The Quick Recipe

It is an okay book there's about 16 chapters of different kind of recipes. some recipes have very little ingredients which is good if you want to fix up a quick recipe but overall there's not a lot in there that I care about another person may.

It's no secret that I love Cook's Illustrated and this book is no exception. It is true to the CI format that I love so much -- plenty of background material for each recipe. Whether or not you get the recipes done in under 60 minutes depends on your prep skills. This is not a book you can just whip out the night of and plan to make a great dinner. While the ingredients are not exotic, I doubt most cooks will have them all on hand. Pick a few recipes in advance and get the ingredients on grocery day. I have found that this book is great for entertaining. By preparing a couple of the recipes, you have a stress-free approach to a casual dinner party. Try the seafood scampi with a warm spinach salad sans the seafood. I have to admit that with the exception of the cream scones (delicious), I haven't tried the recipes for baked goods. When I bake, I look forward to taking all day.

This has been my bible for weeknight dinners since I bought it about 3 months ago. While the book's criteria of under an hour may not be quick enough for some, the recipes are tasty and do not rely on pre-packaged convenience foods as some other "quick and easy" books out there. Personally, I'd rather make an effort to find that extra half hour for these recipes. Many of the recipes can stand on their own as a meal, perhaps with only the addition of some bread and/or a salad (recipes for quick salad dressings are included). Examples include: -Spicy Thai-Style Shrimp Soup; -Warm Spinach Salad with Seared Scallops and Roasted Pepper Vinaigrette; -Polenta with Roasted Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella; -Bok Choy and Chinese Egg Noodles with Spicy Beef Sauce; -Stir-Fried Shrimp and Snow Peas in Coconut Curry Sauce; -Skillet Fajitas; -Chicken and Rice with Lemon, Peas, and Scallions; -Oven-Fried Chicken and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad; -Pan-Seared Salmon with Braised Lentils and Chard; and -Tuscan-Style Steak with Arugula and Parmesan. The grilling chapter includes vegetables to be grilled alongside the main course in most recipes, such as Grilled Scallops with Chili-Lime Glaze and Corn Salad. Other recipes include suggestions for side dishes, frequently citing specific recipes found elsewhere in the book. This allows the cook to plan meals almost effortlessly. The book also includes "short-cut" versions of longer recipes such as Simple Shrimp and Andouille Jambalaya, 30-Minute Chocolate Mousse, and Quick Chicken Soup. Other chapters include Vegetables; Muffins, Biscuits, and Scones; Cakes and Cookies; Fruit Desserts; and Ice Cream Desserts and Puddings. There is enough variety in here to round out any meal. Also included are a number of "building block" recipes - basic guidelines for simple recipes that you can easily expand on yourself, such as Scrambled Eggs, Sauteed Chicken Breasts, Grilled Pork Chops, or How to Cook Pasta. These recipes use the techniques that Cook's Illustrated developed through the extensive testing of recipe variations that has made the magazine famous. While experienced cooks may find these superfluous, beginners will appreciate finally learning how to make the "perfect" scrambled eggs or sauteed chicken breast through Cook's detailed, leave-no-stone-unturned directions and recipe notes. I personally enjoy reading the articles accompanying the recipes, although of course these are strictly optional - you can easily jump straight to the recipes if you're in a hurry. The articles describe the process used to arrive at the final recipe, the how and whys, which shortcuts were used, as well as the results of relevant equipment or ingredient tests by the magazine. To date, I have probably made 60 or so recipes from this book, and the vast majority of them have turned out well. I now save my other cookbooks for the weekends, but this is my go-to book for quick and easy, tasty weeknight dinners wit

Five of the six recipes I have prepared have been excellent. The one that did not work may have been because I use bleached rather than the unbleached flour called for. Five good meals out of six is a far better track record than I have ever had before. I am a novice who sees value in having home-cooked meals. This is not easy since I work full time and have to travel at times. I find this book very easy to use - can find recipes that are appealing, use a reasonable number of ingredients, and have a prep time of less than an hour - half of which is usually baking time. The one complication with the recipes is that they sometimes call for ingredients not readily available standard grocery stores, such as red lentils or garam masala. This problem can be addressed if you have ready access to a large health or specialty food store. I feel confident that my time will be well spent and that meals will be enjoyable when I use this book.

We've had this cookbook for about one month and have made 21 recipes (several twice) already and look forward to making more. We have 17 cookbooks -- which hardly qualify us as devotee chefs -- but this is the one we reach for most often. Most of the dishes we've made come close to an hour to prepare and cook, which undoubtedly will make the term "Quick Recipes" debatable to some. But if you start with good ingredients that are well laid out and are fairly adept at chopping and slicing (which we are not) you should at least come close to the times listed for making each dish (it takes us about 15% - 20% longer than expected). Nevertheless, for the time-challenged, these recipes are certainly quicker than many we've used from our other cookbooks. And if your guest's reactions are as favorable as ours, it's well worth the time. Most of the recipes are fairly simple in structure but surprisingly tasty. Certainly for those new to the kitchen, serious consideration should be given to this cookbook. Explanations of why each recipe was formulated the way it was are interesting and may help some to avoid possible less-tasty or more time-consuming substitutions.