The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh by Barbara Fairchild
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Book Reviews of The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh
Book Review: A Year's Worth of Cooking
Summary: 5 Stars
In this collection, Bon Appetit magazine has taken over 1,000 recipes from their monthly Fast Easy Fresh column, and the selection is amazingly broad. Seventeen chapters of types of foods or meals (Chilies, Stews, and Soups, Salads, Salmon and More Fish, Frozen Desserts, etc) are well organized, often with two recipes to the page. Most have less than ten ingredients (that would be the Easy), very short and easy to follow instructions (that would be the Fast) and concentrate on usually easy to find seasonal ingredients (the Fresh). There are some recipes that call for specialty ingredients, but Fairchild gives tips on where to find them, or substitutions if you cannot. The opening chapter is a shopping guide for when and how to find the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats. With the multitude of options, it should be easy for almost anyone to find a dish that will be easy to make, a pleasure to eat, and healthy for you.
The only downside to the book is that the pictures of finished dishes are inserted in sections throughout the book, and not next to the recipes. But with the number of recipes provided it probably would have moved the cost of this book from affordable to high-end. In addition, the book comes with a free one-year subscription to Bon Appetit magazine (normally about $12-15) thus reducing the cost of the book to $20-22. The coupon runs out January 31, 2009, so hurry up if you want to take advantage of the offer.
Book Review: 1100 recipes, a 4.9 pound kitchen barbell, and a bargain price -- what's not to like?
Summary: 5 Stars
The categories are vast, the suggestions enormous --- pizza for days, soups for years, salads for decades, burgers and dips for eons. Most have fewer than a dozen ingredients, and although the recipes have an international flair, few call for trips to specialty markets. Preparation times aren't offered, but nothing I saw looked as if it would take more than half an hour of preparation.
There are smart suggestions along the way. Grate garlic or ginger into your vinaigrette dressing; for a new sensation, warm your salsa in the microwave. And, happily, the editors have not been locked in test kitchens with no input from the world; among their many smart suggestions is to avoid buying out-of-season produce. It may taste fine, but it's traveled so far that its carbon footprint should make you gag.
I was particularly impressed by the All-American recipes --- there's a lot of comfort food here to help you through the slog of weeknight dinners. For example: a recipe for iceberg lettuce wedges, topped with warm bacon and blue cheese. And chili that cries out for a mug of beer.
Book Review: A really great book for (healthy - ugh) and tasty (!!) weeknight meals
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really great book for anyone who wants a good tasting, not-prepackaged, relatively healthy meal - FAST. I've made quite a few of these dishes and they are really wonderful. Even my children (6 and 8) enjoy them and can help prepare the meals. Nearly every recipe can be made in less than 30-45 minutes. Those that take longer do so only because they need to be baked. The book reads to me like how I imagine actual chefs cook for themselves at home. Quick, fresh, tasty food in innovative combinations. The ingredients aren't obscure and often utilize time-saving ingredients like store roasted chicken and boneless/skinless chicken strips. I really enjoy and use this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.Book Review: I own 2 cookbooks. This is one of them
Summary: 5 Stars
Pretty much the best collection of recipes I've seen that don't take more than an hour.
I use this book for inspiration, and usually change the recipes to my liking, however, I have tried to cook many things straight out of the book and they actually come out GOOD!! Most times you need to tweak something in the original recipe to make it taste truly good, but this book, you can just cook as it's written and it will be delish.
Caution: this is not a book for the novice. My boyfriend looked inside this book and didn't know half the ingredients, let alone know what "sauteing" is. I have been cooking since 12yrs old, and I find this a perfect addition to my kitchen.
A must buy, in my opinion.
Book Review: My new favorite cookbook!!
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful book! I've had this cookbook for just about a week now and everything I've made so far has been *wonderful*! And, just as billed, they have been both fast and easy as well. Habit has me starting dinner ~4-4:30pm, but with this cookbook I can actually wait another half hour to an hour - till 4:30-5, without issue. Last night I made Wasabi Crusted Chicken Breasts which were great. Most impressively though, is that I have yet to come across an ingredient that I either don't have or don't know where to get it from, which has been a frequent problem in many other cookbooks I've tried - recipes that sound delicious, but are impossible to make due to unfindable ingredients!!