Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Hachette Books (2011), Edition: First Edition, 288 pages
Description
This book is not about compromising on quality. It's about being organized, working fast, and using shortcuts and clever tricks to put insanely delicious plates of food on the table in no time. Each of the 50 meals inside has been carefully written so there's no messing about, just good, fast cooking.
User reviews
LibraryThing member rory1000
Not once have I managed to get one of these completed in less than hour.
Taste nice though.
Taste nice though.
LibraryThing member brigitte64
I have almost all of J. Olivers cookbooks and I use them a lot, but this one is different.
He uses a lot of words that I never heard of like dauphinose or affogato or rocket or passata. o.k. I can look this up and learn something.
When I follow his recipe (it`s always a vegetable, meat, oup or salat
He uses a couple of good tricks and a microwave ( which I don`t like and use-but it works also without it) which makes cooking faster.
I woud not recomend this book for a starter cook.
He uses a lot of words that I never heard of like dauphinose or affogato or rocket or passata. o.k. I can look this up and learn something.
When I follow his recipe (it`s always a vegetable, meat, oup or salat
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and dessert -done in 30 minutes!) I feel like I run a marathon , but ! it works, in a short time I managed to bring a whole yummi Meal to the table.He uses a couple of good tricks and a microwave ( which I don`t like and use-but it works also without it) which makes cooking faster.
I woud not recomend this book for a starter cook.
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LibraryThing member wulf
I haven't yet tried any of the recipes (although ingredients are in place to give one of them a shot tonight). However, beyond the introduction, where Jamie's familiar enthusiasm bubbles through, it is just a large collection of carefully staged plans to give quick meals. I would rather have had
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fewer recipes and more space to explain the how and why of each one. You get that on the TV series and, for the time being, I can find it online but I want a cookbook that will be inspiring even when video explanations are no longer available. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carrie.deSilva
I've spoken to those who can't stand this book but I love it. Whether one finishes the meal in precisely 30 minutes is, frankly, not the point. The beauty of it is that there is a whole meal, with side dishes, maybe a pudding or drink or other extras and the method takes you through the whole
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process in more or less real time (maybe a bit fast for those of us with less than professional knife skills), not dish by dish, so it will have you peel potatoes, then puree strawberries for pudding, or whatever. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fliss88
As to be expected from Jamie Oliver, another fabulous book, full of wonderful photography and recipes that are easy to follow and of the type that you would cook many times over. I like the way this guy works in the kitchen!
LibraryThing member libraian
Well, I was just going to post a few words on this, but I might as well review it, though I've by no means read the whole book.
The tradition for librarians resigning (for whatever reason) from the club library where I've been volunteering is that they are presented with a book. Now that we've been
So, having recently received this book, I've only tried a couple of the recipes. I like the way it's presented; a whole meal (main and sides), sometimes with a dessert and/ or a drink with the cooking plan all worked out and given in stages. There is one page with the title with a photo on the facing page of what the completed meal (is supposed to) looks like, then over the page, the ingredients and then a step by step method with several dishes on the go at the same time with snapshots of the work in progress on the page facing that. Occasionally there may be a camera icon, which indicates that there is a video online of that particular stage - such as deboning and stuffing a chicken breast). I also like equipment list at the beginning of the book, which runs from food processor and recommended attachments through size and types of pans to whisks and knives.
So far, so good. Now - having furnished myself with the necessary additional equipment - for the actual cooking. I'm a decent enough cook, but I am a slow, methodical one and I have a need to constantly check back to the recipe - not a good idea when you have several things on the fire at the same time. The first thing Jamie says at the beginning of each recipe, after the ingredients, is 'Get all your ingredients and equipment ready'. (I do tend to pull things out as I go along, but I resolved this by highlighting the equipment in the recipe and having most of it ready to hand.) For someone who is used to having several pans on the fire, this would probably be an easy book to cook from, but both days (so far) have taken me an hour and a half, give or take. Admittedly, I usually tend to bake or do one pot dishes like bolognaise so this is a new technique for me. I've tried the Stuffed Cypriot Chicken and the Roast Beef (which is actually pan-fried to get it onto the table in 30 minutes ... or so.)
