The Minimalist Cooks Dinner: More than 100 Recipes for Fast Weeknight Meals and Casual Entertaining

by Mark Bittman

Back with another splendid collection, America’s most popular cooking authority and author of How to Cook Everything, presents more than 100 fast, sophisticated main courses for home cooks of every skill level.

The Minimalist Cooks Dinner showcases Mark Bittman’s signature ease and imagination, and focuses on center-of-the-plate main dishes. And, in this new volume, he also provides recipes for classic, versatile side dishes as well as recommendations for wine and food pairings. With a majority of its main dish recipes taking less than thirty minutes to prepare, this is truly the book every busy cook has been waiting for. Every recipe in The Minimalist Cooks Dinner is big on flavor, drawing on the global pantry and international repertoire that sets Bittman apart.

This inventive collection offers a refreshing new take on standards, along with ideas that will inspire both novices and experienced home cooks to branch out, making it the perfect solution for weeknight after-work meals or elegant weekend dinner parties. From Steamed Chicken Breasts with Scallion-Ginger Sauce to Korean-Style Beef Wrapped in Lettuce Leaves to Roast Fish with Meat Sauce, Bittman banishes the ordinary with an exciting range of choices. Also covering hearty pasta dishes, steaks, pork, veal, lamb, chicken, and a wide assortment of seafood, The Minimalist Cooks Dinner is the answer when you’re looking for “satisfying dishes with a minimum of effort.”

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Culinary, Nutrition

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

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

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although several recipes claim that they will take no time, there is some serious prep time for those of us who cannot handle a knife like a person on Top Chef. For instance, Spicy Shrimp requires 4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced. Well it took me close to 20 minutes to cut two cloves of garlic, peel the skin and then dice and slice, but given that the closest I ever came to a clove was in a crossword, I though the prep time was worth it as the food came out pretty good.

The recipes seem fairly straight forward, and if I can cook them then you have to give him high marks.

[estar* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Getting your feet wet with Bittman. Accessible if you don't wanna tackle his gigantic How to Cook Everything series.

[Robert Neill Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a small number of recipes that I found appealing. Readers with broader taste interests may like them more.

[Lacey Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too basic and too many hard to find ingredients for me. The ingredients part is more of an Austria problem.

[Dickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my essential canon of cookbooks, gifted to both my kids.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has set new expectations of cookbooks for me. Not just do you get awesome recipes, but you also get variations as well as key pointers on how to get them right! (You also get ideas for what to serve it with, wine to pair it with, and a little editorial comment often with some history on the dish.) I'd like to broaden the range of things I'm comfortable cooking, but sometimes you get these ingredients that you've never used before and you end up guessing what to do with them. Well, here you don't have to guess, it's all explained to you.

For an example, there is the Cauliflower Curry w/ Chicken recipe. As the introductory paragraph states, there is a common Indian dish of cauliflower & potatoes, that I love to eat out - usually off a buffet where it can be one of many things, but I have never even considered making it at home because it just never seemed it could "do" on it's own. Our minimalist chef has substituted in chicken for the potatoes to make it more of a one-dish meal and balance out some of the starchiness. One of the ingredients is cumin, and the "Key to Success" indicates that you'll get more flavor by toasting it first in a dry skillet. The "With Minimal Effort" section indicates that you could substitute back in the potatoes, or you might spice up the dish with ginger, garlic, chiles or cayenne, or you might also add some cubed eggplant. What was just one simple recipe is now a cooking lesson that offers tips on how to make the dish just right for you.

Maybe if you're already comfortable substituting or adding items, or have already learned a how to cook with a wide range of ingredients and style, then maybe this isn't going to be the wow for you that it was for me. I've borrowed this copy, but I'd say there's a very good chance I'll be purchasing it, as well as checking out any other cookbooks he's written.

[Catherine Woodman]

This is one of the best cookbooks that I don't own--mostly because alot of this is fairly intuitive for me--he is the most like me of any professional cook that I have read--which is not to say that I am any where near his level, but I already cook and eat in the neighborhood that her lives in. This would be GREAT if you lived alone and were persistently eating alone (something that I realized today that I have never ever done)...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, I know second cookbook...what exactly do I read. Mark Bittman has a number of really easy recipes that have all come out well. I'm a big fan of the mussels and monk fish (never knew until this book). I also like that he gives some ideas on variations of a meal. Nice when you may not have all the ingredients on hand.

[Valary Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I must be picky about cookbooks. It was a good cookbook but I think I get frustrated when they take a rack of lamb or some kind of expensive fish and say "It is so simple". I found a few good recipes that I will try and I do like the approach that food does not have to be too complicated. I guess I still want it to fly onto my plate for less than $10 a person. :)

[AnnieM · Rating 3 out of 5]

clearly not doe the novice cook. It is a nice book to help the average cook to kick up the sophistication of their meals without losing one's sanity or time.

I will probably only write down a few recipients but for a home with few or no dietary restrictions, this is a good way to expand their cooking experience.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some great dinner ideas in this book, though definitely not the sort of slap-dash, throw-together-in-twenty-minutes dinners I usually make. A lot of these require a little more planning ahead and prepping, but would be well worthwhile.

[Joanna Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the Bittman.. and I learned from this book that you can make pasta like you would make risotto.. very interesting. Much like in "How to Cook Everything", he gives variations for the recipes.

[Aja Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - love mark bittman and the simplicity of this book is clear, but there aren't a lot of veggie things in here to keep me interested, but he makes making sort of fancy stuff seem easy so gotta love that.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

B+ A lot of non veg recipes but some interesting stuff. Good for the quick cook who don't have a ton of time. I'm eager to try the recipes for miso soup and pasta w parsley sauce - both seem easy and yummy.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Bittman delivers. He's single-handedly revolutionized our kitchen. Well, not single-handedly. There have been others. But I wouldn't feel crazy buying every book he's ever written.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

You should have almost everything for every recipe in your pantry already...

[Laura]

I love his column in the "New York Times" so thought I'd try the book. It has no photos to speak of so I'm already a little turned off...

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the Bittman books are good.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbooks. Essential for me, the new cook. This book was given to my sister as a wedding present, she gave it to me when I saw it on her shelf. I love it! I love his explanations.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice addition for how to cook everything, more about organizing dinners.

[Wendy Hollister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very simplified recipes that were not so appealing.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

No pictures. Still, good basic recipes.

[Beka · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure all his recipes taste great, but his cookbook is very dry. There are no pictures and very little writing.

[Mary]

Dave fought it...then bought it.
We now own it, and it's a great cook book.
"Love monk fish."

[Tiffany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as things one finds in everyday foodscmagazine and fine cooking magazine. Not impressed in the slightest.

[Jessica B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

very boring for a bittman. nothing terribly innovative here - most of these recipes were from his minimalist series on the nytimes.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yum - roast salmon with Pinot Noir syrup - what more do I need to say!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to Nigel Slater's recipes; they're simplistic but sound absolutely delicious.

[Sherri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up thinking they'd be quick, but there are some weird recipes in the mix here.