The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ted Allen, the food-and-wine expert from Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, has written a cookbook for those seeking a solid dish repertoire for everyday cooking and entertaining alike. The Food You Want to Eat offers 100 recipes for the likes of Old School Caesar Salad; Crispy Oven-Fried Crabcakes; Paella with Seafood, Chicken and Chorizo; and Mustardy Barbecued Spareribs. These favorites that live up to the book's title, but Allen also provides some repertoire-stretching dishes like Pan-Roasted Salmon with Tomato Vinaigrette and Thai Green Chicken Curry with Vegetables. In his role as cooking tutor, and in asides like The Essentials of Steak, Allen also helps readers to understand how dishes work, and therefore how to cook more easily. A whole chapter that imparts cookout smarts, plus a short selection of easy-to-do meal-finales, which includes Chocolate-Glazed Almond Butter Cake, Warm Spiced Apple Tart, and New Age Floats, round out this useful, photo-illustrated collection. --Arthur Boehm

From Booklist

Best known for his role as the food guru on cable TV's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, -Allen takes the full spotlight in this book, which takes cooks and eaters back to the days before counting calories, carbohydrates, and cholesterol became a national obsession. Allen chats amiably about food and techniques, occasionally making wry asides, as he does about "the politics of poultry production": "I like to joke that I'll only eat chickens that are organically farmed by differently abled Unitarian lesbians of color." His recipes are for comfort foods and old favorites, many updated with a modern twist: spinach salad with bacon and figs. Solid sections on salads, pastas, meat, poultry, and seafood are included, as is a chapter, "Happy Hour," covering both food and cocktails. The dessert section is rather disappointing, but Allen makes up for it by suggesting a wine for each dish. Photos of Allen, often hands deep in the ingredients, are scattered throughout the book. He's obviously having fun, and wishes the same for his reader-cooks. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400080908
• ISBN-13: 978-1400080908
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast and easy food that's delicious--and that looks cool, too, November 7, 2005

By	Brian Anderson "Brian" (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

I'm kinda new at cooking, and I don't have a lot of time to do it, so I really appreciate cookbooks with recipes that aren't too difficult. At the same time, especially when I'm having friends (or dates!) to dinner, I want to serve food that's interesting and real--the microwave is fine, but not for company! I've tried the prime rib, one of the pizzas, the salmon with tomato vinaigrette, and the creme brulee so far, and everything has come out AMAZING!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple and Delicious, October 19, 2005

By	Kelli Bornhorst "Kelli" (Temperance, MI) - See all my reviews

With 3 small children it is often hard to find simple yet delicious meals to cook that satisfy everyone. This book offers both easy and delicious meals to choose from. I would recommend it to everyone of all ages.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm proud to have this book on my shelf and use it, January 1, 2007

By	Bob Older (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Designed to be `Smart, cool, easy food' recipes.

I had the privilege of meeting this author during a special dinner at the Joseph Ambler Inn in Pennsylvania. Besides being a very down-to-earth man, he also has put together a book of 100 recipes that really are very simple. Though I wasn't a fan of the small typestyle used for this book, the contrast in colors between the ingredients and the directions, made it a little easier to see. Every section had some facts or history to tell you what was coming up and each recipe had a personal story or reason for that recipe. Throughout the book, I could not find any ingredient that wasn't readily available at every grocery store. I also liked that many areas had a little `more information'. Sections like `How to buy fresh fish' or `what is organic food' or even `the trouble with buying scallops'. These areas help the beginner, and sometime the more seasoned cook learn something new for their kitchen. The book did not break my cardinal-rule, and keep all recipes on one or opposite pages. The evening I met Mr. Allen, I also had the opportunity to try several recipes from his book including Fennel Salad with Shrimp & Baby Arugula Fresh Orange Vinaigrette, the Halibut Braised with White Wine & Mushrooms, and the Red Wine Braised Short Ribs. The fennel in the salad was light in flavor but added a refreshing taste to the salad that was filled with the arugula, red onions, olives and blood oranges and perfectly cooked shrimp. The finishing flavors offered a nice peppery after-taste. The halibut was very tender that separated with my fork but I didn't think the sauce had a lot of flavor. The Braised short ribs were incredibly tender with meat that just fell apart with flavors that burst on my taste buds and lingered in my mouth. Other recipes in the book include Saucepan Macaroni and Cheese, Rosemary Marinated Olives, Tuna Tartare that kicks, Spicy Asian Slaw with Sesame and Sweet Red Pepper, Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon and Figs, Sesame-Peanut Noodles, Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb with Honeyed Yogurt, Pan-roasted Salmon with Sweet Tomato Vinaigrette, Cauliflower Puree, Warm Spiced Apple Tart and a variety of mixed drinks too.

I'm proud to have this book on my shelf and use it.