The Minimalist Cooks at Home: Recipes That Give You More Flavor from Fewer Ingredients in Less Time

by Mark Bittman

People are hungry for ways to simplify their cooking--without sacrificing quality or taste. Now you can satisfy that hunger with The Minimalist Cooks at Home.
Mark Bittman, author of the "New York Times" column "The Minimalist," brings one hundred of his innovative recipes (many never published before) right into your kitchen. But The Minimalist Cooks at Home is so much more than recipes. It features Mark's personal quick-cooking lessons, shortcuts, and ideas for variations, substitutions, and spin-offs.
Mark doesn't believe in arduous techniques, long lists of ingredients, and even longer hours in the kitchen. Instead, with a few choice ingredients and a few easy steps, dishes such as Paella, Fast and Easy; Ziti with Butter, Sage, and Parmesan; Spicy Chicken with Lemon-grass and Lime; and 15-Minute Fruit Gratin can be on your table in no time.
And by encouraging versatility, The Minimalist Cooks at Home allows cooks of all skill levels to create a tailored repertoire of sophisticated dinners. This is modern cooking at its best--flexible, fast, and fabulous.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

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

[Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is geared toward the more experience chef. Bittman takes an recipe and then shows you how to change it. My favorite recipe is Cookie Dough - it allows you to make five different types of cookies in one batch. The recipes are fairly healthy, simple and Bittman teaches you how to make them your own. Highly recommend.

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an awesome book. I've been wanting to know more chef-y sort of "oh, if I want to make something that's like this, I need to do more X." kind of stuff--the stuff that appears instinctive when someone knows it but is a complete mystery to those who don't. I'm at the point where I can make a lot of things that I really like, but they're all the same in a way: mushrooms, spinach, red peppers, garlic, onions. Rehash at will and put over pasta, next to meat, or in eggs. That's basically my whole cooking repertoire. This book provides some of the cooking theory that's needed to get to the next step, and bonus: he keeps everything as simple and quick as possible! Yay minimalism! Most recipes have about six ingredients--that's it. Awesome. It's the opposite of the usual food snob big-deal cookbook as far as hassles and hoops, yet it provides the foodie insider information for how to make that really great food! What a win!

He covers soup, which I know nothing about but would love to do well; tons of awesome-sounding super easy pasta dishes; fish, another area of zero expertise for me; dressings; and even a little bit of cookie theory. Damn awesome! Meat, poultry, and veggies are in there too. I feel less in need of help in these areas, although I picked up some good stuff here, too.

Flipping through this book, I want to try almost everything, and I feel like there's too much information to absorb or summarize. It provides both inspiration for dinner right now and a useful reference guide. This one's worth owning--I think I'll buy a copy. It's a rare book that I say that about when the library owns it, but this one rises to that level.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of two Mark Bittman cookbooks which fed our family from the late 1990's to present and I cannot recommend it highly enough. Any recent purchases of this book have been for my daughters, now grown or for our vacation home.

What I love about this book is the reliability of good tasting, simple recipes each on a two-page layout stating the time it will take to make, recommendations for accompanying dishes (and the recipes are in the same book), recommendations for accompanying beverages, variations (i.e. ways to enhance the recipe "with minimal effort"), and substitutions (switching out ingredients).

Thanks to Mark Bittman, my children grew up loving roasted vegetables like brussels sprouts and asparagus and developed a sophisticated palette at a young age.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good ideas, but a little too fancy for my tastes. I don't want to have to search for ingredients and for minimalist recipes some of these still have a lot of steps or take a lot of time and planning.

[Lyne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry, any book where the appetizers/soups alone require a trip to the Asian market and $10-15 dollars is not my definition of minimalist. Also, most of the entrees take 45-60 minutes which is not exactly more in less time either.

[Olivier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents simple recipes in a very innovative and interesting way. On the left page, a description of the ingredients and basic recipes. In the margin, a comment by Bittman explaining why he chose this recipe. On the right page, information on ways to "jazz up" the recipe with "minimal effort" + cooking tips ("keys to success") to increase chances of success. Rather than having tons of recipes with photographs, we have fewer (still at least 100) but these are presented very clearly. Each can be a source of inspiration for improvising.
This has become my main cookbooks for weeknights. Heartily recommended.

[Dianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

There aren't nearly enough recipes to justify the price of the book, and the ones that are there are dull and boring. Maybe if you are used to frozen TV dinners, this book will seem exciting by comparison. But if you're used to home cooking, find a better cookbook.

[M]

We've enjoyed almost everything we've cooked from this book. A standout is the Chicken with Coconut and Lime. Directions are clear and direct with good photographs. I love the "with minimal effort" section at the end of each recipe--easy ways to tweak the recipes for different effects.

[Suzanne Lyndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I prefer his other more comprehensive cookbooks which are my new go to cookbooks in my kitchen including How To Cook Everything, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian, and my favorite, How To Cook Everything Fast.

[Emerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I "discovered" Mark Bittman's New York Times column several weeks ago; since then, I have been the ultimate Bittman fan. I have learned so much, and I recommend everything he has ever written!

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Highly disappointing... Boring recipes with pasta, chicken, and fish... The paella recipe sounds like the same kind of ladies' magazine tripe that American culture has been feeding us for years.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great weeknight cookbook - easy and accessible recipes, minimal time/maximal flavor.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, easy recipes that can be adapted to whatever ingredients are on hand. Not exhaustive by any means, but a decent introduction to some basic dishes that can inspire improvisational cooking.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I use these recipes as a starting point for meals. Followed to the tee, the dishes are a little too simple and fundamental.

[Paul Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Try the pasley-vinegar sauce.

[Judith]

I watch on video through New York Times Mark Bittman's cooking daily and wasn't disappointed to read his book.
If you like to cook or want to learn to cook his simple recipes are a must.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library on a whim and now I have to go and purchase it. Excellent advice on simple everyday food.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teaching me how to cook by giving me the basics :)

[Bjm Index]

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[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Mark Bittman book, but not bad.

[Jonquill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this cookbook-- simple flavorful recipes that are easy to prepare written in Mark Bittman's no-nonsense style.

[MegInAk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14378597

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These recipes seem doable, even by me. Now to just actually make some of them...

[Deborah Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I cannot eat most of these recipes due to my health concerns, so this one was not for me!

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark knows his way around food and making delicious recipes.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, simple recipes, easy to follow directions.