Thank you Amazon.

The only crock book cook book you will need., January 30, 2009
This book has about every recipe you can think of in it - way more than you'll use. As I am currently as student, I need quick and easy meals without eating a lot of processed foods. This is the answer. I put the food in the pot first thing in the morning and off I go. When I get home, dinner is ready!

Although there are quite a few recipes with processed food in them, it's easy to change them. I substitute real cheese for processed; low salt / unprocessed broths and soups from health food stores and skim milk for whole milk. Healthy, quick and easy!

not so great, February 14, 2009
1400 receipes sounded great, but way too many have a canned mushroom soup base or something equally awful. Would not recommend.

Great book and lots of recipes and information, May 14, 2010
This book is wonderful. Has recipes for everything from appetizers to main dishes to beverages and deserts. There is very little that you could possible think of that this book does not have a recipe for. It also has different recipes for the same thing, like Split pea soup, where it has 3 different split pea soup recipes, while most other cookbooks I have seen will usually only have one. So if you don't like one, you could try another one to see if you like it better.

There is also a page for Equivalent Measurements, Substitute Ingredients for when you're in a pinch, and of course the index. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Babies grow more rapidly in their first year than at any other time in their lives, so how you feed your newborn will be one of the most important decisions you make for your new baby.

Making your own baby food is not only more economical than buying commercial brands, it also assures that your child consumes only the freshest, top-quality ingredients. British television personality and children's nutrition expert Annabel Karmel's essential collection of best-ever purees grants new parents their wish: one hundred quick and easy recipes that will make for a healthy and happy baby. From first tastes and weaning, right through to meals for older babies, all the recipes are suitable for children aged six months and older. And with all these fruit and vegetable favorites, and innovative fish, meat, and chicken purees, the dishes are so tasty you will want to eat them yourself!

In addition to easy and delicious recipes, Top 100 Baby Purees also includes information on:

• Weaning your baby and transitioning to solid foods
• Food allergies
• Time-saving food preparation tips
• Freezing and reheating your homemade baby food
• Tricks on finding the hidden nutrition in everyday foods

Featuring a preface by Dr. Michel Cohen, New York pediatrician and author of The New Basics: A-to-Z Baby & Child Care for the Modern Parent ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent Resource, Wonderful Recipes, But Be Careful, December 29, 2006
I am so glad I bought this book; it agrees with my philosophy about shaping children's palates early, using whole foods, and organic eating in general. The recipes are easy and delicious, and give you ideas for all the way into toddlerhood. I love the inclusion of recipes using meat, fish, and chicken. My daughter has loved everything I have made from this book so far; my husband and I have even eaten a few- with salt and seasoning added for adult taste- and enjoyed them.

I do, however, agree with Lynn W.- USE WISDOM with certain recipes, since the author does not seem to follow the AAP's recommendations about when to introduce certain foods, and seems to lack a current understanding about food allergies in children. There are lots of recipes with cow's milk, tomatoes, and citrus, for example, for very young babies.

Otherwise, I highly recommend this book as an excellent resource.

Not what I was looking for...but I'm still glad I ordered it!, July 3, 2006
My daughter is turning eight months this week. She is not eating textured foods yet or finger foods, but she is getting bored with one-ingredient foods and bland food like just sweet potatoes by themselves, so I'm starting to make her some varied purees with different ingredients and spices. Hence, why I ordered this book!

What I was expecting to find was exactly what the title said...100 puree recipes. Not a book divided into ages with age-appropriate recipes. The first section tells you how to steam and puree vegetables and fruits. Then moves on to 6 month old foods, and then 7-9 month foods and then 9-12 month recipes which aren't even purees. They look more like recipes I would make for my husband and I, not that it's a bad thing at all, because we want her eating what we're eating in a few months!

I'm not returning the book, because some of the recipes look awesome and I can't wait to try them, but it's not what I was looking for at all when I ordered it. It really should be retitled to something other than Top 100 Baby Purees when that's not really what it is.

But the BEST part of this book that is so different than other books is that it has some great puree recipes for chicken and beef and fish, and I haven't been able to find that anywhere else. And the recipes call for onion and garlic, which are two ingredients that my husband cook a lot with, so it's going to be a good cookbook for us. So, three stars for the quality of the book and the ease of the recipes which I can tell already by reading them since I'm an experienced cook, but a two star deduction for the bad title.

Good Book, Great Food, February 1, 2007
I bought this book looking for homemade baby food recipes and got so much more. Besides having lots of tasty recipes for each stage of your baby's development it provides valuable nutritional iformation. Each recipe is easy to follow and easy to make. The best part is that they actually taste good! I usually spend 3-4 hours over 2 days to make enough baby food to last a month. A tip, pick a few recipes that use similar ingredients and as Rachel Ray says, "Use it twice, chop it once."

To make my life easier most recipes are suitable to freeze. I freeze them in 1 ounce ice cube trays (mostly the fruit purees to add to yogurt, cottage cheese, or baby cereal) and in 4 ounce portions (for the more complete meals). Some of my baby's favorites are the Lovely Lentils, Apple-Mango Puree (mixed with plain yogurt), and the Sweet Potato with Spinach and Peas. I love this book and I love knowing my baby is eating healthy, tasty food that I've prepared.

Excellent Book, But Use With Caution, June 26, 2006
This is a great baby cook book. My son liked almost all the meals I made out of the recipes and they even tasted good to me. It is a fine book with colorful pictures which made it fun to read and use.

But it is more a book for babies who are less likely to develop food allergies or negative reactions because of the use of some ingridients like cow's milk, orange juice and various spices. Furthermore, trust your own judgement and that of your doctors' on when to introduce certain foods because the author's opinions do not always comply with the recommendations made by The American Academy of Pediatrics.

If you are free of those concerns, I would highly recommend it to you!

Terrible, April 19, 2009
This book is very, very wrong about a lot of things. I asked my pediatrician about what I could feed my baby and a lot of things in this book he said NO. The time frame is awful. You are not supposed to give babies butter, onions, fish, eggs at 6 months of age. I will not use my book anymore and will get a new one.

EXCELLENT for easy first time moms, April 29, 2008
I am a full time working basically single mom. I thought, "there is no way I can add making baby food to my list of things to do! I am just too busy!!" But as soon as I got this book, I began. And it's been 3 weeks straight of preparing my own home-made food for my 7 month old son....who has LOVED EVERY SINGLE THING.
I made the pears-apple-cinnamon recipe...and took leftovers to work for myself! hehe
It is very easy to follow, great recipes, easy to read through, organized well, and I don't have a single complaint. Thank you Ms. Karmel for giving me the tools to do it myself. :-)

This book proves it's easy to DIY!!, February 8, 2007
I decided to try making my own baby food for my third child and I am SO sad that I waited!! Using recipes in this book I have made all sorts of different foods and he LOVES them. He is 7 months old and today he had broccoli and sweet potato and he couldn't get enough. My other kids never did like broccoli -- still don't.

The fruit purees are so yummy that I have been known to steal a few bites myself. And I love knowing exactly what is going into my little guy's body. These recipes are easy, add alot of variety to their diet, and are simple to understand. I spent two hours yesterday and two hours the day before and now I have a freezer full of little cubes. They are ready to thaw and eat and I have enough to last about six weeks. And I think I spent about $20 on ingredients. With my older kids I would spend that much in a week on the jarred stuff.

Give homemade baby food a try. This book is a great start, and the recipes aren't "out there" like some of the other books. I highly recommend it.

Great book!, August 2, 2007
This book is awesome. A quick word of advice for breastfeeding mothers. If you don't plan on feeding your baby a lot of solid foods until fully weaned do not make a lot of this food at one time. I made 5-6 recipes one day to stock my freezer, one month later I'm going to have to toss out some of it to make room for new foods as she is now 7 mo. old and ready to eat heavier stuff. The Trio of Vegetables recipe is a HIT and she voraciously eats it whenever I put that one in front of her. I love it too as it relieves any constipation she may get while breastfeeding.
I bought this book along with the "Blender Baby Food." Both are great, however this is my favorite as I like being able to see pictures. If you want to make your child's food please note, it IS easy and fun to do...I can't tell you how many people gave me a hard time for wanting to make my own and are now jealous that I don't have to go to the store, nor deal with all those empty jars. Ice cube tray's and ziplock bags are all that are needed to store the food. Highly recommended. You can probably get away with just this book as there are SO many recipes I doubt I'll ever get around to making them before she begins eating the real deal!

Nice book, BUT be careful with some recipes, November 23, 2007
For example, there are recipes with fish and cheese for ages 7-9, while fish are not reccomended for babies until 2 years of age and cheese for babies until 12 months. Then scrambled eggs for ages 9-12 months - babies should not have egg whites until 12 months and the later you introduce them the better. The author might be a good cook, but she definitely doesn't know anything about what are babies NOT supposed to eat to prevent allergies and other problems.

Check with your family doctor or pediatrician first!, July 3, 2009
I recommend checking with your Family Physician or Pediatrician before following the advice in this book. Butter, tomatoes, cow's milk/cheese, and citrus before age 1? Not advised by the American Academy of Pediatrics! Not to mention whole eggs, strawberries, and canned tuna. The bio on the author does not state she has any nutritional education whatsoever. Buyer beware. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com ReviewFall into Cooking Featured Recipe: Herbed Pork Roast and Cranberry-Pine Nut Chutney from Semi-Homemade: The Complete Cookbook by Sandra Lee

Serves 4

Ingredients

PORK ROAST
2 1⁄2 pounds boneless pork loin roast, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence, McCormick®
1 teaspoon onion powder, McCormick®
1 tablespoon crushed garlic, Christopher Ranch®
1 tablespoon lemon juice, ReaLemon®

CHUTNEY
1 can (16-ounce) whole cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray®
1⁄3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 teaspoon lemon juice, ReaLemon®
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, McCormick®
1⁄4 teaspoon crushed garlic, Christopher Ranch®

Preheat oven to 450°F.

For the roast, season pork roast with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together herbes de Provence, onion powder, garlic, and lemon juice. Rub over pork roast and place roast in shallow roasting pan. Place roast in oven and reduce heat to 325°F.Roast for 30 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 165°F. (Roast will continue to cook up to 170°F out of the oven.) Let pork roast rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.

For the chutney, combine all chutney ingredients and stir thoroughly. Serve chutney at room temperature over pork roast.

Tip: Herbes de Provence is a blend of dry herbs most commonly used in southern France. It usually contains basil, fennel seeds, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage, summer savory, and thyme.

Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade The Complete Cookbook serves up delicious recipes from 20 in depth, unique chapters like Sandra's Cooking Basics, Poultry & Beef, 20 Minute Meals, International Fare, Slow Cooker & One Pot Wonders and provides an insiders' view of Sandra's new kitchen, pantry and three at home eating areas-formal, family and kitchen dining. Sandra, who can often be seen on the Today show and Good Morning America, is thrilled to share with her readers, an exclusive chapter featuring cherished recipes from her sister, muse and frequent guest on Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee, Kimber Lee.

These quick and easy recipes, straight from Sandra Lee's dining room table to yours, are based on Sandra's Semi-Homemade philosophy and use roughly 70 percent ready-made products and 30 percent fresh ingredients, so you can take 100% of the credit.

• Includes 1,001 semi-homemade recipes-800 fan favorites from the show and 200 brand-new for this collection-the biggest Sandra Lee collection ever
• These family-friendly recipes featuring food for every dining occasion are quick to make and easy to put together
• An insider's look into the personal home of Sandra Lee and the re-launch of a brand-new, modernized Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee show on Food Network
• The first book Sandra has published in partnership with Food Network with extensive on-air promotion

For Sandra Lee fans, this is the ultimate Semi-Homemade collection, packed with all-time favorites, fresh fares and fun new recipes. Between the stresses and duties of family and work, it's tough to put a delicious meal that saves time and money on the table every night of the week. Thankfully, there's Sandra Lee!

Recipe Excerpts from Semi-Homemade The Complete Cookbook

Italian Baked Pork Chops

Mushroom Risotto

Blue Cheese-Crusted Filet Mignon

Reviews

Everything Sandra at your fingertips!, November 11, 2010
I found this to be the best of Sandra Lee's cookbooks. It's a much larger book with many more receipes than the earlier ones. The receipes I've tried are excellent. I love the way her receipes cut the time involved down by using prepared items. It makes an everyday meal special with the extra touches.

The Complete Sandra Lee Cookbook - a MUST in any kitchen, November 18, 2010
Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Food Network show is one of my all time FAVORITES shows! I love to watch her pull together simple ingredients to make delicious meals for the family.

Sandra's trademark 70/30 Semi-Homemade philosophy, alongside her beautiful tablescapes and creative cocktails suck me into every episode and get my cooking senses going.


And thanks to wonderful people at Wiley Publishing, I was able to get a copy of Sandra's brand new Semi-Homemade Complete Cookbook to review.

I dug right into this cookbook, flipping the pages back and forth, soaking in all the great photos, helpful hints, and great chapters like:

* Cooking Basics
* Breakfast & Brunch
* Light & Healthful
* International Flare
* Slow Cooker & One Pot Meals
* Cocktails & Appetizers
* Tablescapes & Entertaining

It's Sandra Lee at her best!

And I don't know about you, but one of my BIGGEST pet peeves when it comes to cookbooks, is being able to have the opened with ease as I cook.

A lot of cookbooks have funky binding or awkward 3 rings, but Sandra Lee's Complete Cookbook has this great spiral binding that allows the pages to sit flat while open and closes easily when done. I LOVED that!

Of course I couldn't review a cookbook without trying out a recipe...

Since pork loins were on sale at our local store, I decided to try out her Pork Chips Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta.


With a little adjustment for our `gluten free' diet - this recipe was simple and easy to put together.

I really wish this picture had turned out a little better,
because it's really not doesn't do the dish justice.

The pork chops were moist and my whole family loved the spinach & cheese filling. This recipe is definitely going to be created again in our house.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!, December 14, 2010
Buy this cookbook now! You will not be disappointed! I love, love, love this book!

The first section is titled "Basics." Here you will find tips on how to organize your kitchen, what timesaving gadgets to buy, tips for a quicker/easier cleanup, and she even includes a checklist of things you should stock your shelves with (dry, frozen, refrigerated, spices, meats, and produce). For beginning cooks and for those of us that need to clean and organize our kitchens once in awhile, this is very helpful.

The rest of the book includes the following sections:
-dairy, eggs, and cheese
-breakfast and brunch
-salads, soups, and sides
-light and healthful
-pasta and pizza
-poultry
-beef and veal
-pork and lamb
-fish and shellfish
-family favorites
-weeknight meals
-international cusine
-slow cooker and one-pot meals
-grilling
-cakes, cobblers, puddings, and pies
-cookies, candies, bars, and breads
-cooktails and appetizers
-tablescapes and entertaining

I also love the fact that this book is spiral bound.

Trust me - you won't regret buying this book! The recipes are so easy to follow and Sandra includes specific directions on how long prep should be, how long you need to marinate, how long you should grill/roast, etc. I also love that the recipes use some pre-packaged items to save you time! This is a must have cookbook.

Just like watching her show, December 8, 2010
This is a great cook book. It is full of recipes that follow the way we cook in our busy world. My Mom used to make spaghetti sauce from scratch. It would cook all day long. She finally said, "Use the good products God gave you from the market. Why make extra work for yourself?"

Sandra Lee has found ways to combine time saving and flavorful products into dishes that the entire family enjoys as 'something different for a change.' And it's all good.

Of all the cookbooks I have, this is the most used one. Bravo Sandra Lee Bravo

The Semi-Diva, November 16, 2010
Sanda Lee is the Diva of Dining, she can put it all together and make it look like childs play. I love watching her work her magic with store bought ingredients, turning out a feast that's fit for royality. My favorite is when she makes those wonderful drinks, what a joy to watch, I intend to make some of these creations from this great cookbook.

Awesome cookbook, December 21, 2010
I love "Aunt Sandy" so I bought her newest cookbook right away. The recipies are so easy, but my favorite section is the cocktail recipes! So yummy... ... Read more

Editorial Review

The fresh, robust flavors of Italian grilled sandwiches.

A panini is an Italian-inspired pressed sandwich enjoyed throughout Italy and, increasingly, in North American caf�s, restaurants and kitchens. Italians regard panini as fast food thanks to its easy preparation, which also accounts for its success in North America. Sales of panini makers have skyrocketed, with small appliance manufacturers releasing new models each year.

Tiffany Collins provides great recipes that replicate the bistro experience and maximize the use of a home panini maker. Among the recipes for this vibrant, flavorful food are:

• Salami, prosciutto, mozzarella panini with roasted red peppers; Philly cheesesteak panini
• Bacon, spinach and hard-boiled egg panini; smoked salmon, red onion, cream cheese and caper panini
• Sweet Italian sausage, provolone and tomato sauce panini; hummus, red onion and Swiss cheese panini
• Pulled pork panini; Tuscan tuna and white bean panini; shrimp club panini
• Cuban panini; smores panini; sliced beef, caramelized onions and gorgonzola panini
• Smoked turkey, brie and Granny Smith apple panini; south of the border turkey panini with perfect guacamole.

This Italian tradition can now be experienced at home and enjoyed by the whole family.

Reviews

Not just a sandwich, July 20, 2008
O.K. I love cookbooks. I also love sandwiches. So what's not to love here. In my opinion, the term "Panini" is a bit overused these days, but marketing is marketing. The recipies in this book are intelligent, classy, fun and of course, delicious. My wife and I have tried 3 to date and are well on our way to try, not all, but many more. The layout, the "tips" and the headers for the sandwiches allows you access to the amount of thought that went into this book. I typically love cookbooks with many, many pictures. This book, however, doesn't need that many. The sandwichs' name is a picture in itself. Don't get me wrong, the pictures the book does have are beautiful. So, yes, I love this book. And by the way, who needs to go out and buy a panini grill when the ol' George Foreman works just great.

Title says it all!, August 28, 2008
I've purchased quite a few cook books for my panini press, but nothing is as user friendly as this one. Not only are the recipes very good but the ingredients are items that can be found in your own kitchen. I did not have to go out to buy anything special. My husband(who is somewhat picky) and son have devoured all the sandwiches I have made so far. Thank you, Tiffany Collins!

Much more than just a panini cookbook!, July 13, 2008
A fantastic cookbook if you're always looking for new ideas that are easy to make and delicious to eat! Great ideas that get you out of the normal cooking rut, and paninis that make you look like a pro! got rave reviews from my family.

Well organized, great photos and additional recipes for condiments and spreads that I didn't expect. A nice suprise! I just ordered more as gifts for my friends. My kudos to the author.

Recipes for everyone!, December 22, 2008
I bought several copies of this cookbook to give as Christmas presents to friends and family. My sister sticks to a strict vegetarian diet, and I read through the vegetarian section to see what was offered specifically for her. I was amazed! The vegetarian recipes are abundant and every one sounds delicious! Each recipe is written almost like a little story and before I knew it, I was well into the book and reading it like a novel. I didn't think anyone could come up with 200 panini recipes -- Tiffany Collins not only came up with a splendid variety of ingredients to put together in a panini, but she also included hundreds of great tips. With the selections she's provided, I could be eating a panini every day for months and the variety would make it seem like I was eating a different gourmet meal each time. What a great way for busy families to prepare and serve quick and easy nutritious meals!

I needed this help!, July 10, 2008
I am a single father who cares about receiving good reviews from my kids, when feeding them. The '200 Best Panini Recipes' book has been a Godsend for me. The variety of recipes including Breakfast Paninis, Desserts, Chicken, Beef, and Panini Just for Kids, seperated by chapters, makes it easy for me to select and utilize the right recipes for my children. The author's tips and descriptions makes it easy for this amateur cook to receive good reviews from my children!

Fabulous!, July 8, 2008
I just picked up a copy of this book and I have already made a handful of these recipes. They are SUPER easy, and a lot of the ingredients are items that most people probably have on hand. My favorite so far is the grilled chicken, roasted peppers, spinach and jack cheese. Another thing I really like about this book is that you can either use store-bought dressings or you have the option to make your own from the recipes included at the back of the book. If you don't already have a panini grill, she includes helpful tips on picking one out.

A delicious solution, April 6, 2009
When I lived in Italy, I practically lived on crisp, yummy panini sandwiches, and have been making them here for years. Most cooks have their own ideas about what makes a great panini, but we often rely on the same old ingredients. Tiffany Collins brings fresh, inspiring ideas to this simply satisfying treat, and with so many great ideas to choose from, you can eat a different panini every week for years and never have the same meal twice! Move over pasta, move over pizza: Tiffany's well-built panini book is the solution for tasty meals that are quick, easy, and oh so satisfying. It's a great resource, too, for combining ingredients that "work" well together, whether they're in a panini or not.

