What to Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House to Eat: More Than 175 Easy Recipes and Meal Ideas

If you could peek into my home and watch me cook, more often than not, "What to Cook" is my main book and Betty Crocker is my reference.I never thought I'd see easier (or more) uses for simple staple items. I like the way the book is organized by main ingredient so I can look in my cupboards and see what I have, then go to the book to get started making something with it.Finally, Arthur has a way of writing that really gets my creative juices flowing--nearly every recipe has suggestions for variations. I've often found myself inventing new dishes almost without trying by using his simple recipes as a starting point and his colorful writing as an inspiration.For example, try starting with his already incredible and easy tomato soup recipe and add a chopped green bell pepper and two or three tablespoons of high quality olive oil... I've served this to guests and they couldn't believe how easy it was to make when I showed them the recipe. Several said it was the best tomato soup they'd ever had.

I bought this book 6 months ago and have used it nearly every day since. Not only is it well-written and neatly organized by ingredient, but it also has a list of how long you can expect various foods to last, concentrating on the ingredients that last the longest (great help in making up the shopping list!). Now I have an idea of how long I have until that bag of carrots or block of cream cheese meets its maker. This is a must have for anyone who picks up fast food for the hundredth time because they don't think there's anything in the house to eat.

Every working class person/student/new parent/dot-commer needs this book. Never has poverty and lack of full cabinets been so fun. I love that this book is indexed and arranged by ingredient. In know that everyone has at least one item sitting in their kitchen that doesn't look enough to eat, let alone something worthy of sitting down and eating.With this book you will be able to create something out of seemingly nothing. This book helps ease the pain of not being able to afford take-out, let alone the drive-thru. It is a wise, wise investment.

This is my all-time favorite cookbook, and the one I turn to most when I'm hungry and too tired to go shopping. Packed with tasty ideas, it has none of the pretentiousness of many cookbooks. No hard-to-find ingredients, no seventeen step menus, no fancy cooking gadgets or expertise required! This book is alphabetized by main ingredient so it is super easy to find something to make from what's already in your cabinets, freezer, or fridge. Also, the author often makes suggestions for variations on his simple recipes. A truly wonderful book! Out of all my cookbooks, this is the only one I truly could not live without!

This truly fabulous, inspiring, book belongs in every kitchen. It should be given to college grads, newlyweds, the newly single, etc. and packaged with every refrigerator and stove sold in America. I personally have given many as gifts, and people are delighted to receive it. They love it even more when they start cooking out of it. Arthur takes humble, lonely ingredients which stare forlornly at you from your shelves, and transforms them EASILY into beautiful, comforting food. Creates instant celebrations in your kitchen. A real primer on the cooking basics, too. When a book takes you from,"there's nothing to eat," to a satisfying, cozy meal, that's pretty wonderful, don't you think?