James Trevor "Jamie" Oliver, sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef and media personality well known for his growing list of food-focused television shows, his more recent roles in campaigning against the use of processed foods in national schools, and his campaign to change unhealthy diets and poor cooking habits for the better across the United Kingdom.
(I think this is a good companion book to the Jamie's Ministry Of Food/Food Revolution-book; for us who want simple and towards-cheaper-end food, the two are essential, though MoF/FR is what I'd get first.)
The focus of this book is on quality, tasty food on a budget (not the leanest budget, but pretty close, and note my comment above). The categories are: Veg, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Fish, plus some bonus recipes. At the start there is talk of the fridge and pantry contents (what the author has), some saving tips, and equipment basics. Within the categories we are introduced to some person: the greengocer, the butcher, and the fishmonger. Also there are tips like how to joint a chicken, how to waste certain food stuff, and how to grow and use fresh herbs. At the end are nutrition information for each recipe. All recipes have photos, making time, calories per portion, and sometimes extra tips.
Favorite recipes (not including lamb and fish stuff): Grated rainbow salad with sesame feta fritters, Mexican filled omelette, Puffy pea'n'potato pie, My sag aloo, Sweet fennel soup with French toast croutons, Pappa alle zucchine (Courgette & bread soup), Okonomiyaki, Chicken & spinach cannelloni, Sticky chicken Chinese noodles, Spiced beef tangine, Chinese beef & tofu, Dim sum pork buns, Sausage panzanella.
I feel the author couldn't quite help putting his own taste into this, but it doesn't disturb the flow. It's a bit English (the covered pies, the Sunday roasts, and the Cheddar). His current tool obsession was the crinkle cut knife, which does look interesting in the equipment photo, and it is mentioned in quite a few recipes. This is the first time I came across the yorkie - a donut-shaped (and -sized) bread that is eaten with meat stew - strange but I would try!
This is a very interesting and useful cookbook, but not *the* eat-cheap book I imagined (I've said the rest on this at the start). Very British, in a way, but this is a good *and* tasty view on that, and I did learn some saving tips while reading. Not a bad adding to one's cookbook shelf/shelves ;)
Recipes are ok, the saving part? Well, not so much. I have a very comfortable income and this is about my Level of cooking and ingredients - to be more creative with your leftovers, yeah. Saving, as in, you're-living-on-the-breadling-saving? Hear me laugh.
Yet another addition to Jamie's cookery empire. Bought this for Mummy for her birthday as she asked for it, even though she often says that she doesn't have time to try out new recipes. So there's a fair few recipes that I'll try on her behalf...
The concept of this book is quite good and sensible, but not exactly groundbreaking - I swear at least every other cookbooks I've read from the last few years rhapsodises over doing a big roast and then using up the leftovers in other meals... And as another reviewer pointed out, this isn't exactly on the breadline budget cooking, it's 'slightly-cheapier-than-normal-cookbooks' level budgeting - I'm a student and I eat more frugally than this.
And finally, for the love of god how many cookbook authors go on and on about how great & cheap ham hocks are - where on earth are you meant to find them?! Certainly not in even quite large and middle class supermarkets, and given that my only local butchers are halal ones no hope there... My only other choice is places like Borough Market, which is certainly not cheap!
I have a few cookbooks by Jamie Oliver. He's definitely my favourite chef, and I love watching all his cooking shows on TV. This book has some great recipes and interesting ideas. Definitely one I'd recommend if you're trying to cook on a budget, and especially if you want ideas for making takeaway style meals at home, saving you a small fortune.
I think this is week three of 'Save with Jamie'. We started with the Mothership Roast Pork for week one, then the Roast Chicken and this week the Brisket of Beef, and really, it has helped streamline the shopping budget. One of his key tenets is that you cook a roast on the Sunday and then use leftovers the following week. His leftover recipes are unusual and tasty and perfect for cooks who (for instance) perhaps don't know how to create a chicken filling for a pie from leftovers.
We've always tried to plan the week's meals and shop accordingly, often using recipes from low-fat cookbooks, and the snag is, that to avoid monotony, many of those recipes use expensive cuts of meat, (pork tenderloin, chicken breasts). Ok, so Jamie's recipes aren't necessarily low-fat, but we have avoided eating out, and also, the amount of meat he uses in his leftover recipes especially is much less than we'd usually consume in a meal.
One of the best things about this book is that there is a particular repertoire of ingredients, so that, for instance, if you use 1/2 a cabbage for one recipe, there are other recipes you can do that also include 1/2 a cabbage.
Last Saturday I used up 1/2 a butternut squash (had needed the other half in a recipe that week) from his 'Roast Butternut Squash 4 ways' section, and we had bruschettas with butternut squash mash spread on them, with crispy bacon and mushrooms on top. Scrummy.
It's has also taken me out of my comfort zone and I have cooked offal (chicken livers) and tofu, both of which were new to me. I'm feeling proud of myself. I've also done his 'make herb butter with leftover herbs' trick and actually used them to make a very tasty gravy.
My favourite recipe is probably the Banh Mi which was a surprising hit with our 2 boys, aged 5 and 2. We loved it so much we've done it twice now. Excellent.
I love Jamie, he can do no wrong and I'll buy pretty much anything he writes. We've already used the Roast Chicken recipe and one of the leftover recipes that go with it. The whole idea is very useful, especially as we're a family that have been stuck in the rut of using its leftovers in their original form - as the meat and three veg it started out as - which isn't always appetising two days later, but changing the base ingredients into another meal altogether gives you a different meal that doesn't feel (or taste) like your eating the same thing two days in a row (which is a nice change). I highly recommend anything Jamie has ever written.
