Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes (Paperback)

by Sam Zien (Author)
Key Phrases: ready bacon, light green parts, Basic Stuff, Grand Marnier, Cooking Guy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Zien, creator and host of the television show Sam the Cooking Guy, is very clear from the onset that he is not a chef; he also believes that certain things, like measuring ingredients (unless baking), are a "waste of time" and that 350 degrees is the "universal temperature" at which to cook everything. A self-proclaimed "regular guy," Zien thinks that people have "been wrecked by cooking shows with their millions of complicated steps and crazy ass ingredients." His recipes are for people who want to cook, but want to spend as little time and effort in the kitchen as possible. Two of his favorite ingredients, which show up frequently, are prebaked pizza crust (used in his pesto pizza recipe, which also calls for ready-made pesto) and "ready bacon," which simply needs to be microwaved. Other dishes include a Tomato and Potato Chip Sandwich and Stir Fry Noodles made with Styrofoam cup instant ramen. Some dishes, though lacking originality, call for fresh ingredients and explain simple techniques, like the Adobo Chicken or Ginger Scallops. Foodies won't be impressed, and even those with mild interest in putting together their own meals might want to be challenged a bit more. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
‘I can't cook.’ I hear that all the time. And it's not that you can't--it's that you don't. It's that we've been wrecked by cooking shows with their millions of complicated steps and crazy-ass ingredients. Ingredients you can't find, let alone pronounce. That's not how I want to cook. I want to eat well, but I don't want it to take a year. Who's making stuff like 'Truffled Peruvian Mountain Squab with Chilled Framboise Foam' anyway?

"So this book is about food that's big in taste and small in effort. Just great-tasting stuff with no fancy techniques and definitely no over-the-top ingredients, as in everything-comes-from-a-regular-supermarket--cool concept, huh? It's just a bunch of recipes you'll easily be able to make and enjoy."
--From Sam the Cooking Guy

Look inside for great recipes like these:

• One Dank Tomato Pie • "Whatever" Spring Rolls • Five-Minute Stir-Fry Noodles • O.F.R.B.P.J.G.O. • Awww Nuts! • BBQ Chicken Pizza • Halloween Chicken Chili • Fridge Fried Rice • Sam's Sticky Sweet BBQ Ribs • Stuffed Burgers • Pesto BBQ Shrimp • Chili Salmon • Motor Home Meatballs • Spicy-ish Sausage Pasta • The Great Potato Cake • Brussels Sprouts You'll Actually Eat • (Fake) Creme Brulee • Chocolate Toffee Matzoh  • Peanut Butter Ice-Cream Cup Things

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470043733
• ISBN-13: 978-0470043738
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Cook Book! Great Recipes, Great Read!, March 13, 2008

By	Allie Rees - See all my reviews

I love this cookbook! I was never really into cooking until I got hooked on Sam The Cooking Guy's show on Discovery Channel. He makes cooking unique recipes look so easy. Each week I cannot wait to see his show so I can practice making a new recipe. I heard this book was coming out and I could not wait to get it! I knew I would not be disappointed. It is a complete mirror of his show. It has Sam's warm, open and friendly personality with that hilarious Seinfeld like humor throughout the book. But the recipes are the best part! From brunch to appetizers, the main course and desserts. Wow! There are tons and tons of recipes that are so clearly written and really easy to make, yet you will blow every one away with the presentation and the amazing taste. This is a book you will be able to refer to for years to come. Thanks, Sam!

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy Breezy, March 19, 2008

By	Raf - See all my reviews

Great cookbook for those with little time but still want something better than fast food. Sam is cool and in our house we watch his show whenever he is on. Of course, like us, he's a San Diegan, so we gotta support him anyway we can.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Husband uses it to cook!, March 20, 2008

By	Cate's Mom (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This is a WONDERFUL book! Like Sam's show, the recipes are easy and delicious, unpretentious and healthy. And Sam's personality comes through, which makes it not only useful but fun! My husband, whose repertoire previously included at most 2-3 dishes (burritos, boxed mac and cheese, and barbecued steak), has made several recipes already.