Saving Dinner Basics: How to Cook Even If You Don't Know How: A Cookbook

by Leanne Ely

Book Overview

Cooking 101 If you think that folding an egg has something to do with laundry, or that a wok is good exercise, you've come to the right place. Nutritionist and family meal-planner extraordinaire,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345485432
• ISBN13: 9780345485434
• Release Date: August 2006
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A Good Place to Start

This is a great basic starting place for those who don't know how to cook. It is also quite useful for those of us who know how to cook but may not have learned all the basics of preparing a meal. I love to cook and I am pretty good at creating my own meals out of ingredients I have on hand but there were many things I never learned how to do correctly. This book helped me to fill in the gaps that were missing from my cooking repertoire. This book is great for those of us who are growing up in families that don't have time to teach us the basics of cooking. In today's convenience-driven society many lessons that were taught as a natural part of living have been forgotten. This is a great gift for someone just starting out on their own. If you cook like Martha Stewart then this isn't the book for you. If you could use some lessons in learning how to set up a kitchen efficiently and learn how to chop food quickly then this is a great resource for your kitchen!

Fun for all

Even if you (like me) know how to cook this is still a great book to have. Leanne gives some helpful tips about setting up your kitchen, prep, work, and entertaining. There are some splendid simple recipes that alone make this book a worthwhile purchase. The chicken quesodillas as well as the basic soup are 2 of my favorites. This would make a great wedding gift or would be perfect for someone just moving out on their own.

Excellent

Great as a reference book - love the recipes I've tried. I bought this book as a 'first cook book' for my son and find I need to order another copy for me :)

It's about time!

I consider myself to be mildly cooking impaired, but have been a long time subscriber to Leanne's various menu mailers and I have both her books "Saving Dinner" as well as "Saving Dinner the Low Carb Way". The grocery list/daily menu format of Leanne's other works have been a lifesaver to me. The format of Saving Dinner Basics is also excellent, easy to read and nicely organized. I wish this book had been out there a few years back, it would have been immensely helpful to me as I started to try and learn about cooking and building my kitchen workspace. Excellent suggestions about setting up your cooking space, what supplies you need and what's a waste, and a wide variety of topics covered such as food selection and preservation/storage. Overall, I would highly recommend for the beginner as well as the domestically challenged. I found Leanne's ideas in this book to be very helpful.

A nice addition to your collection... regardless of skill level...

As a self-confessed foodie who loves to be in my kitchen, and a fan of Leanne's books and Menu Mailers, I actually bought this book for my oldest daughter who has just flown the nest. I had given her some of Leanne's other books when she first left as she was familiar with many of the recipes from me using them in our home, but even though she has spent time cooking with me, I thought it might be nice for to have a "how to" book to go along with her collection. Can you just imagine my surprise that I have to order another one to give her now? Because I want to keep this one for myself! I think it is a fabulous read, and full of some very nice information... and the recipes for using the new knowledge are great too. Granted I did know many of the things that Leanne goes over in the book because of my own experience on my own and with Leanne, it was really nice to know that I was doing most things "right", and how I could improve on those things that I was just sort of "winging"... if that makes sense. Basically, you really can teach an old dog new tricks when you make it easy and fun to learn! The information for those who are just starting their cooking experience (and a delightful one it can be too when you have the right tools and info!) is very easy to understand, in Leanne's familiar no nonsense manner. It is obvious that it is written by someone who really does cook for a family in their own home kitchen. I really liked that Leanne gives honest opinions on what you really do need to know, without filling up the book with lots of stuff that only confuses even further. It's nice to know the cooking terms and what they mean, but even nicer to know which ones you may never use. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is new to cooking for sure, and would even say that it is a nice reference book for those who do already know their way around a kitchen too. I really enjoyed it, and am glad to have it in my collection.