No Recipe? No Problem!: How to Pull Together Tasty Meals Without a Recipe

by Phyllis Good

Cook anything without a recipe -- just let the ingredients lead the way! Author Phyllis Good of Fix-It and Forget-It fame and her circle of friends who love to cook are here to help. No Recipe? No Problem! offers tips, tricks, and inspiration for winging it in the kitchen. Each chapter offers practical kitchen and cooking advice, from an overview of essential tools and pantry items to keep on hand to how to combine flavors and find good substitute ingredients, whether it's sheet pan chicken, vegetables, pasta, grain bowls, or pizza for tonight's dinner. Freestyle Cooking charts provide a scaffolding for building a finished dish from what cooks have available; Kitchen Cheat Sheets lend guidance on preparing meats, vegetables, and grains with correct cooking times and temperatures; and stories from Good's Cooking Circle offer personal experiences and techniques for successfully improvising for delicious results, such as how to combine flavors that work well together or how to use acid to draw out the sweetness in unripened fruit. Like being in the kitchen with a trusted friend or family member who delivers valuable information in a friendly, encouraging way, this book will inspire readers to pull ingredients together, dream up a dish, stir in a little imagination, and make something delicious take shape.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Health, How To

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2021

Reviews

[Ink_Drinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not your typical cookbook! Very original presentation on how to cook without a recipe found in a cookbook!! What?!? Author Phyllis Good is recognized for her famous Fix-It and Forget-It series of cookbooks. I own several and use them all regularly!

In this cookbook, she brings together 14 improvisational cooks known as The Cooking Circle to share their years of experience cooking and meal prepping. I felt like I was sitting at a kitchen table in a farm house speedily writing down all the great cooking secrets my mom, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents were passing down to me.

The concept of the cookbook is freestyle cooking and that is defined by answering these three questions: 1)what am I hungry for? 2)What do I have on hand and 3)How much time do I have? The book is organized into sections on vegetables, pasta and grains, eggs, proteins, spices, bowls, salad, soups, sheets pan meals, pizza, eggs and toast toppers! There is something for everyone!!


Flexibility is the key to freestyle cooking. The book shares lot's of different ways to prepare food, what goes well with what, combinations, and recipes. Noted is a list of ingredients to keep on hand to create fabulous meals and nothing is too elaborate. It's a great way to get your creative cooking juices flowing! One thing it reminded me of is that special doesn’t always mean fancy!

I’m a food lover who loves to cook! Gini, one of the 14, says you have to be passionate, or at least, interested in food to improvise. I agree 100%! If you love to cook, you will enjoy the freedom this cookbook offers you. I know I’m going to have a lot of fun using these tested ideas and recipes!


Thank you to @NetGalley, #StoreyPublishing, and @Phyllis_Pellman_Good for providing me an Advanced Reader Copy of No Recipe? No Problem! in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really well done book that teaches you the basic plan for making all kinds of recipes that you can then adapt to what you have. It's well illustrated and there are a whole range of contributors who offer wisdom and recipes. Chapters include things like soups, salads, vegetables, big proteins, pastas and grains, eggs, pizza and sheet pan meals. There is not information on baking, although the same principles can easily be adapted for baking (our kids' favorite snack is mix and match quick bread, which uses two cups of any fruits and veggies on hand like pumpkin, zucchini, apples, bananas, carrots, berries, you name it, spices adjusted to the flavors, and whatever flours we happen to have). It's also really designed for meat eaters and traditional American style tastes. I was a little disappointed it wasn't geared at least a little bit towards adapting recipes for special diets like vegetarian or gluten free, since that's one reason I learned to cook this way, but it doesn't really go into that sort of thing at all. Still, it's a fantastic guide and it's just packed with cooking information.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Perfect book for me!

I loved this book! I have been in a recipe rut for ages now. Especially with two teenagers that love/hate different things. This book is full of good information, gorgeous photos, hints, tips and everything you need to get started on your "freestyle cooking" adventure. Definitely a book I can see myself using often!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

No recipe? No Problem! by Phyllis Good
How to pull together tasty meals without a recipe

Great book for novice cooks and those that have been cooking for awhile ~ I can see this as a wedding gift or purchased to take home to read for new ideas to use when creating meals for family and friends.

