4 Ingredients: More Than 400 Quick, Easy, and Delicious Recipes Using 4 or Fewer Ingredients [Hardcover]

Kim McCosker (Author), Rachael Bermingham (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 29, 2011

It's as easy as 1-2-3 . . . 4 Ingredients!

Imagine succulent Chicken, Butternut, and Chickpea Curry with brown rice, a light, palette-cleansing Orange, and Almond Salad, and a decadent serving of warm Flourless Chocolate Cake. If this sounds like the menu for an elaborate dinner party that requires hard-to-find ingredients and endless hours in the kitchen, think again!

Internationally bestselling authors Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham have created more than 400 quick, easy, and delicious recipes that only require four ingredients. Included are fantastic dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and entertaining, as well as meals specially designed for children, including lunchbox menus.

With 4 Ingredients, home chefs will learn how to:

* Make weeknight family dinners simple and special.

* Provide delicious, home-cooked meals and spend less money.

* Cook with fewer utensils—1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon, and 1 measuring cup!

* Spend less time at the sink. Four ingredients for each dish means less cleanup!

Find out what home chefs all over the world have already discovered. 4 Ingredients is perfect for the busy, budget-conscious cook!

Editorial Reviews

Review

“IMPRESSIVE!” —The Washington Post

About the Author

Kim McCosker is the author of 4 Ingredients Christmas, 4 Ingredients One Pot, One Bowl, and, with Rachael Bermingham, 4 Ingredients and 4 Ingredients Gluten-Free. She lives in Queensland, Australia, with her family. Find out more at 4Ingredients.com.au.

Kim McCosker and Rachael Bermingham are childhood friends, working moms, and authors of the international bestselling 4 Ingredients series,  including 4 Ingredients, 4 Ingredients 2, and 4 Ingredients Gluten Free. They live in Australia with their families. Visit their website at www.4ingredients.com.au.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (March 29, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451635141
• ISBN-13: 978-1451635140
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #893,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Simple is as simple does... April 22, 2011

By wogan TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

`4 Ingredients' has as its' purpose meals that are quick to prepare, using, of course only 4 ingredients and fewer utensils so there is less time used for clean up. There are optional hints, such as this freezes well or good to serve with....
There are recipes for; breakfast, appetizers, sauces and salsas, lunch, sides, main dishes, desserts, for children, and drinks. A list of staples for the pantry is included, combination meals, and home tips - like put baby teething gel on your eyebrows to avoid pain when plucking them.

Some recipes turn out not quite the way you assume they should taste like, such as scones using lemonade in the ingredients. Others are good ideas that turn out to be hits like curry in deviled eggs. These are simplistic meals, but many recipes such as the ever popular spinach dip suffers from a lack of spring onions and chopped water chestnuts since that would have put too many ingredients in it. The flavors are not dense or complex, but for simple fast meals it does what it sets out to do. With a bit more time and effort they could be so much more, but then they wouldn't be as fast or simple - the choice is yours.
These are very undemanding recipes, a beginning cook or someone who really does not enjoy the process would probably find this a useful book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, quick recipes July 13, 2012

By threnody

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I hate to cook. It takes too long and most recipes call for outrageous ingredients. The recipes in this book and the Gluten Free 4 Ingredients book are realistic, tasty, and I probably have everything I need on hand.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Simple cooking April 20, 2012

By K. Robertson

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We bought this for home use and to help our kids learn cooking. Originally we checked it out from the library and loved it so much that we had to have it for our own. Fast, simple and easy to make items.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Gourmet, But Fast and Easy as Promised November 11, 2011

By Books and Chocolate TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

This is a great little cookbook full of recipes that use only four ingredients or less. While not gourmet type dishes, they are quick and easy, and use ingredients that are likely already in your fridge or pantry, or easily found at a local grocery store. We all have those times when we need to put a meal together in a hurry and this cookbook is the answer.

Every type of recipe is included: breakfasts, appetizers, sauces and salsas, lunches, side dishes, main dishes, desserts, and beverages. Also included is a chapter specifically for kids' meals, such as Bugs in Rugs (a dish using cocktail franks), and another section of menu suggestions using the recipes from the book.

I've tried a few recipes from this cookbook and was happy with the results, and was also pleased to discover that they were just as easy as doing something like Hamburger Helper. I made the Rissoles (kind of like a meatloaf hamburger patty), using a Foreman Grill to cook them. Other recipes I tried included Zucchini Soup and Mexican Chicken; both were easy to make and tasted good.

As mentioned, these are not gourmet meals and not necessarily the healthiest as some do use processed, packaged ingredients such as canned condensed soup, packets of seasoning, etc., but compared to buying a boxed meal mix or fast food take-out, these are easy on the budget as well as quick to make. The recipes also leave plenty of room for substitutions and using fresh ingredients instead of canned or frozen. And, of course, the reader isn't limited to four ingredients so adding extra seasonings, vegetables, or fruit to a dish, or opting for whole-grain versions of pasta can make it even healthier....

There are no photos in this cookbook, and it doesn't lay open very well while in use, but I do like the recipes themselves for the purpose intended -- quick and easy meals. I think beginner cooks will especially appreciate this collection of recipes, and it would be a good one for kids and teens to use, as well as busy moms.

I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher but the opinion of it is my own and was not solicited, nor was a positive review required. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars my thoughts are June 19, 2011

By cb

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book had good receipts but did not have enoung pictures, most people like an
image of what they are cooking.

3.0 out of 5 stars Few good recipes March 23, 2013

By Amparo F. O'Leary

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

My cousin had made one of the recipes and it was good. however, when i tried the same recipe, it did not work out. It might be a 4 ingredient recipe book but one has to have a lot of the other ingredients already in house.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great! January 30, 2012

By DD

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I gave this recipe book to my 15 year old nephew because he is interested in learning to cook. The recipes are great because there are so few ingrediens. So far, the recipes he has tried have all been good!