Customer Reviews

Cooking to Hook Up: The Bachelor's Date-Night Cookbook (Cookbooks)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is truly one of the great cookbooks I have seen, not merely because the recipes are phenomenal. The matches to the date type are as accurate as they are hysterical. Having made several of the dishes in here, I can tell you that the recipes are not super complicated or missing steps/ingrediesnts (a la Marth Stewart). I hope to hell they do a series of these of these cookbooks.

The publicity for this book quickly intones the phrase "It's A Fact: Cooking is dead sexy." And the whole idea of this cooking guide is how to use food to land that dream lady.

Authors Michaels and Campbell, formerly husband and wife, decided after being married for a few years that they worked better as a couple of friends rather than being married. So they divorced and wrote what is essentially a workbook for the dating scene.

The book is divided into three distinct sections: Preparing to cook for a date, what to cook for a variety of "girls" (the girl next door, the party girl, the gourmet girl, etc), and finally, what to cook for breakfast should the male this book is aimed at "get lucky" (their words, not mine).

Each of the Girl sections gives an overview of the type of girl being talked about, followed by several recipes for the perfect date, and a chronology of what needs to be done when, from shopping to preparation to cooking. It also offers up suggestions on what to have lying around on the coffee table, what kind of drinks to serve, and so forth.

Most of all, it is the wit and whimsy that is woven throughout the book that makes it special. Although it IS a serious guide for the hapless male in the dating pool, the humor in each chapter is evident, and the tone throughout the book is somewhat tongue in cheek.

Still, the recipes are worth having for the most part, and the other tips help you along in your quest to land the perfect "girl". Clearly, author Campbell probably didn't follow his own advice; if he did, he and Michaels would probably still be married. But it's a fun romp and a decidedly different way to approach having fun and success while cooking, and would make an amusing and fun addition to any cookbook library.

Here's a not-so-secret secret: men are linear. We think in terms of how to get from point A to point Z. Having a cookbook that keeps both the ingredients and process simple and by the numbers *plus* helps you select a meal and ambience specific to the kind of girl your dating? Bliss. This is *the* cookbook for men, and not just for guys who are dating. Married men, here's a thought: surprise and spoil your wives with a fantastic meal. The recipes are easy to follow, and even the klutziest of guys should be able to pull them off.

I ordered this book out of curiosity and was very pleasantly surprised when it arrived. With concise informative chapters on wine selection, etc. it would make an ideal gift for any young person moving into their own digs for the first time, or a great gift for any bachelor. Handsomely designed and bound, it is well worth the price.

I stumbled across this book at Barnes and Noble while looking for something else. I didn't realize that two hours had passed and that I had read through half the book standing up until my back started killing me. I lost all sense of what was going on around me. This is an amazing book, not just for the descriptive details of characters while writing a novel, which I am doing. And that is the REAL reason I would purchase this book for all of my family and friends. This book is great not just for characterization of the different kinds of women, but for the recipes as well.

I don't need to have many books. I read them while I'm there. I want this book. I must have this book. I read the whole book already, and I must have this book for reference. I have yet to read a book as hilarious, as accurately descriptive of the potential pitfalls, and as applicable to the mind-numbing dilemma of preparing a meal for a potential love interest that you don't know that well, yet.

I couldn't stop laughing when I got to the "Gourmet Girl" description. The authors DEFINITELY know what they are talking about. The only guys who have ever impressed me with their culinary skills were the chefs at Le Cordon Bleu and the guys I competed next to at the culinary competition.

P.S. Guys, after reading this book, if you happen to be in love with a Gourmet Girl, you may now be justifiably terrified at how slim your chances are to impress her with dinner. Do exactly as the authors instruct you to do, and make reservations for an expensive (and preferably Michelin starred) restaurant. It would be even better for you if you could take her to Lucas Carton or La Tour D'Argent. Yes, they are located in Paris. Yes, she is expensive to impress. Take her to a vineyard, study up on wines, talk to her about them. Make these things happen, and she'll be yours forever. I promise. AFTER you have done that, buy yourself a copy of Larousse Gastronomique, and the Oxford Companion to Food. Being able to quote things from the Oxford Companion to Wine will also amaze her. The fact that you went to so much trouble to impress her will ALSO impress her.

If you're short on cash, and still want to impress your Gourmet Girl, grab Dornenburg and Page's Culinary Artistry, which will help you to score major points.

(Incidentally, the description of the Gourmet Guy at the end of the chapter had me hoping that he'd be listed in the section under resources. I want to meet that man with the edible landscaping!)

I just hope they write a sequel (Cooking to Hook Up for Ladies) because I thoroughly enjoyed this!

I just recently purchased this book as a gift for my younger brother who is with a very bad-for-him type girl. Anyways, this is an excellent book for anyone who does not want to come across as a retard and instead would like to show confidence and ease in a wonderful night out. As I told my brother, this book is yours, but I reserve the right to steal it back from time time.

Each little chapter covers an entire date from beginning to end, including an easy meal to impress her, and sure to inform you on what is important, and helping you get those all so important little details just right. Very easy to read, doesn't drag on, and provides just enough info to have a great night without so much to think your learning something. Like it or not, you do (learn something).

Excellent.