What I liked:
* The illustrations: photos and art
* Easy to follow directions
* Layout of chapters/information
* Approachability for novice cooks
* New ideas
* Charts
* Essential techniques for each type of food
* Hints from the cooking circle
* Ideas on how to dress up food and what to do with leftovers
* Innovative ideas within categories – thinking outside the box
* Seasoning information
* Basics with variations
* The three questions to ask yourself when cooking “Freestyle”
* All of it really…

What I didn’t like:
* No nutritional information available or calories but a basic book so one would need to figure these on their own most likely.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I buy it for myself or as a gift? I would

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[menna hafez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and Storey publishing for providing me with ARC.

I loved this book so much, it full of recipes that i will try one day. I love Cooking so much specially new recipes and this book give me a lot.

[Leslie McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year has found many people who aren't used to cooking doing just that, and possibly with limited supplies, as some food items have been difficult to purchase in stores.

Good teaches the reader techniques and ideas to use different ingredients and combine them without using a specific recipe. It's more of a freestyle form of cooking, which was a bit odd, at first, as I like following recipes. The book allows the reader to focus on what ingredients they have on hand and how much time they want to spend cooking.

If you enjoy finding new recipes or adapting things to fit the likes of your family, this is a great book to check out!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

[LEE-ANN HOLMES · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book caught my attention as I had hoped for a cookery book that would simplify meal times by removing recipes.
Written by Phyllis Good and her cooking circle of 15 friends from across America I feel this is best suited to experienced cooks. The book aims to show the essential cooking techniques for each category: vegetables, protein, pasta, sauces and many more. There are lots of hints and tips as the contributors aim to help the reader discover freestyle cooking.
However this is a very detailed book full of lots of information that overwhelmed me at times. Perhaps if it was in the hands of someone with more confidence and time in the kitchen this book would shine.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this "cookbook" and it really inspired me to try out things on my own instead of just following a recipe. I like that they pointed out tools for every kitchen and ingredients to have on hand. That is really helpful since I always have a backup dish on hand with those ingredients.

This is definitely one I'll be putting on my wish list to purchase for everyday use.

[BookTrib.com]

From the creator of the bestselling FIX-IT AND FORGET-IT series comes the revolutionary cookbook NO RECIPE? NO PROBLEM! Readers will gain the confidence to dream up something delicious with both a personal touch and professional tricks of the trade.

Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/05/04/no-re...

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Coepi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't reviewed a recipe book before, so I felt a bit uncertain requesting this through Netgalley. I decided to go for it anyway because the premise seemed intriguing - in a way, it's the opposite of a recipe book - and I'm very glad I did.

This is a very handy book to just have about and leaf through for inspiration. It's full of useful tips, and I found myself highlighting and bookmarking on almost every page. I think it addresses the core issues with classic recipe books, which are that most of us don't have time to prepare food to a formal recipe, most of the time. The freestyle cooking techniques suggested here are a lot more practical. I'm considering giving my brother a copy for when he goes to university.

On the other hand, some of the advice here can be overly basic - maybe that's just because I've always cooked without a recipe and based on whatever food I have on hand. Also, this might be just because I'm a vegetarian, but I wish there had been more attention paid to non-meat proteins (e.g. tofu, seitan, even just chickpeas); they're often mentioned in passing in the proteins section, but there's almost no detailed advice on how to actually use them. This contrasts with various types of meat getting multiple pages each on how to cook them.

Overall, I'm not sure I would buy this book for myself personally, but I'm glad I read it. I think when I first started cooking it would have been really invaluable.

[Beth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't have the prerequisites for this book. I was looking for some ideas of how to season or prepare food without a recipe and have it not be bland and boring. This book lists some essential techniques but doesn't explain terms or how to combine flavors in pleasing ways. It gives lists of "ingredients that work well" and ideas of how to make leftovers into new dishes, but it says things like "cut the vegetables along the bias (I'd have to google) or when picking one pan dish ingredients to ask if all your planned ingredients can survive at the same temperature.

