Customer Reviews

The Short-Cut Cook: Make Simple Meals with Surprisingly Little Effort

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

 

 

I began cooking from this book about 12 years ago, when it was first released in hardcover. I did not know Jaques Pepin's reputation, I simply wanted recipes one can do quickly. My bottom line on this book is that it succeeded in delivering on the promise of the book's title.

I confess I was a little cynical about Pepin's book at first. Pierre Franey, a chef whose very very impressive pedigree I did know had published, at that time, at least three volumes of quick cooking recipes based on his well-known New York Times column. I interpreted this as simply 'jumping on the bandwagon' of a popular trend. I got it anyway because the evidence of Pepin's previous books and the blurbs on the back of the dust jacket attested to Pepin's credentials in the kitchen. Little did I realize that Franey and Pepin were close friends and had worked together for many years.

Regarding thie recipes in this book, I am very happy to find the reliance on prepared foods such as the famous Campbell's soups, to be much smaller than one may expect from the introduction. I also believe that unlike Rachael Ray, Jacques does not accomplish his objective by finding short cuts to long techniques, but keeps his dishes short by selecting recipies which are classicly short on preparation. In this way, he succeeds in describing recipies with few or no compromises on results.

Having prepared several dishes from this book, I will warn you that Pepin is wise not to give any expectations about how long these dishes should actually take. While there is not a lot of prep work in most recipes, some of the recipes do require a fair amount A perfect example is the Salade Nicoise. This may be faster than the recipe in Julia Child's books, but you still need to plan for some serious shopping and prep work to get a good result.Another example is one of my favorites, his Asian influenced tangy rice stick salad. It looks simple on page 105, until you realize you need to do an ingredient preparation on page 22 which takes longer than the final recipe.

All grousing aside, this is really good stuff. The price for 200 recipes of this quality is a real bargain. My only other complaint is that the short section in the beginning of the book on stocking one's pantry is probably a waste of time. Whenever I buy anything with the expectation that I will use it in some unknown recipe in the future, I usually find the stuff spoils or expires before I get around to using it. After a fair amount of experience in cooking from cookbooks, I have learned to ignore all such recommendations and simply buy what I need for what I know I will be making in the next week.

Jacques Pepin is known for honest, straight-forward, fool proof techqniue and advice. As the most familiar French face for most American foodies, his association has generally been with what Americans consider "classic" French cooking.

But Pepin has been touting all along the simplicity of "real" French cooking -- from his home kitchen to that of his mother's, these recipes attest to the paradigm that a few high quality products can transform a meal into something memorable.

Many contemporary food writers tout quick cooking as a new phenomenon, borne from the hectic digital lifestyles we live. However, quick cooking has always existed and been in continuous evolution for the busy individual for, sadly, time has never been on our side.

This collection of recipes, efficiently organized and simply presented all offer genuine short cuts to fantastic meals. He offers priceless insight on how to stock your pantry (although, what he recommends calls for a fabulously Martha-large kitchen), but you get the general idea of being well prepared. Practical advice on how to entertain surprise guests and making do with what you've got allows the home cook (and individual with a life) to create Mock Chocolate Mousse, Easy Cheese Souffle (a la Madame Pepin), and his daughter Claudine's favorite cake (simple butter cake, a little apricot preserves, allfrosted with vanilla pudding mixed with whipped cream)!

The book is a joy to read. Pepin is a humble, genuine culinary figure eager to offer his expertise to reinforce the love of everyday cooking. No ego here. Just good food.

I've seen Jacques Pepin on tv for many years but this is the first time I bought one of his cookbooks. Even though it doesn't have pictures of any of the dishes, the recipes are easy to follow and make. This is the perfect cookbook for those first-timers learning how to cook.

This is a very informative book. Lots of how to do it in a short time with excellent results. Jacques explains things with few words. You want Long Results in Short Time.... This is THE Book for you.

I love to cook and am willing to spend literally hours fiddling over things, on the other hand, there are definitely times when I want to "get it done" and end up with something simple, quick and yet fresh tasting...The Short-Cut Cook is great. I really do not like most "mixes" or "instant stuff" (reading the ingredients is a total turnoff which would probably be a great way to diet, go to the grocery store, read the labels...sodium and chemicals galore and go home with an empty cart). But I noticed that while Pepin recommends things I'd probably just make myself like "frozen hash browned potatoes" (to save time of prep) and even an instant pudding for a frosting recipe as well as a frozen pie crust (all things that if I needed them it would be both cheaper and easier to do from scratch)...he does make the point that there are a lot of prepared foods which if you either don't have the time or the experience are better bought. Definitely "quantum leaps" above anything for beginner cooks or people who couldn't stand TV dinners or boxed macaroni 40+ years ago when I was learning to cook and was totally thrilled by the "I Hate to Cook" cookbook and Campbell's "Cooking with Soup". I definitely buy this as a gift for anyone who loves food, needs to entertain on a moment's notice or after working all day needs some inspiration. The recipes definitely look and taste like you've cared. Not sure how great these recipes would go over if you have little children but definitely a worth adding to your cooking repertoire for those "surprise" or spontaneous guest situations.

I have three of Jacques Pepin's speedy meals cookbooks, and I love them. Give them a try if you prefer a quick home-cooked meal over drive-through.

She loved it. I hope she lets me sample some of Jacques's delictable meals. Yummmm.

jacques pepin is my all time favorite chef.. there is nothing negative i can say about Mr. P.. even with all the new chefs today.. Jean Georges-Daniel--Bobby--Alain.. i always go back to Mr. P..