Customer Reviews

Half-Scratch Magic: 200 Ways to Pull Dinner Out of a Hat Using a Can of Soup or Other Tasty Shortcuts

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There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book for a quick but novel meal. I've tried some and plan to try many more. Be warned, however, that a fairly large number of the main recipes are pretty sweet, using products like chutney for flavoring. I could have done with fewer of these, but that's what makes horse races.

I purchased "Half Scratch Magic" to use for family meals, and have been pretty disappointed. The recipes look very tasty (to read), but do not generally cook up as well as it seems they should. Novice cooks be warned: the authors -really- love fishy flavors, and seldom tell how strong the fish will be in the finished recipe. Also, they often give misleading or insufficient directions (such as adding broth to "deglaze" when there was so much liquid in the cooking that no browning occurred to "deglaze", or occasionally leaving out cooking temperatures).

My number one complaint with this book: The "quick and easy meals" selling point is wildly inaccurate, because the authors fail to allow for prep time. The authors assure you that these meals will whip up in a jiffy. The recipe I made last night, "Beef Curry", called for the chopping of one large onion, two large tomatoes, two garlic cloves, and two tablespoons of fresh minced ginger. It took me an hour just to do all of that chopping, plus 20 minutes to cook. 1 hour 20 minutes is not a jiffy.

My recommendation: get it from the library and try a few recipes before you buy it to see if this cookbook is for you.

Linda West Eckhardt and Katherine West DeFoyd have another winner with half-scratch magic. They offer recipes that are easy, quick, and affordable to prepare but sophisticated in taste for today's cook frantic to get a nutritious, delicious dinner on the table in a hurry.

It has recipes that are appealing for a family with children or for a dinner party. The dishes contain flavors from across the globe taking them from the ordinary.

Many recipes can also be adapted to what you have in the freezer. I used a roasted leg of lamb in place of "pan-grilled rosemary lamb chops on white beans with tomato." After roasting the lamb I removed the fat and added all the other ingredients from the recipe. It was a hit.

The price fits into most budgets which makes it a book you won't feel guilty buying for yourself or to give as a present. What a marvelous gift for a bridal shower. If a bride can't cook from half-scratch magic she shouldn't be getting married.