Customer Reviews

The Four Ingredient Cookbooks-Three Cookbooks in One!

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm the guy and I'm the family cook. Not a problem. I'm even a pretty good cook. Things were humming along fine and then it happened: twins! It's now two years later and I'm starting to ease back into cooking. Oh, I've been making meals all along but they're pretty haphazard and lots of frozen meals. Not really being the family cook I should be and with my wife staying at home with the children, she had to wait until after we put the kids to sleep before I could even start cooking (gotta have playtime with daddy when I come home from work).

As part of being a good cook again, I picked up this book. I have made several of the recipes and each one has been an unqualified "WOW". The dishes haven't been just good, they have been great. Some of them may not look like much but when you put them together they end up tasting way better than you would have thought.

One thing to note is that just because the ingredients are few, don't expect these dishes to take 5 minutes from start to end. Preparation tends to be pretty quick but they can take a while to bake. That is not a bad thing by any stretch but if you are expecting the speed of a frozen meal from beginning to end, you will be disappointed. However, if you can spare just a little bit more time you will have a great home-cooked meal (and save some $$ in the process). I prepare the meals quickly when I get home, they cook while I'm playing with the kids, and we can eat as soon as we put them to sleep. My wife has even said "I could make that dish for us," (that'll be the day :-).

Thanks to the authors for helping me bring back a normal mealtime to my newly expanded family.

I am a 28 year old military wife who is NOT a good cook. I have been known to ruin even the "easiest things" like instant pudding. I got this from my mom because she knew of my kitchen related frustrations. I had it for two years and then OPENED it. OH MY LORD. I use it constantly. Let me tell you something, this cookbook is still the ONLY one I own. Not only did it get me IN the kitchen, it also made me proud to serve what I made to my family. It was wondeful for me because it used ingredients that are on hand, inexpensive, and easy to locate nationwide. The taste and the color of these dishes are amazing. Sometimes, I put two recipes together (making it six or eight ingredient) to get some other dish that I have had to write in. I feel this book is fantastic to get that "mot so rich" or "fearing another failed recipe" cook to a become successful. It is THAT good.

What a fantastic book! The recipes are fast and easy to make with "normal" ingredients that you would have on hand. The dishes are delicious and the variety is wonderful! This is a fun book for all cooks; children learning to cook, young people just starting out, working families short on time and retirees who want simple but good. This would make a great gift item for any or all of the above. Thanks Coffee and Cale for a great treat!!!

I love the idea of this cookbook! I am not much of a cook and when I want to cook my cupboards are not filled with many ingredients required for most recipes. This cookbook seemed perfect for me.

When I got the cookbook home, I immediately tried the dishes. For a few weeks I cooked, cooked and cooked but was never happy with the outcome. Most of the recipes lacked flavor... I ended up adding my own spices (I enjoy more flavorful meals). One recipe for an artichoke appetizer actually tasted more like an omelet than a cracker spread. I suppose that with only four ingredients per recipe I should not expect Martha Stewert taste. Needless to say, I switched back to my more complex cookbooks where the taste was much more appreciated.

I have never been much of a cook. I hate the mess, hate buying the various ingredients, and I hate cleaning up. I have made at least a dozen of the recipes in this book and my family not only enjoyed the taste but I enjoyed the ease of a simple recipe, simple shopping, and happy faces at the dinner table. This was a fantastic find I purchased on recommendation from a friend!

I found this cookbook a wonderful resource for quick meals and a break from my standards. The recipes are quick and easy. You can eliminate ingredients for the picky eater or add to make them suitable for your own tastes. This is not french cooking, so don't expect that. What this is, is a great way to serve a variety of quick simple meals.

This book was great for me, who is just starting out and learning the basics of cooking. Very easy to read and the meals are great! Also, the recipes arent all the same with little variation, there is a variety of recipes to fit every taste.

About time someone comes up with a great cookbook that only takes 4 ingredients to make a great meal! My family loves the meals that i get from this book. Way to go Linda and Emily - keep up the great work.

I love this book. Everything I have tried has been a success. Ingredients are simple and often on hand. You can scan recipes quickly to find the one that meets your needs. My many cookbooks are in a bookcase in the den, this one is always in my kitchen. If you're in a hurry, this book is for you!

I originally bought this cookbook for my young teen daughter. She is required to cook one dinner each week, and I thought this would be simple and straightforward enough. Then I started using it, and it has become the only cookbook I ever seem to use these days. No exotic or expensive ingredients, easy directions for each recipe, and the food actually tastes good! My other cookbooks are all lined up on the bookshelf in the living room, but this one lives on top of the microwave in the kitchen...so, that's a good recommendation!