Tiffany knows her panini!, August 5, 2008
Wow! Tiffany has widened my panini world! Her recipes are practical and delicious. What a beautiful, easy to use, nicely formatted cookbook! I think this means that I will keep my panini machine on the counter at all times since I will now be using it daily! Thanks, Tiffany!

Panini's, May 11, 2009
Excellent, simple recipes and ideas for making great paninis. Suggestions for use of leftovers are also very helpful. The recipes for sauces at the end of the book are fantastic and useful for dishes other than paninis. Much prefer this book over "Simple Italian Sandwiches" which I also purchased.

Rockin' good recipes, December 17, 2008
Two take-aways from this book. One, the variety and combinations of ingredients. Expect flavor pairings you don't expect. Two, the ease of prep. Panini's by definition should be easy, and these recipes keep it that way. I'm on sandwich #11 and counting. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Cooking good food from scratch is a skill that can save you money, keep you healthy, and make you and your family and friends happy. What I've tried to do in this book is pick a whole load of meals that we all love to eat and break them down to make them as simple as possible. There are plenty of clear instructions and step-by-step pictures, so whether you're an accomplished cook or a complete beginner, you'll be able to enjoy cooking and achieve great results in the kitchen.

This book is inspired by all the people I've met who thought they could never and would never learn how to cook. I believe that good home cooking is one of the most essential, fundamental skills that every single person on this planet should have in order to look after themselves, their families, and their friends. This food revolution is all about people learning how to make a recipe, then teaching that recipe to their friends and family . . . if enough people do this, pretty soon everyone will be cooking. So cook something today, then PASS IT ON!

Reviews

Jamie Blends the Traditional With the Conventional in His New Masterpiece, October 19, 2009
Jamie Oliver's cookbook is beautiful. It is full color, complete with step-by-step pictures and easy to follow traditional recipes but with a definite twist. Jamie's cooking hook is that the recipes are fairly quick, good for you and easy. So easy in fact, that Jamie has rounded up a bunch of every day folks who would never consider themselves cooks and challenged them to cook the recipes in his book. He challenged them by teaching them how to make the dishes. Jamie believes that non-cooks can cook these meals and proves it by including some of these folks, in full-color glossy glory, with their now-mastered meals!

The result is brilliant. The reader is tempted, inspired, and motivated, just as I was last Sunday, when I attempted "The Perfect Roast" on page 192. I followed the recipe to the letter and served my family a delicious roast dinner complete with horseradish sauce, p.210 and evolution cucumber salad p.114. (note to Jamie, as you suggested I improvised and added bacon bits to the cucumber salad and it was delish!)

You see, Jamie's cookbook has a challenge attached to it. He wants folks to start cooking again in their own kitchens! So... he challenges his readers to "pass it on." He asks readers to try some of the recipes in his book and then teach someone else the recipes and so on and so on and so on, you get the idea. Although I will probably skip signing that actual pledge which you can find on his website at [...] I will continue to try delicious recipes from this book and will pass them on to my friends and family.

Some of the other recipes that look terrific: Classic Tomato Spaghetti, p.43, Hardly Any Prep Shrimp Stir Fry, p.66, the entire Chopped Salad section p.120-p.125, Baked Creamy Leeks, p.123, and Pork Kabobs, p.238. Oh heck, the entire cookbook is full of terrific recipes. The desserts, including the Mega Chocolate Fudge Cake, look pretty awesome, too. Jamie combines traditional cooking with conventional time and money constraints making this book a pleasure to work with. I also love that fact that Jamie tells us, with more gorgeous pictures, the equipment we will need to get back to cooking and the essential ingredients we will need to stock in the cupboard for cooking success. Cooking this Fall is going to be a breeze!

Jamie's Latest Cookbook is Great, November 20, 2009
So, in one of those odd publishing things... Jamie's cookbooks are released a year earlier everywhere in the world but the US. Since I spend much of my time in Bombay I have been cooking from this book since last November. Anyhow its awesome. The recipes are delicious (my favorite is the Chicken & Leek Stroganoff), easy to understand, and many are quick to make. There are pictures of all the food and detailed instructions. The book assumes nothing so anyone can really pick it up and make a great meal. The book also contains Jamie's trademark style and you can really hear his voice in the writing throughout the recipes and narrative. Jamie also encourages new cooks to play around (experiment) a bit and gives them strategies to do so - this is particularly evident in his evolution salads chapter.
If you are a fan of Jamie Oliver this book will definitely not disappoint, it has been my go to cook book for most of the year. It would also make a great gift for your novice cook friend or a college student. Enjoy.

Especially good for new cooks, April 18, 2010
My husband has food sensitivities, so I've been cooking at home for a long time. I mainly bought this book to generally support the movement and see what Jamie Oliver was up to with the Food Revolution. I didn't expect to really find many--if any--recipes that I would be able to use. But I did.

The good:
* TONS of photos. Every single recipe has photos, both of the finished dish and of the preparation. Yay!
* He doesn't just give you the recipe (add 2 onions, chopped). He walks you though the process (Chop two onions and set aside). So you can usually cook as you read the recipe.
* He tells you what to serve with the recipes, and the recipes for suggested sides are in the book. Yay!
* Many of the recipes can be easily adapted for allergen-free cooking. My husband is senstive to gluten, corn, dairy, honey, legumes, and some nuts. That's a long list, and I was still able to adapt several recipes.
* He offers recipes for all meals: breakfast food, lunch food, suppers, desserts. You could use this as your only cookbook.
* The dessert section is amazing. We generally don't eat dessert in our house...at all. I think sugar makes you want more sugar, and it's a nasty cycle. But these desserts, while clearly luscious, include a lot of healthier stuff in the preparation, like fruit and oats. And the photos depict appropriate serving sizes. They look very elegant. I'm glad I'll have something wholesome to serve when company visits.

The not so good:
* There isn't any nutrition data for the recipes
* Some of the recipes, while simple, can take some real time to prepare (fine by me, but I'm not trying to whip together dinner in a frenzy when I get home from work)
* Many of the recipes serve 2 people. Which is fine, but it took me some time to adapt. I've purchased ingredients for a recipe only to realize later that I didn't get enough.

In the end, the recipes are quite good. These are not recipes that will show up in Gourmet magazine. And they won't all make the list of the world's healthiest foods either. There are several comfort food recipes...spaghetti, stew, cheesy pastas, roasts. But overall, I'm pleased. Even experienced cooks will be able to find some things of interest here. And this is an awesome collection for someone trying to transition to real food from a diet full of McDonald's and pizza rolls.

Update: I've cooked several more recipes from this book since I wrote this review, and I am growing more and more pleased. At first I blew off some of the recipes; I thought I didn't need another recipe for roasted chicken. But I made it, and it's great. I have cooked many recipes from the book now, and so far nothing has flopped. This is the only cookbook I own that I can say that about.

Update #2: I'm still cooking from the book all the time. I'm a complete convert. I've purchased copies for other family members now...even for my total foodie of a father-in-law. We are all fans, and the majority of my everyday recipes now come from Jamie Oliver. Everyone knows I'm a Jamie Oliver fanatic now, so when people like something I cook they don't ask, "Where did you get the recipe?" They ask, "Is this from Jamie Oliver?" I've become a proselytizer for the book. And still, after all this time, nothing has flopped.

EXCELLENT COOKBOOK, February 21, 2010
I'll be brief. I borrowed this book from the library and cooked three recipes from it. All of them were very good. I have shelves of cookbooks but few of them have given me three excellent dishes in a row. I've since returned the book to the library and bought my own copy.

Does It Bubble When It Boils?, November 13, 2009
I have loved Jamie Oliver since he began his trek into the food world. This is his 12Th cookbook and probably one of his best. Jamie began his revolution in the UK where they have the highest obesity rate in Europe. Ready made meals make up 50% of the meals in England. Jamie wanted to change that life into simple, home cooked meals.

Now, Jamie has come to the US, Huntington, West Virginia. His mission is to show how to prepare simple, good food, made in the home. Jamie loves cream, butter and creme fraiche in his cooking. But if we eat well made meals in moderation,you will be fine. This is a cookbook for anyone, from the newbie to the most experienced. I love and collect cookbooks and this one is going to be used very often! Jamie hopes that once we know how to cook simple, economical, delicious meals that we will pass this knowledge on, and there is pledge to sign at the end of the book, if you are so inclined.

Upon opening this cookbook, you will be surprised to find the most wonderful photographs of the entire process of a recipe. The photographs lure you in and then the organization of the recipe makes it easy to complete. He starts off with a picture of the Essentials in every kitchen, and then we see a list of those essentials. What makes a meal? Jamie shows us and the book is organized around that question. We see pasta, stir-fries, curry, stews, roasts, and desserts. Twenty minute meals is a popular feature and even though that may extend to thirty minutes,it is delicious! Sweet and sour pork was my first recipe and it is so good and easy to prepare. Jamie's macaroni and cheese with cauliflower and crusty top, yum, yum. Various rice dishes and each recipe comes with photos to show the steps and the finished product. Fish pie, comforting stews, dumplings, cottage pie and chocolate cake are all found in this cookbook. This is a cookbook that will catch your eye and once you have tasted your cooking, you will be convinced that Jamie Oliver knows how to bubble when it boils!

Highly Recommended. prisrob 11-13-09

Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook

Worth it by day 1., November 16, 2009
Bought this book because one of my favorite things to cook is by Jamie (white wine and butter chicken). The first night i made 4 things from the book, and though my Yorkshire puddings didnt fluff the 1st go round and the cheese on the beans had hardened by the time i was finished with everything else, it was still hands down one of the best meals i have ever made! This book paid for itself the first night.

SO im back, and i have more great food to tell you about! This book has made me LOVE leeks. The leek casserole is epic! And even i cant mess it up. The chicken with pancetta and lemon zest is just about the best chicken i have had, the pancetta keeps it so moist! Which is helpful cuz i tend to overcook chicken. The stew with guiness doesnt make a lot, but it makes the meat ridiculously tender and is a great meal on a cold day. Just no leftovers between 2 people. The salads are great, though they need to be eaten the same day they are made. The rice salad was awesome and the homemade dressing made me feel so accomplished! WTF, i just made my own dressing? I have made the roast chicken before the recipe was available in this book (online from the original food revolution in England) and its so good! Plus its actually really cheap to make, as you can buy a whole bird for less than precut breasts. This book makes me excited to try new things and while i have my blunders in the kitchen, somehow it always comes out better tasting than processed, and you feel good about what you made.

easy & awesome, March 6, 2010
This book was perfect for a beginning cook like me. The recipes are so easy (and delicious!) and the step-by-step pictures are incredibly helpful for getting the dish right the first time! My friends are shocked at how quickly I went from being a non-cook to a girl who hosts dinner parties in her apartment. I can honestly say it completely changed my eating habits for the better! Thanks Jaime!

Simple, inexpensive and delicious, April 12, 2010
Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious and Affordable Meals has been a surprisingly enjoyable discovery. Prior to watching the ABC program: Jamie's Food Revolution, I did not know who "this English guy was." Well, I fell in love with the show, am always checking out his website and borrowing some of his cookbooks from the library!

I borrowed this book with a 14 day loan. Within a week, I had inserted slips of paper marking various recipes that I wanted to try. This book lives up to its full title--the dishes I made were simple (not too many steps), delicious (my 10 year old, a very poor eater, ate the Crunchy Garlic Chicken) and certainly affordable (I did not need unusual, difficult to locate and expensive ingredients).
So after a little over a week, I gave in and purchased my own copy.
Some of the dishes I have made are:
Crunchy Garlic Chicken
Baked Carrots in a Bag
Dressed Asparagus
Broccoli With Asian Dressing
Cauliflower Cheese
Omelets

Tonight's dinner is Sweet and Sour Pork

Here and there I modified some of the ingredients, for example, I used Panko Bread crumbs instead of Jacon's Cream Crackers for the Crunchy garlic Chicken and the result was delicious. In addition, I used the crumb concoction for some tilapia (cery good, indeed). In additon, due to my family's personal likes/dislikes and dietrary restrictions, I also modify/replace ingredients occasionally, but isn't this what a cook does? Makes the dish his own?

The book is a visual delight too. Each recipe accompanies gorgeous color photos that illustrate the steps of the recipe. Each one is more mouth-watering than the next.

All in all, this book is a worthwhile investment as well as a supplement to a great television show.

Excellent source for everyday meals, April 1, 2010
This is the third Jamie Oliver cookbook I've bought and already it's becoming my favourite. I'm not the most confident of cooks and so I appreciate the clear instructions and having lots of illustrations. I also like the way he gives serving tips and ways to vary the dish next time around. The recipes however are what I particularly like about this book, because they are all the sorts of things that you actually want to cook on a regular basis: pasta, stir fries, curries, meatloaf, lasagne, roasts... My kids really liked the Chicken Fajitas and I thought the Mince Wellington was a great family meal option too. (It was a little time consuming to make, but not at all difficult). The fish pie was fine, but I prefer the fish pie recipe in the The Return of the Naked Chef cookbook. Admittedly it's a little more complicated, but it's seriously, awesomely good and this one pales in comparison.

At times it feels like Jamie's written recipes to make them seem easier rather than because it actually makes them easier - for example, in his meatloaf recipe he calls for crushed cream crackers, presumably because that sounds more accessible than rolled oats - but really, oats are pretty quick and simple.

One thing I don't like about this book is that a lot of the recipes (at least two sections of the book) are for two people only. Jamie explains in the stir fry section that it's best to cook in two batches if you want more than two servings, but again this is time consuming and not the easiest solution when you're feeding a family. Also, some of the photographs are more confusing than helpful: for example, in the illustrations of salad ingredients, the basil and the mint look almost identical, as do several of the lettuces.

Ultimately though it comes back to the recipes: a great selection written in way that's very easy to follow. Well done Jamie.

Food Revolution, April 5, 2010
I ordered this before the Food Revolution show started as I was looking for some simple home made meals that I could provide for my husband and toddler son. Jamie's book contains some great recipes that are simple but delicious. The roasted carrots are a hit in my house, even for a toddler that isn't into veggies. Looking forward to trying some of the jar dressings and the fish casseroles! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Even your favorite dinner can lose its appeal when it’s in constant rotation, so mix it up!With her largest collection of recipes yet, Food Network’s indefatigable cook Rachael Ray guarantees you’ll be able to put something fresh and exciting on your dinner table every night for a full year... without a single repeat!

Based on the original 30-Minute Meal cooking classes that started it all, these recipes prove that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every night. Rachael offers dozens of recipes that, once mastered, can become entirely new dishes with just a few ingredient swaps. Learn how to make a Southwestern Pasta Bake and you’ll be able to make a Smoky Chipotle Chili Con Queso Mac the next time. Try your hand at Spring Chicken with Leeks and Peas and you’re all set to turn out a rib-sticking Rice and Chicken Stoup that looks and tastes like an entirely different dish.

As a best-selling cookbook author and host of three top-rated Food Network shows, Rachael Ray believes that both cooking and eating should be fun.Drawing from her own favorite dishes as well as those of her family, friends, and celebrities, she covers the flavor spectrum from Asian to Italian and dozens of delicious stops in between. Best of all, these flavor-packed dishes will satisfy your every craving and renew your taste for cooking. With so many delicious entrees to choose from you’ll never have an excuse for being in a cooking rut again.

How about a brand-new 30-minute dinner every night for an entire year?

Tired of making the same old same old, week after week after week?

With Rachael’s most varied and comprehensive collection of 30-minute recipes ever, you’ll have everyone at your table saying “Yummo!” all year long.

It’s amazing what a half hour can do for your tastebuds … 365 days a year! ... Read more

Reviews

Delish!, November 4, 2005
Love this book! I have all of Ray's previous books, and I often watch her show when I am cooking my own family dinner. We are huge fans of her Cooking Round the Clock book and her Cooking Rocks (for kids) books. On average, I use recipes from those books at least twice a week.

Her first book that I purchased was her 30 Minute Get Togethers and the first couple menus that I used were NOT 30 minute meals for me. However over the years I have learned to adapt. I have gotten quicker at chopping veggies and will use already prepared things if necessary. Ok, on to the new book.

This is her biggest book by far. I got it the day it came out and spent at least two hours pouring over the recipes and marking ones I want to try. For the most part I was thinking I would be anal here. I would start with recipe number one and go from there, making every single recipe and not skipping a one. But I husband really wanted to try #37-Warm Lemon Chicken Sandwich with Arugula and Pears. Not something I would normally make, but it sounded intriguing. WONDERFUL! Even my picky eaters (I have two) gobbled it up. We then went on to #38-Grilled Flank Steak Sandwich again we were not disappointed.

If you are looking for a cookbook that offers quick, but unique and tasty meals, this is the one.

Huge Variety, November 17, 2005
I agree that this is Rachael's best and most diverse collection of recipes to date. I actually did a rough count of the recipes by the protein or main ingredient. This is approximately how the recipes stack up: 53 meatless (many do contain cheese, however), 11 lamb, 4 egg, 8 ground turkey, 21 ground beef, 80 chicken, 21 beef (steaks, London broil, etc.), 5 ground pork, 16 pork (chops, tenderloin), 9 turkey (cutlets), 10 ground chicken, 29 fish (halibut, cod, swordfish, salmon, tuna), 11 veal (ground, cutlets, etc.), 30 shellfish (shrimp, crab, mussels, scallops, calamari), and 48 sausage, etc. (ham, prosciutto, chorizo, Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, bacon, salami, pancetta, etc). According to the listings in the front of the book, there are 48 pasta dishes, 33 soups and 20 burgers. I may have miscounted a few, but I think these numbers are fairly close. Perhaps some reviewers got the impression that the ingredients were repetitive because of the technique Rachael sometimes (but not always) uses of providing a master recipe with variations by swapping out ingredients. For instance, there is a master macaroni and cheese with broccoli recipe, followed by macaroni and smoked gouda with cauliflower, Tex-Mex mac and cheddar (with ground beef) and a chipotle mac and cheddar with chorizo and tomato.

While many of the recipes are Italian or Italian influenced, reflecting Rachael's heritage, with Tex-Mex following closely behind, there are also Spanish, Cuban, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, French, Cajun, Greek, German, and Carribbean influenced recipes as well. There is also plenty of "American" fare as well, although there are fewer traditional "comfort food" dishes in this book than there are in some of her other collections. The subtitle of the book is a hint at that. It truly is "a year of deliciously different dinners." And, after several years of watching Rachael's show regularly and making many, many of her recipes, I find that I can come close to the 30 minute mark in completing the meals, especially after the first time making a particular recipe.

As for pictures, if you are familiar with buying cookbooks, you realize that you trade off photographs for affordability. If this book were full of glossy photos of the food, it would probably have a list price of at least $40. I don't know of anywhere else you can find such a large and diverse collection of recipes for so little money.

Okay, not great, December 19, 2005
I bought this cookbook with no prior knowledge of Rachel Ray or her other cookbooks. The idea of 365 30-minute meals is appealing, but unfortunately, many of the recipes included take far more than 30 minutes if you include prep time. This is a useful cookbook for families as the yields are fairly large and it covers a variety of flavors. However, the flavors aren't always great; they are often combined in unappetizing mixtures that just don't work. The method of substituting ingredients to change up a dish is not terribly useful either. Most often, you will have to change half the recipe to get a new dish. The worst part, though, is the lack of a useful index. It's extremely difficult to find your way around the book. Just try looking for a "chicken" dish. If you don't know the title, chances are you won't find it fast.

Who cares about her personality when the food is this good?!, November 24, 2005
I have read some of the reviews here and there seems to be a consensus that Miss Ray has a very chirpy and annoying personality. I have not had the opportunity to ever watch her show, so I am totally unfamiliar with her persona. So, I basically walked into the Rachael Ray world without an opinion one way or another. I originally avoided her books simply because I like fussy cooking and thought a thirty minute cookbook would be full of convenience foods and probably not very interesting. Lo and behold, my work schedule changed a few months ago and I no longer had the long, leisurely hours to cook - I found myself getting into a total rut - cooking the same quick foods again and again and again. So, I decided to take a gander at Rachael Ray's books and see what the fuss was about.

My busy schedule is no longer an excuse to be in a cooking rut! This is a nice book full of clever ideas. I immediately sat down and skimmed through it, looking for recipes that would appeal to my family (I like the little check boxes next to each recipe that allow you to mark off the ones you want to try and the ones that are a 'keeper'). So far, everything I've cooked from this book is a 'keeper'! There are not that many convenience foods featured - simply real food. We've enjoyed the Rosemary-Orange Pork Chops with Lemon-Butter Broccolini, Chicken in Mustard Sauce with Asparagras, Ricotta Pasta with Grape Tomatoes Peas and Basil - and more.

