Emeril 20-40-60: Fresh Food Fast

As it say : 3 different time clocks Choice to make your recipe! Nothing more than one hour! Fresh food with style and taste ! It is my matching food as a French ,American and Creole ! No need to have too many books , Emeril Lagasse do it all with the best world recipes! Buy more than one book of E Lagasse because they all give you different ideas of recipes :think about the coconut pie or cake etc..

I started cooking about two years ago after watching the Food Network and getting the notion that I might be able to make a beef stew or a pot roast. While my first attempts were all successful, I have to admit it was stressful because I did not even know how to read a recipe, did not understand what the techniques were. But I chose recipes I had seen done on TV, however cut down for a show format. After doing dozens and dozens of dishes I got a feel for how recipes work and could see how dishes are constructed based on the cooking method being used. Nowadays, I even build my own dishes or modify a recipe based on what I have on hand or what looks best at the market. While a number of the big name Food Network chefs were inspirations to me, none was more important to my learning to cook than Emeril Lagasse. His recipes work and provide lots of flavor. Plus they are direct enough for those of us who want to cook but don't have training. Some of his recipes do require more work than others, but none are impossible. And I have always found them rewarding. My oldest son says that if the recipe is from Emeril he is willing to try the dish no matter what it is because they have always been good. This book is especially nice for home cooks who have busy lives and want to cook quick, fresh, tasty, and affordable meals after work or on busy weekends. I have made a number of the recipes and they are all easy to follow, tasty, and I believe you and your family will love what you prepare. The shrimp etouffee has become one of my standards that I use for guests and they always like it. The goat cheese and caramelized tarts were also a hit. I also like the Salad Tropicale, which is easy and tasty - it is tropical because of the hearts of palm, avocado, and tomato. And I want to make the chili mac soon. Emeril organized the dishes so you can choose a dish by how much time you have to spend preparing it. And each section, whether 20 minutes, 40 minutes, or 60 minutes, has a full compliment of starters, salads, soups, sandwiches, rice & beans, seafood, poultry, meat, and desserts. Vegetables only show up in the 20 & 40 minute sections. Emeril also provides cooking advice and I have found that his advice to study the recipe in advance of cooking to be very sound. You want to be sure you have a strong conception of what you want to make, what ingredients you will need to have on hand, and what the order of battle will be. That is, what will prep take, how will you cook the dish, and how will that dish coordinate with the other things you are preparing for the meal. I have found that you want to have EVERYTHING prepped before you start cooking. So, allow a bit more prep time than you anticipate or than the recipe calls for. I don't know how they prep things so fast, but I don't want to lose a fingertip to haste when cutting, chopping, dicing, and mincing. Still, the timings on the recipes are relatively accurate and Emeril is clear a

Emeril Lagasse has put together a wonderful book with tasty and delicious recipes. If you have a limited time to prepare a meal this book will help you make a delicious food item in a small time frame. The "Oven-Crispy Fries" recipe was a proven winner with my family.

I know alot of reviewers have said that Emeril is trying to be like Rachael Ray, but I'm pretty sure that many chefs before her have made meal designed for the busy person. Rachael Ray just became famous for it. This book offers a wide variety of dishes ranging from what the book states right on the front page,20-40-60 minute meals. I liked the fact that there was a variety of different food to make. Salads and soups, pork, chicken, steak, and fish. There is also time to make your own dressings and desserts. And yes he does promote usage of his creole seasoning but lo and behold he has a recipe for that in the book as well. I definitely applaud the accessibility of the recipes. Anything that can be substituted he makes mention of that at the beginning of the book and throughout all the recipes. This is definitely the book to get if you want something more than just a simple baked chicken.

So far my family & I have liked all of the recipes that we have tried. Recipes aren't difficult but they are different, and that is what I was looking for.

I have tried several of the recipes. Preparation time was short and easy. Results were very good.