Quick Food: Easy, Everyday Ideas for Busy Cooks

I LOVE this book so much, I got it for my friend who's a foodie and HE loves it, too! Working back to back 12-hour shifts leaves me with limited time to cook - I like being able to cook something GOOD quickly instead of giving in to fast food.

I own tons of cookbooks and love to cook. I originally purchased this book for my husband so that he could learn to cook something other than prepared foods. The recipes are fast, easy, and very tasty. He likes it because it has pictures of the meal - this helps him understand how things are supposed to be once the meal is ready to be served. He struggles a little with even these recipes because he knows so little about cooking and the names of the more gourmet ingredients. Despite this, he has made some really fabulous meals out of this book. Now even I reach for this cookbook first. My once favored Patricia Wells and Julia Childs cookbooks are languishing on the shelf. My only warning is that the gourmet ingredients are not always readily available at every grocery store. I live in a big city so it is easy for me to obtain pancetta, various specialty pastas, and fresh herbs. It might not be as easy for someone in a more suburban or rural environment.

Quick food gives recipes that are easy to follow and use ingredients that are readily available in stores. Different types of cuisines are represented here, from a simple Italian fresh tomato and basil pasta to fragrant Southeast Aisn lemongrass beef and rice dish.The book is divided into six main parts: Pot, Pan, Wok, Grill, Oven, and Dessert. There is also a picture on the page facing the recipe which gives a great visual tool as to how the end result would look. An index is provided, and makes it easy to flip to, for example, recipes using beef. Although many of the recipes are easy to throw together in a few minutes, there are also recipes for stews and roasts, which take longer to cook. These are justified, however, by the fact that minimal effort and time is required in preparation of the dish. Then just pop it into the oven, or leave on a slow simmer, before dishing out into bowls and plates. Overall this is a good book when you don't have a lot of time on your hands to putter about in the kitchen. We all need quick and simple recipes on our repertoire.