Five in Ten Cookbook

This has been one of my favorites for years, a real go-to book. Unlike most cookbooks that make time claims, most of the recipes here really do come in close to their ten-minute limit, and I'm not a particularly fast cook. The book is divided into eight sections: Appetizers and Snacks; Soups and Chowders; Salads; Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Pork and Lamb; Fish and Shellfish; Pasta; Vegetables and Side Dishes; and Desserts. It also has a sturdy interior spiral binding so it lies flat when open. I've tried maybe a dozen recipes (some standouts: curried carrot soup, broiled scallops with bread crumbs, berry gratin, caramelized apples) and would have no qualms about serving them to company. I have four books in this series, and though they're all quite good, I find this to be the best. I'd like to respectfully address reviewer Jim Owen. I'm sorry for his poor experience with the book, but I looked up the recipe he referred to, and he's a bit off. The noted amount of butter mixture was to be spread on SIX FULL pita breads, not four halves. That's three times the amount he apparently mistakenly used. It's unfortunate that he based his opinion of this exceptional book on faulty information. If you're trying to decide whether or not to buy it, please note that his was the ONLY negative review among a dozen. Seems quite unfair that it was chosen for a spotlight review. I have a couple of quibbles with the book: It has no page headers to tell you what section you're in, and the index is less than comprehensive. But I still unequivocally rate it five stars on the strength, variety, and reliability of its recipes.

I have over 400 cookbooks and this one is one of my favorites...It really allows you to do what the title says...I have used this while teaching cooking classes and it gives easy instruction, uses familiar ingregients and the results are amazing. The desserts are special treats. This is a great gift for the new bride the busy homemaker or those of us who want our friends to think we spent hours preparing a meal for them...

I love to cook. I usually find the recipes in popular "Quick Cook" books very disappointing -- bland, overprocessed, and "easy" only because key steps have been left out. Not this little book, whose recipes show a light touch, imaginative seasonings and real taste. I especially like the soups chapter.Of course, these are ten minute meals -- so black bean soup uses canned black beans, not home cooked -- but any dish in the book will beat another night of take-out pizza.

This book is my cooking bible. The recipes are really and truly fast and easy. All of them have been delicious except for one egg plant dish. I think I'm not cooking the egg plant long enough. The best thing is that the husband and guests are impressed - they think the dishes are gourmet.

This book has been an inspiration, allowing me to make all sorts of delicious meals in little time and at little cost. A bonus: because the recipes and ingredient lists are so simple, I have my favorites memorized and I seldom need to open it anymore. Still, it has a valued place on my cookbook shelf.