Bittman's Kitchen: What I Grill and Why

by Mark Bittman

Mark Bittman, America's favorite home cook and author of the award-winning How to Cook Everything, finally reveals his favorite grilling recipes. These are the essentials, the ones that Bittman goes back to time and again. Easy and accessible, each of these is a delicious excuse to grab a spatula and head outside. And, each is accompanied by short essay written in Bittman's trademark conversational style--so you feel like he's right there with you at the grill, sharing a story while the coals heat up. With this must-have grilling collection, Bittman also serves up a short but comprehensive guide to the grill, including how to get started, how to master doneness, what to grill, and what to keep in the pantry to make planning simple. Whether you cook everyday or pick up a set of tongs only on holiday weekends, these recipes are the ones you'll want to have on hand all summer long.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference

52 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2011

About the author

MARK BITTMAN is one of the country's best-known and most widely respected food writers. His How to Cook Everything books, with one million copies in print, are a mainstay of the modern kitchen. Bittman writes for the Opinion section of New York Times on food policy and cooking, and is a columnist for the New York Times Magazine. His "The Minimalist" cooking show, based on his popular NYT column, can be seen on the Cooking Channel. His most recent book, VB6, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list in its first week on sale.

Reviews

[Marvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another of one of those neat Kindle Singles: small ebooks under two dollars and usually well under 100 pages. This is the first Kindle Single cookbook I've seen and it is about my favorite type of cooking: Cooking on the grill.

It's a pretty good little book too. It is about as basic as it gets but it hits the main area for the novice grill master and it is entertaining to read. There are some common sense but important tips for good grilling. There are only 15 recipes but they cover the center of most griller's repertoire. Steak, burger, Teriyaki salmon, kebabs etc. are must-do item for any self-respecting grill cook. All the recipes seem to be high quality and not the "Man and his grill" slopped together kind. The one I was surprised about was the herb-marinated grilled leg of lamb. Leg of lamb on the grill is a dish left to the experts and those kamikaze grillers who like to live dangerously. There is at at least one recipe I plan to try; the grilled eggplant with miso sounds tempting.

If you are a beginning grill cook I would say this might be a four or five star book especially at the price. However for the more advanced grill cook, I would rate it at a three. So don't take the lower rating as a minus. It is still a nice addition to both the Kindle Singles collection and your grilling recipe collection.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, quick read, and a handy reference, for weekend grillers like myself who want to start to branch out beyond burgers, brats, steak, and the occasional fish. In fact, there are even tips and recipes to make your burgers, steak, and fish better. The recipes take some preparatory work, though Bittman presents it in a way to suggest that the preparation won't take long (I'm a bit skeptical on that until I try and get the hang of the various marinades and know where to find the right spices). In addition to burgers and steak, there are tips and recipes for grilling fish, chicken, lamb, and vegetables. Some of the tips and marinades could apply to multiple meats.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Kindle Single for like $2, that you can read in an evening.

I always enjoy Bittman, and his recipes. Nice refresher course on how to grill (patience, use low/medium heat at times), but the best part is the recipes for various marinades and sauces.

"Basic" does describe it, but a refresher course is a good way to go every now and then. And, again, the marinades and sauces well worth the $2 and 1 hour it will take you to read this.