Your Favorite simple or quick recipe cookbooks

DanM · September 15, 2009

I used to scoff at books that are filled with recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less... Quite often they are filled dummed down versions of more complicated recipes. Ok, I still scoff at a quite a few of them (coff.. Rachel Ray coff...) but I have recently purchased Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday and Jaques Pepin's Fast Food My Way and found them quite facinating. I was wondering what other books people like in this genre that I should consider.

Thanks!

Dan

Chris Amirault · September 15, 2009

As I mention over here, I learned a lot by cooking through Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet in college. Didn't master the classic sauces, but my index finger knows what done is for a wide variety of proteins thanks to Pierre.

Richard Kilgore · September 15, 2009

Me too, Chris. And Franey had a follow up book called something like "More 60 Minute Gourmet" that I also found useful.

**JAZ** · September 16, 2009

I recommend Fresh & Fast by Marie Simmons (on Amazon, you can check out the contents of the book). The recipes are mostly Mediterranean-inspired and range from 15 minutes to 60 minutes start to finish (there are a few recipes that take longer, but they're clearly marked). Simmons was a recipe developer for several magazines, so her recipes are clearly written and they work. You can also rely on the times she gives for prep, which isn't always the case with books like this.

fooey · September 16, 2009

Edouard de Pomiane's French Cooking in Ten Minutes: Adapting to the Rhythm of Modern Life, modern being 1930, but the concepts work to this day.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Simple Cuisine. His recipe for Shrimp in Spicy Carrot Juice (p. 11) is really great!

Edited September 16, 2009 by fooey (log)

Jaymes · September 16, 2009

Seems to me we had a similar thread a while back, and a lot of folks mentioned Donna Hay. I don't personally have any of her books, but she seemed much loved by many.

Darienne · September 16, 2009

This one is fun :rolleyes: : Lauren Chattman, Instant Gratification. Another one of those little treasures which need no justification because they were purchased in a second hand store.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Darienne (log)

Rover · September 16, 2009

Simple Food by Jill Dupleix and also her Very Simple Food. Imaginative approach, simple techniques and a no fuss approach to very tasty food. I met her when she did a demo and book-signing and was impressed by her friendly, easy-going style. I've been using many of her ideas in my repertoire.

Rover

mbhank · September 16, 2009

Guiliano Hazan's "Thirty Minute Pasta" was just published and I saw quite a few recipes I want to try.

Williams-Sonoma put out a series of cookbooks called "Food Made Fast" I have the ones named "Weeknight" and "Slow Cooker," although "Food Made Fast Slow Cooker" seems like an oxymoron.

Hugh Carpenter and Teri Sandison's "Fast Entrees" is excellent as is anything that Hugh Carpenter writes.

fooey · September 16, 2009

Williams-Sonoma put out a series of cookbooks called "Food Made Fast" I have the ones named "Weeknight" and "Slow Cooker," although "Food Made Fast Slow Cooker" seems like an oxymoron.

I agree, you have to be careful with some of these books. You think from their titles that "fast" means from groceries to dinner in 30 minutes, but it's usually fast prep, but slooooooow cooking. Or, perhaps more specific, fast if you've put the time into acquiring certain ingredients that facilitate a shortcut (ex. buy carrot juice instead of peeling and juicing 10 carrots). Those no-knead bread books, like Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day (or whatever it's called, artisan? feh!), are just as culpable. Even one of the books I posted above (Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Simple Cuisine) is "simple" if you have the juices or infused oils at the ready (or one of those Breville "I-will-juice-even-your-shoes-if-you-dare-put-them-in-this-here-feed-tube" juicers :laugh: ).

Edited September 16, 2009 by fooey (log)

OliverB · September 16, 2009

I don't have any book to add, I find them all to be lacking. Quite some seem to not count the prep time into the cook time it seems. Or maybe they throw everything that needs to be chopped all together in the food processor? Or buy those already chopped and en capsuled in artificial environment chopped things you can sometimes find in the stores?

I leave more elaborate food for when I have time (luckily often) and if it needs to be quick it's some meat, some greens or starch, s&p, lime juice and cilantro, or garlic/onions, things like that. Or a quick pasta. All of which can be done quickly and really does not need a book.

I do like that artisan bread book though, it's not that you make it in 5 min, it takes just very little time to work on the dough (which sits in the fridge for up to two weeks) every day. It is a somewhat misleading title, as you still have to rise it and bake it of course. there's a long thread about that book in the baking section. I don't bake very often, but the outcome so far has been quite good. Like anything you can find in the good bread section in a supermarket here. Not anything like what you find in a real bakery, if you're lucky enough to find one where you live of course.

I will have to check out 60 Minute Gourmet though, it's been mentioned on EG several times.

blue_dolphin · April 15

Resurrecting an old topic as I think there have been a number of books that fit this category and while I also used to scoff at many of them, I’ve found they can be useful for me when I’ve gotten into a cooking funk.
Ali Slagle's 2022 I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) comes to mind. I cooked a ton from it when it was the book of the month in a cookbook group I participate in and I continue to pull it out when I’m looking for ideas for something quick.

The real reason I was looking for a topic about “Easy” cookbooks was to mention Easy Weeknight Dinners by New York Times Cooking and Emily Weinstein (eG-friendly Amazon.com link).

It happens to be the cookbook of the month in my cookbook group and is a compilation of ~ 100 easy recipes from NYT Cooking, all of which can be accessed on line if you subscribe. I’m a subscriber so I didn’t purchase the book but have been cooking along. I've been pleasantly surprised with the results and wanted to mention it. It would be a good option for newer cooks or anyone looking for some low-effort but tasty recipes.
The Amazon preview contains all the intro material, including a “recipe type” listing for those looking for help deciding what to cook and almost all of the chicken recipes.
Here’s a page from that recipe listing, for review purposes: