Customer Reviews

The Girl Can't Cook: 275 Fabulous No-Fail Recipes a Girl Can't Be Without

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

 

 

My Dad bought me this book as a joke because, as the title says, "this girl can't cook". To my surprise I found tons of easy recipes that I can accomplish. And the fact that they are interesting and not common makes me actually look forward to throwing these recipes together. And surprise of all surprises... they're edible!! I'm right proud of myself.

While the title of this cookbook might appeal to the novice cook, I can confirm that the recipes will suit a more experienced chef and delight the palates of all. Happily, this is achieved with a minimum of time spent by the cook. Helpful cooking tips (useful even for this seasoned cook) are found on many pages. From Chavich's new book I have prepared numerous dishes from the simple, perfect shrimp cocktail to the excellent tiramisu. Everything from North American classics to East Indian specialties and other trendy ethnic foods are included. When preparing food for a dinner party, a brunch or a meeting in my home, this is the cookbook I now reach for. The lively illustrations by Kirsten Horel contribute to the light, optimistic quality of this volume.

Don't let the title fool you, this is not some dumbed-down version of a cookbook (e.g., how to boil water, how to make toast, whatever). Check out the index to get an idea of the variety of tastes and styles on offer in this book. I don't eat meat and, while this is not a vegetarian cookbook, I have found plenty of recipes in here that work for me (I eat eggs & dairy). I've had more "hits" than "misses" with this cookbook than with others (it seems every cookbook I buy has some "misses" -- maybe it's me?). Most importantly, the recipes are relatively easy to make and you don't have to go to 5 different specialty shops to buy some random ingredient. I'll reach for this cookbook before I reach for a Williams-Sonoma one any day. Don't get me wrong, I love W-S's recipes, but they can often be time-consuming. Why put in the time when I can whip up something equally tasty and with less effort?

My husband and I have been married for almost 2 years. I didn't really know how to cook good meals when we got married, and even took a cooking class for help. I was okay at cooking the basics: tacos, spaghetti, meatloaf, etc, but those get old and we had both finally given up hope that I would produce a really good meal. LUCKILY I started searching for help and came across this book and another book, both sounded hopeful.

This book is AWESOME, not a bad meal after 3 weeks of cooking its recipes (I tried one meal in the other book and haven't opened it since). And, not only that, but there are still a lot of things that I haven't made yet, it's full of great recipes.

The book offers tons of tips like how to roast and freeze your own peppers, etc. The book is written in a way so that you feel like you are talking to a friend over coffee, it's really cute! There are tons of ideas for entertaining, whole meals for celebrations, and appetizers and desserts. One note: this book is NOT for quick meals. There are a few fast meals, but most of the ones I have made take a couple hours to prepare. But they are DEFINITELY worth every minute!! And I'm sure they will be quicker the second time around.

The BEST PART is that my husband LOVES the food, and has told me after most of the meals that it is better than any restaurant he could go to. He can't wait for me to make the food AGAIN and told me that we don't need any more cookbooks after this one. I am so encouraged by his responses that I have been trying some of the things in the cookbook that would have completely intimidated me before, like Roasting a Chicken... it was excellent!! I am planning to take the book with me when I visit my parents in a couple months so I can make them some good food, they will be so impressed.

I would recommend this book for anyone who has had enough of the basics (tacos, spaghetti, chicken casserole), likes to entertain, or wants to add a little spice to their table. I can't say enough GREAT things about this book!!

This is the ideal book for people who love and don't love to cook. The recipes are straight foward and the ingredients are easy to find (or substitute.) I have not had a bad recipe from the book yet and have bought copies for friends and family. Unlike most general cook books The Girl Can't Cook has a touch of elegance but nothing to be intimidated by. Every recipe is simple and fail safe. A must have in any cook book collection.

I can boil water. I can scramble an egg. But I can't do much else. I needed a book that wouldn't just TEACH me to cook, but would ENCOURAGE me to do so. I found it in "The Girl Can't Cook."

The book offers a wide range of recipes, from the basic, like "Beans and Greens," to the exotic, like "Mussels Viniagarette." There are recipes for game day, holiday, every day. The organization took some getting used to--some by occasion, others by theme, others by culture--but is actually a more practical way to search for recipes.

"The Girl Can't Cook" encouraged me to try recipes (and ingredients) that I'd normally be intimidated by--but most importantly, they tasted GREAT. The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five is that in some instances the recipes did taste simplified--that isn't to say that they were flavorless or didn't taste amazing, just simple.