One of the highlights of this book is the 'master recipes' - which can then be changed to create a 'new recipe' by altering ingredients. Although this may appear like a cheater's way to get in a few recipes, it truly helps to inspire creativity in the kitchen. And yes - the food CAN be done and on the table in 30 minutes! I've had no problem with the time factor at all. How nice to be able to have good quality food, imaginative combinations and new ideas for those of us who are rushed but still want to eat well.

On a side note: The industrious Miss Ray has just come out with a magazine, which I had picked up before I bought this book. This magazine, Everyday with Rachael Ray, is simply amazing. Every single thing that I have cooked out of this magazine has been unbelievably good. My son thought that the Chicken Curry recipe was the best he had ever tasted! I really recommend that you check out the magazine in addition to her other offerings.

Mom with very little time to cook, March 18, 2006
As the mother of a one-year-old who's beginning to want to eat what Mommy and Daddy are eating (until now, too often fast food), I decided I'd better get into the habit of cooking at home. Since I work full-time, the idea of 30-minute meals had a lot of appeal. The recipes I've tried so far were delicious, but I was disappointed that, even with help in the kitchen, none of them has taken only 30 minutes to prepare--they've usually taken an hour or so. I'm not completely inexperienced in the kitchen, so I don't think it's just me being slow . . . maybe Rachel's prep is lightning fast. Also, the recipes are very gourmet, and many call for ingredients that you might not be able to find at your local grocery store. Guess I'll still have to do some more searching for true 30-minute meals (if they exist!).

Delicious recipes, a little 'different', December 14, 2006
I loved the idea of 365 new ideas. I love everything I have made from this book. Maybe I should have realized new ideas means new shopping lists. I had not even heard of alot of ingredients in this book(olive tapenade, jarred hot pepper rings, italian fontina just to name a few.) Every time I try to branch out and try a new recipe I reach for this book. I nearly never have all of the ingredients on hand. This book would be great if you plan your meals in advance or have a lot of knowledge about what you can substitute in a pinch.
When I have made some of the recipes they have always gone over well with the whole family. They taste great, but if you count the extra trip to the specialty grocery store, the meals take a bit more than 30 minutes :)

Rachael's Best Work To Date, November 14, 2005
I own all of Rachael Ray's cookbooks with the exception of her original book that is impossible to find. I was anxiously awaiting the release of 365 No Repeats, as I knew it would be her biggest book yet, and I was excited to try new recipes. I love to cook, and I don't mind cooking elaborate recipes when necessary, but I have found that Rachael's recipes, which use real, whole food ingredients (not unhealthy, packaged ingredients like her FoodNetwork neighbor Sandra Lee), produce wonderful results in minimal time. This appeals to me in particular, as I am a vegan and my husband is a meat-and-potatoes man, so I often must cook two meals for the household. In fact, I get a bit annoyed by people who claim Rachael isn't a "real cook." If you've ever made any of her recipes, you'll soon learn that she has a wonderful understanding of how flavors mix, and she manages to create dishes using whole foods in 30 minutes without sacrificing taste or turning to boxes.

I pre-ordered this book off of Amazon, and have made a number of the recipes - either for me or my husband - over the course of the past few weeks. All I can say is that each one of them was tasty and relatively quick to make (usually a 30-minute meal takes me 45-minutes, but I don't pre-wash my veggies/fruits, and I don't have my pantry as organized as Rachael's on the show!). There is a huge variety of recipes in this book - Italian, Greek, vegetarian, etc. - and I love the idea of teaching you the method for one recipe and then giving you alternate recipes to follow using that same method.

The index of this book is wonderfully helpful (unlike some of her other books that lack a proper index), and the front of the book lists recipes in the book for various interests (e.g., vegetarian). I have only noticed a few repeats in this book from other RR products - the Florentine meatballs and Papa Al Pomodoro come to mind - but those are two of my family's favorite meals, anyway (make them together with the scotch/mushroom risotto in the book and you have a great and relatively inexpensive meal for entertaining that can accommodate vegans/vegetarians AND meat-eaters alike).

Like someone else said below, I don't know how Rachael remains so upbeat and friendly and yet continues to be so prolific. Three shows on FoodNetwork, a magazine, cookbook after cookbook, and soon a talk show. Wow. I hope she continues to be so productive, however, because those who own her cookbooks certainly benefit from her hard work.

A must for every kitchen.

Yum-O!, January 7, 2006
I have been a fan of Rachael Ray's for years, and I have her first two 30 Min. Meals books, as well as her Cooking With Kids book. I just received this book for Christmas, and I was initially concerned that the recipes would just be the same old rehash of her other books. Instead, these recipes are a refreshing change and shed more light into her cooking philsophy.

Throughout the book, one will find several recipes labeled "Master Recipe." Rachael explains in the Introduction that her philsophy has always been to create a recipe, then change a few things- add this, take away this- and come up with a totally different recipe. For example, one Master Recipe is for Spanakopita Burgers, which are Greek influenced burgers made with ground chicken. The next recipe is a variant where she switches the buns for pizza crust and omits a few items. The result is Spanakopizza, which is a vegetarian recipe that is quite different than the burgers. While this recipe stays in the same Greek vein, other variants do differ more from the Master Recipe. My favorite meal so far has been Pina Colada Shrimp, which was a variation off of a pineapple based chicken recipe.

My husband tonight commented that these recipes have been more exotic than her previous ones. I agree. I won't be trying the recipe that involves sardines, but I am glad to see that some of these meals are more than just glorified sloppy joes. For example, a few of the recipes involve a Puttanesca sauce, which I didn't even know what it was until I saw a recent episode of Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels! The recipes are also very fresh herb-heavy, and most of the ones I've made so far call for fresh parsley. I only mention this as I quickly discovered that I do not like fresh parsley, so you may want to venture with caution if you are used to using dried herbs.

I strongly beg to differ with one reviewer who said that Rachael Ray's recipes are for those who don't like to cook but who have to do so. I love to cook. However, as the mother of a two year old, I don't always have the time to prepare an entire Sara Moulton-esque meal every night. These meals do work if you are indeed one who finds themselves cooking begrudingly, but this book will also appeal to those looking to make sophisticated yet quick meals.

The only thing keeping this book from having five stars is the index. Each of the recipes in the book is numbered with a great big green number 1 - 366 (extra recipe for leap year!). I initially thought the numbers in the index corresponded to the recipe number, but instead, it's the page. This may sound obvious and silly, but I was just initially thrown since the numbers are about 1.5 inches big next to each recipe and so vital to the philsophy of the book.


***UPDATE- I noticed a number of reviewers saying this book has no index. It sure does!! Maybe they mean no table of contents, but that's a totally different part of the book.

Excellent Cookbook, December 17, 2005
People really ought to be required to read the book before posting reviews. Contrary to the assertion in another review, and according to the book's index, out of 365 recipes, there are only 3 that use hot dogs, and 20 to 25 which use ground beef. For her ground beef, Rachael generally calls for ground sirloin, which is the leanest form of ground beef. Bacon is used in some dishes as a flavoring. I flipped through the first 50 recipes in the book, and she called for turkey bacon in 2 recipes, regular bacon in 3 and pancetta in 2 others. The recipes do frequently call for cheese, but often it is as a topping for a dish (parmesan sprinkled on top of a pasta dish, for instance) so that you can use a lesser amount or omit it altogether if you choose. There are absolutely no recipes using cream of mushroom or other condensed soups. There are many, many recipes using leaner meats such as chicken, pork tenderloin and ground turkey. And while there are plenty of recipes that use sausage (Rachael always says to feel free to substitute leaner sausages, like turkey Italian sausage for the real thing), there are more that call for fish or other seafood. For some reason, some people have taken a real dislike to Rachael. That's fine - to each his own. But that is no excuse for posting inaccurate information in a review.

There is also some inaccurate information in some of the positive reviews as well - for instance, one review references the dessert recipes. There is only one dessert recipe in this book. I think some of these people are using the reviews to try to hype another product.

If you're considering this book, I'd recommend that you not rely on the negative reviews, and take the positive ones with a grain of salt. Go to a library or bookstore, and look at it, then make your decision and buy it where you find the best price. Keep in mind that in her books and on her show, Rachael tries to demonstrate recipes that you can easily adjust to suit your taste and dietary needs. This book fits that mold as well. Personally, I find this book to be a nice mix of different types of foods and of healthier and more indulgent recipes, which is really the way I want to eat.

Inspiration for quick and simple meals, February 4, 2006
I have had quite a few nights lately where I am planning dinner without enough time to plan or hit the store, and this book has been awesome. Many of the recipes involve simple ingredients that I often have in the fridge, like sausages and potatoes, spinach leaves and tomatoes, onions, etc.

The recipes are unusual enough that I often wouldn't think of the combinations on my own (pretzel encrusted chicken, mmmm!), but are truly fast and easy to make. I am not much of a cook and am usually pretty tired when I get home from my job as a landscaper, so it really says something that every time I have turned to this book right before dinnertime, I have found at least a few options for a meal to make that night with what I have on hand, all of which have been do-able and not too complicated to figure out.

I love the fresh take she has on combining everyday ingredients so they make something a bit different and special. I have felt really treated and like I was eating something delicious and reasonably healthy, each time I have made a meal from this book. The 30 minute claim has been pretty close to accurate for each one as well, unlike a lot of "quick" recipes I have tried, which expect you to have a lot of ingredients already cooked or prepared in advance.

I would also like to note that I am cooking for a VERY picky eater, who doesn't like zucchini, beans, onions, garlic, bell peppers, anything sweet in his savory foods, many fishes, etc, and the structure of this book, of having a master recipe and then some variations that feel like a whole different meal but use the same general theme and directions, made it a lot easier to substitute for my picky eater's food dislikes. The variations were different enough that it was pretty simple to put together a bit of this and a bit of that from each recipe to make something that everyone in the house would enjoy.

I love Ray's obvious enjoyment of food and cooking, and her enthusiasm is catching! I am loving using her recipes as springboards to my own culinary experimentations, and her encouraging tone has really helped me enjoy cooking dinner even when I am in a hurry. This would be a great book to give to a college student or a new parent. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Amazon.com ReviewProduct Description
Finally a book that combines the fresh, exuberant flavors of great Italian food with the ease and comfort of a slow cooker. Michele Scicolone, a best-selling author and an authority on Italian cooking, shows how good ingredients and simple techniques can lift the usual "crockpot" fare into the dimension of fine food. Pasta with Meat and Mushroom Ragu, Osso Buco with Red Wine, Chicken with Peppers and Mushrooms: These are dishes that even the most discriminating cook can proudly serve to company, yet all are so carefree that anyone with just five or ten minutes of prep time can make them on a weekday and return to perfection.

Simmered in the slow cooker, soups, stews, beans, grains, pasta sauces, and fish are as healthy as they are delicious. Polenta and risotto, "stir-crazy" dishes that ordinarily need careful timing, are effortless. Meat loaves come out perfectly moist, tough cuts of meat turn succulent, and cheesecakes emerge flawless.

Recipe Excerpts from The Italian Slow Cooker

Chicken Parmesan Heroes

The Butcher's Sauce

Chocolate Truffle Cake

Reviews

Brian O'Rourke, January 11, 2010
I have to admit I'm a great fan of Michele Scicolone. I got one of her cookbooks long ago, baked the best cookie I've ever had, and have been addicted to her wonderful recipes, stories and style ever since. This book continues her tradition of crafting perfect cookbooks. Why do I say perfect? Well, I'm not a professional cook, yet I can follow her recipes and create fantastic meals. Many cookbooks have recipes that are tricky or simply don't come out at all. Michele's books are totally trustworthy. Her recipes work flawlessly, deliciously. I just opened my copy of Italian Slow Cooker, found the recipe for Chicken Ragu, and looked at the outside temperature. It's only 10 degrees above zero in the Catskills, but I'm tasting her ragu tonight and the world is warm and comfy.

I recommend this book to everyone.

Brian O'Rourke

Patience Rewarded: Slowly Wonderful Cucina Italiana, January 11, 2010
After spending a mouthwatering hour perusing this wonderful cookbook my wife and I went out and bought a slow cooker. Easy and delicious stocks, soups and a splendid turkey bolognese sauce were our first efforts. We will be soon be on to other sauces, vegetables, stews and desserts.

Michele Scicolone's instructions are always accurate and easy to follow. Her invention and taste sense make this book a total delight.

Wonderful cookbook!, January 10, 2010
This is a WONDERFUL cookbook! I have made most of the recipes in it and have enjoyed each one. They come out delicious (not the grey mush that most crock pot recipes turn into) and are relatively easy. I also like that they don't all need a million ingredients. A lot of these recipes use things you likely already have on hand. TWO THUMBS UP!

Love it!, January 11, 2010
I got this book for christmas and just love it! I am a pretty experienced cook and have been looking for a good crockpot cookbook that does not call for a can of cream of mushroom soup and frozen chicken breasts, but that also uses ingredients I would have in house. Had the cauliflower and potato soup tonight and even my "meat and potato" 15 year old son admitted it was pretty good! Also, made the beef barolo over the weekend, one of the best pot roasts I have had in a long time. Looking forward to trying more! Great book!

First get out the skillet, January 21, 2010
I was given this cookbook because I love Italian food and love the ease of the slow cooker; but I must have other prerequisites for what I consider the main purpose of a slow cooker's easy cooking than what this author does; despite the statement on the back cover;" Plug it in, walk away and cook like an Italian grandmother". I really love to cook but to me a slow cooker is for, yes slow cooking but the wonderful ease of plopping ingredients in and coming back hours later to a satisfying meal. That is not what most of these recipes are, so if your ideal of what a slow cooker's purpose is; just know before you get this book, that out of the total 113 recipes I counted, 53 require you to get out the skillet first and cook or brown food before you put it in. That includes more than chicken, which many say they would rather brown first. Personally, the chickens I have done in a slow cooker have been fine without the browning first, so I was shocked to see so many recipes say get out the skillet; and that doesn't count the ones that said " in a saucepan cook....".
The book is very tightly bound and I had a hard time getting it to lie flat. I had to weight it with canisters on each side. The recipes are one to a page and there are quite a few pictures.
It contains recipes for: soups, sauces for pasta, risotto, polenta, grains, seafood, eggs, chicken, turkey, beef, veal, pork, lamb, vegetables, dried legumes and desserts.
So, just know that this is not the typical throw it in and let it slow cook book. The food is good and it's nice to have that slow cooker bubbling away keeping things warm; but for most recipes in here you are going to have to do some extra preparation.

authentic and better than most slow cooker cookbooks, April 15, 2010
These long winter months are a great time to use that slow cooker your received as a gift, or to dig it out of a cabinet. Hearty stews and hot soups are delicious, comforting meals for cold evenings.

For my money, this is the most enticing slow cooker cookbook out there right now. The author, Michele Scicolone, is well-known as an Italian cookbook writer. Italian cuisine, with its soups and stews and other braised dishes, is well suited to the low, steady heat of the slow cooker.

Unlike the majority of slow cooker cookbooks out there, this one does not use highly-processed shortcuts of dubious origin like condensed cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix or pre-mixed spice packets. The results are far more flavorful and authentic.

Hint: For those of you with crockpots that don't have a programmable timer, you can buy a programmable electric outlet timer that will cut off the power to an outlet after a set time, so the food won't be overcooked.

Another great cookbook, January 13, 2010
Those familiar with Michele Scicolone's work will not be surprised that she has turned out yet another great cookbook. This book takes slow cooking to a new level. There is great variety in the recipes from first courses to dessert;and as always, the recipes work. Many of the recipes are beautifully photographed. The "Chunky Pork Shoulder Ragu" is one of my favorites. This book is a must for those who love classic Italian food but who can't be home all day to cook it.

Good slow cooker recipes, April 11, 2010
There are several imaginative recipes in this book. Cooking an entire chicken and then having great meat for chicken salads and other uses is a great idea. I've always simmered it on top of the stove, but that requires my attention. The polenta works well. I haven't tried the risotto yet - maybe this weekend. . . The lamb shanks with beans and gremolata currently my family's favorite.

Some have complained that the recipes are not just 'dump and run' and require some prep time. This is true. The prep time is rarely more than 5 minutes. If you don't do them, the food will still be good and nourishing, it will just miss being pretty by being browned and some of the deeper flavors won't develop. Decide whether 5 mins or enhanced flavor is important to you and go with it.

Creative use of a Slow Cooker, January 24, 2010
Like many busy cooks, I appreciate the ease and delight of a slow cooker. Coming home at the end of the day to the smell of dinner ready to serve is wonderful! My problem was always that the food all tasted the same--mushy, soupy, brown, blah.

The recipes in this book are creative and more interesting than those I have found online or in other books. The Italian Slow Cooker is mindful of seasonal produce, with lighter options that will be perfect for warm days, as well as desserts and grains. Risotto in the slow cooker? Brilliant! Polenta pear cake? Hello, dinner party menu!

I have a new appreciation for the slow cooker.
Thanks, Michele. Another great book.

Flavor and Simplicity, January 13, 2010
I've been a fan of Michele's cookbooks for many years.
The recipes are simple, true to the Italian taste and loaded with flavor.
This cookbook combines it all and is a terrific source for the busy cook who enjoys the benefits of the slow cooker. I'm buying an additional one to send to my daughter.
Thanks so much Michele for another great hit.
Karen Mines
Woodstock, NY
... Read more

Editorial Review

Perhaps more responsible than anyone for the revolution in the way we eat, cook, and think about food, Alice Waters has “single-handedly chang[ed] the American palate” according to the New York Times. Her simple but inventive dishes focus on a passion for flavor and a reverence for locally produced, seasonal foods.

With an essential repertoire of timeless, approachable recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients, The Art of Simple Food is an indispensable resource for home cooks. Here you will find Alice’s philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen, to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long. Always true to her philosophy that a perfect meal is one that’s balanced in texture, color, and flavor, Waters helps us embrace the seasons’ bounty and make the best choices when selecting ingredients. Fill your market basket with pristine produce, healthful grains, and responsibly raised meat, poultry, and seafood, then embark on a voyage of culinary rediscovery that reminds us that the most gratifying dish is often the least complex. ... Read more

Reviews

"Cooking 101" from the mother of modern cooking, October 4, 2007
It's hard to write a review of a cookbook that you've only had for two days-- you have to actually try the recipes to know if they will work. (I have several beautiful cookbooks by famous chefs that omit important directions, or give wrong quantities of food.) However, I felt strongly enough about this book that I wanted to write an early review.

For those of you who don't know, Alice Waters's restaurant, Chez Panisse, is probably the most important American restaurant in the past forty years. Waters pioneered the use of high quality, local ingredients. The restaurant itself is delightful; they've served some of the best food I've ever eaten. In the Bay area, where I live, farmers and artisans at local markets often proudly claim that their food is served at her restaurant.

Waters begins the book by extolling her philosophy: buy local, high quality ingredients, and cook them simply. (Of course, simple for a professional chef is different than simple for a home chef. I consider 6 ingredients to be pretty complicated, especially if they are all fresh ingredients.) She then proceeds to give very explicit directions on how to cook things: roasts, vegetables, baked goods, reminiscent of the explicit directions given by Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One, or by Maida Heatter in Maida Heatter'S Book Of Great Desserts. Finally, she gives lists of recipes for many dishes.

What makes her recipes unique are the variations that she provides for each recipe. Here's one simple example: for a chard frittata, she recommends substituting other greens, such as collards, rapini, or stinging nettles (I have alway wondered what to do with stinging nettles). Or, in a recipe for pancakes, she says to add one cup of whole grain flours, telling you to mix multiple grains including spelt, wheat, corn, or whatever else you feel like adding. (She does note that you need to use a minimum amount of whole wheat flour for the gluten to bind it all together.) I've seen other books that tried to teach you how to vary recipes (for example, Cookwise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed), but this one does a very good job of explaining where you should improvise and where you should not. Most importantly, this book gives you a real feeling of why each dish is great, and really captures the soul of each recipe. I've never seen another cookbook that had this much discussion of each recipe.

This is a very good book about food. It's similar to other introductory cookbooks like The New Basics Cookbook, or The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition with 1,000 Recipes, but I think Alice Waters does a much better job explaining how to cook. (For example, I like the two pages she devotes to pan-frying pork chops. That recipe, incidentally, has four ingredients: chops, oil, salt, pepper.) She is not as good a writer as, say, Jeffrey Steingarden (author of The Man Who Ate Everything), but I don't expect her to be. (This is more of a cookbook than a book of essays.) Honestly, I have dozens of books that cover the same set of recipes as this book, but I have no other book that makes me want to cook every recipe. I would recommend this book to anyone who cares seriously about food.

[Update on 8/1/2008. I've now tried a number of recipes from this book, including the short ribs, apricot jam, many of the salads, pork chops, and sauerkraut. Every recipe I've tied has worked, and most of them have been very straightforward. This has become my "desert island" cookbook; it's the first place I turn when I don't know how to make something. I strongly recommend this book to anyone, experienced or not.]

