How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart

By Pam Anderson

Book Overview

New York Times bestselling author Pam Anderson updates her classic cookbook--which put "cooking by heart" on the map--to include modern flavors and new techniques that today's home cooks will love,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767902793
• ISBN13: 9780767902793
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Broadway Books
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 1.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 1.0" x 7.5"

Customer Reviews

How to cook with out a book is a good book

Very simple ideas that help make things easier and faster in the kitchen I’m glad I got it

Amazingly simple

I’ve always thought that cooking needed to be complicated and I couldn’t figure out how our family dinners when I was a kid could have been edible because they were so simple. This book this book, after looking through the pages and reading some of the ideas for about two hours I feel like I’ve been reborn, and I feel like I can actually put together a meal without stress! I am inspired by the simplicity!

Cookbook

Arrived on time Good book

Encourages you to use what you have in your kitchen.

I hate following recipes at times and just want to go with the flow and what I have in my kitchen. This is the book that works for me in putting together the right ingredients to come up with a tasty meal. Enjoyable and easy to follow.

I wouldn't have gone to cooking school if I'd read this

The overall lesson about cooking in this book is THE BEST OUT THERE. She tells you the truth. I can't imagine anyone not knowing what to cook for dinner if they had this book. It breaks everything down, gives you the big picture, so you realize what those recipes you've been following blindly were trying to do. It's true she has you get pre-made sauces and chicken broth (some Asian sauces should be bought pre-made anyway) and if you actually have time to make them you'll have to open up another book for those things if you're a beginner (who has time these days anyway?). On the other hand, I am so sick of reading cookbooks where the cook writes as if they are performing on stage, which has no relevance whatsoever to what I'm doing in the kitchen. This book doesn't waste your time, gets right down to business.

This book makes weeknight cooking a breeze!

"How to Cook without a Book" is the cookbook that I have been hoping to find. It teaches you the mindset and skills neccesary to quickly prepare a healthy meal with what you've got in your fridge and pantry. The weekends are great for trying new recipes and new ingredients, but what do you do on Wednesday night at 6pm when you're tired and hungry and haven't yet given a thought to what you'll cook and whether you have all the ingredients?"How to Cook without a Recipe" teaches you a few simple techniques which can be used with a variety of ingredient combinations. For example, Ms. Anderson's saute techinique works for chicken, pork, fish, tofu, and more. So, if you have any of these on hand and a few seasonings, you've got your main dish.So far I've read a few sections of the book, and it has already improved my cooking. What the book boils down to is this: learn a few techniques, stock your pantry, make a weekly trip to the grocery store to buy whatever's in season or on sale, and you'll be able to put a "real meal" on the table anytime.Excellent for someone setting up a new house or apartment and for those who are tired of take-out and packaged instant meals. Would make a great gift for a college graduate or for a bride and/or groom-to-be.

The Cookbook You've Always Wanted!

I already own a bookshelf of cookbooks, but Pam Anderson's is truly unlike any other out there. It explains, in a concise manner, the basis for the primary forms of cooking (from scratch!) that we all love, but never cook for lack of time: those hearty soups, salads, sauces to go with that ever-present chicken, and how to expand your menu way beyond chicken, and so much more. Unbelievable, she shows us that we *can* cook these on a weeknight (most within 30 minutes).I love the concept behind this book because, while I enjoy cooking, I often don't have time for all of the recipes that are my family's favorites -- or at least I didn't think I did. This book teaches you that a soup, for example, is a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your home, and that it can be prepared in 20 minutes! She shows you how this is true for a wide variety of meats, pasta dishes, appetizers, desserts, even stir-fry and pad thai dishes.While there are also example recipes for every category of food in the book, after reading it, you will be inspired to create your own variations, even if you never thought you could. In addition, there are tips on how to make most of this food sophisticated enough for a dinner party, including example menus.With the help of Pam Anderson's book, I now have the joy and the option of creating my own recipes, instead of constantly pulling a book from the shelf to find the answer to "What's for dinner?"It's easy to read, thoroughly enjoyable and best of all, the ideas presented will help end the feeling that cooking the nightly dinner is such a chore!