Cooking to Beat the Clock: Delicious, Inspired Meals in 15 Minutes

This is a good book, allowing even people (like me!) who are not gourmet cooks to produce meals that wow their friends and relatives. The most amazing thing to me is that when I had a question about a recipe, I went to his website and got his email address and asked him the question -- and he answered me! Now I get his email newsletter and I know that he answers everybody who asks him a question. Way to go, Sam!

I love cookbooks, I have a zillion! This is one of the best. The recipes truly are fast and they are excellent. I may take longer than 15 minutes, but I have pulled off every recipe I have tried in under 30 minutes (and I have two kids under age five). Many of these "fast" recipe cookbooks deliver on speed but sacrifice on taste. This cookbook delivers both. I loved the Jambalaya. I made a huge batch and freezed it with excellent results. The tropical curry chicken was great too. Buy this one, you won't be dissapointed!

I have tried several of the recipes in Cooking to Beat the Clock and have not been disappointed yet. My favorite, jambalaya really took me just 15 minutes and was a great dish on a winter eve. I thought the section on organization was especially helpful. Turns out I had everything I needed right in my own kitchen. Great directions for those of us who don't cook for a living. Great find.

Sam Gugino's new book, Cooking to Beat the Clock, is a valuable resource for individuals who wish to put together wholesome, delicious meals for today's tastes and lifestyle's. He offers recipes that are perfectly appropriate for everyday dining for say, a working couple as well as for dinner guests. Armed with the recipes in this book, I will be more likely to invite guests for dinner knowing that I won't have to reserve an entire day for shopping and cooking. None of my friends would feel shortchanged if they were served the Steamed Cod with Summer Vegetables or the 15-Minute Bouillabaisse with a mixed green salad for dinner. I would dress the salad with the simple but delicious horseradish vinaigrette used for the Spicy Steak Salad. The book is also a source of labor saving techniques to incorporate into your repertoire. These recipes are versatile and really work but don't feel like a failure if they take a few extra minutes.

This cookbook is a must for the busy cook who is tired of takeout but does not have time for elaborate meals. I have tried several of the recipes and, while the goal is to complete the process in 15 minutes, I am less concerned about that than I am impressed with the quality of the recipes. So what that it takes 20 or 25 minutes so long as the end result is worthwhile. My approach to recipes is first to determine whether it is too time consuming and second to determine if it is something that I would enjoy. Although I have just made a small dent in the 60 recipes in this book, I have not seen any that I'm unwilling to try. Gugino's time-saving tips --even for the experienced cook-- are well worthwhil. There is a whole section devoted to them and he includes some in the recipes to quicken the process. Without a doubt, it is the best and most practical cookbook I've come across.