What the F*@# Should I Make for Dinner?: The Answers to Life's Everyday Question (in 50 F*@#ing Recipes)

by Zach Golden

Don't know what to make for dinner? Is every evening an occasion for duress and deliberation? No more! What the F*@# Should I Make For Dinner? gets everyone off their a**es and in the kitchen. Derived from the incredibly popular website, whatthefuckshouldimakefordinner.com, the book functions like a “Choose your own adventure” cookbook, with options on each page for another f*@#ing idea for dinner.

With 50 recipes to choose from, guided by affrontingly creative navigational prompts, both meat-eaters and vegetarians can get cooking and leave their indecisive selves behind.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Humor, Reference, Food, Self Help

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2011

About the author

Zach Golden is a writer and director in Brooklyn, NY. He lives with his wife Sara and dog Oscar, both of whom are allowed on the furniture.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love cooking, cursing, and novelty cookbooks.

this should really be a slam-dunk five-star book.it is much better than the website: whatthefuckshouldimakefordinner.com, because the site just links you to different recipes that are good, but traditionally-worded, and the book-recipes use salty talk (and not that wishy-washy @!$% on the cover - good honest sailor talk) and are borderline abusive, and i like being slapped around by a cookbook. "your reverse midas touch turns everything to shit, but how about trying not to fuck up some fucking pork loin with peach compote??" yes, cookbook, sir! only a cookbook could talk to me this way and get away with it.

the book employs the same "choose-your-own -adventure" type format as the website: at the bottom of each page are listed two options: "don't fucking like that?... turn to page..." and "don't fucking eat meat?..." or "not a fucking vegetarian?...turn to page..." which i think works better on the website, where you have an infinite possible number of recipes. in a book, it is a cute idea, but not awfully practical.

and while the sentence "it's not cute when kids say 'pasghetti,' so teach them to say, make, and eat some fucking bucatini with tomato, mozzarella, and basil" is entirely true, the recipe itself is ho-hum. many of them are. do we need two different salads with watermelon and cheese?? probably not, although they both sound good. and what is with the kale obsession, dude?

and yet, for every weakness i see in this book, there will be a moment like the recipe for "steamed lobster with saffron butter" which, while it seems pretty basic, is presented as "this shit is classy and easy as fuck."

how am i supposed to argue with that and not fall in love a little? i looove shit that is classy and easy as fuck!

and because i am still not sick of grilled cheese, i have to love the recipe for (fucking) sage grilled cheese that uses fontina, my new favorite cheese. scratch that - my new favorite affordable cheese.and the beet salad makes me want it, too.

so - mixed feelings. this isn't as fun to me as cooking with coolio in the novelty-cookbook department, but any book that inquires, "it's a party in your mouth, and everybody's coming, so why don't you cook up some fucking pasta carbonara?" is a book i want to own, even if fucking pasta carbonara isn't an earth-shattering recipe. so i own it.

and from now on, i will be cooking all my pasta in "balls-salty" water, thank you very much...

come to my blog!

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent cookbook with the gimmick of a lot of cursing. The cursing is entertaining at first and then just enough is enough. I like how there is some cross-referencing of the recipes, where a recipe page will refer you to other pages if you want something different or a variation. The recipes vary quite a bit in simplicity of process and ingredients. Most look like they'd be pretty tasty.

[Scott Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea if the recipes are any good but the book is oh, so offensive wrong and hilarious.

[Karen Hanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so I have mixed reviews for this cookbook. First of all... it's hilarious. I loved reading through it and laughing at all the recipes and descriptions. So entertainment-wise it was awesome.

Unfortunately, the actual recipes are really hit and miss. So far I've only made 3... a Mint, Basil, Pea Linguine, Pork Loin with Tomato Peach Cutney, and Browned Butter Sage Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. The Sage Grilled Cheese sandwiches were amazing. The pork loin was so-so, and unfortunately the linguine was as weird as it sounds. The recipes on the whole are more in the fancy-pants realm which is fine I guess, just not exactly the type of stuff you make everyday. I'll probably make at least a few more of the recipes to get a more solid opinion, but I don't think things are going to drastically improve at this point.

While this book was cheap enough (and funny enough) to purchase, it's also the type of book you could flip through at the bookstore, have a good laugh, and put back on the shelf.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and useful at the same time! My family is full of foul-mouth veterans, Jerseyites, city dwellers and blue collar 'Mericans, and this book offers easy to follow tasty and healthy recipes and the added benefit of chastising and politely shaming you for finding excuses not too cook - the book won't let you get away with that, personally, I appreciate the little tap upside the head!

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these recipes call for things I can't afford in my current budget, cooked in ways that are fancier than I'm used to (my mother wouldn't have known how to teach me to do it either). It needs more photos but makes a nice coffee table book for adult visitors.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

F*@# YES

Best cookbook ever. Enough said. Thoroughly enjoyed every second of reading it! Not only that, I can’t wait to actually cook these meals - all sound delicious.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as part of the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge. Check out how I'm doing — https://lovethevillain.wordpress.com/...