This Is It!, November 7, 2007
I looked forward to this book with eager anticipation. I was not disappointed. I have followed Alice Waters' life and career for more than 20 years and have always looked to her for inspiration. I have all of her other books, and while "Pat's Biscotti" from her first book, The Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook, has been a staple from my kitchen, this new collection far outshines the rest.

I have been cooking exclusively from this book for the past two weeks. Everything, absolutely everything I have made has been stellar! First, there was the minestrone, which included homemade chicken stock and beans cooked from scratch. I have made both for years, but was never really satisfied, and more recently have relied on boxed broths and canned beans. No longer. The chicken stock was not over-powered by too many vegetables as recommended in other recipes, the beans were tender and held together, and they were seasoned to perfection with Alice's direction to taste and salt along the way. This resulted in a minstrone that was as near to perfection as I have ever tasted. I added kale to mine, which added great color.

As I write this review, I am eating my lunch, which is the Polenta Torta, which I made two days ago. It is still as fabulous as it was then. First, Alice directs us to cook the polenta for one hour - yes, one hour. I thought to myself, oh, I don't need to do that; 30 minutes will suffice. I had the time, so I let the polenta cook quietly on the back burner for the entire hour. What a difference! Unbelievable taste and consistency! I layered this goodness with the Simple Tomato Sauce and added a layer of sauteed mushrooms and a separate layer of sauteed zucchini. This is comfort food at its best!

In addition, I've made the scones - light, sweet, but not cloying; the Bean Gratin, which I served alongside plain ploenta - great taste and texture combination; and the peach crisp - a juxtaposition of texture, with the soft peaches and raspberries contrasted with the crunchy topping (I used slivered almonds, which I chopped and toasted in a dry skillet. I also added the zest of an orange - an Ina Garten trick.)

Tonight, I can't wait to get home to cook the Braised Chicken Legs with Tomato and Garlic. I've been cooking avidly and passionately for a long time, and I haven't been this inspired by a single cookbook for a while. It's great to get the spark back. Thank you, Alice.

I've eaten in the Chez Panisse Cafe and Cafe Fanny (the breakfast bar) every time I get to Berkely. Someday, I will get to eat Downstairs. Until then, I'll just have to be content with this most treasured tome.

Our generation's finest cookbook, October 6, 2007
Nothing more to say: in every generation there exists one memorable cookbook behind which all others pale in comparison. In the early 60s, it was Mastering the Art of French Cooking; in the late 70s, it was Silver Palate. It's always been The Joy of Cooking, and Jean Anderson's Doubleday Cookbook. But for this generation, tired of overwrought recipes created by celeb TV chefs and meant for the restaurant kitchen, The Art of Simple Food is a brilliant instant classic packed with recipes that are as close to perfection as I've seen. This is a keeper that will endure for years and years.

A gem of a cookbook, October 13, 2007
I agree with some of the other reviewers that this is a very special cookbook, and I don't say that lightly. I am an avid reader and user of cookbooks and have a collection of over 100 volumes. I have learned to discern the quality of a recipe by reading it and I am very keen on simple cooking techniques. At first blush the book may not appear to be so special, but a careful reading of the recipes proves otherwise. While I have always admired Alice Waters for her philosophy about food I am not an especial fan and have never bought one of her cookbooks before. From reading this book I can see that Alice Waters excels at using the simplest methods with the freshest ingredients to let the food's natural goodness shine through, and she is also a master at how to use just the right amount of subtle tweaking with herbs and spices or a special little technique that really makes the difference between a good dish and a great dish, but not a contrived dish. I especially liked her novel ideas about "shallow poaching" and "slow roasting" of salmon, two unique methods that require the minimum effort for maximum results. Many cookbooks claim to save time and effort or maximize creativity, but they usually result in mediocre food in my experience. Like any great artist Alice has mastered the foundation techniques such that she knows when to go beyond them and when to retain them for the best results. I also was impressed with her pared down lists of "pantry" and "perishable" staples (which has been done before, but not so well), which contain the most important ingredients upon which to build all recipes. With these staples in the cupboard & fridge all you need do is shop for the "ultra-perishables" such as fresh seafood, poulty, meat, fruit, vegetables and herbs. There isn't a recipe in this book that I am not eager to try.

very nice cookbook, October 3, 2007
A few preliminary comments from the author that put the book in context. From the author (pages 4, 5): "This book is for everyone who wants to learn to cook, or to become a better cook. . . . I'm convinced that the underlying principles of good cooking are the same everywhere. These principles have less to do with recipes and techniques than they do with gathering good ingredients, which for me is the essence of cooking." Key aspects of her "philosophy" are printed on pages 6-7, among which are: eat locally and sustainably (use small, local producers as sources of fruits and vegetables, for instance); eat seasonally (a companion rule to the previous one); shop at farmer's markets; etc.

The start is nice, in that she lays out what ingredients (herbs, for instance) and equipment should be on hand for effective cooking. One simple example: the author's emphasis at several points on the value of a good supply of fresh aromatic foods to enhance flavors in a recipe (e.g., onions, carrots, and celery). Then, she discusses how to plan menus and entertain friends for dinner. Not recipes, but useful context.

The recipe sections begin with a rendering of how to make several essential sauces, including vinaigrette, salsa verde, aioli, and herb butter. None of the recipes calls for rocket science knowledge, but they are well explained and doable. One nice feature--some possible variations on the recipe. E.g., with vinaigrette, she notes that one variation could be to beat in a bit of mustard before you add the oil; alternatively, she suggests that one could a fresh nut oil for the olive oil.

There is a nice discussion of saut�ing as a technique, with a nice example immediately thereafter (saut�ed cauliflower). Another example of technique--poaching. Following the general discussion, she uses an example quite familiar to me: poaching salmon. I have a handful of recipes featuring poached salmon (the fish cooks through, satisfying my family, and still stays moist, satisfying me).

There are a sampling of recipes for poultry, fish/seafood, meat, etc. While the recipes are nice, I wish that there had been more. One thing I like in cookbooks is abundant choice!

Anyhow, this is a nice reference for those who enjoy cooking; it's probably also apt to be useful to those who don't like much cooking but want some doable and good recipes when called upon to fix up a meal. Worth taking a look at.

A Great Basic but Holistic Approach to Cooking, October 17, 2007
After our trip to Italy this summer, we decided to take a more simplistic approach to cooking--better ingredients, fewer flourishes--inspired by italian cooking. I read a review of this book and a story on its author Alice Waters in the NYTimes just before it was released and I knew I wanted to get it immediately to help in our transition to easier cooking. This is not a traditional cookbook, it has no glossy pictures and builds on themes instead of just listing recipies alphabetically. It's good for mastering the basics, and has some good foundation recipies that it offers variations to (i've tried a few of the deserts and they are all very good). A lot of the recipies in this book are not geared towards people who are working on a limited time frame or budget. Simple food for Waters does not equal fast or cheap food. But the food is good, and you feel like its good for you. It is great for my husband and I though, since we live in an urban area and have access to lots of the things needed.

But if you're looking for fast easy recipies, or even recipies that you won't have to visit a nicer grocery store to make well, this isn't the book for you.

An Excellent Basic Cookbook, August 7, 2008
I signed this out of the library, renewed it as long as I could, returned it, signed it out again, and once again kept it as long as I could. I rarely buy cookbooks any more, but I'll be setting aside some money from next month's grocery budget for this one.

I think this book will be most useful to a beginning cook, or to anyone who uses a lot of convenience and prepared foods at home and wants to start cooking more 'from scratch'. Alice Waters covers all the basics in Part I "Starting From Scratch" including choosing ingredients, planning menus, and a good set of 'foundation recipes.' Part II expands on the foundation recipes and includes plenty of interesting and tasty variations.

I usually use recipes and cookbooks for inspiration and rarely follow recipes to the letter. However, I decided to use this book with my 10 yr. old who is learning to cook. Since she wanted to begin with dessert (naturally!) we made the 1-2-3-4 Cake, which turned out beautifully with the suggested variation of adding orange zest and juice and filling with whipped cream. We also tried several of the salads in Part II for our lunchtime. The Jicama Salad with Orange and Cilantro was good, but we increased the cilantro to twice the maximum amount suggested. We also enjoyed the Green Bean and Tomato Salad (we subbed Roma for cherry tomatoes, and added feta) and the Lentil Salad. I've never prepared a lentil dish my children liked until this one, so I was very pleased, and my daughter quite proud.

Although I like Alice Waters' approach and enjoyed reading this book and trying the recipes, I've given it 4 instead of 5 stars. First, although I try to 'eat locally and sustainably' I'm awfully tired of reading/hearing chefs' admonitions to do so. Like a lot of people, I have to work within a strict food budget, and it is more expensive to get fresh local produce, dairy, and meat than it it to get it at the supermarket. It's a privilege to be able to choose this, and I'm grateful that I can, but it's also a struggle and I'm a little weary of people who talk about sustainability as a moral imperative rather than a privileged choice. Another criticism of this book is simply that many of the recipes are very restrained in their use of herbs and spices. Beginning cooks might not even detect these flavors unless they increase amounts, and beginning cooks are often reluctant to deviate from the recipe. However, to be fair, Waters' does encourage readers to cook with all their senses, and to adjust seasonings. A good method for learning how to cook herbs and spices is to add the seasoning incrementally, tasting after each addition until you can taste it and are happy with the flavor.

So, buy this book and use it often, but don't feel guilty if your potatoes came from the supermarket and your eggs aren't organic, and be sure to follow Waters' advice about looking, smelling, and tasting as you cook.

Disappointing if you know how to cook., October 10, 2007
As an experienced recreational cook I am very disappointed by this book. It has been getting alot of press from the NY Times and the Today show. Alice Waters is no doubt a wonderful cook and I have her other books - especially usefull is her book on vegetables. No doubt she has access to fresh and wonderful produce living in California and running a successful restaurant. We all want to buy the freshest ingredients possible. There is nothing "revolutionary" about this book - instead it is a basic book for people who are just learning to cook and/or put together a kitchen. The recipes are basic and somewhat boring. For anyone who would like to learn cooking basics I would recommend James Beard's Theory and Basics of Cooking instead.

Superb Tutorial on Home Cooking Techniques. Buy It!, October 12, 2007
`The Art of Simple Food' by the one and only Alice Waters is a rare treat for foodie readers, and an even rarer treat for those who wish to master the craft of cooking effortlessly. I can think of very, very few cookbooks which succeed as well as this one at teaching good, creative cooking at home. Those very few are the last two books by Jacques Pepin, `Chez Jacques' and `Fast Food, My Way', a few of Nigel Slater's books, especially `The Kitchen Diaries', and Waters' mentor's book, Richard Olney's `Simple French Food'.
As with Pepin's works, my initial reaction to any important culinary figure's producing a `fast' or `easy' cookbook is suspicion that they are trying to cash in on the popularity of Rachael Ray's 30 minute meal mantra or Sandra Lee's `semi-homemade' fast and easy rubrics. And, like Pepin's books, this book is the real deal, giving superb, original insights on SIMPLE cooking at home. One of the very first things to realize, as Olney stated it in his book, `simple' is not the same as `fast' or `easy'. The notion of `simple' food is itself complicated enough to require seven pages in his introduction to thoroughly explain. In a nutshell, it excludes complicated menus, elaborate plating, and fancy sauces. It does include baking bread, making our own pastry, making our own homemade pasta, and making our own stocks and broths. Each of these activities can easily take several hours.
We cook simply not to save time or effort, but to avoid masking the great qualities of our ingredients. So, simplicity in cooking has a symbiotic relation to Ms. Waters' most famous doctrines, of using fresh, organically grown local ingredients, when they are in season. And, if there were anything at all with which to find fault in this book, it is the constant preaching on that topic. This is not entirely Miss Alice's fault, as reading this book is much like reading `Hamlet'. So many lines sound like clich�s, not because Shakespeare was a hack, but because `Hamlet' is easily the most often quoted play in the English language.
This book fits exactly into my perennial analogy between learning cooking and learning chess. The rules of chess are quite simple, and yet it is almost impossible to summarize the principles of good chess strategy. So, learning the deeper lessons of chess involves simply replaying the games of the great chess masters, and appreciating how they saw their moves. Similarly, almost everything written about how to cook involves simply reciting recipes. And yet, the very best writing on cooking rises above simply following recipes and reaches that way of thinking one achieves when they are finally able to cook without a book. Paradoxically, Waters begins with some of the very strictest recommendations on how to successfully follow a particular recipe, going far beyond the simple suggestions of reading through it and gathering all your ingredients together. But, like the famous little book on chess by Emanuel Lasker, `Common Sense in Chess', one achieves independent thinking by experiencing the patterns from great games. With Olney and Waters, the great exemplar is the very best home cooking.
The subtitle of the book, `Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution' may have been just a bit more accurate if it had emphasized the `lessons', since these are the soul of the book. Almost half the book is filled with 17 chapters on important cooking techniques that every home cook should really know by heart. These are `Four Essential Sauces', `Salads', `Bread', `Broth and Soup', `Beans, Dried and Fresh', `Pasta and Polenta', `Rice', `Into the Oven (Roasting)', `Out of the Frying Pan', `Slow Cooking', `Simmering', `Over the Coals' (grilling), Omelets and Souffles', `Tarts, Savory and Sweet', `Fruit Desserts', `Custard and Ice Cream', and `Cookies and Cake'. In a very gentle, very motherly way, Miss Alice communicates something like `master recipes', however, they are generally simpler than the famous `Master Recipe' template used so successfully by Julia Child. But then, Alice and Julia are really not doing quite the same thing. The lessons in the first half of the book are so well presented, I would easily recommend this as a superb textbook for a course on home cooking. And, in spite of having read over 400 cookbooks, I still found new insights in this book.
The second half of the book is comprised of recipes which emulate the model Alice creates in the first half of the book. The selection of recipes reminds me of Ted Allen's book title, `The Food You Want to Eat', in that we have great simple recipes for lots of everyone's favorite dishes. The `Salads' chapter, in its 27 recipes, includes `Hearts of Romaine with Creamy Dressing', `Caesar Salad', `Chicken Salad', `Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad', `Nicoise Salad', `Coleslaw', `Potato Salad', `Carrot Salad', and `Greek Salad'. Most recipes have multiple variations, except for the real `standards' such as Caesar's salad.
The first chapter on `Getting Started' is as good as or better than most I've seen on basic equipment and techniques. In this area, Ms. Waters really does well as a model for the home cook, as she describes herself as a minimalist, and prefers to work with as few tools as possible. Her lessons here on knife skills are not as complete as Pepin's `Complete Techniques', but that is not what this book is about. It's about common sense cooking at home. The second chapter, `What to Cook' is another lesson in simplicity, with some inspired suggestions on how to get the most out of novel eating venues.
The writing flows so smoothly, I'm surprised at how fast I get through its impressive 405 pages. I'm even more impressed by the fact that it seems Ms. Waters probably contributed more herself to this book than many others where she is listed as the author. Thus, this is a classic foodie treasure, in that reading it gives as much pleasure as cooking from it.

Simple food = Delicious Food, January 12, 2008
I have been cooking regularly for about 18 years now, and for about the last 9 years or so it has become a real passion for me. I also have a personal library of hundreds of cook books. But I still found this book to be both an enjoyable and an educational read. The book has filled in some gaps in my cooking knowledge that I didn't even realize were there, or maybe more exactly, crystallized my thinking about some cooking ideas and techniques that I was somewhat fuzzy about. Reading this book also made me realize that somewhere along the way I had unconsciously developed the belief that if preparing my food was too simple, it wasn't "real" cooking. This was starting to take a lot of the fun out of cooking for me and turning it back into a chore. Ms. Waters has given me permission to explore all the ways that delicious food can be prepared with just a few steps and top notch ingredients. Cooking is fun again.

More concretely, as a result of reading this book I find that I am wasting much less food, and finding much more creative ways to use the things that I have in my refrigerator and pantry, which is translating into spending less money at the grocery store.

For me, the real value of the book was not the recipes, but the discussion of ingredients, cooking techniques and Ms. Waters' personal approach to preparing delicious food for her family and friends. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Best way to eat good!, March 30, 2010
My wife and I have been changing how we eat since August of 2009. Together since then we have lost over 117 pounds! Hungry Girl has been helping us to eat healthier but not miss any of the taste! LOVE HUNGRY GIRL! We try recipes almost daily. Easy step by step instructions with all the nutrition info we need to manage in weight watchers! You gotta get these cookbooks! ALL of them!

Forget the bookmarks--mark the whole book!, March 30, 2010
I purchased this book a month ago on Amazon and have been anxiously awaiting its debut. Since it came in the mail today I have not been able to put it down. I want to make everything in it! I started marking pages with strips of paper I ripped off the packing slip but quickly ran out of paper. Then I moved on to bending corners... pretty soon I realized there was few pages left unmarked so I gave up! I think I could make any of these recipes for my husband and he wouldn't even realize I made a low fat and healthy version of his favorite food. That is the true test--if a non-dieter can enjoy and even ask for dishes made from a guilt-free recipe book! I have used my 200 under 200 recipe book at least 5 times a week since I got it for Christmas and can't wait to begin trying all these tasty new dishes. We are hooked on Hungry Girl!

"Guilt-Free" does not necessarily mean healthy, April 3, 2010
I checked this out from the library because the title sounded promising. I was hoping for easy and guilt-free recipes. To me, "guilt-free" means eating healthy foods and that is not what all of the recipes in this book are. My mistake. The definition of "guilt-free" in this book is "low fat and low calorie" even for recipes with poor nutrional profiles. Quite a number of recipes in this book have just such profiles.

I have read a lot of good books on nutrition, my favorite one currently is Pollan's "In Defense of Food". I do not count calories and I do eat whole, natural foods and not too much white sugar as recommended in that book (and because of that book, I have switched from reduced-fat products (which are processed in order to obtain fat reduction) to regular "whole" products). I have lost weight by doing this.

Many of the recipes in "Hungry Girl 1-2-3" are in direct opposition to the research/advice found in books such as "In Defense of Food" and "The Belly Fat Cure". These books promote eating whole, natural foods to increase health; weight loss can be a benefit, as well. We now know that we need healthy fats for good health - the low fat advice of the past has been discredited. Many Hungry Girl recipes call for highly processed foods, including egg substitute and reduced fat and fat-free foods, as well as products with partially hydrogenated oil & fake sweeteners.

I have not actually tried any of the recipes yet (most of the other reviewers here have not, either, apparently) but a few of the recipes do sound good (and do have what I consider healthy ingredients for myself) plus I have gotten some ideas for my own recipes from even the ones with highly processed ingredients (there are a couple I want to try but will substitite real food for the fake ingredients). Ultimately, though, I prefer cookbooks where I don't have to modify. Some of the Hungry Girl 1-2-3 recipes feature very few ingredients and that also appealed to me...however, food quality matters. I highly recommend Rozanne Gold's "Recipes 1-2-3" and "Low Carb 1-2-3" for recipes with only 3 ingredients (prep is not always simple or quick, though). Also, the mini recipes in Jacques Pepin's "Fast Food My Way" are very good and easy to prepare.

On the positive side, there are a lot of recipes that do not use processed foods and look to be very easy to prepare. Overall, though, it is disappointing to find that these recipes are labeled "guilt-free" solely because they are low in calories and fat and not because of the quality and nature of the ingredients. So, I would not make a lot of these recipes for my family or myself based on what I believe to be guilt-free (healthful) eating.

Honestly I wish I could get my money back, September 2, 2010
I was really looking forward to getting this book but I was amazed by the ingredients in half the recipes. Also the sodium counts! One recipe had a single serving had 1200 mg of sodium! 1200! I can't stand to eat something low fat/low calorie that then bloats me up because of all the salt I just ate. What's the point in that?

I really don't like having recipes where I have to use all artificially flavored or artificially sweetened foods. I have tried to see what I could possibly make out of the whole book. The only thing I might even want is the french toast style waffles. This recipe involves taking nutrigrain low fat frozen waffles and then adding the typical ingredients for french toast (swapping out egg for egg substitute). That's not too bad but again sodium starts to rack up when you are using 3-5 ingredients of processed foods.

I bought three cookbooks after this one that I love. Devin Alexander's "Fast food Fix", "The Most decadent diet" and "I can't believe it's not fattening". Now those I love! The most recent "I can't believe it's not fattening" tries its best to still use some items that are prepackaged products to save time but she focuses on all natural products and tries to keep all her recipes healthy. I have made dozens of items from each of these books but I have yet to still be able to make anything from the HG 1-2-3 book.

I was so dissapointed with the recipes, plus even the food in the pictures looks unappealing. I highly recommend you not buy this book and try something else. Even eating lean cuisines will be better for your health. At least there you are only looking at 500-600 mg of sodium per meal. You can get at least three lean cuisines for the price of this book.

