No more melted spoons with the Healthy College Cookbook!
Written: Jun 17 '02 (Updated Jun 18 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: quick, cheap and easy .. lots of information on setting up a kitchen.
Cons: I haven’t found any..
The Bottom Line: This is a great book for a neophyte in the kitchen. It's stocked full of practical information on creating quick and healthy meals.
wolfegirl29's Full Review: Alexandra Nimetz, Emeline Starr, Jason Stanley - T...
Me Cook? You’ve got be kidding me. I just tend to make a big mess in the kitchen. I think that’s why my boyfriend got me this cookbook for Christmas. Soon, I’ll be going back to school for my Masters Degree and I think this time around I’m expected to live off of something other than hot dogs and ramen. It’s not that I’m averse to cooking; it’s just that I’m not terribly interested. Quick and easy has to be the name of the game or you won’t find me doing it. In other words, don’t expect any 5-course gourmet meals from me. I’ll leave those to my boyfriend (who’s an excellent cook by the way).
From the moment I picked up this book, I knew I was going to love it. For a cookbook, it’s quite engaging. It’s very easy to read and understand. It is lightweight, a paperback and even stays open when you open on a flat surface. If you ask me, that’s pretty important for a cookbook. Who wants to be trying to keep the pages flat with greasy fingers? However, for all I know, with my vast knowledge of cooking, this is probably a staple for every cookbook.
There are no pictures of the recipes in the book, though that doesn’t really bother me since what I decide to make would never look like the pictures anyways. The book is 154 pages long with black and red text and has twelve chapters plus an introduction and index. The chapters are as follows:
Chapter 1: Getting Started in Your First Kitchen
Chapter 2: Champion Breakfast
Chapter 3: Appetizers & Quick Snacks
Chapter 4: Soups & Salads
Chapter 5: Vegetarian Delights
Chapter 6: Lots of Pasta
Chapter 7: The Best of Seafood
Chapter 8: Simple Chicken Dinners
Chapter 9: Dishes for Meat-Lovers
Chapter 10: Side Dishes & Sauces
Chapter 11: Breads, Biscuits & Muffins
Chapter 12: Dessert Time
I have to say that Chapter 1 is my favourite so far. It has already taught me so much about having your first kitchen, like that cooking will be easier with more than one pot. The Chapter gives a list of cookware essentials; food essentials for the cabinet and fridge, which will make the initial ‘stock ‘em up’ shopping trip a breeze. Also, a quick glossary of cooking terms gives you an understanding of every day terms found in recipes. I love their definition for burn because it could potentially apply to me.. ‘If you are having success with this one, you probably should not be left alone in the kitchen.’ There is also a list of herbs and spice descriptions, complimenting food and herbs, helpful hints on such things as shopping, freezing and reheating. And last but not least, there are also helpful conversions and healthy substitutions.
There are a great variety of recipes from simple and standard to rather creative and original. Depending on whom you’re serving, most would fit very easily that 5-course dinner party, though I don’t plan on doing one anytime soon. The ingredients are cheap and pretty easy to find at your local supermarket. There are icons listed with some of the recipes that indicate author’s choice, vegetarian or super quick. Each recipe is accompanied by a list of nutrition per serving which includes calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium and the number of servings it yields (which is generally about 4).
I really like that they’ve listed a lot of Asian recipes, which are my favourite. I love that now I have an easy way to make Sesame Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork, among many others. I’ve also found an alternative to my ramen noodles besides soup, Ramen Noodle Stir-Fry.
Another great thing are the ‘Mom’s Tips’ and ‘Kitchen Quick Tips’ scattered throughout the book. All of them are quite useful. You’ll learn some interesting facts, great additions to recipes, space saving tips for small kitchens, odor beaters and much more.
All and all, the authors that wrote this book did a wonderful job. They were college students just a short time ago and they seem to know what they are talking about. I would definitely recommend this book to any one starting to cook, on a tight budget or even if you just have a busy schedule. I think that somewhere between this book, listening to the hints dropped from my Mom and boyfriend while I watch them cook and some practice, I’ll actually learn how to whip up some decent meals. Though somehow, I doubt that hot dogs and ramen noodles will be leaving my meal plan while I’m back in school. ;)
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