Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

I love it!

Customer Rating:

This cookbook is fantastic! As many other reviewers have said, the recipes truly are quick, cheap, and easy! It also contains very helpful advice for cooking newbies (like me) along with these great recipes. I have probably made about 15 of the meals in this book so far (with some repeats), and there really hasn't been one disappointment: my roommates and girlfriend like me more than ever. ;-) Well worth $10.

Good Basic Cookbook

Customer Rating:

This is a good cookbook for beginners that has a pretty wide variety of recipies in it. It's got recipies for soups, meat, salads, pastas, desserts and more. Of course, if you're a very picky eater that only eats a few different things that means that many of the recipies will be useless to you, and you'll probably need a more specific cookbook (or more open pallette.) The recipies are generally easy to follow with a good glossary of cooking terms. The only big thing missing is an estimated time for all dishes. There is a symbol that appears if a recipie is "quick" but otherwise without going through and reading every recipie I won't know if it'll take a half hour or an hour and a half. A couple of the recipies didn't turn out very good but some turned out amazing, like the Presto Chicken Pasta, but you can generally look at the ingredients going into a dish and tell whether it's going to be bland or not. I had nearly no cooking experience when I got this book and it's helped me a lot, so I recommend it to anyone in my position, but if you're already a good cook you'll probably find the majority of the recipies exceptionally easy.

Nice Basics

Customer Rating:

This cookbook is perfect for a beginning cook, with either an unsophisticated palate, or a sense of adventure and a decent spice collection. I bought this for my step-daughter, and she was thrilled with the glossary of terms. Most of the dishes do not require a lot of imagination to envision, so the lack of photos is only a minor hardship. The biggest problem I found was, simply, the blandness of the flavors. I have two kids, ages ten and fourteen, and they could tell just by reading some of the recipes that they would have to be doctored, and had several creative suggestions on how to do that. All in all though, a nice jumping off point.

Not just for college students!

Customer Rating:

I usually don't bother writing reviews, because most likely anything I have to say, someone else has already said it. That may be true, but I have to add one more glowing review! I have had this cookbook for a few years now, and it has been my most coveted possession. I have since graduated, but this book comes with me fr every move, and survives every purge session. The recipes ALWAYS turn out, and I love that they have the nutrition information right there, easy to see. The greatest thing, is that no matter how bare my cupboards, I can always find a recipe in here that I can use or easily adapt! Just last night, I had pasta (but no sauce), garlic, canned green beans, tofu and peanut butter. Any yet, I made a complete meal! And it was delicious! I've never been great in the kitchen, but these recipes are easy, quick, cheap and require few ingredients. And, to top it off, they taste great. Yum!

Good Cookbook for the basics

Customer Rating:

This is a great cookbook for college students who need a few basic recipes. Though it would probally be the most benefical for students who live in apartments because several recipes require oven and other cooking aplliances. Define cooking terms, uses of cooking applainces, and herbs that help to add flavor to meals. Have many sections like vegetarian food, deserts, sauces,soups, etc. I have tried a few recipes and they came out pretty good. Easy to follow and helpful. I would recommend it though sdavanced cooks probally already know this stuff, but I found it really helpful.