The Minimalist Cooks Dinner
by Mark Bittman

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Book Reviews of The Minimalist Cooks Dinner

Book Review: Not much work, sophisticated results
Summary: 5 Stars

I have professional culinary training and cook a lot, but even beginners can use Bittman's recipes because they are simple, and he gives very good instructions. Plus, each recipe has an introduction where the author often gives tips, such as why the dish calls for chicken thighs instead of breasts. And at the end, he gives easy suggestions on how to vary the recipe -- like using different flavorings, or substituting shrimp for chicken.

I love the recipes because they pare things to their essentials without making them boring -- even though all the recipes are quick and easy, they include hints of Thailand, India, China, Italy, etc. I had not made much Thai food before because it seemed to require so many unusual ingredients, but a Minimalist recipe demonstrated that only a few key items are needed to create "Thai-type" flavors. With that foundation, I can now explore Thai food on my own.

One review of The Minimalist Cooks at Home complained that the recipes require things you can only buy in NYC. That's not literally true, but Bittman does use ingredients like fish sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sesame oil (not in the same recipe!). If you've never used such things before, the Minimalist recipes show you how without spending hours on a complicated dish.

The difference between this book and Minimalist at Home? at Home focuses mostly on entrees, with a few vegetable and dessert recipes. Cooks Dinner also focuses on entrees, but then has a back section of starters and side dishes. For each Cooks Dinner entree, Bittman suggests which side dishes would go well with it and recommends a wine. The recipes in the two books don't overlap.

Summary of The Minimalist Cooks Dinner

With less introductory text but more side notes than Bittman's previous cookbooks (The Minimalist Cooks at Home and the new classic, How to Cook Everything), The Minimalist Cooks Dinner commences with a section of 12 soups and stews--ranging from a truly spare miso soup to the richer Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Ham and Watercress--and then covers pasta, pizza, entrées (with shellfish, fish, poultry, or meat), salads, and starchy sides. Easy dishes such as Steak with Chimichurri Sauce (simply parsley, raw garlic, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and olive oil), Fish Simmered in Spicy Soy Sauce (soy, sugar, scallions, and chile), or Scallops with Almonds (cayenne, almonds, white wine, and butter) are startlingly delicious, especially considering they take at most 30 minutes to prepare. But perhaps this cookbook's best asset, particularly for less-experienced cooks, are the crucial "Keys to Success" and the improvisational "With Minimal Effort" side bars, which respectively offer additional instruction and suggestions for quick ways to enhance the original dish. While not as comprehensive as Bittman's bestselling How to Cook Everything or The Minimalist Cooks at Home, this is an expertly refined collection that presents perfect, almost effortless meals for every night of the week. --Rebecca Wright

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