Customer Reviews

New Food Fast

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This Aussie chef has prepared a most unique work, broken down into three classifications: under ten minutes, under twenty and under thirty.

Coupled with this is a section to stock up on pantry items on a schedule which will assure the cook of having most of the ingredients on hand to prepare these tasty dishes on the spur of the moment.

All of the dishes tested herein are delicious, but some have that extra dash of uniqueness or flavor or appeal that for me have turned into "go to dishes" when I want to prepare something special in a quick time. In this category are such recipes as: sweet chili prawn cakes (20 min.) stone fruit and berries in muscato (10 min.) and rocket, chicken and pine nut tabouli (30 min.), little passionfruit cheesecakes (30 min.) curry chicken poached in cocunut (30 min.)

There's also sections on what to do for which meal, basic prep tips like stocks, pastry, etc. and a good glossary.

This book is a gem with its large format and excellent photos.

I'm a loyal ...customer, but after seeing a copy of "Flavors" on a friend's coffee table, I had to have my own copy PRONTO. I went to a local bookstore and bought "New Food Fast" because "Flavors" was sold out. What a lucky break! "New Food Fast" is Fantastic. For the inexperienced cook and wannabe gourmet chef like myself, Donna provides easy to follow and short (whew!) recipes. In the past, I ordered take-out after a long work day - I didn't have the energy to fuss in the kitchen to make a decent meal. Donna's recipes are quick, the results are delicious and she's hit the mark with me -- I have definitely returned from the kitchen (and a healthier eating lifestyle) thanks to her genius. The recipes are easy to adapt and incorporate into a low-fat, low-carb diet. The photographs are coffee table book quality and invaluable to a novice cook (or any cook) who wants to know how the final meal should look. I'm addicted. I've given this cookbook to friends who have recently become mothers and don't have the time to cook. They love the book, too. I wish I hadn't bother investing in other cookbooks, there's no better series than Donna's in terms of taste, beauty, usability, results, and gift-giving appeal.

I spend about half the time in the kitchen due to the fast simple approach to cooking that is served up in this book. The ingredients are fresh, simple and healthy... The photos of each recipe are wonderfully arranged and give you an appetite to try the meal. The first chapter telling you what a well stocked pantry should have also makes it easier to prepare any given recipe on the fly... an essential for anyone who works and likes to come home and prepare a fresh imaginative meal... I feel like I have gotten terrific family response from my teenage niece and nephew when they saw me preparing the pink apple tarts... imagine that...as a working woman it has made cooking a creative joy. This book has become the standard by which I would choose any other cookbook.

Having quite an extensive collection of cook books, it is sometimes hard to find one with more than a few new recipes one would like to try. I have only owned this book a month or so and have already made at least seven (successful) dishes. Not only are they delicious, but the photography is pure joy. the menus simple to follow, and the ingredients fresh and mouthwatering. An added bonus is that the food is nutritious and low in caleries. Definately five stars!

I recently purchased New Food Fast. I was attracted by the wonderful recipes that are arranged from 10-30 minutes in cooking time. As a busy professional, I often have little time to cook. But, I love great food. The recipes are simple, yet very tasty and enjoyable. In addition, the book itself is beautifully done. Each dish is photographed in color and the book serves as a work of art. It is very well done and I highly recommend it for any busy person who wants to eat great food with little fuss.

This recipe collection is perfect for the gourmand who doesn't have a lot of time or energy to cook. The food is not only innovative and fast, as the title attests, it is also simple, fresh and healthy.

Hay has organized this collection down by cooking times: 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes. I am by no means a seasoned homecook, so these times are very approximate to me. But to be honest, these recipes are so fun that I don't really notice the time. Yes, that's right, I said *fun*.

I suspect that this book is most appropriate for someone who lives along the Pacific Rim. Asian cuisine has a significant influence on many of the recipes and a person living in the Midwestern United States might not have access to some of the ingredients. Otherwise, Hay has a global perspective: you will find innovations on Italian, French, Indian, and (even) Scandinavian cuisine.

I also feel that you will get the most bang out of this book if you shop at a market that offers gourmet foods. Rocket (or arugula), among other items that you will not find at a typical supermarket, is a prevalent ingredient here.

I don't mean to sound esoteric in my review, but as I stated early on, this is a book for gourmands, ie people who are heartily interested in food and drink. Speaking of drink, my only suggestion to better this book would be the addition of a section on table wines.

Donna Hays' cookbooks have changed my approach to the drudgery of everyday meals & opened up a healthy, fast & very enjoyable passtime. I used to HATE to cook - now I am planning on re-doing my kitchen. My family loves the simple, yet very tasty meals - & a picture of every recipe helps! Thank you Donna - More Please!

So many times in my life, I would leaf through beautiful cookbooks of exotic recipes. The dishes in the books would look so lovely, like works of art. Then I would scan the ingredients, and not know where in the WORLD to even BEGIN to find HALF of them! And I would read the instructions, and know that realistically speaking, I would probably never make that dish.
If I even TRIED, it would cost me an absolute fortune in driving around to locate everything, plus the cost of all those ingredients themselves, and then the presentation would be so difficult to do... I would eventually give up and just go to MacDonalds or pop some frozen food contraption into the microwave.

But then I found this book.

Donna Hay is a lifesaver. She has a beautiful photo for every dish. The presentation is always beautiful, but you dont have to be a culinary artist to achieve it! The ingredients are EASY to find, and the prep-time and cooking time is a snap. The dishes come out looking absolutely gorgeous, and they LOOK LIKE the complex dishes from the other cookbooks. The final result looks so exquisite, its like art on a plate. Since I got the book, my friends and family are constantly amazed. My dishes look like they are prepared by a gormet chef! I've had the book for one week, and have tried 5 dishes already. Each one was absolutely delicious. She knows how to balance flavors in such a way that they really explode together on your tongue. With every dish, I am completely amazed by the flavors that can come from such simple ingredients! And the truth of it is, I whip them out in no time flat! :) And Im no chef. (Well, maybe I am now!)

A beautiful photo for each of the spectacular recipes. A book which can simply not be put down until it's read cover to cover. This book contains recipes utilizing many of the staples already found in a well stocked kitchen as well as offering shopping advice so you'll be ready for any event. The pages have a rich texture and are as pleasing to the eye as the palate. I read it with the same enthusiasm as seed and nursery catalogs in the dead of winter, planning meals and visualizing the final palate of colors and flavors. I own many of the classics (Escoffier, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Joy of Cooking, Silver Palate, Greens) but have never had this much fun with a cookbook before! A first class read, I'd marry the author in a second!

I own all three of Donna Hay's cookbooks, and I couldn't recommend them enough. Fast Food is my favorite as I am always on the go. The recipes are interesting, easy and healthy. The cookbook itself is well presented and easy to follow. These cookbooks would make a useful addition to any cook's library.