Jamie's 15 Minute Meals

by Jamie Oliver

This book is completely devoted to what you, the public, are asking for - super-quick, tasty, nutritious food that you can eat every day of the week.

Creating these recipes has been a whole new experience for me, and I've made sure they're methodical, clever, sociable and fun, with beautiful ingredients that will slap you around the face with big flavours! I'll probably never write a cookbook like this again, but I can assure you this is a classic that will arm you with the skills to create wonderful meals, shockingly fast.

I've taken inspiration from around the world, embracing the flavours that we all love, playing with classic chicken, steak and pasta dishes, looking at Asian-inspired street food and brilliant Moroccan flavours, bigging up mega salads and so much more. I'm basically trying to represent all the types of food that you, out there, are buying into. And these are some of the quickest and easiest meals I've ever done.

These recipes have been tested and tested to ensure this book is a reliable companion for you, and hopefully your family too when you pass it down. I think you're going to really love it - I'm so proud of it.

It's far and away the most balanced and exciting everyday cookbook I've seen - and if you liked 30-Minute Meals, this will knock your socks off.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Cuisine, Health

287 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

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.

Reviews

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying that I really like Jamie Oliver's style of cooking and food philosophy. I have several of his other books including 30 Minute Meals (which I believe was renamed to Meals in Minutes). I was skeptical about this book because one of the aspects of 30 Minute Meals which I didn't like was the format. Because each recipe provided instructions for 3 dishes (a main, side and dessert) the instructions were erratic, jumping all over the place making it difficult to follow especially if you were only preparing one of the dishes.

Fortunately 15 Minute Meals has been written more clearly and there is more of a logical sequence to the steps. I have made 5 dishes from this book and every one of them I would cook again. I'm pretty experienced in the kitchen and have all the necessary equipment (food processor is HIGHLY recommended if you're going to cook from this book!) but despite this the meals did take me longer than 15 minutes - probably closer to 30 but considering how healthy they were as well as fresh and delicious tasting I don't mind spending half an hour preparing them!

One of the things I liked the most about this book is there is some repetition in ingredients used throughout it. E.g. the gherkins I bought for the Fish Baps meal were also used in the Brittish Burgers as well as the Stroganoff. Roasted peppers made several appearances as did the herbs and spices. This is great because it doesn't create waste (half used ingredients in the back of the refrigerator never to see the light of day again) and of course it's economical. I also haven't had any trouble sourcing the ingredients.

Probably the most remarkable thing about this book is it's got me enthused about cooking again. With a toddler at home keeping me busy my enthusiasm and energy for cooking had definitely waned. I've had 5 successes with the book so far, the recipes are largely guilt free because they focus on wholesome fresh ingredients and they're prepared quickly so it's definitely invigorated me somewhat. I also think it's confidence boosting watching the TV series and seeing that the dishes I've prepared have turned out looking exactly like Jamie's.

I can't recommend the Sticky Kickin' Chicken highly enough!!! The recipe is online if you're looking to try one before you buy the book.

I would recommend this book to busy people who enjoy healthy food and diverse flavours and ingredients.

[Marg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often use the library to look for cookbooks that I might want to buy. I am not sure why I did that with a Jamie Oliver cookbook though because I already know that I like his books. But borrow it from the library I did, and now I will be happy to actually buy it, most particularly for the chicken recipes. Some of the recipes that sound like possibilities include Gorgeous Greek Chicken with Herby Vegetable Couscous and Tatziki or Chicken Tikka, Lentil, Spinach and Naan Salad.

The whole essence of this book is speed and there were times when I was reading the instructions when I felt like I was rushing when I was reading it. I am not sure if that was my inflection or the way it was written!

Like most of Jamie Oliver's books, this is full of beautiful photographs and I loved that at the back there were a couple of pages that showed the photos of each recipe but with added nutritional information. I did want to mention one thing about the presentation of this book though. I know what it is all the rage to have your meals served on boards now when you go to restaurants but I was surprised that nearly every recipe in this book is instructed to be served on boards or platters and is pictured that way all the way through the book. I don't know about anyone else, but this is not a way that we ever eat at home! I am all for only making the plates dirty that have to be used, not any others! Maybe that is just me!

To read more head to

http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2013...