If you, like me, only learned enough in home economics to follow a recipe, but not the how or why of it all... this book is no help.

Thankfully, I got it from the library, so it was at least the right price?

And it does have a lot of suggestions of meals to throw together--but it lists ingredients, no particular explanation of the why, and no measurements.

Perhaps the title should have been "no measuring cups? No problem!"

[AllBookedUp · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are a beginner cook and you get stuck with missing ingredients, no worries. This book has you covered. It offers tips for substitution and even has recipes for your vegetables, meats, poultry, etc. It shows you what your staples could include and how to set things up.

It’s a good feel good beginner’s cooking advice book with recipes. The most important thing they try to teach you throughout the book is, no worries. Substitute and have fun with cooking.

I want to thank NetGallery for an advanced copy.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Recipe? No Problem! How to Pull Together Tasty Meals without a Recipe by Phyllis Good is currently scheduled for release on May 11 2021. Cook anything without a recipe—just let the ingredients lead the way! This book offers tips, tricks, and inspiration for winging it in the kitchen. Each chapter offers practical kitchen and cooking advice, from an overview of essential tools and pantry items to keep on hand to how to combine flavors and find good substitute ingredients, whether it’s sheet pan chicken, vegetables, pasta, grain bowls, or pizza for tonight’s dinner. Freestyle Cooking charts provide a scaffolding for building a finished dish from what cooks have available; Kitchen Cheat Sheets lend guidance on preparing meats, vegetables, and grains with correct cooking times and temperatures; and stories from Good’s Cooking Circle offer personal experiences and techniques for successfully improvising for delicious results, such as how to combine flavors that work well together or how to use acid to draw out the sweetness in unripened fruit. Like being in the kitchen with a trusted friend or family member who delivers valuable information in a friendly, encouraging way, this book will inspire readers to pull ingredients together, dream up a dish, stir in a little imagination, and make something delicious take shape.

No Recipe? No Problem! is not a recipe book. It is a collection of information, stories, and ideas that will make those looking to be more creative or inventive in the kitchen. This book encourages thoughtful and sustainable cooking, respecting ingredients and reducing waste as much as possible. I liked the stories from Good's cooking circle, reading stories of successes, and failures, in the kitchen from others makes the prospect of trying things yourself much less intimidating. I have always been one to alter recipes that i am comfortable with- like meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, or muffins. However, less familiar recipes often make me more nervous about substitutes or additions. This book helped me consider cooking methods and ingredients, and how I can better create my own unique creations and take a more mindful approach in the kitchen, and in my grocery shopping. There is instruction- particularly how to best cook certain foods, and some suggestions for things that go together well. I also liked the tools and tips given that help with meal prep and freezing certain components or entire meals. I just wish this book had come out before the pandemic and related lock downs, because now that I am back to working on site rather than at home the nightly cooking is back in the hands of my wonderful husband- which means I do not get to dabble and try new things in the kitchen nearly as often.

No Recipe? No Problem! is a good read, and a wonderful resource to becoming more comfortable, creative, and mindful in the kitchen.

[Anne McLeod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have reviewed a number of books, courtesy of NetGalley, and this is the first one that I made the the decision to purchase a personal copy of the published print copy before I finished reading the galley. No Recipe, No Problem by Phyllis Good does an excellent job of capturing the methods of improvisational cooks like me. The joke in my house was always, "Any resemblance to the original recipe is purely coincidental." The author draws on her own significant background as creator of the "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook series. I hardly need to say that that is an approach to cooking that also resonates with me.

The book does contain a handful of recipes as jumping off points, with plenty of tips on how to use the dressing or sauce in a variety of combinations or how to take it off in a completely different direction by substituting different ingredients. For the most part, however, Good explains how to make soups, salads, egg dishes, sheet pan dinners, roasts, and other main dishes, using what is on hand. There are enough pro tips thrown in that even an experienced cook will find gems about how to give soups and sauces a bright finish or how to use unexpected flavor combinations.

My choice to buy the book was based on a real need to see the photos in color! The Kindle version just wasn't doing it. But the real audience for this creative cookbook would likely be those who are just starting out cooking and who have followed recipes slavishly with good results but who want or need to take a more improvisational approach to their cooking. It would be a good fit too for people focusing on local foods or who have their own garden. Good doesn't focus on a seasonal approach. In fact, she expects cooks to have a decently stocked pantry. She does, however, discuss how to use an abundance of specific veggies and how vegetables harvested at the same time of year tend to make for solid flavor combinations. This practicality is a hallmark of "No Recipe, No Problem."

Highly recommended. I hope to purchase a copy for my library.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you follow recipes religiously? Do you create a weekly menu and then buy all the ingredients to make it? Are you tired of all that work? Then you are ready to read No Recipe? No Problem!

Freestyle cooking is usually used by the non-planners among us. However, everyone can reduce food waste by using perfectly good but unused produce and meat to create a spur of the moment meal. Three questions must be asked:
1. What am I hungry for?
2. What do I have on hand?
3. How much time do I have?

The book has a valuable chart showing how each vegetable can be cooked. The choices are sauté, roast/bake, stir-fry, braise, steam, grill, and microwave. There are also two charts for cooking grains on the stovetop and with your Instant Pot. There is a meat cooking chart as well as a bunch for making salads and grain bowls.

Even though I am already a freestyle cook (admittedly using the ingredient search on allrecipes.com frequently), I learned a lot from this book. Just adding a bit of apple cider vinegar to sautéed vegetables upped my game significantly. Who knew you could sauté almost wilted lettuce with radishes? Have cherry tomatoes left over from a salad earlier in the week? Roast them quickly in the oven with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. They’re great with mac n cheese.

There are so many ideas here. There are also quite a few old fashion recipes too. You can save the price of the book by making your own salad dressings. All the recipes are here. Also, think of all the food waste you can prevent. I’m not quite devoted enough to eat apples chewed on by squirrels. But even I see the benefit of making a big soup or salad using the leftover veggies from last week the day before doing my weekly shopping.

If you are looking to live more sustainably while also saving money and time, look no further. No Recipe? No Problem! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Storey Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! I really loved it, there are lots of great tips to get you to try cooking freestyle, and as recipe nut it was such a good way for me to get at ease in the kitchen and really learn to enjoy cooking rather than being so uptight and it being a means to an end. I really love that I can learn to do this and not worry that it's going to be duff!

I love that are a lot of different contributors within this book, I think that really allows the reader who may have little or no cooking skills, poor confidence in the kitchen or whatever, an extra boost, it certainly worked for me. The cooking circle really allowed me to look at recipes that interested me and build on them, adapting them to being my own and making them work for me, swapping out ingredients that maybe, I didn't really like with things I really enjoyed. It's changed the way I look at cooking and allowed me to have extra confidence and motivation with my cooking and in myself.

I liked the diversity in recipes and I honestly couldn't get enough of this book, I will definitely be buying this one! The book includes foods like pizza's, soups, pasta's and eggs etc etc. And although the book is majorly designed for meat eaters, there is of course the change to replica the technique of chopping and changing what works for you with the ingredients you have. So if you were perhaps looking for gluten free or an allergy free recipe you can add or takeaway whatever doesn't work for you. I think it's pretty genius in that respect though, the book doesn't actually offer any vegetarian or gluten free recipes per se.

I recieved this free ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and would like to thank them, the publisher and the Author, Phyllis Good for allowing me the opportunity of reading this excellent book, changing my association with food and cooking, hundred percent recommend. All opinions are my own.

[Paul Sutter]

