ben wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Can anyone recommend a cookbook that caters for people who would on the
> one hand like to minimise their hours in the kitchen, but serve some
> nice and healthy (and calorie conscious) food for the family. I am only
> dealing with 2 adults and a child.
>
> Currently I cook a few recipes in the oven with the advantage being that
> I put everything together and leave it there for a while and its done
> and ready to eat, but I need variety so I am thinking that there must be
> a cookbook out there that caters for someone like myself needing quick
> and healthy recipes (quick in the sense that I don't need to devote lots
> of continual attention to it).
>
> Thanks for any advice and recommendations,
> Ben

Ben,

Part of minimizing time in the kitchen is having and using good tools.
Well sharpened knives and wooden cutting boards (to keep them that way)
are a start. A variety of spatulas, spoons, and other implements help. I
keep at least two sets of measuring spoons and cups so I can make
cleanup a batch (or dishwasher) operation.

Machines help if you have enough room to keep them handy. A small food
processor is useful if for nothing else than grating cheese. My hand
blender gets a lot of use, but I had to sharpen the one that I got as a
gift. I have an Oster electric kettle. The thermostat gives me
confidence that what I cook won't burn or boil over. (It says I could
bake in it, but I never have.) Crockpot recipes require little attention
also, and they're inexpensive.

There are many cookbooks devoted to simple meals. (You can be sure that
you aren't the only meal provider short on time!) A fine 20-year-old
example is "Keep it Simple: 30-Minute Meals from Scratch" by Marian
Burros (a food editor at The New York Times); ISBN 0-671-44397-6.

A much newer cookbook I wouldn't want to be without is "How to Cook
Everything; Simple Recipes for Great Food" by Mark Bittman; ISBN
0-02-861010-5. It has not only good simple recipes, but informative
"About ..." sections that give the knowledge needed to improvise. The
introduction begins, "Anyone can cook, and almost everyone should. It's
a sorry sign that many people consider cooking 'from scratch' an unusual
and even rare talent."

Another book that helped (and helps) me to understand and improvise is
"On Food and Cooking; the Science and Lore of the Kitchen" by Harold
McGee; ISBN 0-684-84328-4. McGee has written cookbooks, but this isn't
one. It's about food, not recipes. It gives a cook what a book on
metallurgy gives a blacksmith: knowledge to improve his/her craft.

Jerry
--
Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get.
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