Customer Reviews

Bon Appetit 30-Minute Main Courses: Over 200 Simple and Sophisticated Recipes

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like this cookbook for a number of reasons: the recipes truly take 30 minutes or less TOTAL to prepare (prep and cooking), they use a combination of convenience foods as well as fresh ingredients, and the recipes all make 2 or 4 servings, which shows they were created as entrees for every night, rather than for guests. That said, I have served many of these recipes for guests and they have declared them "gourmet meals".

The recipes can usually be doubled, and I've found it fairly easy to cut a "serves 4" recipe in 1/2. In fact, because the recipes are quick to prepare, I often make 1/2 of a "serves 4" recipe twice in one week rather than prepare the whole recipe once and reheating it on another night.

I borrowed this book from my sister. We both love to cook and agree that this is a must. Not only are the recipes delicious, but the pictures are most tantalizing. How many times have you decided to eat at home, but you really want to eat within the next hour? This is what you need! The ingredients are basic, and of course you can always substitute in a pinch - but this cookbook will inspire you. I usually play with recipes, but these I want to try true the first time through.

This is a great resource for cooks on a tight schedule. The book offers a nice variety of entrees, including a number of excellent vegetarian dishes, and I really appreciate the side dish and dessert suggestions. This is a useful, unique cookbook that would make an appetizing addition to anyone's collection.

Everyone has cookbooks on their shelves that have maybe 1 or 2 recipes that they use in the entire book. Well, this one breaks that rule. So far, I've made about a dozen recipes. Each recipe I've made has ranged from "good" to "wonderful". Nothing is average - and they all really do take 30 minutes to make! The best part is, there are some really great recipes that I've used for entertaining guests. And they all thought that they were such extravagant meals. Ha.

Simple and delicious recipes. Each recipe includes helpful suggestions for throwing together a full meal in no time at all. Lots of pictures too.

This cookbook doesn't just sit on the shelf. We use it all the time, and many of the recipes have become family staples.

Great cookbook, and simple recipes. Variety of recipes that appeal to everyone's tastes. Perfect gift for anyone who likes to cook and those that don't.

This is a fantastic, handy cookbook, perfect for a home cook who is trying to break out of a recipe rut. It also would make a great gift for someone graduating college and getting a first apartment, or for someone who is single and maybe getting weary of constant carry-out. The recipes are simple, with basic ingredients, and mostly prepare two servings (although many can be doubled).

The book is all main courses and loosely organized by main ingredient: fish, poultry, meat, meatless, etc. The layout is fantastic, with gorgeous photographs and blurbs with suggested side dishes, wines and desserts. Also, it opens and stays open to your work page, which makes it easy to refer to during cooking. The recipes are interesting, ranging from comfort food like chicken and dumplings to elegant meals to ethnic dishes, and all the ones I've tried have had successful results.

If you're a gourmet cook with unlimited ideas for family meals, then this will not be for you. But if you're a beginner, or someone who likes to prepare fresh meals but sometimes lacks inspiration or time to think about menus, this cookbook will be a welcome addition to your kitchen bookshelf.

I've cooked several pasta and seafood recipes from this book and they are all winners. The recipes all seem well-tested and accurate. Best of all, the book suggests accompanying side dishes and desserts that are well placed.

I recently found this book in a second-hand bookstore. It looked good, was cheap, and I bought it. What a find! My partner and I eat "in" a lot because we live too far from good restaurants, but we like restaurant-quality food every night. So . . . we cook a lot out of "Best of Gourmet" and old Gourmet magazines (before Ruth Reichl destroyed the magazine), Pierre Franey's 60-Minute Gourmet books, and a few French cookbooks that have proved themselves. Bon Appetit has generally been a less reliable source, but not so this book.

The recipes are for "main courses", but there is a sidebar with each recipe with suggestions for sides, some appetizers, and desserts. The book has many, many photos, which often include the suggested starch and/or vegetable side dish. These features make this a "no-brainer" book to use on evenings when the brain cells have already been fried at the office. In addition, for the relative novice cook, there is lots of very good, basic advice throughout, for example, an introduction that includes a very good list of pantry, basic produce, condiments, and frozen food staples, and each recipe section begins with advice on quick cooking methods, approximate cooking times, and some nutritional information.

More importantly, all the recipes we have tried so far have been excellent. We eat a lot of fish, so we have tried almost all of the fish and shellfish recipes. The salmon and avocado scalloppine (page 102), featuring a lime-cilantro dressing, is excellent! It's light, refreshing, quick and easy to prepare, and different from any of the hundreds of salmon recipes we've made over the years. Halibut Provencale (page 91) is also very good.

Another out-of-the-ordinary recipe that is really great is the Texas Beef Tacos (age 129). This is definitely a tasty meal not to be missed!

This book is divided into six sections: Introduction, Pasta & Pizza, Poultry, Seafood, the red meats, and Meatless. There is great variety in the main and supporting ingredients, cooking methods, ethnic origins, flavors, and garnishes. More than half of the recipes are portioned for two, which is perfect for us "empty nesters" as well as for other two-person households. There are also a few recipes in each section calling for "cooked" this or that, i.e., left-over meats and fish. My main criticism is that the poultry section calls for a lot of boneless chicken breasts, which tend to dry out easily and are not nearly as flavorful as thighs, wings and legs. I have no complaints about the "convenience foods" that are listed throughout, as they are limited to quality items like jarred roasted red peppers, low-salt chicken broth, and tomato sauce (which of course can be canned or not).

In conclusion, I heartily recommend this book for quick-and-easy week-night cooking. It is head and shoulders above Rachael Ray!

This book is perfect for couples; many recipes make just two servings, everything I've made was very tasty, yet nothing required a whole lot of work. The suggested side dishes have been excellent with the entrees, as well. These recipes are especially welcome when I've had a hard day at work, because I can create a delicious dinner in a short time and then have the rest of my evening free. Many thanks for such a great cookbook--it's worth every peny!