Better than her first book, but still alot of processed food, April 15, 2010
This book does have many good recipes, but I am not keeping the book to try any of them. I can find many of the recipes online at the Hungry Girl website or in her e-mails, so what's the point? I wish that the book contained more "secret" or exclusive recipes that could only be found in the books. The author does have a lot of creative ways of altering classic recipes to make them lower in calories, but I feel like she uses so much imitation food. I realize that she makes no claims about being a doctor or a nutritionist, but I guess I was hoping for more whole foods used in the recipes. Her dessert and sweet recipes look very yummy and creative though!

A must-have and a great gift!, March 30, 2010
I love the HG emails and products, and this book is great- in my opinion, the best Hungry Girl book so far. I just started flipping through it and already have tons of pages marked as things I want to make later! I have a couple friends with birthdays coming up and I think this will make a great gift. Since it's so inexpensive you could pair it with a cute pink spatula or pot holder for a really fun complete present!

The only thing I noticed after going through it for a while.... no pictures. That's a downside in my book, but it still works.

Best of Show, May 12, 2010
I have purchased all three of Ms. Lillien cook books. The first two are great however focus mostly on sweets. I am a 52 year old woman who is deficient in the "I must have chocolate now" chromosome so most of those chapters went untried. 1-2-3 is the best of the bunch. This book provides healthy meals. The recipes are very basic; if you can read you can cook. So far I have made the College breakfast burritto, So Fancy Fish Pack (foil section) and Jammed with Cheese Stuffed French Toast all excellent. Tonight is Chop Chop Beef Stir Fry. There has been some criticism of her use of some ingredients. This book's recipes are more "whole foods" than some of the others. If artificial sweetener, non fat cheese, egg beaters etc. are so offensive to some then substiute and make allowances for the calories. To me the whole point of Ms. Lillien's approach to cooking is just that; start cooking. Don't rely on take out, fast food or sticking some cardboard box in the microwave. It's cooking, not nuclear physics.

Normally the cute recipe names and preamble "Rat(atouille) Pack - 'too bad Frank, Dino and Sammy aren't around to try this'" would annoy me, but it is, I believe, Ms. Lillien's genuine personality. Moreover I am impressed that a young woman would even know who the hell F,D&S were.

Keep up the good work. This old broad is a fan.

Perfect for the On-The-Go College Kid!, July 8, 2010
When I first went to college, I lived in the dorms and had the luxury of having the dining hall downstairs from me. Nowadays, I live off campus and have to fend for myself. With a packed schedule, little patience, and not the best culinary skills in the world- Hungry Girl has made yummy cooking possible for me!

I do get all the complaints about her using low-fat/fat-free/non-healthy foods. The thing to do is just use her cookbooks as a supplement to an already balanced diet. If you are more into the healthy and organic eating, these books probably aren't going to be on your bookshelf. If you are looking for lower calorie, easy versions of your favorite meals- buy this book! I am the type of person who just can't limit her to the smallest sliver of delicious organic cake- I need a big heapin' slice. This is where Hungry Girl helps me the most. I can have my big heapin' slice and not have the guilt of it on my mind. If the recipes turn out to be too bland for you, just take a little bit of initiative and throw in more spices!

Her books help me pre-cook meals and pre-prepare dinners/lunches/breakfasts. Without her easy recipes I would be eating cereal and energy bars all the time- so these books give me fun, different options. I do have a tendency to add more fruit/veggies to the recipes to make them more hearty.

Another thing I really, really like about her books is that she uses a LOT of vegetarian meats (like BOCA and Morningstar). I'm a vegetarian and this has helped me a lot with creating new recipes and using hers. Even if the recipe in not vegetarian, they are very easily converted (with a mere replacement of turkey bacon with veggie bacon). All in all? I'm a fan! Since I've gotten these cookbooks I'm guaranteed at least one big, home-cooked meal a day. And, of course, a guilt-free delicious dessert! No more Ramen and Spaghetti-Os for me!

Hungry Girl creates another adventure in eating!, May 7, 2010
I love Hungry Girl. I look forward to her e-mails everyday. As a member of Weight Watchers, she helps me find products and recipes that make dieting an adventure instead of something I dread.

Hungry Girl 1-2-3 is like having her e-mails in one place. The book is chock full of recipes that are low in fat and fun to cook. Some of my favorites include Pizza-Fried Chicken (chicken is the crust!), Hawaiian Slaw (which is super easy to make with packaged broccoli slaw), and Scoopable Creamsicle Crush Pie (only 112 calories and 0.5g fat!).

The only disappointment I have is that the book does not include Weight Watcher points. That would have been really simple to add and made it perfect for those of us in the program.

Prep time & cook time make this BEST HUNGRY GIRL COOKBOOK, May 3, 2010
I love the great recipes from Hungry Girl, the low calories, and great nutritional information easily listed. I especially like that the WW points are already calculated. But the BEST thing that sets this cookbook apart is that the Prep Time and Cook Time are listed right at the top of the page! My Hungry-Girl fellow addict asked to see my 1-2-3 cookbook right when it first came in the mail and she Gasped with joy when she saw the Prep and Cook times listed on top. 5 stars...A MUST HAVE ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Making it healthy and easy to bake bread!, October 28, 2009
I have been a fan of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (ABFM). The main problem with that book is the bread came out so good, I tended to eat too much of it (but loving every minute of it).

One of the great things about the technique in ABFD is that the recipes are very forgiving and flexible, and I usually made variations, including using more whole grains.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day will not only alleviate some of the guilt, it has some really wonderful recipes and ideas using a wide range of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, gluten-free breads and pastries and even some healthy variations on some of the more delicious but not necessarily the healthiest breads from ABFD (such as the 100% whole grain butterfat and yolk fee Brioche!).

I tried many of the recipes in ABFD and most were very good to excellent, some outstanding.

I will, sadly, be putting ABFD on the shelf at least for a while. I really look forward to exploring the healthy recipes in this book. Let's see, if I make a different bread every 4 days, it will only take me about a year to go through the entire book.

For those of you who have not tried Artisan Bread, the technique is really as easy as the writers claim, it is virtually foolproof, and you can now have fresh homemade bread at any time with almost no fuss whatsoever. Once you get this book, you will never buy bread from a store again. You can freeze the dough and it tastes just as good thawed. I took some frozen dough on a trip and enjoyed homemade bread far from home.

The title "Five Minutes a Day" is based on preparation time. It takes less than 20 minutes to completely prepare most recipes to make about 4 loaves (you can easily half or double the recipes). Of course, you still have to bake the bread, but that is not active cooking time. You can easily freeze the dough and build a store of different breads in your freezer. Over time, depending on how much bread you eat, you will probably less than 5 minutes a day on average.

Though a good number of recipes use only whole grains and "healthy" ingredients, some recipes use smaller amounts of unbleached white flour, small amounts of sugar. However, the writers encourage you to make substitutes if you like, which is what I did with ABFD.

The only improvement to the book I can think of at the present time is listing somewhere in the book which recipes are vegan (my daughter is vegan and I am vegetarian). Though I can figure that out for myself by flipping through the book, it would be nice to have those recipes listed.

As an added bonus to delicious recipes, according to the book, the cost of a loaf of bread made at home is about $.40 per loaf. That cost probably is more for recipes that use less well-known grains, or more expensive ingredients, but then again those bread would be more expensive to buy in the store in any case. No matter which recipes you choose, you will be saving money.

Should you buy this if you already have the first book? I did, and I am glad that I did. I am impressed with the wide range of recipes and their creative approach to making bread not merely delicious, but healthier.

One more thing: the writers have an incredible website (healthybreadinfive), where they have additional recipes, and a great bread making community sharing tips and experiences. Though I have not posted on the web site, they answer questions and even based some of the recipes in their new book on suggestions from readers.

Add healthy bread to your diet and save money. Zoe and Jeff, thanks for bringing fresh, easy to make, bread back into my life!

This is my first ever review on Amazon, but I felt this book merited a strong endorsement.

P.S.

I've begun to try the recipes

I used the rye as a a sandwich bread, and made a pizza crust (and a regular loaf) from the avocado-guacamole bread. These recipes are about 1/3 whole wheat. The recipes seem a little less forgiving in terms of getting the time right (I undercooked one loaf of rye, and overcooked a loaf of the avocado-guacamole bread). It may have something to do with the whole wheat, but I'm not sure.

The Bran Muffin Bread came out wonderfully, great crust, light inside, slightly sweet and delicious. Also used it for French Toast, which was great!

I combined 2 recipes, 100% Whole Wheat with Olive Oil and 100% Whole Wheat with Flaxseed. Great crust and very good whole wheat taste with the extra nutrition of flaxseed. It is particularly good as a bread for sandwiches. I used the dough for the Algerian Flat Bread (a pan fried bread) which was a real treat.

I just made the 100% whole wheat with brown rice breat. This was a great bread and somewhat unusual. The bread crumb looks lighter than regular whole wheat bread, which might make it more acceptable to fussy eaters (read "kids"). The crust is delicious. When it comes out of the oven it is particularly crunchy with a nice combination of wheat and rice flavors intermixed.

Keep in mind, that while these recipes are "healthier" than regular bread recipes that just use regular flours, most are not pure whole grains, but a combination of unbleached white with other grains. There are some 100% whole wheat recipes as well. However, all the recipes do have a healthier twist and I am very happy with the book. I'm looking forward to trying many other recipes such as: Pistachio Twist, Gluten Free Cheddar and Sesame Bread, Carrot Bread, Lentil Curry Bread.

P.P.S:

A question of time. Does it really only takes five minutes a day? Although there are some recipes which are more complicated (but delicious) many of the basic recipes do take the equivalent of 5 minutes a day. For a fantastic new illustrated step by step walk through of the basic recipe, go to the author's website [...].

In summary, you get a large container, put in the yeast, salt, warm water, and flour, and mix. Most recipes make enough for four loaves (though usually can be doubled or halved). Timing myself, including the time to get the ingredients from various places in my kitchen, to mixing them, to cleaning up, many of the recipes will take between 10 to 15 minutes for the initial batch ( not including waiting time). Then, each time you want to make a loaf, you take a grapefruit size of the flour (which you have refrigerated), let it get to room temperature, put it in the oven and bake. the total amount of time I usually spend to make four loaves of bread is less than 20 minutes. Of course, there are some extremely delicious recipes that require some extra steps, but even most of these only take a few more minutes. I do not have a container big enough for the eight loaves at a time, but if I was really concerned about time, I could do that. Most of the doughs can be frozen. I usually make 2 or 3 of the loaves, freeze the rest, and then began to build a bank of various breads I can thaw and then freshly bake.

Exceeded my expectations, October 29, 2009
I have been a huge fan of the authors' first book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and to say that I was impatiently anticipating this one would be an understatement. I received it the day it came out, 2 days ago, and have already read through it twice. I pulled my first loaf of 100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread from the oven this morning, and I wish I could describe to you the smell in my house right now! After letting it cool for a few minutes, I sliced off a piece and it was heavenly. Texture, flavor, everything was spot-on.

My copy is full of tape flags for those that I must-make-right-away: Soft Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (including making the dough into hamburger or hot dog buns!), Pesto and Pine Nut Bread, Anadama Corn Bread, Quinoa Bread, Brown Rice & Prune Bread, Whole Wheat Mixed Berry Bread, and Honey Graham Bread top the list. There is also a chapter specifically for gluten-free breads and treats, which look wonderful. Honestly, I haven't seen any that I don't want to try, and I'm also looking forward to mixing and matching with some of the ideas from the first book. (The sun-dried tomato and parmesan is one of our favorites from that one, and I'll be making it with one of the whole-grain doughs very soon.)

Be aware that they do call for a few specialty ingredients, but nothing that I wasn't able to find in my local natural foods store - most were even in my regular supermarket. Anyone who is already doing some whole grain baking will have many of the ingredients already on their shelves.

In addition to the wonderful recipes, the authors also impart much knowledge that they've learned since the first book. The material in the introductory/informational chapters in the beginning is great - I'm especially happy that they included info for weighing ingredients.

Thanks, Zoe and Jeff, for another masterpiece! Can't wait for the next one. ;)

Good enough to skip the pie!, November 29, 2009
While I openly admit, I dont eat a lot of bread products day to day, I do enjoy a really good bread. Really good bread to me is a hearty bread loaded with flavor, grains, fruit, vegies.... those are the ones I find hard to resist. What I discovered in this book, Healthy Bread In Five Minutes A Day was a whole book full of recipes as well as tips to make just the kind of bread that I would find hard to resist.

I thought Thanksgiving would be a great time to create one of the mouth watering recipes from this book. On page 145 I found just the recipe, 100% Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Bread? Sound good? Good didnt even begin to describe it! Using whole wheat flour and old fashioned oats, I followed this recipe step by step to make a delicious tasting and smelling bread that filled the house with a pleaseantness that had my whole family wanting to know - when do we get to eat it?

For a person who doesn't really do anything slow... this was a lesson in good bread making. I need two hours to let the dough rise and collapse. On the bright side of this, the bread dough can be made up to seven days in advance and kept refrigerated until you are ready to bake - so a fresh loaf could be at your fingertips!

The end result was a good looking loaf of bread that I was pleased with and the flavor of maple and cinnamon made for a "skip the pie" worthy treat. This would make a wonderful gift to the baker you know.

Gluten Free Paradise, March 29, 2010
This review applies specifically to the Gluten Free recipes. Please do not mark as "unhelpful" if you do not use these recipes.

You will never go back to those syrupy-tasting, stomach-bomb store-bought loaves!

I've tried the Brioche recipe and the Olive Oil Bread recipe (the two main recipes). The Olive Oil bread is by far the best for sandwiches, rolls etc. It has mild flavor and is more like regular bread than anything I've ever tasted. Tastes great with Thyme sprinkled over the top.

The Brioche is sweet and will probably work well for the cinnamon rolls and the pastries. I attempted the cinnamon rolls, but the dough stuck horribly to the SILPAT and I scooped it off and just baked it as a loaf. I recommend using some flour to dry out the dough a little (don't knead) and brushing melted butter on the SILPAT and on the waxed paper or plastic wrap you lay on top to roll it out. This has worked for me before with other recipes.

The Brioche is flavored with Honey instead of sugar. The Olive Oil bread is flavored with vinegar but does not produce a sour flavor as you might think.

Three CONS to the gluten free recipes are:

1. They all call for tapioca flour, sorghum flour, corn starch etc. All STARCH! If you want a truly healthy gluten free bread I recommend Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Mix which has enough sorghum and tapioca flour to produce the texture needed but is mixed with two kinds of bean flour for protein, vitamins and fiber. I replaced the starches with Bob's Red Mill mix and used brown rice flour as the recipe called for. The result was fantastic! (Even though Bob's Red Mill mix has xantham gum in it, I still used the 2 Tbs. called for in the recipe. If you use Bob's mix know that bean flour comes out darker than starchy flour. So don't use egg wash.)

Also, only one recipe in the book calls for Quinoa, and it's not a gluten free recipe. I don't know how the authors overlooked the healthier flour alternatives, but since they are new to gluten free baking (as they say in the book and got outside help) I won't hold it against them.

2. The wood paddle isn't necessary either. Kind of silly when you realize you just spent $40 on a piece of wood just for the nostalgia. I just wet my hands, take out the amount dough necessary, form it in my hands, and rest it on the SILPAT on the cookie sheet with a cloth over it until baking time. When I get my stone I will just scoop it off with my hands and place it on the stone. There are instructions for baking it halfway with the SILPAT on the stone, then removing it for the rest of the baking.

3. The GF recipes don't tell you to cut across the top before baking for that artisan look. I don't know if this works with GF dough as I haven't tried it. I smooth the surface with water on my fingers and sprinkle herbs on it.

When I tried these recipes my Baking Stone had not come yet, and I just baked it on the SILPAT on my cookie sheet. A tip: When you make the Olive Oil bread and the instructions say to throw a cup of water in the broiler pan (watch the video on their website), make sure you do it the way they do. The first time I placed the water in the pan and then the pan in the oven. The second time I place the pan in the oven, let it warm up with the oven, and then put the water in creating the big burst of steam like in the video. This is important to the rise and texture of the bread, I found. Much better with the big burst of steam, though my pan warped a little. A worthy sacrifice, IMO.

When making the Hot Dog Buns remember that Gluten Free dough does not expand and rise like regular dough. Make them about as big as you want the finished bun to be, they will not get much bigger when baked. I did this with the Brioche recipe, but will do it with the Olive Oil recipe from now on.

I also used the Olive Oil dough to make dumplings on chicken soup, just scooped out small handfuls from the tub in the fridge. They were great.

I made Banana Bread with freeze-dried banana pieces that I reconstituted and just mixed with a loaf's worth of dough and some spices, then formed. Big hit.

Also, if you have trouble making GF dough rise, like I do, set it on top of the stove with the oven heated to 300*F in the plastic tub for its 2-hour rising time. This makes softer bread and yields the said 4 loaves. If the dough does not rise near to the top of the tub you will not get 4 loaves and the bread will be denser, but still not as heavy as the store-bought kind.

I tried the Authentic Foods Dough Enhancer and it wasn't as good. The Dough Enhancer is just lecithin, ascorbic acid, tapioca, and ginger that claims to be a "yeast activator". Don't bother.

Be sure to read through the other, non-gluten free recipes for inspiration. There is Stollen, Challah and doughnuts which can be made with the Brioche dough. At least one other recipe referred to Gluten Free dough as a substitute.

Buy the yeast in bulk--the packets are a rip-off and it takes 3 � pkts to get the 2Tbs required.

It costs me about $1.50 per loaf (you make 4 loaves at a time, so $5 worth of flour, $.25 for 4 eggs and yeast divided by 4 loaves.) Compare that to the $8 store-bought stuff it's worth its weight in gold. In this economy that's saying a lot.

THANK YOU !!!!!!!, January 13, 2010
THANK YOU(!!) for the gluten free recipes that are truly EDIBLE as well as beautiful!
I had been making bread from the first book with great ease ,but truly wondered about gluten free bread ,,,,well,,,if I could show you my very first loaf you wouldn't believe its gluten free,it looks like it came right out of a magazine!
and,,,,to think it did not cost me an arm and a leg to make it!

Now ,I can look forward to pizza, breadsticks and all kinds of gluten free bread items for a member of my family who cannot eat any gluten !!!!!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!
I plan on trying all the recipes in this book and am personally looking forward to the stollen!

Most Recipes NOT 100% Whole Grain, September 26, 2010
I was really excited to get my book in the mail. I couldn't wait to try out all the healthy recipes and take my ordinary baking DAY and turn it into baking just minutes each time I needed a loaf of bread. Unfortunately, I thought that "Healthy & Whole Grains" in the title implied that all the recipes would use 100% Whole Grains. This isn't true and I am sadly disappointed. The whole reason I choose to make my bread at home is so that I can avoid all the preservatives, refined grains and high cost of supermarket breads. At home, I can grind my own 100% whole grain organic flour. I can add healthy extras like Flaxseed, sunflower seeds...etc. I can use natural sweeteners like honey or sucanat.

Although there are a few 100% whole grain recipes in the book (which are very good btw), the majority of the recipes use at least 3 cups of all purpose flour. I haven't tried the recipes with the all purpose flour yet, so I can't say if they are good or not. Though they do like like they will be delicious!

So be for-warned... if you are looking for a book filled with 100% whole grain bread recipes, keep looking.

Gluten-free - same dense bread as usual only with a crispy crust, June 1, 2010
This review is to provide more information on the gluten-free chapter in Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients for those considering purchasing and wondering about how starchy the recipes are or if they use ingredients allergic to them. This review is not on the glutenous bread.

There are 5 recipes for GF bread that can then be made into various forms, pizza crust, crackers, and baquettes.

GF Crusty Boule - 2c brown rice flour, 1 1/2c sorghum flour, 3c tapioca starch, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, eggs, oil, and honey. Instructions included for making into classic boule, loaf pan for sandwiches, pizza crust, crackers, sesame baguette, or parmesan bread sticks.

GF Cheddar and Sesame Bread - 3c sorghum flour, 1/2c soy flour, 2c tapioca starch, 1/2c cornstarch, sesame seeds, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, eggs, olive oil, honey, and cheddar cheese. Instructions included for making into free-form loaf, crackers, sesame baquettes, or parmesan bread sticks.

GF Not Rye Bread - 2c brown rice flour, 1 1/2c teff flour, 3c tapioca starch, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, caraway seeds, eggs, oil, honey, and molasses. Instructions included for making into free-form loaf or parmesan bread sticks.

GF Olive Oil Bread - 1c brown rice flour, 1/2c soy flour, 1c tapioca starch, 3 1/2c cornstarch, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, eggs, olive oil, and vinegar. Instructions included for making into free-form loaf with a crispy crust, pizza crust, sesame baquette, or parmesan bread sticks.