Okay, for the sake of being honest, I have no idea if any of the recipes in this book are any good. I haven't cooked anything. I'm not much of a chef — more of a throw it in the microwave and see how it turns out, but this book had me howling with laughter.

I usually don't bother reading anything out loud to my family, but this book was read cover to cover and we were all crying with laughter. There are so many funny segments that this book is a pleasure to read.

There are a range of recipes from vegetarian to meat dishes. All of them look delicious, all of them are explained pretty simply. I believe even I could actually follow these recipes if the inclination took me.

The only down side is that I bought this book on the Kindle, and the 'Choose-Your-Own' element at the end of each recipe didn't link to the pages they were supposed to. My fault for buying a recipe book on Kindle, I expect.

This is a brilliant little book and I loved every second.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Bad Manners’ cookbooks and their writing style so when I saw this book in the library stacks I was sure it would be a good pick. I was wrong. The language is way over the top even for me. Barely any of the recipes called for ingredients that I would normally have on hand.

Escarole. Bean sprouts. Pea sprouts. Fennel bulbs. Veal. Lamb. Striped bass. Plum tomatoes. Fresh parsley. Swiss chard. Serrano chiles. Dried green peppercorns. Anchovy fillets. Radicchio. Belgian endives. Fresh figs. Frisée. Radishes. Hoisin. Capers. Pomegranate juice. Broccoli rabe. Fontina cheese. Rutabaga. Chinese five spice powder. Herbes de Provence.

In the end I found about three recipes worth saving. 🤷‍♀️

[Loreanne Cowan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes.

I really loved the idea of this book because it is a continual issue in our house, "what do you want for supper?"

I bought the book and found 4 recipes that I can use, which is at least something.
Being from Oklahoma, we love our meat and southern style recipes so I don't feel like most of these recipes are anything that my family will eat. Another downside is that I don't remember seeing some of these ingredients in stores here and will have to improvise, which could potentially screw up the whole meal.
I seem to remember that these were supposed to be easy recipes.

I was hoping for an actually helpful book but I guess I got my hopes up too high.
Thanks for the 4 recipes I CAN use, though.

[The Dwarf Did It... · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book cover to cover... then went through the highlights with my hubs... then turned around and also bought it for my book partner in crime. I think it's safe to say I LOVE this book. It's sooo entertaining. Cooking a couple recipes later in the week. I'll be looking into the drink companion for sure.

[Nicole Painchaud]

Exceptionally funny if you don't mind the F bomb. Writing of explanations makes you laugh. The instructions are clear, and I've made 4 recipes and I have all the ingredience. Perfect gift for that person who swears a lot in the family, and can still cook a decent meal.

[Charis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great cookbook for the unconventional and impolite kitchen. The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and will give you a good chuckle if your vocabulary is colourful and wit sassy.
Not for the prim 'n propper or small children!

[Bradley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know that the title of the book is 'What the F*@# Should I Make for Dinner?' and I feel Puritan writing this but geez, this cookbook is vulgar for the sake of being vulgar and short on actual any recipes other than the tried and true (burgers, chicken, salad). It was a disappointment.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the indecisive cook with a well-stocked pantry.

[Cari Sly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloody hilarious! Don't dare reading it out loud with a 3-year-old present. 😂😂😂

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shorter cookbook...but I laugh every time I open it :-)

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, easy recipes. Mildly entertaining but somewhat repetitive write ups

[Shawna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hilarious!

[Limi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid little book with some delish recipes.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny As Hell

[Sara Belanger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recipes are not rly my style and doesn't look good to me

[Barb Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Author tried too hard

[Monica Graves · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I was hoping for Donna actual ideas of what the duck to cook. Though these sounds great, they are way beyond my price range and ability.

[Su Myint Myat Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

So instant noodles it is.

[Ryan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was written in a very sarcastic manner that I love so much. That said, eh idk about the recipes. Some can be a bit much and others are a bit fancy which is ironic given the writing style.

[Atlantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I'm looking at books on the online library....and see this one. Of course I have to check it out and read it. It's like Julia Childs only Denis Leary wrote it...:-) A cookbook written with vulgar language like a "choose your own adventure" that insults you at the same time....definitely not for everyone but so unusual I was unable to resist the temptation of reading it.

[Kate]

These recipe instructions have everything I need when I'm cooking: cursing, profanity and knife threats. (And I'd expect no less from a chef who's worked in professional kitchens for years.) Instructions aside, the mix of ingredients is also quite fresh. Can't wait to try the watermelon and feta salad.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll confess I picked this up because it is a common question around here; I didn't really find any answers though. There are some interesting recipes, but not many that will work in my household and there is a bit more cursing than I anticipated.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Partly because of sentences in recipes like "cook it al dente: that's Italian for 'not total shit'", partly for the choose-your-own-adventure format, partly because it's spiral bound, partly because the recipes look good...basically the sum of these parts = awesome.