[.ca] The Quick Recipe: Favorite Dishes in Less Than 60 Minutes (ISBN 0936184663)

Very good book from Cook's Illustrated team.:
I understand where another reviewer got confused: you might assume that this book would consist of quick little recipes--fast reading and fast prep. For the Cook's staff these are quick recipes, but compared to the recent success of Rachael Ray's books these recipes aren't that quick! I should say that I really like this collection. I turn to it often for ideas. I may have spent half a day preparing an entree only to remember that I forgot to prepare a vegetable--out comes the book! The same goes for starches, salads, dessert, etc. If I need an idea fast I pull out this book along with Joy of Cooking and possibly Bittman (though don't get me started on his shortcomings). Let me remind potential consumers here that this is indeed a collection. You will see overlap if you have read the magazine for years. Though, strangely, they will update certain things in the book without making that crystal clear to magazine subscribers. In other words, you may think that Cook's favors a certain brand of unsalted butter based on magazine reviews. In the book you may find that they have switched brands on you! Here are a few recipes I have tried that work: Chinese chicken salad Broiled asparagus Glazed carrots Warm spinach salad Roasted potatoes (memorize this one) Pan-seared salmon (high heat saute of fish will smell up your pan and your kitchen) Quick chicken noodle soup Stuffed chicken breasts All forms of stir-fry Cinnamon rolls There are others I have tried, but suffice it to say that I really use this book. If you have an expanded definition of "quick," and you respect the Cook's Illustrated methods then you will find this to be one of their better tomes.

Great for time-challenged novice chefs:
We've had this cookbook for about one month and have made 21 recipes (several twice) already and look forward to making more. We have 17 cookbooks -- which hardly qualify us as devotee chefs -- but this is the one we reach for most often. Most of the dishes we've made come close to an hour to prepare and cook, which undoubtedly will make the term "Quick Recipes" debatable to some. But if you start with good ingredients that are well laid out and are fairly adept at chopping and slicing (which we are not) you should at least come close to the times listed for making each dish (it takes us about 15% - 20% longer than expected). Nevertheless, for the time-challenged, these recipes are certainly quicker than many we've used from our other cookbooks. And if your guest's reactions are as favorable as ours, it's well worth the time. Most of the recipes are fairly simple in structure but surprisingly tasty. Certainly for those new to the kitchen, serious consideration should be given to this cookbook. Explanations of why each recipe was formulated the way it was are interesting and may help some to avoid possible less-tasty or more time-consuming substitutions.

Not very tasty:
There are few recipes here that are very inspired. This anthology seems very hastily put together (perhaps that's the real quickness) and again like the previous reviewed said a quick review of their magazine with all that why this recipe is sooo good. Problem is the recipes are often bland and when you read why you can often see what they did wrong. That was helpful ;-) but still there are other books out here in this space and I'd recommend giving them a try instead.

More goodness from Cook's Illustrated:
If you aren't already familiar with Cook's Illustrated or the Best Recipe series, and you realize that cooking involves more than a microwave, you absolutely need to get familiar with both. The combination of real-world cooking, detailed research, clear goals, and well designed recipes makes any of the series (or magazine) well worth seeking out. In The Quick Recipe, the focus is on dishes that can be made from start to finish in 30-60 minutes. My mouth was watering going through this book for the first time, you'd be amazed at what Cook's has managed to keep under the hour mark, without resorting to low quality short-cuts... Even Jambalaya appears in this volume!

Good, but maybe not great . . .:
Ideally I'd give this cookbook 3.5 stars because I don't think I have made enough of the recipes to really know how good the cookbook is. I love to cook and normally average 90 minutes cooking dinner. I bought the book becuase I enjoy Cook's Illustrated and I wanted to add some quicker meals to my repertoire. I have made five dishes and only one would I not do again (the cinnamon buns that look so tasty on the cover). Another I would modify. Besides the fact that the recipes really do take 60 minutes or less from start to finish, I appreciate that the ingredients lists are basic and fairly short. You don't have to stock your pantry with all sorts of crazy items that you use only once in a while. These are fairly basic recipes--the kind you get the gist of after making once or twice and then add your own embellishments if you are in a creative mood.