[J L Kruse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Jamie Oliver! His commitment to ensuring that children eat healthy food is something that, as a mother, is near and dear to my heart. And this latest book is just plain fun! Fast, healthy and smart - can't wait to try some of these recipes at home.

[Cruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how you buy a cookbook with the best of intentions, only to cook just one or two recipes and add it to the bookshelf? This isn't one of them.

The recipes are exactly what I want.

Achievable within a reasonable time frame. Okay, they aren't exactly 15-minutes. But they aren't a long way off and, given the heat this summer, the less time I spend in the kitchen the better!

Realistic costs and ingredients. I have been surprised my food costs have decreased. Part of that is the smaller amounts of meat, but also re-using ingredients and herbs. He uses the occasional tins of tomatoes, beans, passata, and some frozen ingredients, but mostly fresh obtainable ingredients like carrots, celery, potatoes, pasta, avocado...

Healthy. Finally, a recipe book that doesn't use vast amounts of fat and butter to carry the flavours, that includes lots of veges and salads with every recipe, and decreases the amount of meat. Includes a lot of vegetarian and fish options. Opts for alternative carbohydrates like brown rice (rather than white), bulgur wheat, couscous. And has fat/calorie counts for each meal.

Tasty. Okay, I tend to leave out the chillies and garlic to keep the kids happy, and play around with some of the other flavours to satisfy the husband, but the meals are still surprisingly tasty using the freshness of the ingredients to carry the dish.

So overall I am ecstatic with this cookbook. In three weeks I have made maybe 10 of the meals, and been dissatisfied with maybe 2 parts of the meals overall. And there are definitely dishes I'll be adding to the family repertoire once school goes back. And I like it so much I bought a copy for a relative who has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, but still needs to find options for the whole family. The calorie counts and emphasis on salads and veges will make a huge difference in finding variation for their household.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obsessed with Jamie Oliver cooking and would recommend this book. Lovely recipes and good for dinner parties and also simple meals for yourself.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and economical but they're so healthy. I've had it for a week and eaten out of it at least once a day every day since I got it. The 15 minute mindset can be a bit tricky to grasp but within two recipes I was cooking these meals in 15 minutes (or under for the breakfast, smoothie and sandwich sections). Also the side dishes are wonderful and you can create your own menus by mixing and matching quite easily. To make this easier you'll notice that many of the recipes use the same ingredients so you're not buying something you'll only use once or twice. I have a kitchen garden which has helped heaps but I'm also adding a wider variety of things to my pantry (which is also encouraging me to decrease my processed food consumption so the cost is being offset by that and not costing me much more in food shopping).

You do need a food processor for these recipes but thanks to Jamie my one has gone from being something that sat on the shelf most days to being one of the most useful tools in my kitchen.

Also useful is the information available for each recipe. One the recipe page you can find a calorie count per serve and in the back pages there is a breakdown of calories, saturated fat, salt and sugar for each recipe. This is quite useful. Be aware that just because a recipe is low in calories it doesn't mean it isn't filling. These are meals with realistic healthy portions (not excessive portions but not minimal ones either) that will fill you up.

Finally, these recipes balance vege, protein, good fats and oils and carbs. In the week I've been eating out of it I have notice my hair is shiner, my skin is clearer and I'm making smarter food choices when I go out just because I love the fresh vegetables in Jamie's recipes. I'm eating more fruit and vege without really considering it and making the choice to eat more fruit and vege when I'm not eating Jamie's meals.

This is easily the best cookbook of 2012 and I'm excited to see what Jamies's 2013 offering is.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to just admit that I got hung up on the 15 minute promise. Nothing I tried took less than twenty minutes and most were closer to half an hour. One of the big time saving tips was using the food processor, which isn't that helpful if you already just cut a lot of stuff ahead of time. Most of the stuff I tried was done within a week, and I was seriously tired of taking the extra time to clean my food processor all the time. It felt like it the time I saved cooking was just being added to the time I spent at the sink.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great companion book to the series of the same name. What I always love about Jamie Oliver is that his recipes actually work for real people like me. I've made several of these ones and they were all terrific.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just discovered Jamie's cooking show , I decided to check out his recipes. If you prep first then everything comes together pretty quickly. Add some time if you don't use a food processor (like me) but otherwise these recipes really do come together quickly. Plus they are good!

