Product Description

‘This is real cooking. The roast potato that sticks to the roasting tin; the crouton from the salad that has soaked up the mustardy dressing … these are the things that make something worth eating. And worth cooking’ Nigel Slater Nigel Slater's sumptuous recipes are not about making fancy stocks and sauces or perfecting spun-sugar baskets. They are about using the best quality ingredients to make food that is a joy to eat. Freshness, simplicity and flavour: these are what count in the easy-to-follow and deliciously satisfying meals contained in Real Cooking.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #567 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Nigel Slater is the god of sticky things. He loves bones you can gnaw, the crispy bits from the bottom of the roasting pan, squishy things to eat on crusty bread with juices dribbling down your chin. Unctuousness. This is the man who made greed sexy. His cooking is determinedly domestic, to be consumed alone, or as an intimate supper with a loved one (in Slater's case, it seems, often the cat), occasionally rising to the heights of an informal dinner party. Within these self-imposed bounds, he's unbeatable. In Real Cooking he continues the campaign he began with Real Food, the essence of which is that a baked potato can, if prepared with love and attention, be as satisfying as any more elaborate confection. Real Cooking represents something of a broadening of scope, though, with the emphasis firmly turned to the cooking process:

Real cooking is about making ourselves something to eat that involves a bit of simple roasting, grilling or frying. Nothing complicated. Nothing that is not within the grasp of a novice cook. But it is cooking, rather than opening a packet or a tin.

So he has put together a wide-ranging collection of straightforward but unfailingly seductive recipes that anyone could manage, set about with the familiar reassuring, no-nonsense Slater commentary. He makes everything sound delicious. Where to start in illustrating this? At random: "Grilled Mackerel with Sherry Vinegar", "Creamed Oyster Toasts", "Herbed Roast Chicken" (with wonderful before and after photographs), "Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Mustard", "Roast Spiced Aubergines", "Lemon Surprise Pudding". The great thing about this book is that it's just the thing to give to someone who lacks confidence in the kitchen; but it's also a terrifically handy compendium for a cook looking for simple but tasty ideas. --Robin Davidson

About the Author
Nigel Slater is the author of Real Fast Food, Real Fast Puddings, The 30-Minute Cook, Real Food, Appetite and The Kitchen Diaries. Real Fast Food was shortlisted for the Andre Simon Award while The 30-Minute Cook was nominated for both the Glenfiddich and Julia Child Awards. In 1995 he won the Glenfiddich Trophy and he has twice won the Cookery Writer of the Year Award as well as being named Media Personality of the Year in the 1996 Good Food Awards. He is the Observer's food writer and he writes a monthly column for Observer Food Monthly.

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Customer Reviews

Superb book
This is the type of book that is just right for the home cook. How to make tasty food without the fuss and with readily available ingredients. Many of the recipes are just ideal for making when you come home from work. If you want to cook like meals like Gary Rhodes don't buy this, if you want to have a selection of recipes some of which will become your favorites then buy this and get a copy of The River Cottage Meat Book at the same time.

So why 4 stars not 5 stars, well if you are beef lover you going to be disappointed that no beef recipes make an appearance.

This book has been unfairly ignored next to 'Real Food'
'Real Cooking' is a wonderful book - a much more rounded introduction to all sorts of cooking than 'Real Food'. The recipes are written in an interesting and amusing way, and are endlessly useful. Some are long and involved and others very quick and easy. I recommend the Moroccan Lamb Stew very highly and the chicken recipes are all fantastic. Buy this instead (or as well as) Real Food. Both are good, but this, I think, is better.

a recipe book that actually gets used
This is a great read, Nigel clearly has a passion for making good things to eat. I bought this book as most of the recipes are for 1 or 2 people, unlike most recipe books which seem to think we all have families of 6-8 nowadays. My main reason for writing the review is that Nigel inspired me to roast my first chicken (I'm 35)which turned out to be easy, yummy and made me feel very clever as I was able to make sandwiches and soup out of the leftovers like my Mum. Most of the recipes I've used are uncomplicated and rewarding, the easiest being dipping a leftover sausage into a jar of mustard, very happy-making.