GF Brioche - 1c brown rice flour, 1c tapioca starch, 3 3/4c cornstarch, yeast, salt, xanthan gum, milk, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Instructions included for making into brioche, sandwich loaf, or cinnamon buns (recipe included)

I spent alot of money buying all the special equipment, tools, and ingredients recommended in this book such as Cambro RFS6PPSW2190 6-Quart Round Food-Storage Container with Lid, Set of 2 and Lodge Pro Logic Cast-Iron 14-Inch Pizza Pan, parchment paper, Authentic Foods Sorghum Flour, oven thermometer, Authentic Foods Brown Rice Flour Superfine, yeast from costco, CounterArt Bamboo Pizza Peel and Wilton Excelle Elite 3-Tier Cooling Rack

My bread turned out as good as the GF breads made commercially at my local bakers and grocers but to me is still basically a dense clump although it has a nice flavor. The way the authors marketed Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients as the GF bread was going to look and taste and feel like the wheat bread they demonstrate in the video! I am sure their recipes and techniques work great with vital gluten, but is probably not the magic solution to get GF bread to taste as good as glutenous bread - NOT! The GF bread does not look at all like the video. The bread does not meet my expectations based on all the author's hype BUT it has a tasty flavor and is definitely fresher than that in the grocery store and I think the texture is as good as the GF bread made by my local bakers. I think the crust is superior but the denseness is same as all other GF breads.

*The* book about bread baking, December 5, 2009
I've got more books on bread baking, some of them more beautiful then 'in five minutes a day'. This one just works, the recipes are simple, take little time or effort, and the results are stunning. The authors show that a bread machine is not adding anything to the real thing: bread shaped by your own hands, flavored by your choice of add-ons (or none at all), and baked in an oven just like yours. I live a mile high, and the bread comes out great. Recommended, for beginners as well as more experienced bakers.

I'm Again Able To Enjoy Bread Baking with a Very Tight Schedule, December 8, 2009
I can only add to what are probably by now thousands of well deserved five star ratings here and elsewhere. I was once very much into yeast baking, but just don't have time for all the yeast proofing, doubling in bulk, punching down, etc. I bought the first book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day and Pre Ordered the sequel here. I decided to stick to the first book for awhile to enlarge on building my skills, experimenting with different brands of flour, packet yeast vs. bulk yeast. I have a very small kitchen and keep the fancy kitchen equipment to a minimum. It isn't needed here: I use the largest food grade Rubbermaid container for mixing and storing dough, and I mix it with a wooden spoon oiled with food grade oil. I have no problems doing that and getting enough of the glutens to come out of the flour to get a good rise. This is so much satisfying fun! The basic boule from the first book makes incredible pizza dough: 40 cents not $4 for store bought! And you can mix it in less time than it takes to go to the store! I just ordered ten grain cereal from Bob's Red Mill to try that bread in the new book. The store bought multigrain breads are horrible and make healthy eating torture. I can't wait to try it!

So satisfying and easy, December 8, 2009
At age 52, I baked my first loaf of yeasted bread, following the basic recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. This last year I have shared the bread and the book with dozens of friends. I PREordered the new book, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day and started my third batch of bread this morning. These recipes are easy, healthy and most importantly, delicious. Buy it and enjoy! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and some forms of cancer." --The American Heart Association

* Featuring 150 delicious recipes, Quick-Fix Vegetarian provides both novice and longtime cooks with practical and robust vegetarian dishes that can be prepared in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered.

* Written by best-selling vegetarian chef Robin Robertson, Quick-Fix Vegetarian is the answer for busy families who are looking for healthy food, fast.

Quick-Fix Vegetarian by Robin Robertson recently was named Best New Cookbook by PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The international organization's Proggy Award (short for "progress") recognizes animal-friendly achievement in 21st century culture and commerce. No longer considered a "hippie fad," the vegan lifestyle is becoming going mainstream. In her latest book vegetarian expert Robin Robertson creates recipes such as Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Quesadillas, Chipotle-Kissed Black Bean Soup, Mediterranean Orzo Salad, Beat-the-Clock Lasagna, Five-Minute Slow-Cooker Chili, and No-Bake Oatmeal Almond Cookies for this growing consumer base. In addition, Quick-Fix Vegetarian shows how to use many of the new commercial vegetarian products and includes recipe variations and tips for speedy, stress-free entertaining without sacrificing flavor or mainstream appeal. ... Read more

Reviews

Ideal Cookbook for New Vegetarians and Vegans, February 21, 2009

Another Robin Robertson Winner!, March 20, 2007
Robin Robertson is my all-time favorite vegan cookbook author. That is why I rushed right out and bought Quick-Fix Vegetarian. I have already read through the whole cookbook and made several recipes.

Robin's meals are always innovative and delicious, but these recipes have another advantage - they are quick and easy to make. If you love to eat wonderful meals, but don't like to spend hours in the kitchen this book is for you. For example, I made the Polenta and Pinto Bean Pie, it literally took 15 minutes to put together. The Udon Noodles and Baby Bok Choy with Creamy Tahini Sauce was awesome, and took all of 20 minutes to put together. And if you like soup and sandwiches for lunch or dinner, most of them are done in a snap, as are the main-dish salads. There's even a chapter on make-ahead meals that assemble quickly and then get popped in the oven when needed.

For the working person, or just for someone who loves to cook and eat fantastic vegan food without all the fuss and muss, Quick-Fix Vegetarian is the cookbook to own.

Little work, lots of flavor, November 22, 2007
Though this book is all over the map (slow-cooker recipes, casseroles, etc.)--are these recipes that are on the table start to finish in 30 minutes, or is hands-on time 30 minutes? There are some in each category. Still, I give this book 5 stars because everything I've made is truly easy and absolutely delicious. The recipes work as stated; no guesswork or tweaking. Robin is friendly, helpful, and informative as an author and cook, and I look forward to making lots more of these tasty and healthy recipes.

Not my favorite, May 15, 2009
If I had been able to check this out at the library, I wouldn't have bought it. Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas is much better (for me) and I've made many more dishes from it. In addition, the Atlas book gives me ideas to take off from hers and experiment since the recipes are simple and make use of some prepared products such as salsa. If you have to buy one or are beginning to explore vegetarian recipes, pick the Atlas book.

Delicious, Healthy and Fast Vegan Food!, August 21, 2007
I'm a full time student as well as a full time worker, and after a long day I just don't feel like cooking. The back of this book reads, "vegetarian dishes that can be prepared in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered," and it is not a lie. I've already made several recipes out of this book, including one for a Quinoa salad that converted me into a Quinoa lover. From Basic Recipes (mushroom gravy, pie crust, etc) to appetizers, entrees and desserts, Robin Robertson makes it easy to never order take-out again.

I'm too busy to cook so this book is perfect for me!, July 24, 2007
This book is a dream come true for people who want to prepare healthy meals without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to use and they taste great too. Best of all, they are designed for the way people really cook, making selective use of high-quality convenience products, such as canned beans and tomato products, to speed things along. I especially appreciate that the recipes are cholesterol-free and not all gunked up with cheese. So glad to finally have a recipe book with great veg food that is quick to fix. I highly recommend it!

VEGAN Cookbook - Not What I Wanted But Not Bad At All, February 27, 2009
WHAT I WANTED: A quick vegetarian cookbook I could use for our "veggie nights" 3-4 times a week and for veggie entrees on nights we have meat as a side dish.

WHAT I GOT: A very good but VEGAN cookbook with lots of recipes calling for mock meat.

PROS: quick-cooking, well-written recipes that come out the way they should.

CONS: Not clearly labeled vegan, most recipes call for mock meat

OVERALL: Not for poser not quite vegetarians like myself. My full-vegetarian heading towards vegan sister is loving the cookbook and even convinced my meat and potatoes parents to eat some of the recipes. Four stars just because it really should be clear this is a vegan cookbook.

Best Cookbook I've ever bought, February 22, 2009
I read the 1 and 2 star reviews for this book and I understand why they did not like the cookbook. First of all, there aren't any pictures. Secondly, it is a book for vegans and not for vegetarians. That being said.... quit complaining about superficial things! These meals are so easy to cook and delicious that I find I don't miss the pictures at all. Also, even though this cookbook is for vegans, some of the recipes call for soy cheese. Just use regular cheese. If you're a vegetarian, you should know how to modify dishes. My fiance is a meat eater and I'm able to modify ALL the dishes for him. This is a great cookbook! And none of the recipes take me more than 30 minutes to make.

My new favorite cookbook, August 21, 2009
I love this cookbook. Everything I have made out of it has been easy and very tasty. I've actually gone out and bought more copies for friends. There's a big variety of recipes, from quick salads to slow cooker recipes. I hadn't used my slow cooker in years, but this book inspired me to start again, with the 5 minute chili recipe, which I could throw together in the morning when I really only had 5 minutes. Most of the recipes are vegan, but I was surprised that I didn't miss the dairy products. Some of the recipes, to make them fast, use premade ingredients, like mushroom gravy, frozen pierogis, or a jar of salsa, so this book is not for purists who want to cook everything from scratch.

Great for Veg or Omnivores on a tight budget alike!, October 8, 2009
I bought this book when I first switched over to vegetarianism in December of 2007. I had done a little research but not much, this book got me through the first month without a problem! I still do eat dairy, however little since I am lactose intolerant, so I find that vegan cookbooks work the best for me. I still go to this cookbook at least once a week to look up little recipes, or even ideas for a different meal I want to make. My pages are torn, covered in food stains and have dog-ears all over the place! Highly recommended for ANYONE, not just vegetarians or vegans. A lot of the meals in this cookbook are good for those who are cooking on a tight budget! I also recommend this to omnivores because it's such a great and easy way to look out of a that "normal" realm of foods that the average person eats. There are bases for meals in here that I grew up having no idea existed! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Claire Robinson, the hot new Food Network star of 5 Ingredient Fix and Food Network Challenge, helps people get dinner on the table with little fuss and a few great ingredients.

The quest for simple, affordable, and fresh, mouthwatering food is over. 5 INGREDIENT FIX helps put delicious and sophisticated meals on the table in a snap. With people struggling to simplify, streamline, and budget, the Food Network's Claire Robinson is here to help. Cooking doesn't have to be complicated to be impressive; simplifying the process with fewer ingredients saves time, frustration, and ultimately, money. From breakfast treats like Brioche French Toast with Strawberries and Cream to no-fuss meals like Grown-up Grilled Cheese and Iceberg Wedges with Buttermilk Dressing to a romantic dinner of Grilled Scallops with Saffron Aioli and Green Goddess Rice, all of Robinson's recipes have five or fewer ingredients. A quick trip to the supermarket for one bag of groceries, and a delicious, restaurant-quality meal can be on the table in no time. ... Read more

Reviews

Yum!, September 26, 2010
I just received this book a couple of days ago and I love it! The layout is very nice and across the top of the page of every recipe the five ingredients are listed, so that you can quickly flip through the cookbook and have an overview of the ingredients used. So far I have made:

Rosemary-Parmesan Shortbread - so delicately delicious and addictive, great with wine and I even had a few the next day with my coffee. My son kept finding his way back to the pantry to sneak some extras.

Asian Beef Roll-ups - very flavorful (but I confess I did not roll them up), the next day my husband put the leftovers in a hotdog bun and topped them with the braised red cabbage and loved it that way too. I do think I will grill the flank steak whole next time and slice it after it's cooked. Those thin slices cooked way too fast and came close to being more like beef jerky, but that has more to do with my skills than the recipe. I also think I'll will double the sauce (so good!) and try to use it in different dishes.

Braised Red Cabbage - this was good, but next time I will try to get my helping first instead of last, the crumbled bacon over the top definitely got people's attention! Not too mention the yummy smell of maple ("I smell syrup and bacon!" was heard a few times while I cooked this).

Can't wait to cook some more recipes today!

Yum!, October 17, 2010
Yum.



Okay, in all seriousness, yum.



It takes a true genius to come up with Baked Ricotta with Stewed Cherries and make it okay to eat for breakfast! It was seriously just like cheesecake. I love this...



I'm not a huge fan of Claire Robinson's show (I get annoyed easily by cooking show hosts) but I love her philosophy and style. She's French school trained, yet makes things so simple!



The Buttermilk Pecan Chicken was so easy and delish! It's now on my monthly rotation of meals to cook. I cheated a bit though and used a jarred sauce for the noodles which go with it (and added broccoli since I felt we needed a veg with dinner). But oh...I'm enjoying this book. There are little snippets on each page of "What makes this recipe really sing" and "What to toss in if you have it" that are nuggets of information from the author and it's really a great cook book. I'm looking forward to making more recipes from it in the weeks to come!


I received a copy of the book from Hachette Book Group in return for an honest review. No additional compensation has been received and I was not required to write a positive review.

5 Ingredient Fix Cookbook, October 12, 2010
5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, Elegant and Irresistible is written by the new uprising star of the Food Network, Claire Robinson. This cookbook simply helps you put great and delicious food on your table quickly. So, being a hectic mom always running from work, daycare and life, I was thrilled to receive this book as to conduct this review.

5 Ingredient Mix compiles some beautiful recipes using five ingredients or less. The recipes in the book are easy, affordable and quick. What else could I ask for? This cookbook, as it saves a lot of time out of the kitchen, simply works for me. The dishes do not look plain but, simply appear to be exquisite and tasteful. These recipes prove that in order to have a beautiful, lavish meal does not equal long hours in the kitchen.

The book itself is sectioned out in parts categorizing meals from breakfast, appetizers, drinks, main meals to side dishes, desserts and treats. The choices and variety are endless. Robinson also explains her 5 Ingredient philosophy indicating that cooking should be fun, easy, affordable and healthy. She also adds a personal letter to her readers as well as a section informing her readers on what utensils they should have in the kitchen for successful cooking. So, with a quick trip to the supermarket, picking up a small bag of groceries, you can have a restaurant-like dinner on your table in no time. I can't wait to try these recipes but, with the simple cooking in the short time it takes, I am already happy.

Video Review, December 7, 2010

No Time to Cook Until This Book, October 21, 2010
I don't like to cook, or grocery shop, but I love to eat delicious food so thank God I finally found this book. For those of us in need of extra time, a yummy dinner and extra instruction this book is a gift from heaven.

Claire has Flair!, November 4, 2010
Claire's KISS philosophy (Keep It Simple Stupid) is right up my alley. I like that the recipes deliver quickly and without fuss. I made brown butter banana muffins using up ripe bananas I had stored in freezer. I also made an Edamame hummus (like chickpea) to use up edamame (soybeans) wasn't sure what to do with it. I also made ricotta spaetzle, a nice surprise, b/c I had a spaetzle recipe I liked, but this one is better--very delicate and tender. (Altho' a colander is usually suggested for this, it helps to have a spaetzle maker or a food mill so 'drops' of batter fall into the pot of water easily). The Polenta Fries came out brown and crispy, then dipped into tomato sauce (made mine spicy)--fast, easy, very good! There are many pics in this book which help to inspire. The picture of Prosecco Gelatin Parfait in see-thru trifle cups w/ whipped cream between is calling my name. (Jello for grown-ups--will make that one for sure!). These recipes are elegant and, to my mind, innovative--yet fast and simple. Even though I have countless cookbooks on my shelf, I am glad I bought this one too.

Bridget's Review, November 9, 2010
5 Ingredient Fix is full of great cooking tips and easy-to-prepare meals. The Rosemary-Parmesan Shortbread is so delicious! It has been my favorite thing to fix for the past week. Yeah, I've already made it three times. This would make the perfect gift for the food-lover in your life.

5 Ingredient Fix: Easy, November 8, 2010
5 Ingredient Fix is Easy to do Elegant recipes.
the recipes are really good for you (low fat) and can save you money. for example the trail mix recipe is so GOOD & it makes a bunch. cost fraction of what the store bought trail mixes are, plus it makes a nice gift.
the recipes can be changed easily for special diets such as Celiac's, Gluten Free.
this recipe collection would be a great gift for those getting a first apartment. as it contents a list of things needed to have a functional kitchen.
i loved my copy of 5 Ingredient Fix so much, i also purchased one for our college student. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Renowned baking instructor Peter Reinhart distills his professional techniques down to the basics, delivering artisan bread formulas that require minimal effort and time. PETER REINHART'S ARTISAN BREADS FAST replaces the breakthrough methods of the past, the various preferment methods, and the no-knead craze, and offers high-caliber versions of classic breads using the best techniques to create the highest quality loaves in a fast and convenient fashion. A conscientious teacher, Reinhart coaches readers on shaping tricks, oven techniques, and methods for doing away with expensive bakery tools. ... Read more

Reviews

Another Great Work From Peter Reinhart, October 29, 2009
I have been baking bread as a hobby for a little over 2 years. I have always been fascinated with baking bread but I never found a satisfactory resource until I found Peter Reinhart's "Bread Baker's Apprentice." This was a great resource as Peter is a very skilled teacher and conveyor of information. I also purchased a copy of Peter's "Whole Grain Bread's" and was equally excited by the bread baking techniques that he shares. Also, you can see an evolution in the baking style between the two books as the author seems to learn from each publication. I purchased this newest book yesterday, and after reading through it I can see that he has continued to learn and I really appreciate the techniques used in this book as they are even easier to perform, and easier to understand, than the first two books. This book is great for people just getting into bread baking as it contains many of the same fundamental styles of bread found in Peter's other books. However, if you already own Peter's previous publications do not let that deter you from purchasing this one as there are new techniques and formula's for different breads. I am especially looking forward to trying the formulas in the section on Cheese bread, as well as the onion and wild rice bread. The techniques presented in this book are simpler, and more straightforward than previous ones as the formulas are streamlined so that the use of a seperate pre-fermented dough is not necessary. Also, these recipes, although still requiring at least two days, take less hands-on time to make. I am very excited to try the breads presented in this book, and I would highly recommend anyone who enjoys baking bread to purchase this exciting new work from Peter Reinhart.

Great book for both novice and accomplished bakers, November 20, 2009
I was a tester for this book. I tested all of its recipes and almost all of the variations. This book is perfect for either a complete novice or an accomplished baker. It is written in a straight-forward, down to earth manner and has great pictures illustrating all the techniques, various stages, and final products. Even though I am an accomplished baker, I learned a lot of new techniques from the information contained in this book that either improved and or simplified my bread making. All of the recipes work. There is not one dud in the entire book! The recipes run the gamut from lean relatively simple breads, e.g., basic baguettes, to more complex products, e.g., croissants. If I could only own one of Peter Reinhart's books this is the one I would choose. There is a lifetime of baking in this book.

Reinhart-Lite, November 2, 2009
Peter Reinhart is a generous teacher who in his last few books shared everything he knew about baking bread. This is a great thing if you're a certified breadhead. If you aren't you can easily be scared off by too much information.

In his latest book Peter turns down the tech talk... and is much more user freindely to the novice baker. The pictures are beautiful and inviting, the instruction clear. A great gift for beginner bakers. Of course there are cute tips for all of us, but most of the information Peter covered in previous books. (The fact that retarding the dough takes the place of making a preferment isn't rocket science - its basic bread science - but good science none the less.)

Did I mention the book is beautiful, clearly written and full of delicious recipes? Well it is..

As I mention this is Reinhert-Lite for your friends that love the bread you make and want to try it themselves...

Simply fabulous, November 18, 2009
I received Peter's book last week, mixed together the focaccia recipe on Saturday, watched it bubble and grow in the refrigerator, and with great anticipation baked up my first attempt Tuesday evening. All I can say is WOW. I was nervous after dumping the dough onto the pan; it didn't seem like it was ever going to be able to rise an inch. But it did (although it took more than one hour - I finally put it in my microwave hood with the light on below it to provide a bit more warmth). I had made the herbed oil (mine's not as pretty as Peter's), I liberally sloshed that over the dough, and popped it into the oven. I also sprinkled about 1 cup of shredded parmesan over the bread right before I considered it done. Quite fabulous and easy. I've made focaccia before with rather disappointing results. This is truly as good as anything I've ever eaten from a bakery. My kids were thrilled - we have a new favorite. And I can hardly wait to try other recipes. Biscuits are on the menu for Thanksgiving. Peter declares they are the best. If they are as good as the focaccia, then I am sure they will be the best.

All Delicious, December 18, 2009
I have only had this book a couple weeks, but have been have great success with every recipe I've tried! I can hardly wait to try the next one! I started with some of the simpler ones and all have been terrific! The white bread, everyday whole wheat bread, French bread, and the Many Seeds Bread - fabulous, all of them!

What I love about these recipes and techniques is that 1) they are so easy to put together, especially with my kitchen aid; it does all the work, 2) you make the dough ahead of time, and pull it out of the frig when you are ready to bake. In the morning, or later in the day, I just pull the dough out of the frig, let it rise, and ready to eat! Even for company, its doable to have fresh baked bread, with the work ahead methods.