I have heard the excuse from so many people that they don’t know how to cook, because they are not able to follow a recipe. You put the ingredients right in front of them, and still the recipe fails. Imagine a book where you really don’t have recipes, but simply makes mention of the ingredients that are likely in your kitchen.
Well that is what you will find in the cookbook NO RECIPE NO PROBLEM. It is packed with dozens of easy to follow meals that even the most recipe-wary person can handle flawlessly. Phyllis Good is most known for her FIX-IT AND FORGET IT cookbooks. She does have some assistance in the book from fourteen improvisational cooks from across the country, who add their knowledge of recipe-free meals to the mix. It makes for a most complete book, where you can actually be confident that whatever you decide to make, has the blessing of the author and those who excel in the kitchen.
The results here are basic and involve pizzas, eggs, sauces, pastas and grains, soups, and toast toppers among others. The key is having the ingredients on hand, so if your cupboard is bare then you may have a problem. But hopefully that is not the case. The author tells of the way to prepare vegetables whether by stir-fry, roasting, microwaving, braise, or grill.
Eggs are as basic as you can get, and there multiple methods of bringing out the best in your eggs. Soft boiled, hard boiled, scrambled, or fried, how can you go wrong with an egg?
Proper cooking methods and cooking times are also noted, to make sure you also have the tastiest and most tender meats possible. To add to the simplicity of the meals, there are dozens of pictures as well, that are just begging you to sample. The book notes on the back, “The last cookbook you’ll never need,” and that is certainly not far from the truth.
So grab a copy of the book to impress not only yourself but also your friends who never realized you were so recipe-savvy.

[Janet Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem. This book doesn't have "recipes," per se, but tons of ideas from a number of good cooks for using what's in your kitchen. Cooking charts, lists of ingredients that go together, instructions for basic techniques, lots of pictures with short, single paragraph instructions to put together salads, stews, soups, stir fries, and so much more. No special recipes for special equipment other than a stove and microwave--you can do everything in this book with a bare bones kitchen. There are no baked goods other than pizza as those do require exact ingredients, so this is just meals and snacks. This has answers for folks who come home from farmers' markets wondering what to do with the glorious stuff purchased without a plan. It's equally valuable for folks faced with unexpected company to feed, with plenty of tips for stretching ingredients and what to do when you work late and didn't get to the grocery store in time to pick up dinner ingredients. It encourages even timid cooks to rely on their taste buds and step out into the unknown.

I grew up with a mom who cooked this way. For the most part, her put-togethers were very good., but even if something didn't turn out wonderful, but was never awful. On the downside, some of the best were never duplicated, and this book does recommend that cooks write down what they do. It's the way I cook most of the time, having spent decades learning. It's a wonderful book, and I plan to give one to my 22 year old grandson as soon as it's published--he likes to cook and keeps some food around, but is rarely organized enough to use recipes properly, so this fits his style perfectly.

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

In No Recipe? No Problem!, Phyllis Good explains how to prepare a variety of dishes with whatever ingredients you have on hand. She teaches essential cooking techniques, such as how to stir-fry, sauté, or braise, and she provides general templates for how to prepare different types of dishes, such as pizza or frittata. Scattered throughout the book are recipe suggestions and helpful tips from her circle of friends.

I liked the emphasis on using fresh produce and minimizing food waste. If you have a productive home garden or a CSA share and want some new ideas for how to use up all of that produce, this could be a good resource.

The organization of the book may make it a bit challenging to use as a reference. If you have the Kindle version, you can search on specific ingredients or dishes, and you can highlight or bookmark favorites. If you have a hard copy, you should be able to use the index. The index wasn’t available in my review copy, so I’m not sure how thorough it is.

If you’re an absolute beginner, this style of cooking might feel a little overwhelming. If you’re very comfortable in the kitchen, you might not learn much new here. If you have at least a little bit of experience cooking and want to expand your skills and your confidence improvising and experimenting in the kitchen, this is a good choice.

I was provided an unproofed ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

[Tara Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just thinking out loud here, but I can't seem to figure out who the audience is for this particular book concept? If the concept of No Recipe? No Problem is to be prepared to wing it in the kitchen, wouldn't a person who just throws things together skip the book altogether? The basis of the book is a "cooking circle" assembled by author, Phyllis Good. This group is a collection of everyday people from diverse backgrounds (high five for that), but they really don't seem to be an authority on the subject. Seemingly simplistic ideas are presented like wisdom from the sands of time, but really a person could garner the same information by reading the preparation instructions on the box of pasta in their pantry without having to flip to a page in a book. Novice cooks may learn preparation techniques, but in the age of YouTube videos and audible answers bouncing back in seconds when asking Alexa at which temperature to roast a chicken, this tutorial feels clunky and dated.
There is plenty of excellent advice on food preparation and the author does a wonderful job compiling it in one place. However, it is like the instructions of a recipe without providing the ingredients and their measurements. If repackaged and rebranded, I could see this book turning into a useful resource instead of a flip through it once and never open it again manual.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Recipe? No Problem!: How to Pull Together Tasty Meals without a Recipe by Phyllis Good
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Genre: Cooking, Food & Wine
Release Date: May 11, 2021