However, I'm not put off and I intend to make more meals from this book. Once I eventually got them to table, the meals were delicious (my 13 year old son loves them though my more picky 8 year old needs a bit of persuasion still; his more refined cuisine tends to run to PB&J) with no major disasters, though there were a couple of things that I thought 'Oh - I should have done it like that. Next time'.
A good book, though probably not recommended for a beginner cook (definitely not if they expect to have the food on the table in 30 minutes). I think - at least for now - I'll give it 4 stars.
The tradition for librarians resigning (for whatever reason) from the club library where I've been volunteering is that they are presented with a book. Now that we've been
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forced to close the library, this was on the list of books I chose when our convenor kindly asked what I wanted. I like Oliver's casual style (though it's completely opposite to mine) and his principles of trying to put healthy meals on school canteen tables and trying to convince us to cook at home rather than ordering out or buying TV dinners. So, having recently received this book, I've only tried a couple of the recipes. I like the way it's presented; a whole meal (main and sides), sometimes with a dessert and/ or a drink with the cooking plan all worked out and given in stages. There is one page with the title with a photo on the facing page of what the completed meal (is supposed to) looks like, then over the page, the ingredients and then a step by step method with several dishes on the go at the same time with snapshots of the work in progress on the page facing that. Occasionally there may be a camera icon, which indicates that there is a video online of that particular stage - such as deboning and stuffing a chicken breast). I also like equipment list at the beginning of the book, which runs from food processor and recommended attachments through size and types of pans to whisks and knives.
So far, so good. Now - having furnished myself with the necessary additional equipment - for the actual cooking. I'm a decent enough cook, but I am a slow, methodical one and I have a need to constantly check back to the recipe - not a good idea when you have several things on the fire at the same time. The first thing Jamie says at the beginning of each recipe, after the ingredients, is 'Get all your ingredients and equipment ready'. (I do tend to pull things out as I go along, but I resolved this by highlighting the equipment in the recipe and having most of it ready to hand.) For someone who is used to having several pans on the fire, this would probably be an easy book to cook from, but both days (so far) have taken me an hour and a half, give or take. Admittedly, I usually tend to bake or do one pot dishes like bolognaise so this is a new technique for me. I've tried the Stuffed Cypriot Chicken and the Roast Beef (which is actually pan-fried to get it onto the table in 30 minutes ... or so.)
However, I'm not put off and I intend to make more meals from this book. Once I eventually got them to table, the meals were delicious (my 13 year old son loves them though my more picky 8 year old needs a bit of persuasion still; his more refined cuisine tends to run to PB&J) with no major disasters, though there were a couple of things that I thought 'Oh - I should have done it like that. Next time'.
A good book, though probably not recommended for a beginner cook (definitely not if they expect to have the food on the table in 30 minutes). I think - at least for now - I'll give it 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member OptimisticCautiously
While Jamie Oliver always has a certain appeal, this cookbook has so many problems for the average home cook. Initially, this premise is really great: everything is grouped into meals (usually an entree and either two accompaniments or a salad and a dessert) and the instructions are written to have
If you are part of a foodie couple, or a family open to all foods with no health concerns, it would work fine. If you are like most families, dinner hosts, etc. you are contending with special diets, picky eaters and other issues. It is very hard to go through and mark which ones can be cooked, as is. It is also very difficult to extract one aspect of a meal you want to try and mix with something else. It can be done, but even Oliver says it is best to make the meal at least once before trying to extract elements.
