Customer Reviews

Low-Fat Cooking to Beat the Clock

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

 

 

This book contains many very clever, tasty, healthy entrees that can be prepared quickly, but realistically not in 15 minutes. These are not "meat & potatoes" recipes -- they presume a well-stocked and diverse pantry. Everything that I have made so far has worked and been delicious. The author employs a "mis en place" cooking style and his clock doesn't start running until all the prep work is done. I suppose if there were a prep chef in my house, I could do the cooking in 15 minutes too. On the other hand, all the recipes can be completed in 30 minutes or less and that's fine by me. One really annoying "technical" nit -- many of the recipes have the ingredients list on one page and the instructions on the following page -- meaning that I am constantly flipping back & forth to follow the recipe. Really annoying for a "quick" cookbook. I would consider this the fault of the publisher not the author. If it weren't for this serious flaw, I would give this book 5 stars.

I'm not much of a cook, but I still want to eat healthy yet tasty meals. I also did not want to spend all day cooking. The book title looked interesting, so I decided to take a look. When I found the recipe for Paella, a favorite of mine, along with a great picture, I was sold on this book.

Paella in 15 minutes? Well, not quite. The first time it took me about 45 minutes of stumbling around trying to read and cook at the same time. It was overcooked, and the kitchen was a mess, but still tasted pretty good. The second time around was much easier, took about 25 minutes, and the Paella tasted great.

To use these recipes, it does take some preparation before the 15 minute clock starts. I set up the ingredients, open the cans, and measure some of the components. I would say this is more of a 20-30 minute cookbook. I've enjoyed most of the recipes - loved the Minestrone - and they are not very complicated to make. I recommend reading carefully the first time through a recipe. They are very tightly arranged, and looking for a saute pan or some ingredient while cooking and the clock is ticking is not a good idea.

Another benefit is that the recipes are measured for four, which is fine since I'm single. For 20-30 minutes of work, I have dinner or lunch set for most of the week. The meals are low calory and low fat, but there is enough there to fill you up.

Quick and healthy meals that taste great. Can't beat that.

I've cooked for many years, and have probably too large a cookbook collection. This is a great addition. I really like this book. The pantry ideas are good (although you may stock things you normally wouldn't, like canned artichokes in water or tomato paste in a tube...which I'm glad I know of now), the recipes taste good, and they are quickly prepared. Now, 15 minutes? Maybe if you're very organized and your kitchen is set-up perfectly. Mine's not, yet I can still get a meal from raw to the table in 15 to 30 minutes. It's a different way of cooking for me, as I tend to "nurture" my meals, so it's been fun to try a different speed technique. Be warned that most of these are not really whole meals. He is way to light on vegetables, so have some salad or frozen veggies around, or a really fast prep assistant to use raw veggies. I won't use this technique every night, but it's fun to have an extra hour and still enjoy what I've cooked. The only reason I dropped one star is because of the veggie issue. He makes a strong point that these are meals, but I've had to add extra veggies to almost every dish. Easily done, but not quite as advertised. Oh, and what is with the list of ingredients and the recipe on the other side of the page. Not all of them, but enough to be a little frustrating. That said, you'll probably like this.

Four stars just because it's false advertising to say these meals can be prepared in fifteen minutes--maybe if you are super efficient or spasmodic you can do it, but otherwise, cook at a comfortable pace and you'll produce good food within a half hour or so. The recipes are simple, the results are impressive and the time invested is minimal. That's a pretty great combination for weeknight dinners or when you're entertaining. Although this cookbook is lowfat, I usually end up using a bit more of the fatty igredients (fat=flavor) to taste.

I have literally hundreds of cookbooks and I love to cook so I have some experience on which to base my opinions. Recently I've been doing a great deal of work around the house so time (and energy) are a real factor when it comes to dinnertime. My husband is always ready to take me out to dinner but I don't think this is a very healthy alternative. The ease of preparing these recipes in no way detracts from their wonderful flavors. I've only made two of the recipes so far and BOTH WERE REAL WINNERS according to my husband. They had excellent flavors and were quite easy to make. I can heartily recommend this cookbook to anyone that is in a hurry or busy but wants to make delicious meals. I'm looking forward to trying the next recipe from this book.

Love the book- bought 8 more similar titles. Replaced all the cholesterol-laden, fat-dripping, high calorie cookbooks I used for years. Great CookBook. Easy - Tasty - Healthy, oh my! NO WAY YOU CAN DO THIS IN 15 MIN- UNLESS YOU HAVE A TEST KITCHEN AND A CREW- BUT CLOSE! THIS IS GOURMET COOKING FAST- GO FOR THE TIPS, LOOSE THE WATCH.