It utilizes the prefermentation methods, but without the bigas or poolishes, etc. and makes it a very EASY process! I cant recommend this book enough! No sooner is one batch of bread done, and I'm making another!

For beginners only... but you won't be disappointed, January 18, 2010
There's some kind of trend regarding books saying "artisan bread", as if recipes for rustic, Eurostyle breads haven't been a mainstay in baking books since at least the mid-90s if not before. I'm not entirely sure what I think of this; certainly diversity in bread styles is a good thing, but it all seems to come back to Jim Lahey's no-knead bread. It's pretty in vogue. But if you're going to buy one of these books, and you have no bread-baking experience at all, this should be a very good choice for a starter book.

Reinhart's books tend to appeal to people who are pretty comfortable in the kitchen and have a good handle on the basics of baking, and this one is a departure from that, assuming nothing and giving the basics from the ground up, making it a little too basic for my collection but perfect for the sort of person who claims they burn water, or for a younger cook who wants to learn breadmaking from the top expert in the field. It's certainly more than enough to take some of the mystery out of a process many people find among the most intimidating kitchen tasks out there.

Would a more experienced cook benefit from this? I doubt it. The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Crust and Crumb, and Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads are all geared towards that type of cook; where this book comes in handy is for the strictly-beginner side of things. You might want it if you're a Reinhart completist, or you flip through it and find a recipe you like that isn't in any of his other stuff. But if you need a gift for a beginning cook, it's perfect.

Fantastic Bread -- Better Organization Needed for Instructions, March 31, 2010
I would like to give Artisan Breads Every Day a 4.5 star review, but, alas, Amazon doesn't give that option. In brief, I give the book 5 stars for the superb breads that come out of these recipes and techniques, but a 4 for the organization of recipes and instructions.

The best first -- so far, I have made two different doughs (basic lean white dough and the 50% whole wheat dough) for a total of four loaves of bread and the neo-Neapolitan pizza dough. The resulting loaves and pizzas were fantastic. Hearty, earthy, great open-hole crumb, thin-but-crispy crust, great flavor. Everything I'd been looking to create at home but had never quite managed.

For about a year and a half, I'd been working through the recipes and techniques of Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I baked from that book regularly, several times a week, and the breads had great flavor and that delicious mouthfeel from a "custard crumb." The only thing that disappointed me was I never quite got that "holey" lattice-work crumb the book's authors promised me.

With Peter Reinhart's book I have finally achieved bread-baking nirvana! His technique requires more hands-on work than the AB5 technique, but I welcomed this, as there is nothing more satisfying to a baker than to have one's hands working dough. Yet, Reinhart's stretch-and-fold technique is really simple and requires only a moderate amount of work, not the heavy-lifting multiple kneadings of my earlier bread-baking days. Stretch-and-fold really seems to structure the dough better than AB5's mix-and-let-rise technique, and you can feel it under your hands.

That being said, now some slight criticisms about the organization of the book. Although I enjoy all the backstory Reinhart provides about the technique and the dissection of each step, I found it more than a little frustrating to have to flip back and forth constantly to different parts of the as I was working on the recipes themselves. I suppose that after a while, the technique will become second nature, but at first all this flipping and referencing different chapters was tedious and confusing. Then there was the problem of vagueness with at least one of the dough recipes. The 50% whole wheat dough gave the instruction after the ingredient list to follow the earlier ciabatta recipe. There were no other instructions, such as how long to bake, at what temp, what was the best bread form to make with this dough (as in boule, batard, etc.). Since the ciabatta dough was a white dough and not a whole wheat dough and since I didn't necessarily want a ciabatta loaf, this made for a bit of guessing. Turned out that I baked the bread for too long and it got a little burnt on the bottom. It was excellent, anyway, but, still, the time suggested for baking the ciabatta was way too long for this ww dough when baked as a batard.

So with that caveat so that a beginner might know what to expect, I highly recommend this book and Peter's technique for baking artisan breads. The finished products are amazing and worth whatever extra effort you need to put into them.

Similar to the other volumes published by Peter Reinhart, November 30, 2009
The book is very similar to The Bread Baker's Apprentice.In my opinion You should have one or other but not both

Nice Recipes, iffy format, December 6, 2010
I purchased this book as a gift for my daughter, who is learning to bake artisan breads, but has young children and limited time. I like the color photograph illustrations and the recipes seem good, but I do not like the format. The instructions are all in paragraph format and difficult to follow. My daughter says she finds herself reading and rereading several times to remember the order of all the steps. A 1, 2, 3 style list of instructions would have been so much easier to follow. I, too, like to be able to glance at a recipe quickly (while my hands are all floury) without searching through paragraphs, looking for what I need to know. Imagine trying to keep track of steps with 3 little children at your feet...not so easy.

I own the Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart and love it, so I expected this to be in a similar format, just with simpler processes to produce great bread. Bread Baker's Apprentice is laid out with a clear 1, 2, 3, etc. step by step of the instructions. I wish he had done the same with Artisan Breads Every Day.

Another small gripe is that the bakers' percentages are all listed in a table near the back of the book, rather than with each recipe. This is useful, but I would like to have the reference right at hand with the recipe. Some books use a chart format for ingredients, listing the ounces, grams (sometimes cups and spoons volume) as well as bakers' percentage so all is right at hand.

I do like that Artisan Breads Every Day gives measurements in grams as well as ounces and volume. I would like to have seen grams in the Bread Baker's Apprentice. As I make each recipe, I use the unit conversion on my scale and pencil in the grams beside each ingredient. Grams are more universal as well as more precise. I admit that seeing the volume measures, as well, helps my mind's eye to visualize the amount from a lifetime of using this method. So, even though I don't measure by volume, I like that it gives me a rough idea of what is needed to have at hand before I begin a baking project.

All day long I think about those bagels, March 14, 2010
This is a wonderful book for people who want to make delicious, bakery quality bread at home. Every recipe that I have tried has turned out excellent. In fact, since I started making the breads from this book, I can hardly stomach the stuff from the supermarket. And the bagels--I swear, those are the best bagels I have ever eaten (granted, I am from the midwest, so...there are no good bagels there). All day long, I think about whether and when to eat the bagels.

These are not quick recipes; they all require an overnight rest in the refrigerator, but it is worth it if you have the time and patience. It seems so obvious, but that slow fermentation step makes all the difference in flavor. So far, all of the recipes have worked perfectly and measurements of the ingredients are accurate. You can tell that the recipes have been tested! I appreciate that in a cookbook.

I also own the Breadmaker's Apprentice, and I prefer this book because the recipes here do not require the pre-ferments recommended in the previous book (although the previous book is a terrific book, it is more like a book that I read, rather than a book that I cook from). For some reason, I currently have an irrational fear of poolish and biga.

I like this book so much, I am buying copies to give as gifts to my friends. ... Read more

Editorial Review

The book has already sold more than 5 million copies, so we didn't want to spoil it! We have only added a few enhancements to this original cookbook in the wildly claimed Fix-It and Forget-It cookbook series:
1. Brand New: 100 new recipes for slow cookers.
2. Brand New: "Prep Time," "Cooking Time," and "Ideal Slow-Cooker Size" are included for each recipe.
3. Brand New: 4 pages of basic and very helpful "Extra Information":
"Substitute Ingredients for When You're in a Pinch"
"Equivalent Measurements"
"Kitchen Tools and Equipment You May Have Overlooked"
"Assumptions about Ingredients in Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook, Revised and Updated"
4. Brand New: 1 page of "Tips for Using Your Slow Cooker: a Friendly, Year-Round Appliance."
5. Brand New: Additional tips and tricks for making the most of your slow cooker, spread throughout the book.
6. Brand New: A second color-a rich purple-for recipe titles, contributors' names and addresses, the words "Tip" and "Variation," and the numbered instruction steps.
7. Brand New: The drawings on the opening pages of chapters and the spot illustrations throughout.
8. Brand New: 1 page of tip-in color, right inside the front cover.
9. Brand New: 2 pages of review excerpts to position the original book's success, immediately following the tip-in page of color.
10. Revised: An improved Index!
11. Revised: A personal Introduction to the book by author Phyllis Pellman Good.
12. Revised: Good's personal comments and voice throughout the recipes.
We've learned a lot since the original Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook first quietly appeared. Now you and your customers can benefit with this new edition of the beloved favorite - Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook REVISED and UPDATED!
... Read more

Reviews

Not exactly haute cuisine, but has a lot of useful recipes, February 1, 2002
Yes, crock pots, once considered a kind of quaint relic of the seventies, are making a comeback. And why not? The basic idea is that you take a bunch of ingredients, throw them into the crock pot in the morning, and by dinnertime, voila--you have something hot, fragrant, and tasty. And what's more, a lot of the foods cooked this way taste even better as leftovers.

The strength of this cookbook is in the sheer volume of recipes provided, and in their overall simplicity. These truly are "fix it and forget it" types of dishes, including a lot of soups, chiles, and simple stews. Surely out of the 800+ recipes here anyone who purchases this book will find enough winners to make it a worthwhile buy.

Potential buyers should be forewarned, however, that this is by no means *haute cuisine*. Lots of the recipes include generous glops of canned creamed soups, dry soup mixes, canned vegetables, "American" cheese, and other gastronomical abominations. The point is, however, that there are so many recipes included that it's easy to skip over those and go on to ones that appear more promising.

The bottom line is that during the short time that I have owned this book, it has proven itself incredibly valuable and useful. My wife and my family are very glad that I picked it up, and that I brought the ol' crock pot out of its previously semi-retired state.

Nutritious Meals for Busy People, October 20, 2001
We hate to cook, but restaurants, take-out and frozen foods have lost their appeal for my husband and me in our last 6 years as empty-nesters. Our new larger crock-pot and THIS book have been the answer! Since the larger cookers are far superior to their ancestors of the 70's, we were looking for interesting recipes that stretched beyond the lentil soup recipes of the older crock-pot cookbooks. On the other hand, we didn't want to have to make a special trip to the international market for exotic ingredients each time either. Lemon roasted chicken, beef burgundy, and the tenderest ribs ever are just a few of the great meals we've had from this collection. While some of the old crock-pot stand-bys are included: baked beans, chili, lentil soup, and one pot meals made with cream of mushroom soup and cheese, there are many newer and creative recipes that serve their purpose - easy to prepare with common home kitchen ingredients, ready when you get home for dinner, and delicious.

A Must for Your Cookbook Collection, September 1, 2001
I've compared this cookbook with Betty Crocker, Sunset, Hoffman, etc. In my opinion, it beats all of them. Fix It and Forget it is a collection of recipes from people all over the country. There are twenty different chili recipes to choose from, as well as appetizers, desserts, main dishes, and soups. The book is divided in these categories, listing several recipes per page. Each recipe is very simple to follow. So far, I've tried the Saucy Pork Chops and the Creamy Chicken Italiano. The pork chops were excellent, and I'm not a big pork lover. The Chicken Italiano was a step up from the Chicken Helper you can get in the supermarket. If I make this again, I'd put more spices in it. If you don't like a lot of spice in your food, then you'll enjoy this dish.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who has a crock pot and anyone who doesn't. Some of these recipes, like the pork chops, you can cook on the stovetop. There's something for everyone in this book.

AWFUL -- UNLESS YOU'RE TRYING TO GET SICK OR FAT, February 25, 2006
I bought this book after reading some online reviews and have never been so disappointed in a cookbook. Just about every recipe includes high-sodium, high-fat, junky canned and/or processed food ingredients such as cream of mushroom soup. I simply don't eat that way and wasn't about to start just so that I could use my new slow-cooker. In all fairness, many crockpot cookbooks use these ingredients, I've learned, but this one doesn't even seem to have been put together by an expert. It appears to be a compilation of solicited reader submissions and reminds me very much of a community potluck fundraising cookbook. For instance, there are several recipes titled 'pot roast,' each submitted by a different person and no pictures, not that pictures would have changed my opinion of this book. When I purchase a cookbook, I'm trusting the author to have created or at least tried the recipes in the book and to present the best one. Not the case here. I returned the book and went to a local bookstore, and sat there with a bunch of cookbooks, reading through each to determine which one to buy. By the way, "Fix it and foget it lightly" wasn't any better. My selection was 'Not your mother's slow cooker cookbook," which presents recipes using only healthy ingredients that I would actually eat.

WHO EVER THOUGHT LIFE COULD BE SO SIMPLE!, September 18, 2001
If you run as short on energy and time during the run of a day as I do, you will not want to be without this terrific book. Who ever thought meal preparation could be so simple for those of us who put in a full day at the office. The title says it all: "Fix It and Forget It" Forget the microwave section of your favourite supermarket and pass by the fast food outlets on the way home - too much of that will eventually play havoc with your health anyway. It takes just a few minutes each morning, when we do have the energy, to peel a few veggies, cut up a portion of meat if that is to your liking, toss it in the slow cooker with a dash of this and a dab of that and...voila, your meal will be waiting for you at the end of the day. The recipes are terrific in this book, particularly the stews and soups, and the flavourful goodness that comes out of the pot is out of this world! Buy the book; it's a real time saver.

Majority of recipes not healthy (but some are), repetitive, February 12, 2003
I bought this book and I am not sure I would again. There are about 800 recipes in the book. There are 4 major drawbacks to this book. First -- A vast number of them do contain a LOT of cheese and fats (1 to 3 cups per recipe) and preprepared soups and soup mixes. Definitely not the healthy meals I try to prepare. Second -- There are multiple variations of the same recipe. How many times can you vary beef stew and beef vegetable soup and still call it a different recipe? This book does it about 50 times. Third -- the table of contents isn't detailed enough. You have to sift through 200 main dish recipes at a time. It would have been nice if there was some grouping such as 'beef main dishes, chicken main dishes, vegetarian main dises' etc. Fouth -- It could use a better overview section on the principles of slow cooking to cover such things as safety, keeping the crockpot at least 1/2 full, etc. Having said that I did go through and highlight the recipes that I would cook -- reasonble in fat and salt content. I found that there were only about 10% (excluding the repetitive ones) that I would use. Because of the 800 recipes to start with this still leaves me about 80. I tend to think of the value of a cookbook in how many recipes I get for the value. So this one ended up being 80 recipes for the cost of the book. That's not unreasonable.

Not as useful as many others, October 26, 2004
For people looking for sheer quantity of recipes, this may be a great book.

For me, however, there were two significant problems with the book. First, no attempt seems to have been made to standardize the size of the recipes -- and you can't tell from reading the recipe whether it was developed for a 2 qt crock-pot or an 8-qt one. Other crock-pot cookbooks I've found have all recipes calculated for one size (often the common 4-5 qt crock-pot), and those using other sizes know to multiply or divide as need be. Another aspect that seemed missing in this cookbook was an introductory section with general crock-pot cooking tips -- since so many crock-pot cookers are students, young adults, or those just unfamiliar with cookery, this can be incredibly important.

Two books I'd recommend instead of this one are "Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners" and "Crock-It" -- the former will appeal more to those wanting to cook dishes from a diverse range of cultures, the latter will appeal to those looking to use the crock-pot for homestyle casseroles and the like.

I've been looking all over for this book!!, August 16, 2001
Okay, first our old slow cooker died. We hardly noticed since we only used it a few of times a month. Then summer hit and we got busy with work and suddenly we realized we were eating from the snack food section of the 'One Stop' way too much. Beef jerky should not be considered an 'entree'. We bought a new cooker, then started thinking we really needed a good slow cooker cook book to go with it. I bought two books. One is good. This one is GREAT! Lots of recipes with affordable, everyday ingredients that I can pronounce! And better still, the kids will eat what comes out of the slow cooker every time. . . no complaints!!!

Throw out your other slow cooker cook books!, November 19, 2001
This is by far, the best crock pot cook book that I have ever come across. The recipes are from real cooks - like you and me - and are extremely delicious and easy to prepare.

What I liked best about this book is that a lot of recipes have a couple of different versions. For example, when I made rice pudding, I had about five different recipes to choose from. Some had cooked rice, some didn't, some involved putting a dish inside the crock pot and some required different amounts of involvement from me.

The best thing about this book is that almost every recipe in it I can actually picture myself making. None of the recipes are too difficult or too fancy. Plus, the book is a great bargain because it offers more recipes for a lower price than the other slow cooker cook books.

This would make a great gift (with a brand new crock pot!) for a college student or someone getting married!

The cookbook that makes you look like Betty Crocker!, June 16, 2001
This is a FANTASTIC cookbook! There are recipes for all kinds of dishes; dips, soups, main dishes, desserts, etc. So many recipes are easy - great for any mom/cook with not enough hands or time to get things done. A few things that I like best about this book are 1)most recipes are comprised of ingredients I already have on-hand or can use for more than one recipe, and 2)many recipes have multiple versions so I can choose the preparation or ingredients that work best for me. The PERFECT gift for a shower, housewarming, birthday, etc. So easy that even the worst cook can whip up something impressive! A must-have for every kitchen! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Terrific cookbook, October 28, 2010

This one's clearly for cooks more adventuresome than I. So please take my star rating with the appropriate grain of salt., November 16, 2010

Wow!, October 28, 2010

I've been having too much fun with this one ..., November 12, 2010

you had me at hoisin pork, November 22, 2010

Beautiful cookbook, November 4, 2010

A Radical Believer, October 29, 2010
My mother always said that simple is as simple does, yet something about this book drew me into its massive yaw. What? The design? The layout? Never mind. Mom needs a new slogan. I picked a single recipe and decided to take it for a spin, just to see if the title delivered on its promise. Fortunately, I chose the Pork Loin roasted in cream with grape tomatoes, sage, and (believe it or not) gin, lots of gin. Radical, simple, and simply delicious. The sauce showed off the pork roast in ways that pork has never been shown, primarily because most recipes insist on something fruity with pork. This was a crowd-pleaser in every way. Okay, so simple is as simple does. Sign me up.

An epic broadside against the Sandra Lee mentality, December 15, 2010

Radically delicious, November 18, 2010

Fresh bright ideas for the experienced cook, November 10, 2010

Editorial Review

Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the first cookbook from Stephanie O'Dea, the extremely popular slow cooking blogger: affordable, delicious, nutritious, and gluten-free recipes to delight the entire family.

In December 2007, Stephanie O'Dea made a New Year's resolution: she'd use her slow cooker every single day for an entire year, and write about it on her very popular blog. The result: more than three million visitors, and more than 300 fabulous, easy-to-make, family-pleasing recipes, including:

• Breakfast Risotto
• Vietnamese Roast Chicken
• Tomatoes and Goat Cheese with Balsamic Cranberry Syrup
• Falafel
• Philly Cheesesteaks
• Cr�me Brulee

--and much more. Make It Fast, Cook It Slow is the perfect cookbook for easy, quick prep, inexpensive ingredients, and meals that taste like you spent hours at the stove.

Reviews

Disappointed, January 3, 2010
I stumbled across Stephanie's cooking blog and ordered myself her book for Christmas (as a gift from my husband!) I was really excited about trying out her recipes--and especially thought it was cool that she writes a verdict after many of the recipes stating her opinion. I found her writing to be witty and appreciated her sense of humor. On Christmas day I scoured through the book, selecting some recipes to try--I chose recipes based off of my taste preferences as well as her positive reviews of them.

I tried the Brown Sugar Chicken (pg. 244) which she raves about. My family ate it, but didn't particularly enjoy it. It was very sweet (which she says it is)--but there wasn't really any depth of flavor (maybe it needed a couple bay leaves or some other herbs?) it tasted just like sugary chicken. I realize that taste is very subjective and many people may enjoy this dish, we however did not.

Next up I tried the Breakfast Risotto (pg. 48). She also raves about this dish. I will agree that the aroma was delectable. The spices were a very good combination, my complaint was that the texture was goopy. I made the recipe exactly as printed and I also got a little curdling (from the 2% milk???) which looked unappealing. This dish may actually work out if cooked on the stove top, but I don't think the recipe fared well in the crock pot.

Then I decided to try out the Hot and Spicy Artichoke Dip (pg. 30) to bring to a New Year's Eve party. Again, her verdict on the recipe is very positive. I made the recipe exactly as printed (there's only 4 ingredients!)--when it was done and I give it a taste it was BLAND. Blah. I attempted to salvage the dip by adding some black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. But it still wasn't right, way too thick and still a little bitter tasting. Well, we take it to the party anyways (maybe it's just us who thinks it tastes gross?)--and at the end of the party (30-40 people in attendance), the dip has barely been touched. It really was not good. At this point the recipes are 0 for 3. I decide to check out her blog to see what others thought of this particular recipe. To my annoyance her rave review written in the book was not the same as the one written on her blog. The review written in her book is actually in reference to the artichoke dip sold at Costco, NOT the one I just made. I felt that this is incredibly misleading, which is why I am only rating the book 2 stars.

The only recipe which has been a "keeper" for me is the Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup (pg. 206) It's very very good (didn't add the mushrooms and didn't thicken it).