[Erik T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bra bok men oklart hur lång tid målen tar att laga?

[Andrea James · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far the recipes have turned out reasonably well. Based on the ideas and suggestions, I would rate this book at least 4 stars.

However, this is supposed to encourage people that cooking can be done fast so the lower rating is because the editors and production editors could have done much better job of laying the recipes out so they are quick to read and follow along.

Once you've made a dish, especially if you already have decent cooking skills, then the next time around it could take close to 15 minutes (with the stated provisos that the kettle is boiled and the oven is on etc.).

There are quite a few similarities between the recipes. This would seem like a downside in other books but in this case, it means that you get a sense of what he expects you to do (whizz stuff up in a blender/food processor), buy coriander (cilantro) and limes, and it also means that you can more easily use the leftover herbs in another recipe.

[Cris Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al principio tuve que detenerme a googlear algo casi que en cada oración. "¿Qué es turmeric?", "¿Qué es un double-layered muffin case?", "¿Qué es hoi sin sauce?", "How to speed peel a cucumber into ribbons?", "¿Cómo se dice coriander leaves en español?" etc, etc, etc.

Todo el libro es sumamente útil. Me gustó principalmente que los ingredientes que usa son naturales, como los que se conseguirían en una feria. He visto que dentro de la categoria de "# minute meals" acostumbran usar muchas latas y nada que ver.

Otro punto a considerar es que no se si todos los ingredientes se puedan conseguir en Costa Rica, por ejemplo nunca he visto "ready-to-eat Puy lentils" ni "okra", para nombrar algunos.

La primera vez de fijo que no van a ser de 15 min, sino como de 45, pero con práctica, todo bien.

★★★★★!

[Constance Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was bought this book for Christmas and was incredibly doubtful about it. Was put off at first because whilst I cook an awful lot, half the ingredients needed are not what I would normally stock.

Less than two months later and I am a total convert. I love this book! The meals are interesting, unusual and have us eating things we had never tried before. The short amount of time needed to make them means that they're perfect for week night meals after work, even if shopping requires slightly more preparation!

The washing up, though, often leaves something to be desired!

[Hanneke Mwk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book as Christmas present. The title does not deliver. These are not 15 mim meals, you can easily add 20-30min of prepping and cutting vegetables and meat. Furthermore, I do not like the long and rather fancy ingredient list. On days that I want to cook in 15 mins, I am tired from work and it's a week day. A simple and cheap, not fancy, meal will suffice. So overall the book is a dissapointment and I hardly ever use it.

[Samanta Nicoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have to say, very different compared to his other books, which I have all of. Seems more nutrition friendly, with each recipe coming with a calorific value. Very good book I think you could plan an entire change of eating habits based on this book and you wouldn't miss out on a thing. Good for the health conscious!!!! Great work J.O xx

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really pretty book with lots of great recipes. I personally recommend the Swedish meatballs, the crispy Parma pork (with it's delicious courgettes) and the glazed pork fillet. There's also some superb ideas for breakfast toasties.

A particularly nice feature of the book is that it includes nutritional information for each meal. Very useful for those of us watching our weight.

[Lab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought because of the recent bruhahaha wrt to Jamie Oliver; and nope, if you are not superfast in the kitchen, you won't complete any of the dishes in 15 minutes. I much prefer Nigel Slater's philosophy: Pour yourself a glass of wine to take off the worst edge of hunger and give yourself thirty minutes to throw together something hearty.

[Nathalie White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have only made a couple so far and have not exactly timed myself but so far the results have been really tasty. I also like the fact the side dishes are so good as a vegetarian I can cook the whole recipe for my meat eating family and still have something delicious for me too.

[Eleanor · Rating 1 out of 5]

No way any of these recipes can be done in 15 Mins!

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sure these are great recipes but there was nothing in there that my family would eat.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Och due I use these recipes - every body lives them. Most recipes are quit easy. I love to wok. 😀

[Floor tussendeboeken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helaas was dit kookboek niet geschikt voor mij en mijn vriend, al hebben we er wel een lekker pasta recept uit die we zullen blijven maken!

