The Quick Recipe

by Cook's Illustrated

Presents the best versions of more than three hundred dishes ready to serve in less than sixty minutes, with background information, recipes, and cooking tips, based on comparative testing of multiple variants of each one.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

400 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Might as well add a cookbook... and I DO read it once or twice a week. This is one of my favorite cookbooks. Unlike most other "quick cookbooks" that either take 2 hours to prepare the meal or rely heavily on pre-packaged food, most of these recipes REALLY do take 30 minutes to one hour. That includes all of the cooking time, so it's not all active prep, and nine nights out of ten, I have the kitchen CLEAN before we sit down to dinner. It's food-geeky like all Cook's Illustrated stuff, which is interesting if you want to read it, but, honestly, most of the time I'm just focused on getting something healthy on the table. Quite a few of the recipes are unfamiliar combinations for me, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how much my family enjoyed them. The lack of color photos definitely detracts from the "Yum Must Make It" impact, but we've ended up liking pretty much everything I've made from the book. It's just nice to have a book that REALLY does take 30 minutes to an hour without relying on a ton of advance prep. When I get home from the grocery store, I'm just trying to organize and put away the food before other people see it and start eating it. I'm not about to start chopping.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for something tasty and (relatively) quick to make? Search no further. Delicious recipes that anybody can cook-- and all can be completed in less than 60 minutes (including prep, cooking and cooling time)

And those cinnamon rolls on the cover? Yeah, they taste as good as they look!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks, this one has lots of great tips and recommendations for gadgets and products. I don't know if I'll actually end up making any of the recipes, but I enjoyed reading about them.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good addition to your cookbook shelf but not as comprehensive as "The Best Recipe" book. Everything I've tried has been great - I use the ramen soup recipe often (no - it's not the instant kind but real and tasty and fresh).

[Martha Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cooked over 30 recipes from this book. They are delicious and fool proof. They used to be some of my favorites. However, if you cook from this book, you will be eating the Standard American diet. I choose not to cook this way.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum! Try the cinnamon rolls!

I've made yeasted rolls from scratch, but these, done in 45 min., were leaps and bounds ahead.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another worthwhile Cook's Illustrated compilation.