No Recipe? No Problem!: How to Pull Together Tasty Meals without a Recipe by Phyllis Good is the book I've needed my whole life!

This book explains the concept of "Freestyle Cooking" using 3 main questions: What am I hungry for? What do I have on hand? and How much time do I have?

14 improvisational cooks shared their ideas with the author to be included in this book as tips and tricks.

When I cook, I either loosely follow a recipe or when I feel comfortable with the dish, I get creative and just start throwing stuff in the pan that sounds good. (When I bake, I'm more strict with the recipe following stuff.) After reading this book, I feel more confident in my haphazard cooking style.

The tips in this book seem so obvious when you think about it (like keep food in the house that your family likes) but when combined, this makes a great resource!

I really look forward to implementing the tips in this book! It's a great read!

I'm so grateful to Phyllis Good, Storey Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[Evalina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great idea—especially as we adjust to what may be called “the new normal”.The current time in which we are living has revealed many issues. One of those issues is there are many people who have little to no cooking skills. Enter this book—a way to do improvisational cooking! I love the author’s idea of using a group known as The Cooking Circle. This group consists of 14 improvisational cooks from different areas of the country who share cooking ideas and stories to help the reader feel encouraged in their own attempts at meal preparation. Not only are step-by-step instructions presented, but there are also ideas for avoiding food waste.

Honestly, the ideas in this book will work for all levels of cooking ability because there are times when shortages will make it necessary to come up with improvised recipes. In addition, there are wonderful suggestions to spruce up meals for even the most experienced cooks. So, consider buying a copy of this book for yourself as well as additional copies to give as gifts.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley. However, the thoughts expressed are my own.

[MammaDi3Gatti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, No Recipe, No Problem has to be one of the handiest cookbooks out there, though I suppose it's a non cookbook cookbook.

Since Covid brought with it almost a year of working and schooling from home, canceled soccer and circus practices, canceled pro sports events, yadda yadda, I've had time to cook a lot more at home. I now make bagels, tortillas, naan, and all sorts of bready goodness from scratch, natch. I can pressure cook like a boss. My husband has become a reluctant but relatively skilled griller. My older son whips up a mean marinade. But even with all these mad new skills, we don't always know how to improvise.

This book offers idea after idea, with suggestions for sauces and seasonings, meats and veggies, soups and salads, you name it. It includes recommended cooking times, suggestions for substituting ingredients, and smarter ways to shop.

This book is a great addition to any kitchen, no matter how skilled (or not) the chefs that occupy it are.

I gratefully received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

[Gladys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this was a very unique and intriguing cookbook concept, so I just had to give it a try and I'm happy I did. I'd consider myself at least a moderate level cook, so that is what my opinion is based off of. I really liked the concept behind this book. I think it serves as a good jumping in point for novice cooks and nice blend of helpful/fun for everyone up to a moderate skill level. I think the very best thing about this book is that it encourages you learn some basics and then encourages you to let yourself relax in the kitchen and learn to take some chances along the way. So I guess what I'm saying is I kind of think of this book as training wheels for cooking. It will help you loosen up in the kitchen and gain some confidence in your culinary skills. As for the recipes, I felt there was a nice variety of the basics. You will find ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. In the end, I wouldn't say that this is a must have cookbook for everyone, it will be very handy and helpful to some. It is just going to depend on your skill level and your openness to learning to fly by the seat of your pants as you cook. I am posting an objective review of my own accord.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the usual cookbook with a collection of recipes with lists of ingredients and a lot of measurements, but it's just as useful as one of those. This is more a book of inspiration, to help you get comfortable with cooking intuitively, letting what ingredients you have on hand guide you. Phyllis Good, along with about a dozen of her Cooking Circle friends, give you tons of tips on "freestyle cooking," including (but not limited to) good ingredients to have on hand, overall views of different cooking techniques, charts to help you with cooking times and cooking methods, and much more. Each section has inspiration and encouragement from the different cooks, and will help the reader feel more confident in trying out this style of cooking. I freestyle cook myself, working with what I have on hand, what I need to use up, and it is a lot of fun! I definitely learned some new tricks to expand my cooking, and this would make a great reference to have on hand for any home chef, no matter your skill level. While there aren't traditional recipes in the book, there are lots of suggested combos to play with and make your own. Very inspirational!