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Προσωπικά, ένα από τα αγαπημένα μου hobbies είναι το να μαγειρεύω, τόσο σε καθημερινή βάση για την οικογένειά μου, όσο και για φίλους σε πιο ιδιαίτερες περιστάσεις. Ουσιαστικά, θεωρώ πως η μαγειρική είναι ένα είδος τέχνης, καλλιτεχνικής έκφρασης και εκδήλωσης δημιουργικότητας και ναι, συμφωνώ με τη θεωρία που θέλει τον καθένα από εμάς ικανό να μαγειρέψει, αρκεί να έχει την όρεξη και τη διάθεση για να κάνει κάτι τέτοιο. Γιατί η μαγειρική, θέλει να την αγαπάς. Γιατί μόνο τότε μπορείς να αποδώσεις, να μάθεις, να γίνεις καλύτερος και γιατί όχι, να οδηγηθείς σε δικούς σου πειραματισμούς. Ένας τρόπος να μάθεις, τα τελευταία χρόνια τουλάχιστον, είναι οι διάφορες εκπομπές μαγειρικής. Βέβαια, οι περισσότερες από αυτές, δείχνουν gourmet συνταγές για εστιατόρεια και όχι κάτι απλό, καθημερινό, οικογενειακό. Αυτός είναι και ο λόγος που μου αρέσουν οι εκπομπές του Jamie Oliver. Θυμίζουν κάτι από σπίτι.

Ξέρω πως ίσως να σας φαίνεται παράξενο που μπαίνω στη διαδικασία να σχολιάσω βιβλία μαγειρικής, ωστόσο, οφείλω να τονίσω πως πρόκειται για δύο ιδιαίτερα βιβλία, πολυχρηστικότατα και που καμία σχέση δεν έχουν με τους παραδοσιακούς "Τσελεμεντέδες" που κληρονομήσατε από τις γιαγιάδες και τις μαμάδες σας. Στα δύο αυτά βιβλία του Jamie, μπορείτε να βρείτε συνταγές απλές, εύκολες στην εκτέλεσή τους, με υλικά που σχεδόν πάντα υπάρχουν σε κάθε σπίτι, τις οποίες επεξηγεί βήμα προς βήμα με οδηγίες που είναι κάτι παραπάνω από κατανοητές. Βέβαια, υπάρχει ένα μικρό μειονέκτημα, αλλά αυτό έχει να κάνει και με το κατά πόσο πολύ χρησιμοποιείται την κουζίνα σας, ως χώρο, και κατά πόσο κάνετε μέσα σε αυτήν πράγματα πέραν το να βράζετε ένα αυγό ή ένα πακέτο μακαρόνια. Κι αναφέρομαι φυσικά στον εξοπλισμό που απαιτείται για να ολοκληρώσετε τις συνταγές αυτές, όχι γενικά, αλλά μέσα στον χρόνο που γίνεται από τον Jamie. Πάντως, αν αποφασίσετε να ασχοληθείτε σοβαρά και δεν έχετε κάποια είδη του εξοπλισμού, μπορείτε πάντα να τα αγοράσετε καθώς είναι επένδυση και δεν στοιχίζουν και τόσο.

