Oh Cook!: 60 easy recipes that any idiot can make

by James May

TV tie-in cookbook for beginners from a much-loved author and presenter

The silent millions of reluctant home chefs have been waiting for decades for Oh Cook! the cookbook that, finally, drives a blunt meat skewer through the burgeoning pseudo-intellectualism of foodie media. James May Oh Cook! is a fool-proof manual packed with more than 60 delicious recipes for even the most basic of home cooks.

In this TV tie-in, James May, star of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and Our Man in Japan, seeks to unpack the mysteries of cooking, unearthing the secrets behind the perfect poached egg, smooth custard and how to impress your friends and family with a Sunday roast and all the trimmings.

Taking readers on a culinary tour (around his kitchen), James builds upon his cookery skills, recreating dishes from his travels as well as rediscovering some nostalgic childhood favourites along the way.

Chapters include: Brunch, Pasta, Pub Grub, Roasts, Curry Night, Asian Fusion, The Great Outdoors, Spongey Things and Storecupboard Saviours (for when the fridge is empty), which includes recipes for his beloved Spam, as well as hints and tips.

James May is here to prove that really anyone can cook. On his journey to becoming a more accomplished home cook, he makes use of his favourite trusted gadgets and ingredients and through some traditional trial and error so that you can avoid all the common pit falls at home.

Oh Cook! is the trusty companion for anyone seeking to gain confidence in the kitchen and arm themselves with some tried and tested recipes all created and tweaked by James. Come for the Spotted Dick but stay for the Lamb Keema.

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

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2020

About the author

James May is a British television presenter and award-winning journalist.

May is best known as co-presenter of the motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. He also writes a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph's motoring section. On Top Gear, his nickname is "Captain Slow", owing to his 'careful' driving style. He has, however, carried out some exceptionally high-speed driving (including taking a Bugatti Veyron to its top speed).

Reviews

[Cookie M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Maycan do more things with a can of Spam than my mother and my friend from Hawaii together.
This book is a companion to his cooking show on Amazon Prime. Both are a delight.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super funny, some good recipes, I've never read a cookbook before so I have nothing to compare it to! Woohoo!

[Joe Pittard · Rating 5 out of 5]

cheers james lad x

[Kimberly Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

James May and his cable TV cooking show (so far) has lasted two seasons. But this cookbook only provides recipes from his first show and not his 2nd which is a bummer because his 2nd series has some great recipes that I will have to jot down as I watch them again. I emailed the publisher hoping for a response if James would be writing a 2nd cook book for his 2nd series and (so far) nothing yet.
This cookbook from his 1st series is well written and fun to read his insights. Many of the recipes sound good and I will be trying them out very soon. Enjoyed watching James May, along with Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear and the Grand Tour shows for years. And now enjoying watching James May in Italy. I recommend this cookbook because it does have some great recipes in it, plus it is a good read.

[Paige Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot here I loved. A reminder that convenient cooking is still valid cooking. We have so much to be grateful for when it comes to these canned, bottled, ready made meals in our homes. I make so much from scratch that sometimes I felt guilt for simply mixing bottle sauce and pasta for a meal. I'm seeing there's no need for that. Also with all the cooking I've ever done, I was too nervous to make a true omelette or poach an egg! My fears on egg poaching were presented in such hilarious fashion on the pages, that's I realized it was all ok.

This book is very British with British humor. Has Indian and other Asian flares which I love.

The show is fantastic if you haven't seen it! I saw that before reading this.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a passing familiarity with the series with which this book is associated which is moderately entertaining (less so than some of his others such as Toy Stories or The Reassembler) I think I like the book better and was surprised to find it mouthwatering and useful, although less discursive on the scientific angle than I had anticipated. There are many throwaway comments typical of the Top Gear triumvirate with Clarkson and May, some of which I found amusing, others wearisome and I suspect not especially genuine. There are a surprising number of suggested modifications for vegetarians.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

seems like probably the best possible book you can find for disturbing spam recipes

one hears that the show is entertaining
and the food really may not be all that delicious

unless you're Peter Cook recovering from some alcoholic bender

I guess if you cooked something off the bbq, you could use it for one of the spam recipes, or just throw in some bacon if you're about to snap, and don't care if it'll taste completely different.

[Francesco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro James May dai tempi di Top Gear e lo apprezzo ancora di più quando si occupa di cose che non sono automobili, perché ha un approccio sempre molto concreto e "umano".
Lo stesso vale per questo libro di ricette facili facili ma non per questo meno gustose, che è l'accompagnamento perfetto per il suo show di cucina: "Oh Cook!"

[Rosa | mewshmallow_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the funniest I‘ve ever read. I love cook books and this one is definitely a go to for any idiot (in the kitchen). I had just so much fun reading it and I learned a few things too 😊 for fans and beginners, I totally recommend it!

[Eamonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything in this I enjoyed. The text, the accompanying show, even the not so great recipies! In all seriousness most of the food is easy to make, tasty, inexpensive, relatively healthy and easy to make

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bang on recipes and easy to follow instructions! May is an every-man culinary guru. Coupled with his Cooking series of the same name it was loads of fun to read, watch and create these dishes! His fish pie is now standard in my house - there is no going back now -LOL.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Attractively laid out, and the recipes are as easy as promised. I'm not 100% convinced they will all be tasty though, and honestly it's more fun to watch the show which is paired with this. I do find the writing to be entertaining.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read and humorous. Classic James May style. Currently progressing through each recipe, one by one, while following the TV show. I've revisited this multiple times and the food always comes out great!

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Features some great basic and traditional recipes.

Compared to other cookbooks, this one makes me feel like I could approach some more daunting UK dishes like boiled puddings and Spotted Dick, and that deserves praise.

[Vicki Crowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naturally I purchased this after watching the accompanying TV show. It's funny, but there are some good (and some not so good) recipes in there - James's Gordon-Ramsay-beating fish pie is one of them!

[Teo Rusu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is accurate. We did not try all 60 recipes but every single one we tried was great and some of them we return to every other week for guaranteed culinary succes (i.e. quick dinner that's usually carbonara or the tomato and anchovy pasta)

[Sally Speight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and easy

Such a great book, recipes simple to make and most if the ingredients are normally in the cupboard. A very non-pretentious cookbook with humour. Great for rubbish cooks (like me).

[Janice L. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Droll. Drool.

I think he's funny and he gave me some good ideas. I discovered him only recently,, but now I'm a fan.

[Mrs S · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of fun but most of the recipes work. However, not sure all are great for the novice cook

[Samuele Vitali · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extended version of the tv series, but this is better because is more complete.
This book is perfect if you know only basic cooking skills

[dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

James may oh cook

Simple recipes that taste good.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

its another interesting read about food. some good recipes.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This does capture the feeling of the show and it is pretty funny. ☺️ I’m glad I got a chance to read this, too.

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh Cook!... humorous take on simple recipes from around the world (sort of). Obviously the author is hilarious and has a way of describing things that when read in his voice produces astounding content. Enjoyed imagining James, not a professional chef, reading and explaining these recipes and his reasoning for doing things a certain way.