The 30-minute Cook

This is the book for anyone who needs/wants a meal in a hurry.The idea is not to follow the recipies slavishly, but cook to your taste.Most dishes can be made @ 30 -35 minutes, which can be cut down if you follow the suggestions for storecupboard items.Also, note that there are no suggestions for frozen mashed potato, or any other supermarket brand ready "food",all are made using fresh ingredients.

Quick and Easy (1/1 people found this helpful)

Unlike one of the previous reviewers I haven't found any recipe in this book that takes more than 30 minutes, and I wouldn't say I was an especially acomplished cook.

This is a great book for working people. Most of the stuff you'll have in your cupboard and all most of the recipes need are the addition of a handful of fresh ingredients. Nigel Slater has an easy no-nonsense style and, apart from a few typos, the recipes are all easier to follow and give better results than Nigella or Delia.

Great to inspire when there's not much in to cook with (5/5 people found this helpful)

I loved this book. I had one of his other books, Real Fast Food and loved his writing style and you get a keen idea of his likes and dislikes. The recipes are simply written (I hate having to trawl through loads of text just to get to the point) and they work. Whilst I think his storecupboard ingredients are quite adventurous for most people (bearing in mind it was first published in 1996) these days it isn't too difficult to get them. I personally dislike spending hours in the kitchen only for the food to be wolfed down in less than 10 minutes, so if you are like me you will love this book.

Generally very good, with some reservations (35/40 people found this helpful)

This is the first cooking book I've owned, purchased partly on the strength of the reviews, and partly due to its beginner-friendly promise (being a High Geek, but bored with pasta). I've had the book now for 6 months, and have tried a variety of the recipes.

The bad news: first, if you are like me, you'll find that most of the interesting dishes take more than thirty minutes: the basic ones clock in at around 30, whereas the more complex ones take up to one hour. Second, the editing can sometimes be a bit sloppy: the Chick-Peas with Aubergine and Spinach does not tell you what to do with the aubergines once you've fried them (there is a separate sauce, but should the aubergines be cooked with the sauce, or added at the end?); and the Red Lentils with Tumeric and Mustard Seeds seems to propose an inadequate cooking time and insufficient water. Third, not all the recipes work well: the Quick and Creamy Chicken Curry is fiddly and complicated for a rather uninteresting final result; the Pappardelle and Mozzarella uses ingredients that do not mix well with the pasta, but accumulate in lumps below it (even when served on a plate!); and the Spiced Mushrooms are a bit dull if meant as a main dish (and, given the audience, too much effort to prepare as a side dish). Finally, the recipes for liver and kidneys seem a bit of an indulgence by the author, since they are hard to cook well, and not to most peoples' taste.

The good news: this is a four star review, so my experience with the book is largely positive. There are some excellent dishes that are genuinely easy to prepare (I'll single out the Kormas, although they both take easily an hour to make; the Quick Lamb Curry; the fantastic Coconut and Coriander chicken; and the Crisp Spiced Grilled Chicken). The chick pea recipes are also delicious and filling vegetarian dishes, and have become my pasta replacement when I want something quick and energy-intensive. In general, Slater's approach seems to be to use interesting ingredients to achieve the required flavour, rather than difficult techniques, and for the most part he is successful.

Excellent A+ (30/30 people found this helpful)

I bought the book with the strength of review. I had never heard of Nigel Slater (sorry Nigel) but now people will hear this name! The recipes are absolutely fabulous. If you are looking for an easy to prepare, no-nonsense book, this is it. The end result is very professional tasting dish. I am very impressed and buying all of Nigel's books. I cannot say enough about his writing. And I am reading a cookbook and I would laugh out loud, getting weird looks from my husband. Buy and read to find out.

Nigel Slater

Reader Reviews:

Never Mind Delia's How to cheat, this is THE book for quick nutritious meals (0/0 people found this helpful)

Quick and Easy (1/1 people found this helpful)

Great to inspire when there's not much in to cook with (5/5 people found this helpful)

Generally very good, with some reservations (35/40 people found this helpful)

Excellent A+ (30/30 people found this helpful)

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