15' γεύματα, λοιπόν, που αποτελούνται στην πλειοψηφία τους από ορεκτικό, κυρίως πιάτο και σαλάτα, ή πιο περίπλοκα κυρίως πιάτα που συνδυάζουν περισσότερα από ένα, πράγματα. 30' γεύματα που ναι μεν απαιτούν τον διπλάσιο χρόνο, αλλά είναι άκρως ολοκληρωμένα, περιλαμβάνοντας μέχρι και επιδόρπιο που συνήθως, είναι το πιο δύσκολο, απαιτητικό και χρονοβόρο στοιχείο ενός γεύματος. Ε, λοιπόν, ο Jamie έχει μικρές λύσεις για μεγάλα πιάτα που δεν θα σας εξαντλήσουν και που δεν απαιτούν να είστε σεφ για να πετύχετε το σωστό αποτέλεσμα, ούτε να έχετε στην κατοχή σας πανάκριβες συσκευές που θα τις χρησιμοποιείτε σπάνια έως ποτέ. Κι αν νομίζετε πως τα βιβλία είναι ακριβά, πρέπει να σας τονίσω πως όχι μόνο πρόκειται για δύο εξαιρετικές εκδόσεις, αλλά που περιλαμβάνουν πλούσιο φωτογραφικό υλικό και που κακά τα ψέματα, σε βάθος χρόνου, θα σας κάνουν να εξοικονομίσετε χρήματα αλλά και χρόνο, με τις συμβουλές που σας δίνουν.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cookbook! I would love to give this five stars, but as some steps in the recipes are a little vague, the North American printing is 100% for Americans (not Canadians) and I personally don't like lamb (a small chapter and several recipes are devoted to lamb), a four is where it's at. That said, this cookbook is awesome! I've had it less than a week, and I've already made two dinners and smoothies from the recipes within, plus spent hours reading through the recipes and great photos. The Hoisin steak noodle bowl was seriously amazing and the ricotta fritters were a revelation! I'm already planning the rest of the week. I don't have a food processor, but taking the extra minutes to slice or grate things myself hasn't upset me. The two recipes I tried were done in 20 minutes. I do wish I had purchased the English printing though Canadians that use scales as well as mL measurements would benefit from the English version instead of the American one. Do Americans really spell "chili", "chile"?

[Littlemissc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a Jamie fan - but mainly just drooling throughout the TV shows rather than actually cooking. I got this book for Christmas, and it is fantastic! The dishes are healthy, quick and so achievable - plus totally delicious, of course! Something that has sort of turned me off cooking from recipe books in the past is that my brother has an allergy to dairy, which rules out anything cheesy, and many dishes with cream or milk. I've found that most recipes in this book are easy to substitute dairy free alternatives, which is a massive plus for me. The simple methods of cooking yet big flavours easily make this one of my absolute favourite cook books. Even if it takes me more than 15 minutes, it still serves up a completely satisfying and filling meal.

[Alisea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Foto magnifiche, ma ricette adatte a cenette intime per due dal sapore etnico, con candele romantiche e scenografia high tech.
Quindi lontana anni luce da casa mia...
Tutte le ricette fanno abbondante uso di spezie esotiche che spesso non incontrano il nostro gusto e i piatti non si prestano a ragazzi affamati di ritorno dal calcetto.
Ho trovato però due cose interessanti:
- le dritte sulla cucina: no a stoviglie, piatti di portata anonimi, ma imprimere la nostra personalità anche alla tavola con un largo uso di taglieri riverniciati e stoviglie "a tema a scelta" purché a tema
- link con la "lista della spesa" che include, per noi, sapori nuovi e interessanti
http://www.jamieoliver.com/_beta/book...…

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously delicious food that even my "sometimes I cook" husband mastered in 15 minutes. The thing I love about these recipes is that they really are complete meals in 15 minutes from prep to table. The ingredients are things I normally have on hand and totally easy to find at any grocery. Our entire family, kids included, have loved all the things we've cooked so farI love Jamie Oliver anyway and have always cooked from his books but this one is already starting to see oil stains and tomato sauce spots, and has only been with us a few weeks...a sure sign of it's popularity in our kitchen! Thank you Jamie- you rock!

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie's 15 Minute Meals is full of flavourful recipes and colourful images of the food you WANT TO DEVOUR. My only complaint about this recipe book is that none of it would take 15 minutes to make. In most cases, it would take about ten minutes just to gather all the ingredients, and there are a number of ingredients in each recipe. I think if you prep ahead of time, by having all of your ingredients chopped, sliced, or diced and ready to go, it would still take at least 30-45 minutes to make. However, he could call this cookbook 'Jamie's book of bugs' and it would still be filled with awesome recipes that everyone should try. I can't wait to start cooking!

[Roxy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie I love you... but some of us can't eat your favourite ingredient. Pleeease stop putting chilli in absolutely everything;-) Tons of great recipes that are quick and easy and pack a punch full of flavour - would love to see more recipes that don't have chilli as i am allergic... but still a great cookbook.

[P.D.R. Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Not an esoteric ingredient in sight. Just lots of common sense, really helpful advice and some darned good recipes.

His opening remarks about organising the kitchen and pantry and his lists are so helpful. And I do like his attitude about eating being a family affair with everyone having a good time eating good food.

More please, Jamie!