I don't want to poo-poo cookbooks that have planned meals, as life is tough, time is finite and we all need a little help. They make a great addition to any cookbook collection. However, they have to be part of a collection; this cannot be your everyday, go-to cookbook. It is equally drool-worthy to all his other books (Bloody Mary Mussels. Genius!) and, with some misé-en-place, the recipes can be made fairly easily (the instructions have his usual clarity). If you are trying to master cooking an entire meal with different dishes simultaneously, this is a good practice book to work through. I just do not see this as a cookbook you will be using daily.
Note: I don't know about different editions, but mine has American references, American terms and Imperial measurements.
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you cooking all components simultaneously. Everything is thought out and planned for you! Awesome, right?If you are part of a foodie couple, or a family open to all foods with no health concerns, it would work fine. If you are like most families, dinner hosts, etc. you are contending with special diets, picky eaters and other issues. It is very hard to go through and mark which ones can be cooked, as is. It is also very difficult to extract one aspect of a meal you want to try and mix with something else. It can be done, but even Oliver says it is best to make the meal at least once before trying to extract elements.
I don't want to poo-poo cookbooks that have planned meals, as life is tough, time is finite and we all need a little help. They make a great addition to any cookbook collection. However, they have to be part of a collection; this cannot be your everyday, go-to cookbook. It is equally drool-worthy to all his other books (Bloody Mary Mussels. Genius!) and, with some misé-en-place, the recipes can be made fairly easily (the instructions have his usual clarity). If you are trying to master cooking an entire meal with different dishes simultaneously, this is a good practice book to work through. I just do not see this as a cookbook you will be using daily.
Note: I don't know about different editions, but mine has American references, American terms and Imperial measurements.
Show Less
LibraryThing member OptimisticCautiously
While Jamie Oliver always has a certain appeal, this cookbook has so many problems for the average home cook. Initially, this premise is really great: everything is grouped into meals (usually an entree and either two accompaniments or a salad and a dessert) and the instructions are written to have
If you are part of a foodie couple, or a family open to all foods with no health concerns, it would work fine. If you are like most families, dinner hosts, etc. you are contending with special diets, picky eaters and other issues. It is very hard to go through and mark which ones can be cooked, as is. It is also very difficult to extract one aspect of a meal you want to try and mix with something else. It can be done, but even Oliver says it is best to make the meal at least once before trying to extract elements.
I don't want to poo-poo cookbooks that have planned meals, as life is tough, time is finite and we all need a little help. They make a great addition to any cookbook collection. However, they have to be part of a collection; this cannot be your everyday, go-to cookbook. It is equally drool-worthy to all his other books (Bloody Mary Mussels. Genius!) and, with some misé-en-place, the recipes can be made fairly easily (the instructions have his usual clarity). If you are trying to master cooking an entire meal with different dishes simultaneously, this is a good practice book to work through. I just do not see this as a cookbook you will be using daily.
Note: I don't know about different editions, but mine has American references, American terms and Imperial measurements.
Show More
you cooking all components simultaneously. Everything is thought out and planned for you! Awesome, right?If you are part of a foodie couple, or a family open to all foods with no health concerns, it would work fine. If you are like most families, dinner hosts, etc. you are contending with special diets, picky eaters and other issues. It is very hard to go through and mark which ones can be cooked, as is. It is also very difficult to extract one aspect of a meal you want to try and mix with something else. It can be done, but even Oliver says it is best to make the meal at least once before trying to extract elements.
I don't want to poo-poo cookbooks that have planned meals, as life is tough, time is finite and we all need a little help. They make a great addition to any cookbook collection. However, they have to be part of a collection; this cannot be your everyday, go-to cookbook. It is equally drool-worthy to all his other books (Bloody Mary Mussels. Genius!) and, with some misé-en-place, the recipes can be made fairly easily (the instructions have his usual clarity). If you are trying to master cooking an entire meal with different dishes simultaneously, this is a good practice book to work through. I just do not see this as a cookbook you will be using daily.
Note: I don't know about different editions, but mine has American references, American terms and Imperial measurements.
Show Less
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
288 p.; 7.75 inches
ISBN
1401324428 / 9781401324421