IN SUMMARY:
If you purchase this book, know that you are purchasing a book full of recipes which have been TRIED by the author. I do not believe that the author fine-tuned/tweaked/perfected the recipes. Not all of the recipes have a verdict, and I wonder if those are even worth making since the author didn't rave about them. There are a whole lot of recipes and I am sure there are some "keepers" amongst them that will make it into your meal rotation. If you have the patience and resources to test out the various recipes then this is a book for you. If you are like me (a busy wife and mother of 3 young children) and are looking for good recipes without all the trial and error, then this is probably not the book for you (seeing as only 1 out of the 4 I tried was a "keeper"). And if you are on the fence, check out her blog, try a few recipes for yourself and see how you like them before making the purchase.

Disappointing, March 20, 2010
I wanted to love this cookbook. I'd read Stephanie's blog and had tried a couple of her recipes. In retrospect, they weren't great enough to remake, so I should have realized that her wonderful writing style didn't equate to culinary ability.

Other reviewers have mentioned that the recipes are really rough--they definitely are for me. Every single one I've tried has been off--cooking time, spices, consistency. I've used our crock pot quite a bit over the years, and usually things turn out if I follow the directions in the recipe. Stephanie's directions, even if followed exactly, don't necessarily mean I'll have something edible for dinner. When I get a recipe from a cookbook, I'd like to think it's been tested at least a couple of times and produced consistently good results. Things I've tried:

Broccoli Casserole (p. 81)--watery, bland, my son (who loves broccoli and cheese) wouldn't touch it
Beans and Rice (p. 121)--bland, nothing special--the crockpot kindof zaps the flavor I get on the stovetop with a similar dish
Taco Soup (p. 135)--one of her favorite recipes, but when I tried it last week, my husband asked, "Isn't this the same not-so-good soup you tried off her website last year?" Oh yeah. We love Mexican food, but the mesh of flavors just is not good.
Apple, Cheddar, and Turkey Meatballs (p. 238)--This one I cooked on high, and everything that touched the sides of my crock burned even though it was well within the time frame she'd specified. Pretty sure she didn't test her recipes for low _and_ high settings. I did appreciate that they were gluten-free meatballs, but we didn't even like the middle ones that weren't burnt.
Applesauce Chicken (p. 239)--This is not that good, and it is not tender. It's just blah. And her "verdict" makes me think her kids agreed.
Brown Sugar Chicken (p. 244)--she promised that this was amazing. It was tender, but nothing special, and awfully sweet.
Eggplant "Parmesan" with Feta (p. 282)--I love eggplant parmesan, and this just failed to deliver. The breading doesn't stay since you don't fry the eggplant or anything, and it just becomes a gloppy mess.
Applesauce (p. 384)--This technically works, but it doesn't make very much at all, and it's way faster (and more fragrant) on the stovetop. I know you can walk away from the crockpot, but it didn't seem worth it with how much it made.
Yogurt (p. 59)--My first batch was a failure, then I went back and read comments on her website that helped the next two batches turn out. Her recipe isn't failsafe, and though I'll be making yogurt in my crockpot from now on, it's the comments of her readers that made it a keeper, not her cookbook.

I'm hesitant to try more of the recipes because I really don't think she's a good cook! I have several gluten-free friends that I was hoping to give this book to, but I won't. The people giving her 5 star reviews seem as impressed with her writing and personality as I was, but I wonder how many will be disappointed when they actually try the recipes. Stephanie seems like a great person on her blog, but maybe she should write restaurant reviews or something else that plays more to her strengths.

If you're looking at buying this cookbook, I strongly suggest trying some of the recipes on her website first.

The Crock-Pot is Back With A Vengance Thanks To Stephanie O'Dea, October 13, 2009
I've never been a "crock-pot" person, although I've always liked the idea of crock-pots - leaving a whole meal in the crock in the morning and returning to a complete meal in the evening - so easy, so good, so convenient. The problem, though, was that my family is not big on stews, which is what I thought crock-pots were for, so I left my crock-pot in a drawer and that is as far as the relationship has gone. Those days are over.

Stphanie O'Dea has taught me that my crockpot is not my mother's crock-pot anymore. The crock-pot can be used used to make a traditional beef stew, yes, as described on page 211, but the crock-pot can also be used to make delicious soups, meats, side dishes, appetizers, dips, and desserts. The woman has a recipe for making banana bread in the crock-pot for goodness sake! All kinds of ideas are whirling around in my head. I can use the crockpot to prepare a new, sexy appetizer for the holidays, like the buffalo chicken dip described on page 25, instead of the same old stuff. I can use the crockpot to impress my friends with the delicious and fragrant chai tea latte like the one described on page 8 at the next Bunco meeting. I can also use the crockpot to help my children create caramel apples and look like the coolest mom ever! The sky is the limit with this book. It even has a recipe for recycling old candles to make new ones. Yes, I said candles, in the crock-pot!

Excited, yet? There's more. There are 454 pages of easy to understand recipes with easy ingredients in this book and they all look delicious. There is also a description on most recipes that the author calls "the verdict" where she tell us how each recipe went over with her family, including the specific verdict of her young children - invaluable information for a mom who who can not afford to waste time or money on a recipe her family won't eat.

This book was so well put together it inspired me immediately to put it to use. I've been through every page and while I started to dog-ear the pages of recipes I found interesting, I quickly stopped because I would have dog-eared the whole book! Last night, I made my first crock-pot dish in 15 years. I prepared Horseradish Scalloped Potatoes, p.95. They were delicious, just like the author's verdict said. Amazing. Cooking this fall/winter is going to be a lot more fun and a lot more satisfying!

You won't be disappointed!!!!, October 14, 2009
I've been following Stephanie's blog for longer than I can remember and have had this book pre-ordered for longer than I can remember. :-)

I have made the Pumpkin Spice Latte, more than one fondue, and the Moroccan Lentil Soup, just to name a few. They were all extremely tasty, and I have been waiting so long for this cookbook to come out so I can browse through the recipes in print rather than online.

Stephanie's wit and her willingness to try anything are what initially drew me in, and I was concerned that maybe the book wouldn't replicate her recipes and style completely. However, I am happy to say that everything in the book lives up to my highest expectations. I am now going to order multiple copies to give as Christmas gifts because out of the several slow cooker cookbooks I have, this one outshines them all. It's honestly the only one you'll ever need.

Plus, you've really gotta try the Lentil Soup. My husband and I love it so much I've made it several times and have been waiting on the fall weather to make it again. It's time! :-)

Buy this book, and I promise, you really won't regret it!

Update on March 19, 2010: More recipes to try: Brown Sugar Chicken; Chicken Parmesan; Turkey Breast with Onion, Butter, and White Wine; Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

Also, I bought 8 additional copies of this book and gave them to friends as gifts. So far, each friend has come back to me and told me how much they love this book. They especially recommend the Chicken Parmesan, the Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole, and the Moroccan Lentil Soup. Happy Cooking!!

Bland and a Disappointment, February 3, 2010
The author writes in a very delightful and witty manner. And it certainly opened up my eyes to the possibilities of what COULD be done in a crock pot, IF only there was a good recipe. I have tried at least 6 recipes, so far, and 2 of them were inedible. Three of them were just blah. And the one that we actually enjoyed was a recipe I tweaked when I realized how flavorless it was going to be if I didn't assist the recipe a bit. I would pass on this book unless you enjoy the challenge of doctoring bad or blah recipes.

Not something for a beginning cook, January 24, 2010
I agree with the reviews that complain about blandness and no depth of flavor. I've tried three recipes, and while one turned out good (though my husband didn't care much for it), one was far too spicy with no support from the other ingredients, and the other was all bland.

Maybe the author has different tastes than we do, but the execution seems very uneven. I'm not experienced enough as a cook to know what to add or subtract to make something better, and I don't have time to experiment (which is why I own a slow cooker.) I need a foolproof cookbook that's going to give me successful meals with good flavor off the bat.

Just okay (barely), April 21, 2010
I know I'm in the minority, but I don't care for most of the recipes in this book. I have 5 little kids and we're gluten free, so this cookbook appealed to me immensely. I put the book on my wish list for Christmas before trying any recipes. I tried 3 different recipes off her blog, they weren't very good, so I was going to remove it from my list. However, my MIL bought it for me, so I thought I'd give more recipes a try. I assumed that the recipes in the cookbook would be tweaked and perfected. I have tried at least 15 recipes (from various categories) and I've liked 3. Three! The Broccoli Cheese soup is awesome, there was a Chicken with Cream Cheese that was really good, and the Granola was great after I altered the recipe a bit. That's it though. There are a few recipes that I made some notes on, b/c I could try to improve them, but I feel like I've wasted a lot of time and money for pretty poor dinners. My husbands a good sport, but after last night's failure (Mexican Breakfast Casserole, that she 'just loved') he said, "Is this a recipe from that cookbook that we haven't liked any of?" Guess I'll shelve it and find something else. Too bad - it had great potential!

Every time you use a crockpot, it's a little bit of an experiement, October 16, 2010
I am going to start out by saying that I am completely biased. I just looove Stephanie O'Dea. I think she is an engaging writer, she is honest about her results and she is also, as judged from the one or two emails I've exchanged with her, a very nice person. She is not a professional cook. She doesn't claim to be. She also is not an expert with the crockpot in the sense that she spends her time in a test kitchen. I think she could lay claim to the title of field expert, based on the amount of use her multiple crockpots seem to get. Or maybe not.

More than that Stephanie is an engaging writer, who doesn't pretend not to have flaws, and who makes reading about cooking fun. Her approach to recipes is real. And I love the verdicts she gives at the end of each recipe. In fact, I love them so much I think there should be a law that they are included in every cookbook. Because Stephanie is one of the few people I believe has actually personally tried, at least once, every recipe in her book. And I appreciate that kind of dedication to one's subject.

Stephanie is exactly what she represents herself to be, she's a busy mom of three small children, who uses her crockpot on a regular basis, isn't afraid to experiment with it to keep from serving the usual variations of stewed chicken, stewed pork, stewed beef and stewed prunes that many people end up producing, and is willing to share her successes, and failures with the world. She spices her recipes according to her tastes and her family's tastes. Not a standard flavor profile for North America as figured out by a room full of scientists. Not your family's taste. It's kind of up to you, actually to figure that last one out.

I have been following Stephanie's blog for most of the time it's been up. I've tried a lot of the recipes in this book. Not half, maybe not even a quarter. Some of them have been absolutely fabulous every time, some of them have been 'eh' the first time, and better progressively as I made the changes needed to suit my family's tastes, or perhaps to correct for the vagaries of my personal crock pot. (My personal ONE crock pot. I keep trying to win another one on Stephanie's blog, but so far no luck. If she keeps giving them away, I'll keep trying.) A couple of the recipes have been utter, utter disasters. C'est la vie en la cuisine, oui? But I don't worry about it really, because culinary disasters happen. That's why take-out was invented.

As cookbooks go, this one is definitely a staple in my kitchen. I will never have the unnatural relationship with my crockpot that Stephanie has with hers. I don't want to. I'm actually a little creeped out by it. But I do appreciate the fact that my crock pot went from a Christmas present that kind of annoyed me to a go-to kitchen gadget that rarely sees the inside of my cupboard. And I credit Stephanie's efforts for that change.

Ok, some of the recipes do seem a bit bland to me, but apparently there are some kids who don't like spicy food and a couple of them live at Stephanie's house. I know how to add spices to change a flavor profile, so it's not a big deal. If you don't know how, I respectfully suggest that you learn. Experiment. Have fun with your food, kind of like Stephanie does. What's the worst thing that could happen?

Great Recipes but book is redundant, January 1, 2010
I have tried many of Stephanie O'Dea's recipes and they have been a life saver the past few months. Some of them need extra seasoning and she often calls for way more liquid than necessary, especially for soups, but most of the dishes we've tried have been great. Other reviewers have said many of these recipes would be better or the same in the oven. I agree with this but as a SAHM with two small kids it works better for me to get dinner ready early in the day. I'm not sure how well many of the chicken dishes would work for families with two working parents (or people who are outside the home all day) because the chicken gets overcooked, crumbly, and dry if left to cook too long. This could be my crock pot but I have found almost every one of these recipes cooks in a shorter time than she indicates and other than soups things tend to get dry and burn on the warm setting. I generally start my dinners around noon and often have to turn off the crock pot by 4:00 if I'm making a chicken dish. And I almost always start with frozen chicken.

We do not eat red meat or pork so I can't say if the same thing happens.

The main reason I'm giving this book only three stars is the recipes are *exactly the same ones on her website* (minus the flops). When I added the book to my wishlist I figured there would be some overlap but didn't expect there to be no new content. As much as I like Stephanie O'Dea and don't mind supporting her I don't understand why you would sell a book with the same content you are giving away for free. If you have internet access at home there is no reason to purchase this book.

EDIT:
I have read many reviews of the particular Crock Pot I own and there are complaints about it cooking too fast. It appears the problem is my machine rather than the recipes. I have learned to work around it as I don't work during the day so it's not a problem.

What I'd also like to say is how Stephanie O'Dea has changed the way I use my slow cooker. While this is more a "get dinner on the table" cookbook rather than one for serious chefs she has inspired me to cook in a whole new way.

Finally--A Crockpot Cookbook with "Real" Ingredients, November 27, 2009
I did an extensive amount of research on crockpot cookbooks before I chose this one. I didn't want one that focused heavily on "cream of . . ." soups or heavily processed foods. With several food allergies and sensitivities to worry about as well, I also needed one that included basic ingredients but had great variety at the same time.

This book fits the bill--beyond my expectations. I love it because:
1. The recipes were all tested on the author's family (dad, and two kids--3 and 6), and she's honest about when her kids DIDN'T like the recipe--a plus.
2. She uses mostly healthy ingredients and cooks from basic ingredients.
3. Her youngest daughter is gluten free, so all of the recipes are gluten free or can be. That means there are many easily adapted recipes to be friendly to our family's allergies and sensitivities (no dairy, corn, gluten, nuts)--not all, but many.
4. A great variety of types of recipes, including some basics like bread, yogurt, rice, desserts that I can use as reference for my own recipes.

So, thank you, thank you. This cookbook fills a great gap in crockpot cookbooks! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Kids rock! says Rachael, and it seems the feeling is mutual. Young people number among her biggest fans.For them she has created a fabulous collection of age-specific recipes with a high cool factor. ... Read more

Reviews

Another Hit!!!, November 4, 2004
I love this book! My kids love this book, and my husband loves the results. I have four little boys, 10, 8, 5 and seven months. Obviously the baby is too young to help out just yet, but the older three couldn't wait to get home and pick out a recipe from the respective chapters in the book. ( 4-6, 7-11 and 12 and up) They have each made a meal from the book and we not only had a healthy and tasty meal to eat, but we had a blast making it.

We also have Emeril's books and a few Cooking with Mickey books. In Emeril's books the one thing I have noticed is the amount of time it can take to make some of the recipes. On a Saturday, I would think nothing of preparing a four course meal that takes three or four hours, but my kids don't have the patience for that yet. The Mickey books, although they are some of my favorites, are rather complex. Rachel Ray's book is simple and yet fun for the beginning cook. The results while not immediate, are tasty and don't require a lot of patience to reproduce.

If you have kids and they show ANY interest at all in cooking or just helping you out...I highly recommend this book.

My kids think its great...., February 4, 2005
OK, so I'll admit it, I can be a little overprotective. Were my kids ever shocked when I announced that THEY were making dinner. My daughters (5 & 7) had a great time, and were very proud of their meal. They are looking forward to trying more, and my oldest has made a grocery list for all the recipes she wants to make.

One thing, I can't imagine anyone eating the portion sizes as they are listed. My kids made the "Pasta and Trees" in the 4-6 section. It calls for 1lb of pasta and says it makes 4 servings. We cut it down to 1/2 lb., and had more than enough for 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 5, & 2). Use common sense, but if you use the amounts listed for pasta, be prepared to have leftovers.

Excellent cookbook for kids of all ages!!!, October 26, 2004
Makes cooking with kids really enjoyable!!! I bought this cookbook for my six year old daughter as soon as it came out. We both love it!!! Mostly, we have been making the recipes in the 7-12 section, but all sections contain recipes that will appeal to everyone's palate. I have been planning one Cooking Rocks dinner into my weekly menu, and that is my daughter's night to cook (with my help, of course). Last night she and her 7 year old friend made the Mexican Rice bowl dinner- they had alot of fun and ate a HUGE amount- probably because THEY made it, or as Rachael says, they had a sense of ownership of it.

(One tip though- as with any cookbook, you may want to cut back on some of the butter, oil and salt used in some of the recipes. A few of them are a little salty or oily for my taste)

This book provides a good foundation in cooking and healthy eating in the future. It teaches the basic methods in cooking, and introduces your child to different fresh herbs and healthy veggies, such as cilantro and arugula. In a world where many young adults don't know how to cook, Rachael does our kids a big service by teaching them how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home.

The spiral-bound format makes it easy to use, and you can't beat the price!

Ok, but visuals are better, February 27, 2006
I like Rachel's books and cooking; I use many of them. However, i bought the Kids book in hopes of encouraging my girls to cook. First off, their are too many treats and sweets -- not what I was looking for. Additionally, there were no photos of the end products -- which is what makes a good cookbook. Seeing rachel pour corn flakes on a child's head may be cute, but doesn't help the youngster "see" what the end product is.

My Grandaughter's first cookbook!, October 8, 2005
I bought this for my Grandaughter's 5th birthday. I just had to look through it before I gave it to her and I loved it. She called me so excited when she received it and told me all the things she was planning to cook with her Mom. She has since called me back to tell me how everything turned out...what a hit with us all! Her mother is thrilled since she is taking an interest in helping with dinner..even the clean up! So far they have loved everything they tried and they have made a list of things they want to try. My nephew has requested a copy of his own for his birthday and I think I'll have to order a copy for myself. What a great cookbook for kids and their families! Spend some time together and learn some new skills..even practice some reading and math..but don't tell them about that part!

Our favorite Rachael Ray cookbook, April 12, 2006
I own 30 minute recipes, more 30 minute recipes and this book. It WAS intended to be for my son (who is an avid reader and loves Rachael Ray's cooking show). Instead, it's our whole family's favorite Rachael Ray cookbook. I don't even use the other ones. She incorporates humor and stories and great pictures along with *real* recipes that families will eat together. I have to say her 5 minute fudge is now MY 5 minute fudge. I detested trying to make fudge before (anyone have fudge that wouldn't *set*?) and this is great! I would recommend this cookbook to anyone. You don't need to have kids either:)

KIDS LOVE TO COOK!, December 7, 2004
Kids love to cook. It's a natural. They always want to do things that adults do and combine that with food and it's one thing my kids always want to help with. Rachael Ray is the perfect person to write a book on cooking for kids. She has such a child-like enthusiasm for cooking, she seems like a big kid at heart.

This book is sectioned by age giving tips and recipes for each developing age group. And the tips are for parents as well as the kids. Of course, first and foremost these receipes are simple AND fun to prepare. They are things that all kids can do to help.

The section for the very young present very simple ideas with an emphasis on safety and fun, while the chapters for older kids get progressively more detailed and complex. Hey if you can get them to help prepare dinner, why not? They sure aren't volunteering to clean their rooms.

Fun and well-written!

Fun recipes, but missing a few things., February 24, 2006
This cookbook has amazing recipes that are fun for kids & parents! It is split up in sections according to kids' ages. I only have 2 complaints:
1. There are no pictures of the finished product to see what it should look like.
2. Some of the recipes need more detail. Use marshmallows, okay, which size??? Just little things like that so you then have to experiment.

Not for my kids..., April 7, 2007
I don't think Rachael Ray has kids and it shows - alot of these recipes are for things most kids won't eat OR things that are not very good for them, lots of fat, sugar, processed food etc. The book is cute-looking but has not been very useful in cooking with my kids. There are other better kids cookbooks out there or even cookbooks for adults with easier, healthier recipes. Also - no pictures of the food, just Rachael and kids - my kids really like to see what a dish will look like - it makes them want to cook the recipe.

Cute book but..., December 28, 2005
This book is great in its concept and layout. The book is sectioned into age groups, the recipes have cute names and it encourages cooking as a great way to bond with your child. That part of the book is wonderful. I have used other Rachel Ray books with no problems and everything turns out fine.However,it seems the measurements are off on a few recipes in this book. For the "Chicken Toes" (cute title, a spin on Chicken Fingers) there doesn't seem to be enough coating mix to cover the chicken. In the "Candy Sushi" (great idea, easy to make) recipe, it seems to call for too much rice cereal and not enough marshmellow coating. We also made the cheese fries and it produced way too much cheese sauce. I would still recommend this book as a good 1st cookbook for kids, just watch the amounts and be ready to make adjustments accordingly. ... Read more