Out of all the Jamie books I felt cheated when this title arrived from Amazon. If you can cook or have even the slightest ideas about recipes and food in general, stay away from this one (Jamie Oliver has plenty good cookbooks better than this one). Not a good moment in my Jamie fan experience.
Is it weird to sit down and read a cook book? I'm not sure, but either way this volume contains great tips for eating well on a low budget (and obviously gives some great recipes, as well - all of my family are huge Jamie Oliver fans, the food is always so good). I also loved how this book contained some more general kitchen and cooking tips - how to make your own vinegar out of left over wine (while also acknowledging that left over wine may be a rare thing to come across), how to make your own chilli oil, and different ways to preserve herbs (cause let's be honest, 75% of the cilantro bunch is wilted before I get to it) are things I will definitely be trying out! Thanks Jamie!
Al twintig jaar let ik op de kleintjes. Niet dat dit erg is, ik hou van het leven en geniet elke dag weer van lekker eten. Ondertussen ben ik er achter dat je met kruiden en oliën best lang doet. Ook kun je veel dingen als ze goedkoop zijn blancheren en in de diepvries bewaren, of chutney's van maken. Ik weet zeker dat mijn oma ook nog wel een aantal geweldige recepten voor dit kookboek zou hebben gehad. Ik heb veel van haar geleerd door gewoon te kijken. 🌷🌹
I drooled over the recipes, and copied out more than a few (particularly some creative vegetarian or otherwise vegetable-based recipes), but the book does not accomplish its goal: saving me money. First, there are very few tips beyond the obvious - actually, there were very few tips, period. Second, the tips are simply that, not teaching you to truly follow concepts in designing your own meal plan to save money. Third, there is not any explanation for how a recipe saves money, so you must just trust that following his plan will work. Fourth, the cookbook is very context specific and may not translate to savings in other countries (like Canada, or perhaps even those within the British Isles), particularly since it does not explain and give you transferable knowledge/teaching.
Why did the cookbook receive even this high a rating?I drooled over the recipes. I do not understand what people have trouble with the concept of using cooked meat in other recipes (though, so long as you eat all the leftovers, who cares if you eat straight leftovers?) and question how many are not doing so (freakish hold-outs like my Dad, sure, but the average person?). Many of the recipes are similar to ones I already made, e.g. my pork roasts become pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, pork burritos, and pork stir-fry. That said, I copied out a few new ideas and a lot of vegetable recipes (as previously stated).
Beyond that, the cookbook was returned to the library very quickly and I have no intention of buying the book.
EDIT: My family ended up buying me the book, because they noticed a gap in my collection. While I still say it doesn't translate to savings, they still love the recipes - I mean, it's Jamie Oliver!
Jamie's new book and companion TV series are another great round of ideas. With all of the concerns about food wastage, it is wonderful that he provides some great ways to use up leftovers, especially large roast dinners. Having said that, it does mean if you want to start something from scratch you have to either make something comparable to the roast or try to find a way to cook your meat before starting off. That isn't that terrible, but it does mean many of the recipes have the same vibe. Maybe they aren't the most earth-shattering, but do provide a good jumping off point for how to use leftovers. There are certainly some tasty things to try.
Um livro com receitas simples (sem ingredientes mirabolantes), económicas e que Jamie fez a pensar em 'todos'; desde as famílias descomplicadas a famílias numerosas, a estudantes e a quem vive sozinho. Trata da maioria dos assuntos importantes como compras, congelações, despensa e até aos utensílios básicos a usar na cozinha. É basicamente um livro de receitas mas inclui conselhos, ideias de poupança que Jamie espera que seja passado de geração em geração e que seja o primeiro livro de cozinha dos seus filhos. Bons cozinhados.
If you already have a Jamie Oliver cookbook or two, you probably don't need this. I do really like the concept, because I'm someone that is a bit fanatical about using up leftovers. I'm going to keep it around for the suggestions for leftover chicken. I liked the idea of the chicken chowder, but it definitely needs a more seasoned stock than he recommends. I'm not a red meat eater, but the Beef Rendang went over very well and helped me get rid of some brisket I ended up with.
A great guide for saving money on groceries as a meat eater, brilliant varied recipes that all taste great. We've saved loads on our grocery shop, and we waste a lot less than we used to as well. I often find budget cookery used uninteresting, old-fashioned ingredients or is almost vegetarian - my husband only considers food a snack if it's meatless so these sorts of books don't get alot of use!
Typical Jamie book - good recipes with great photos. As an economy cook book a few recipes are out of the price range of daily budgeting but with a few adaptions with items I can afford I can't wait to test some of the recipes
Christmas present, I love the opening pages and certainly a great collection of recipes and what to do with leftovers. Especially love the pickled veges bits... I have never used this book. I'm unsure why but we just don't do leftovers.
I haven't used this quite as much as the Jamie's 15 and 30 minute meals. I also got caught out by the longer prep time - always RTFM! I like it, but don't think I will be using it for all my family meal planning and budgeting.
I am an experienced and good cook and fairly skilled at using up leftovers. Even so, I have learned from this book and will continue to use it in the same way I use most cookbooks: as a jumping-off place for my own improvisations.
This is an enjoyable book to read with many fun recipes to make, including many excellent vegetarian recipes. It inspired me to make small batches of pickles, rather than larger batches. There are many recipes I have yet to try I it, all the ones so far have been excellent.
I got this as a Christmas present and while it's got some interesting recipes in, it's not really my style of cooking. Although I do 'create' left over recipes quite a bit.