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| The 30-minute Cook | 
 enlarge | Author: Nigel Slater
Publisher: Penguin
Category: Book
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £7.03
You Save: £5.96 (46%)
New (24) from £7.03
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 1425
Media: Paperback
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 0141029528
EAN: 9780141029528
ASIN: 0141029528
Publication Date: November 2, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New. Shipped from UK Mainland. Delivery is usually 2 - 3 working days from order by Royal Mail, International Delivery is by Airmail.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Generally very good, with some reservations June 25, 2006
39 out of 44 found this review helpful
This is the first cooking book I've owned, purchased partly on the strength of the reviews, and partly due to its beginner-friendly promise (being a High Geek, but bored with pasta). I've had the book now for 6 months, and have tried a variety of the recipes.
The bad news: first, if you are like me, you'll find that most of the interesting dishes take more than thirty minutes: the basic ones clock in at around 30, whereas the more complex ones take up to one hour. Second, the editing can sometimes be a bit sloppy: the Chick-Peas with Aubergine and Spinach does not tell you what to do with the aubergines once you've fried them (there is a separate sauce, but should the aubergines be cooked with the sauce, or added at the end?); and the Red Lentils with Tumeric and Mustard Seeds seems to propose an inadequate cooking time and insufficient water. Third, not all the recipes work well: the Quick and Creamy Chicken Curry is fiddly and complicated for a rather uninteresting final result; the Pappardelle and Mozzarella uses ingredients that do not mix well with the pasta, but accumulate in lumps below it (even when served on a plate!); and the Spiced Mushrooms are a bit dull if meant as a main dish (and, given the audience, too much effort to prepare as a side dish). Finally, the recipes for liver and kidneys seem a bit of an indulgence by the author, since they are hard to cook well, and not to most peoples' taste.
The good news: this is a four star review, so my experience with the book is largely positive. There are some excellent dishes that are genuinely easy to prepare (I'll single out the Kormas, although they both take easily an hour to make; the Quick Lamb Curry; the fantastic Coconut and Coriander chicken; and the Crisp Spiced Grilled Chicken). The chick pea recipes are also delicious and filling vegetarian dishes, and have become my pasta replacement when I want something quick and energy-intensive. In general, Slater's approach seems to be to use interesting ingredients to achieve the required flavour, rather than difficult techniques, and for the most part he is successful.
Excellent A+ December 14, 2005
39 out of 39 found this review helpful
I bought the book with the strength of review. I had never heard of Nigel Slater (sorry Nigel) but now people will hear this name! The recipes are absolutely fabulous. If you are looking for an easy to prepare, no-nonsense book, this is it. The end result is very professional tasting dish. I am very impressed and buying all of Nigel's books. I cannot say enough about his writing. And I am reading a cookbook and I would laugh out loud, getting weird looks from my husband. Buy and read to find out.
30 Minute Cook January 25, 2005
33 out of 34 found this review helpful
The best cook book I own, every recipe works, is delicious and does take 30 minutes or less to prepare. Nigel Slater really does know his stuff.
the thirty minute cook May 22, 2004
32 out of 33 found this review helpful
I cannot recommend this book enough.If you get in from work at 6.30,like me, starving hungry , you can have a truly fabulous meal ready in no time. Every recipe I've tried has been a real winner. Good enough for any dinner party too. "Real fast food" is an excellent buy also.Money well spent.
I'd never guess I will use a cookbook... November 13, 2003
74 out of 74 found this review helpful
I am Chinese, we eat enormous amount of food and our cooking takes a lot of work. so when I moved to London and had to do everything by myself, and having to deal with buying ingredients which are quite alien to me, I thought I needed some help. I had owned cookbooks that looked pretty on shelves, and I know how useless I am with them. so I set out to get a book I can manage. I never looked back. I have bought other books since, but for some reason, Slater is the only one that gives me success stories one after the other. nothing in it is in the "too hard to tackle" category. If you are new to cooking, it is simple to use and easy to perfect; if you are a seasoned cook, the refreshing approach to useing a variety of ingredients instead of sticking to everything by the book makes one feel good - afterall, we cook with whats around the kitchen, how often do we make a special trip to get ingredients for a fast meal? love it, love it. I must say I have never believed in celebrity cooks, but Slater is in a class of his own.
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