The I Hate to Cook Book: 50th Anniversary Edition [Hardcover]

Peg Bracken (Author), Jo Bracken (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2010

"There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who don't cook out of and have NEVER cooked out of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, and the other kind...The I HATE TO COOK people consist mainly of those who find other things more interesting and less fattening, and so they do it as seldom as possible. Today there is an Annual Culinary Olympics, with hundreds of cooks from many countries ardently competing. But we who hate to cook have had our own Olympics for years, seeing who can get out of the kitchen the fastest and stay out the longest."

- Peg Bracken

Philosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy.

50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't.

This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 50 Anv edition (July 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446545929
• ISBN-13: 978-0446545921
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Peg Bracken spent her life writing when she could, cooking when she had to, and seeing the world as only she could see it. In her passing, she leaves behind nine books, a multitude of articles, columns, pieces of light verse, and a family whom she loved... and who loved her.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't afford pizza and there's some cans in the cupboard October 11, 2002

By cathony

Format:Hardcover

My first (and favorite) mother-in-law gave this to me as a wedding present, twenty years ago. At the time I fancied myself quite the gourmet cook, and was mildly insulted. Finally, out of boredom one day, I read it cover to cover. I fell in love with it. There are several laugh-out-loud phrases in it, and Hilary Knight's illustrations are gems. Then, as I started working longer hours and no longer wanted to do something en croute for my husband for dinner, I turned to the recipes. They are simple, good and fast, and most of them can be crammed down a child's throat without too much fuss. They were written in the days before we knew about cholesterol, but hey, not everything's perfect. Are you tired of presenting Tuna Helper to your family? This will give the effect of a much more home-cooked meal. Good everyday family meals, relatively nutritious.

You should also read Peg Bracken's other books. They're terrific, too.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun to read AND good recipes to boot! September 30, 2002

By Catherine S. Vodrey

Format:Hardcover

Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book" sure has an awful lot of good, simple recipes for a book that purports not to be about cooking. It's fun, fun, fun to read and the recipes truly are simple and good.

The best thing about the book is Bracken's inimitably breezy voice. When she tells you to stir "Company Carrots" until they're well-coated, she writes, " . . . stirring so that all the strips get well acquainted with the sauce." When introducing a recipe for "Rosy Radish Salad," she prefaces the instructions with, "This next one uses up radishes and some of your canned beans." No doubt she's always eager to get beyond dinner because she wants to get out of the kitchen and be seated with her guests, enjoying the conversation! She's a hoot to read, and the recipes work. I love the recipe names: Lamb Shanks Tra-La, Elevator Lady Spice Cookies, Sour Cream Cinch No. 1 and No. 2, Philosopher's Chowder, Breakthrough Salad, Immediate Fudge Cake, Dazzleberry Tart (which begins, "If the dazzleberries aren't ripe yet, use canned cherry pie filling"), and more. Even the chapter names are funny (No. 22 is entitled "Stealing from Knowledgeable People"). Get this book if you enjoy cooking or hate cooking--it doesn't matter--but definitely get it if you like a good laugh and good, plain, simple recipes.

42 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Peg Bracken is so underrated! November 30, 2003

By Anne T. Soffee

Format:Hardcover

I am rapidly completing my Peg Bracken library. If you're my age (I'm in my 30s) or younger, you have probably never read -- and likely have never heard of -- Peg Bracken. She's pretty much lost to our generation. I'd heard of her but never read her stuff until I inherited the "I Hate to Cook Book" and "I Hate to Housekeep" from my grandmother (who probably didn't care for either of them).

If you like humor writing and things retro, you should at least read those two. Peg harkens back to the days when you were supposed to have a martini and slippers waiting for your husband and meet him at the door in your negligee, but she was so not into it. I hear she got divorced shortly after the first book came out, and that her husband hated her writing. Loser! Peg is also a reminder of the days when girls got their MRS degree before becoming domestic engineers...her ability with a phrase is testament to a keen knowledge of things other than casseroles and dustcloths.

You can't find a lot of info on Peg online. I hear she is still kicking, though. I like the fact that, in her author photos, she's sitting at her desk with a ciggie a la Fran Leibowitz. She was the original Cynthia Heimel. She was way ahead of her time.