Customer Reviews

Young & Hungry: More Than 100 Recipes for Cooking Fresh and Affordable Food for Everyone

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Good stuff. This is a really appealing book that presents recipes in an easygoing way that makes the whole cooking process less intimidating. Lieberman's casual conversational tone is a welcome break from other cookbooks that assume too much and provide too few details on the basics. My only minor gripe is that I wish more recipes were pictured. That said, try the potato chip crusted salmon or his simple burger recipe--both were hits with my fiance.

You gotta love this guy. Young , charming...and the man can cook. He is about to have a new show on television but I haven't seen that yet so I'll just stick to info about this book.
His food isn't generally the type that you spend all day slaving in the kitchen to prepare, so if you really enjoy the challenge of an elaborate, complicated recipe (which can be fun and gratifying in its own way), you won't find much of that here. From beet salads with goat cheese to fried fish and quick beverages, he focuses on food that befits his experience and background (he grew up cooking in his family's kosher kitchen and he went on cook economical, but gourmet, meals while at college). Most of the recipes would fit a standard American budget - and not one based on caivar and champagne, although there are some exceptions.
By the way, if you need a good gift for the college grad, forget the pen and pencil sets, the briefcases, watches and other typical grad gifts for someone starting out in life. GIve them this instead and they'll REALLY impress visitors, clients and guests!

I was so tired of trying to print out recipes from the food network website every time I liked something from Dave's show. I previewed this book from my local library, and loved everything I made. This is a must for any kitchen, and would make an excellent gift. I agree with the previous reviewer -- Dave's the man!

Lets face it, Dave Lieberman is hot, the food is okay. This is a good common sense book, nothing special. Would reccommend it as a graduation gift/gift for someone who is just getting started in the kitchen. It has a few good ideas for more expereinced cooks, but its unlikely to be the cookbook that you will keep coming back to. Nice pictures and layout.

I picked up this book after seeing Lieberman's show on Food Network. The recipes and advice in this short but informative cookbook are simple and easy to make, regardless of the reader-cook's skill level.

What was perhaps the best section of the book for me was the beginning portions that discussed the different terms, tools, ingredients and other ground rules for cooking that often go over-looked in more sophisticated cookbooks.

I would recommend this book for a person who doesn't necessarily want to jump headfirst into a cooking adventure (that often requires an investment in cookware, ingredients, etc.), who mainly is looking for fun and easy home cooking. Perfect for a college student or young professional, this book speaks in a common vernacular that will ensure the cook knows s/he is following the instructions correctly.

(For instance, nothing is more frustrating for me than a cookbook/recipe that uses industry or learned-cook terms and does not explain what I should be doing in language a layperson could understand. Instead of saying something like "whip until stiff peaks form" or "mince cloved garlic" and leaving it at that, Lieberman would say "whip until stiff peaks form, which means..." - definitely a good thing for the unsure/novice chef.)

Written as if he's speaking the words on his TV show, this book is easy to understand, contains recipes that are both delicious and easy to complete, and is unpretentious about an activity that can be daunting for those unfamiliar with the terrain. Great for gift-giving or personal shelves alike.

If you're a Rachael Ray fan, you'll like this book. I've had this book only a week and have already made several recipes and LOVED every one. Most recipes are quick, simple and use relatively few, everyday ingredients, not to mention totally yummy! The mini fudge cakes alone are worth the price of the book. A great book for cooks of any level.

Dave Lieberman is a breath of fresh air to Food Network's list of 'celebrity' chefs. He has the unjaded enthusiasm of a newbie, the approachability that Tyler Florence tries to have but comes off as a bit insincere, and a genuine love of cooking that transcends both the electronic and written medium.

None of the recipes in Dave's first book are impossible for the entry-level cook, and he does a good job of explaining cooking basics (what tools are a must-have and what to keep a running stock of in the pantry) and then delving into easy-to-make recipes that won't cost a fortune to make.

While some of the fare is a bit college student-esque, most of the things I've made from this book are actually pretty good crowd-pleasers. The fact that Dave takes a Nigella Lawson approach to his book and its recipes - he has a very 'talky' style that makes it seem as though he's sharing his recipes with friends - makes it all the more laid back and refreshing.

Can't wait to see what his next book, due in October, does to expand his love of fresh ingredients and great flavors while at the same time keeping things relatively simple and affordable.

I first came into contact with this book at a friends house. She prepared a dip, salad, and main course all from this book, and all three were outstanding. Since I bought the book, I have not made something I disliked. One after another, the recipes are simple, but great. The Moroccan rub on the lamb kabobs (beef works great also) tastes better than at most kabob places. I have only had the book for about a year, but I have already given it to multiple people as a gift. I could go on, but the 5-star rating should say it all.

While I agree with some of what the last reviewer said about the book, I got it for my recent college graduate and his fiance because they are new to cooking for themselves. The book has given them some ideas to try and hopefully a sense of what they will be able to accomplish on their own. It is their cooking 101.

I hope they will graduate to Mario and others with more challenging recipes and techniques, but for now it's a start - they can cook and subway loses money.

I am not familiar with Lieberman's show on "The Food Network", so I took this book at face value when I was browsing cookbooks at my local Boarders. I'll give Lieberman this, he takes a very engaging and appealing photograph. I have to agree with the M. Borard's observation that the book is so weakly organized that it seems to throw away much of the leverage that his exposure on TFN might have given him. In spite of the title, this isn't really all that accessible to novice cooks (or those on stringent budgets), contains some problematic advice (garlic presses? Hellman's mayonaisse when it is so easy to make your own?) and doesn't really contain all that many recipes for the beginning cook. His section on grilling seems as if it could get a newbie cook in serious trouble with botched results.

And at least twice I've gotten into trouble with his time and temperature recommendations - I charcoaled 1 1/2 pounds of London Broil because his recipe insists that it should sit under the broiler for 15 minutes on one side and 8 on the other (on the top setting for the rack) for a 1-2 inch thick cut. When I pulled it out after only 10 minutes, the meat was already toast. (It makes me wonder if the electricity and natural gas on the East Coast are somehow 'weaker' than in the MidWest, or if the stoves Lieberman uses are older, less efficient models.)

Still, I like it. Operating with less than six months of experience as a self-taught cook, I've tried several of the recipes and they've turned out more than satisfactory results, once I learned to discount some nonsensical fantasies about oven times (see above). The food photography does a great job of giving you an idea of what to aim for, which is worth a few extra bucks to me over "plain text" collections such as Mills' "Cheap. Fast. Good."

I can't see an accomplished cook or trained chef getting anything out of this collection, but it's been worth the purchase price for me. And Lieberman is young, after all, and I am sure he will put better collections together as his skill in the art of 'cookbookery' matures.