#NoRecipeNoProblem #NetGalley

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book intrigued me because while I can cook enough to keep myself alive, I am less than confident in my cooking skills. I've been working on improving my skills and confidence this year (as so many others are), but I'm still in awe of people who can walk into a kitchen, and throw together a great meal with random leftovers and some pantry staples and no recipe. This book made me feel like there is hope that I can be that person someday. So much good advice, inspiration, and ideas on almost every page. I couldn't wait to get into the kitchen while I was reading.

This book would be a great addition to the kitchen bookshelf of anyone looking to learn how to cook, or improve their skills and confidence. I've already put a lot of the tips and advice to use, and I feel like I'm already becoming a better cook for having read it. I can see myself coming back to it again and again.

[K. M · Rating 4 out of 5]

:: Thank you Netgalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review ::

This book makes me want to cook, which is saying something because I don’t really cook. I’m more of a kit-and-follow directions kind of cook, but this is a fun, colorful, easy to read book that makes me want to pull out random things from my fridge and pantry and see what treat I can come up with. The book seems to focus on vegetarian fare, this isn’t to say there wasn’t any meat, there is, it just looked like the majority were veg. The recipes with meat, can be made without and are just as good. The bowl and pizza recipes were my favorite (the Freestyle Hot Breakfast bowl was delicious).

This book is perfect for the recent grad, or as a gift for someone whose just bought their first home / apartment... or that aspiring chef. It might sound weird, but a lot of cook books are so stodgy and uptight, like you’d be afraid to get it dirty, this one looks like it belong in the kitchen. Like it wants you to use it, get it dirty, and play (have fun) with your food.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot of cookbooks and love to cook. (Well, I love to eat, so...lol.) My sister asked me during a short visit from out of state to teach her to cook. We didn't learn kitchen skills growing up; I taught myself as an adult. The things she wanted me to teach her are things I make by taste and texture more than a recipe, and she was frustrated because she wanted a recipe. It was difficult for her to understand that I often start with recipes and adjust them over time to what I want.

There are some fantastic "cheat sheet" pages for best cooking methods and techniques. Once someone learns the basics of making some dressings and sauces, they can make almost anything work. This cookbook is unique because each section gives some basic "grid" and instructions for how to wing it. For example, the section on sheet-pan meals has a page of ingredients that work well, divided by types. Then there is a page of general instructions followed by a page of tips. There are some specific recipes in each section as well, which can be adapted by substituting things in the grid.

I will still use my tried and true recipes, but this book provides a lot of ideas and alternatives. I think this book could be overwhelming for a new cook, but if you focus on one section at a time, this can be a really handy resource for learning to cook without relying on a recipe.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy. Publish date May 11, 2021.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great concept! I'm thinking this book will be a tremendous asset to anyone's kitchen/bookshelf, especially to young adults learning to fix food and to any cooking-challenged adults needing to feed themselves. It's especially useful if you want to skip the excessive calories of take-out or fast-food but eat flavorful meals. You can do quick (or complex) at home for a fraction of the cost and the results are healthy and flavorful. No recipes, just great ideas for making meals from what is in your kitchen or at the market. There are also ideas to combine your favorite ingredients in new ways. I actually found this book fun to read; it mimics the way I learned to cook but also taught me a few things. The main takeaway from this book: once you know the 'why' of combining ingredients, the 'how' is really easy. Get yourself a copy of this book!

Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader's copy. I'm looking forward to seeing the final version.