Customer Reviews

Your Time to Cook: A First Cookbook for Newlyweds, Couples, & Lovers

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My husband and I have been married just a few months and we got this book for Christmas. Although we can both boil water, neither of us is very experienced in the kitchen. (We order lots of take-out.) When we began thumbing through the pages, the first thing that struck us was how beautiful it is. There are full-color photos on just about every page, including ones that are next to EACH step of EVERY recipe. (I got a number of cookbooks for my shower, but none of them have as many photos as this book.) For me, this is really helpful during the learning process, because it is so much easier to follow an instruction if I can see it visually. But what I really appreciate is that there are so many basic recipes and so much helpful information in each chapter. We have already tried out some of the breakfast dishes, including a number of omelets that came out perfect. I also LOVE the chapter on entertaining. Along with suggested menus (with recipes that are in the book), it gives lots of ideas for hosting all kinds of parties--sit down dinners, buffets, cocktail parties--including pointers for setting the right mood (there are even napkin-folding instructions). The author is pretty funny, too. His introductions to the chapters and the comments he makes at the recipes really crack us up. Although we just started using this cookbook, I can already tell that it is going to be one of our favorites.

I am a wannabe cook. The vast majority of cookbooks give great recipes, but you have got to already understand what they are talking about. Talk the talk. But what about those of us who are "outsiders" to the cooks lingo? Newbies?
This is a unique cookbook in that it both tells & shows me how to make the recipe! AWESOME & Just what I needed.
Great cookbook. I look forward to trying more recipes as they all look yummy! I plan to give this book as wedding gift.

I received this cookbook as a gift, and in the first week of having it, I've already reached for it on 4 different occasions, and have been happy with it every time. All of the recipes are really well written, the book is organized extremely well, and the pictures are wonderful. It contains just about every basic recipe you can think of, and also has wonderful versions of old favorites as well. There are lots of photos throughout which really helps not only to help pick a recipe with your eyes, but also to help you along the way while you're executing the recipe.

I've been very happy with this cook book and am feeling very excited and encouraged about trying more recipes from it.

Such a great cookbook! So helpful! It's got everything in it! :D

I am a so-so cook when it comes to the basics. I love to cook the out of the ordinary recipes. However, I never have learned how to cook just regular meals and have the basic items in a kitchen. My new husband grew up on meat and potatoes. My husband has a limited pallet. He is the type that states that my recipes costs $30/meal per person, he could go out to a restaurant cheaper! Sooo, here I am trying to learn how to cook just the basics. I purchased this cookbook after all the high reviews. I am very happy that I did. The author is great and has comments within the cookbook just for suggestions. In addition, he has pictures showing you what your meal looks like, step by step. The recipes are flawless. I can't go wrong.
When I received the book (last week), I have already made a few of the recipes and my husband is very happy. I am ecstatic to finally find something that he can enjoy, as well as myself!! We were always eating different suppers each night before. I would HIGHLY suggest this cookbook to everyone, whether you're just a beginner or even an experienced cook. This book has recipes that one cannot go wrong for those finicky eaters. I love it and I can't wait to purchase more books from this author!! Is it possible to rate this 6 Stars?!!! This is the perfect wedding, housewarming, gift cookbook for both men and women!! I have even showed this to my son who is 27 years old and he is interested in the recipes! I personally would think this is the perfect cookbook for all.

This is a standout choice for beginners because the author provides instructions intended for cooks who are starting from scratch and does not assume the users have any prior kitchen knowledge. Inexperienced cooks may sometimes be put off by cookbooks that don't give enough explanation - no fear of that here! The author specifically states he intended this to be useful for "people who are clueless in the kitchen."

Before wading into the recipes, there is a wonderful section in the front titled "Getting Started" that delves into the basics. Get the skinny on kitchen appliances and gadgets, plus find out which pots, pans, knives and baking equipment are essential for success. This section is pretty large because it covers a lot of the information a cook should learn before slipping on the potholders. Cooking terms and techniques are discussed, there's an tutorial on how to stock a pantry, and some really great entertaining menus are provided.

All the recipes follow a particular format: list of ingredients, tiny illustrations of the utensils you will need, and the best part - a photo accompanying each step of the recipe. How great is that? For people who are unsure of themselves in the kitchen, I really think this is the best help of all - visual cues for assurance. For example, Baked Brie en Croute shows the brie round placed on the puff pasty, how to fold the pastry neatly around the cheese, the bundle brushed with egg, and then the finished product. The photos make it extremely easy to follow and the thorough directions are practically a guarantee for success.

Just about every type of recipe is offered here, from pancakes and waffles all the way to a whole roasted chicken. Plenty of instruction, tons of photos for guidance, handy tips, and useful guides all make this a terrific choice for anyone who needs a bit of help getting started in the kitchen. This would make the perfect bridal shower gift!

I made Rich n Delicious Chocolate cake, after making the batter, what i had was scarily runny. All prepared for a disaster, I baked and what followed was a moist perfection. This is a chocolate cake recipe which calls for 1 cup hot water. The first i heard of it was in Crave for Ludo Lefebvre. It will be a nice comparision to try that recipe know that I believe that cakes can be made with water too.
I will make Rich chocolate frosting tomorrow. After making the frosting I am satisfied with it but quite disappointed that the steps in the recipe do not include all the ingredients listed on the side. There is a gap between the time we look for the ingredients if they are in the pantry or the grocery and the time we set out to cook/bake. In such a ituation, I liked Rachel Ray's method of highlighting the ingredient in red in her book 'look+cook'.
There are Broccoli Souffle, salsa and guacamole that I am interested in trying.

I bought this book as a wedding present to my college classmate and she loved it..
I got it in my mail very promptly and when I browsed through the pages, I kinda didn't want to give it away anymore.. But I did.. So I might get a copy for myself too!

I like to cook, however most of my cooking is on the outside grill and I cook everything the same way. I generally don't use recipes, however I thought it was time to step up to the plate and broaden my horizons and cooking abilities. I bought the book for Christmas and love it. I like the ability to open the book to a recipe and on one page shows you the Ingredients, with step by step pictures and instructions on how to prepare the dish. My first attempt was for a family get together and I chose the seafood gumbo, I doubled the recipe and it was very easy to prepare and it came out great. I would recommend this book to both beginners and seasoned cooks as well.....Nice Job......Jay Gray

With all the different cook books I have, this is the only one that brings cooking down to the level of the common person. It is detailed and objective driven by use of detail and pictures which give you the WOW factor of why you cook to begin with. This book is the GPS of cooking!

This is a great cookboook, and not just for newlyweds. I purchased a copy, (I have been married for a few years) after scanning through book. It is in full color, so you can see what your dinner should look like when you are finished...even what it should look like at different steps along the way. I love it! Many cookbooks just give you a paragraph of directions; this cookbook has photos of the ingredients, photos of the pans/utensils you need, etc.

The recipes are great, many are very easy to make but sophisticated in result. A great reference if you want to host family, frinds, or have dinner parties. Everything you love to eat but never knew how to make, its all in here. It tells, and shows, you how to cook. If you are foodie but nobody ever showed you how to make a roast chicken, bake a thanksgiving turkey, boil rice that actually comes out good...this is the cookbook for you. You will be laughing out load with the witty conversational writing that will draw you in. This is a cookbook you will actually read and enjoy.