The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh [Hardcover]

Bon Appetit Magazine (Author), Barbara Fairchild (Author)

Book Description

Release date: October 6, 2008

From the world's most trusted cooking experts, 1,100 great recipes to get weeknight dinners on the table fast

Inspired by the popular "Fast Easy Fresh" feature in Bon Appetit and written in the user-friendly, approachable style so familiar to the magazine's 6 million readers, this cookbook is a must for people who want everyday dinners that are quick, delicious, and contemporary. These are not the old-fashioned, lackluster choices found in most 30-minute cookbooks and cooking shows. The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook is all about ease, speed—and taste. There are 1,100 exciting, flavorful recipes, with dishes that take a fun, modern spin like Arugula Salad with Olives, Pancetta, and Parmesan; Roasted Garlic Beef Stew; Linguine with Winter Pesto; Shrimp with Ginger-Herb Butter; Grilled Steak with Fresh Garden Herbs; and Peach Pie with Berry Jam. All of the recipes are simple enough for weeknights, but with their focus on fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors, they're really special enough for weekends, too.

Illustrated throughout with handsome line drawings and 32 pages of beautiful new color photographs, this collection of favorite Bon Appetit recipes is sure to quickly become the go-to resource for home cooks everywhere, whether they're beginners or simply looking to stay on top of their game. For everyone who's eager to make truly satisfying and delicious meals—without spending a lot of time in the kitchen—this is the cookbook to reach for every night of the week.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Full of fresh, delicious recipes that are fast enough for a weeknight, special enough for a weekend, Bon Appétit makes it easy to find just the right recipe and pull it together in no time at all.

Forget about lukewarm takeout, and don't even think of reaching for tired leftovers—with The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook, you'll have more than 1,100 quick and easy recipes at your fingertips, all using fresh, readily available ingredients in inventive new ways. This is the perfect book for everyone who wants to create healthful, delicious, and exciting food every night of the week.

Supermarkets and local farmers' markets are filled with diverse ingredients that add flavor, texture, and interest to your cooking. Use that qualilty as inspiration, and let this book be your guide as you use those ingredients to get dinner on the table in a flash. From Cilantro-Lime Crab Salad in Avocado Halves, Roasted-Garlic Beef Stew, and Linguine with Winter Pesto to Shrimp with Ginger-Herb Butter, Grilled Steak with Fresh Garden Herbs, and Peach Pie with Berry Jam, you'll find a wide range of flavorful dishes inside that take a fun, modern spin.

For more than half a century, Bon Appétit has been the go-to source for straight-forward, sophisticated recipes, each with a contemporary twist. Now more than ever we also want to be conscientious about choosing responsibly sourced ingredients and healthy foods. The experts at Bon Appétit show how, in the most comprehensive collection—ever—of the magazine's best, most delicious, fast and easy recipes. As a cookbook, Fast Easy Fresh is unparalleled—every recipe is simple to use and has been tested with care by the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen.  It will become your indispensable source for all the tips, hints, and tricks you need to keep you on top of your game.

Eating local, eating better, eating fresh—it all starts here, in The Bon Appétit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook.

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Amazon Exclusive: Tip's from Author Barbara Fairchild

• A World of Burgers

• Cookies 101

• Do-It-Yourself Crostini Platter

Exclusive Recipe Excerpts from The Bon Appétit Cookbook

Wisconsin Mac and Cheese

Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Culled from Bon Appetit magazine's Fast, Fresh, Easy column, this recipe compendium is one of the largest available for those who love to cook and eat well but lack time on weeknights to make dishes that require hours to prepare. Although Fairchild forgoes estimates of how long each dish may take to make, and a number of entries may not qualify as fast for some cooks, especially beginners, the recipes are generally simple, if not foolproof, and cover a vast territory of cuisines. Ingredient lists are short, seldom running over 10 items and rely on the use of the freshest, finest foods available; a helpful shopping guide at the beginning is a welcome aid to those not yet versed in the ingredients' seasonality or optimal appearance. Similarly, a wealth of boxed hints and tips offer an extra level of help to get people cooking confidently. Even if the fast and easy labels don't always apply, anyone looking for a reliable source of relatively uncomplicated, tasty dishes will be thrilled to find this. Color photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 800 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470226307
• ISBN-13: 978-0470226308
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 2.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #32,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Barbara Fairchild is Editor in Chief of Bon Appetit magazine. She joined the magazine's staff in 1978 as an editorial assistant, and spent almost fifteen years as the executive Editor before being promoted to Editor in Chief in 2000. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs about food, restaurants, travel, and popular culture, and has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation's 'Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.' She is also the author of the bestselling Bon Appetit Cookbook.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 93 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 1100 recipes, a 4.9 pound kitchen barbell, and a bargain price -- what's not to like? September 30, 2008

By Jesse Kornbluth TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

The categories are vast, the suggestions enormous --- pizza for days, soups for years, salads for decades, burgers and dips for eons. Most have fewer than a dozen ingredients, and although the recipes have an international flair, few call for trips to specialty markets. Preparation times aren't offered, but nothing I saw looked as if it would take more than half an hour of preparation.

There are smart suggestions along the way. Grate garlic or ginger into your vinaigrette dressing; for a new sensation, warm your salsa in the microwave. And, happily, the editors have not been locked in test kitchens with no input from the world; among their many smart suggestions is to avoid buying out-of-season produce. It may taste fine, but it's traveled so far that its carbon footprint should make you gag.

I was particularly impressed by the All-American recipes --- there's a lot of comfort food here to help you through the slog of weeknight dinners. For example: a recipe for iceberg lettuce wedges, topped with warm bacon and blue cheese. And chili that cries out for a mug of beer.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A really great book for (healthy - ugh) and tasty (!!) weeknight meals December 17, 2008

By Tara

Format:Hardcover

This is a really great book for anyone who wants a good tasting, not-prepackaged, relatively healthy meal - FAST. I've made quite a few of these dishes and they are really wonderful. Even my children (6 and 8) enjoy them and can help prepare the meals. Nearly every recipe can be made in less than 30-45 minutes. Those that take longer do so only because they need to be baked. The book reads to me like how I imagine actual chefs cook for themselves at home. Quick, fresh, tasty food in innovative combinations. The ingredients aren't obscure and often utilize time-saving ingredients like store roasted chicken and boneless/skinless chicken strips. I really enjoy and use this book and would highly recommend it to anyone.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Cook Book December 9, 2008

By Melissa Hamilton

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This cook book is full of great recipes. I have only been using it for about three weeks now but I love most every recipe so far. As a mom who likes to make homemade meals I am always looking for new and easy recipes that are nutritious and yummy. I would have given it 5 starts but I did try one pancake recipe that came out much too runny. Other than that one recipe though it has been a fantastic cook book and I would definitely recommend it.