Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1593 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-02
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
Nigel Slater presents over 350 creative, delicious and nourishing recipes and suggestions for those who'd rather spend more of their time eating than cooking. From simple snacks to dinner-party desserts, all the dishes in "Real Fast Food" can be ready to eat in 30 minutes or under.

Customer Reviews

Nice recipes, though hardly original
The title says a lot really, there are some nice ideas in this book but they arn't very original (beef burgers arn't original, but nice to have some advice on them). I havn't tried many recipes yet but neither was hardly impressive (to me, hot choc made of 70% cocoa just tastes a bit bland, dark Galaxy though is much better) & the pasta with goat's cheese & garlic was alright though was much longer to prepare & make & nowhere near as nice as Gordon Ramsay's recipe with pancetta, leeks and mushrooms.

There are some recipes that looks nice (chicken in pesto gravy will be tried at some point) though sometimes he is just not specific enough, like assuming that everyone knows he is referring to a frying pan when he says stick chicken in a pan. Scrambled eggs with prawns sounds nice too, though a bit studentish to say it is in a book which has been supposidly written by some ace chef & some things arn't even real recipes like suggesting what to put on a bagel.

In all though it isn't a bad book & I will be using it again, though it just doesn't seem like this breath of fresh air that many people seem to claim it is, I have given it a bit of a slating (it was asking for such a pun!) but I wouldn't let it put you off, I wouldn't bother though if you know how to make things like burgers & the such

The Cookbook Every Home Should Have

Nigel Slater is an absolute genius with the ability to describe the joy of preparing good food and convey the passion he feels for food. He teaches us to think about getting something enjoyable to eat, rather than merely following a recipe. This passion and philosophy is evident in all of his books but it is this one, in particular, that everyone should own: no-one can claim to be too short of time to use the ideas in this book or claim to be too inexperienced to try. And for those that are a little inexperienced, there is plenty of informaiotn about recommended equipment, storecupboard ingredients and ways of approaching cooking that take the worry out of preparing food ("oh no! I don't have a grapefruit knife! How will I cope?)

Some of the "recipes" in this book would hardly count as that in most people's minds, since he gives suggestions for sandwich fillings and arrangements of fresh fruit and the like. But that is the point: at the right time, very simply assembled food is perfect for the occasion. And he does have many, many "proper" recipes, all of which can, more or less, go from ingredients to table within half an hour.

Like all of Nigel's books (and it has to be "Nigel", not "Mr Slater": his style of writing is so friendly, so warm, so enthusiastic and so personal that you feel you have known him for years), this is not about slavishly following recipes, weighing ingredients to the nearest microgram but about getting a feel for food and using recipes as guides to making the food you want to eat; food that nourishes body and soul.

So many cookbooks come out as television tie-ins and are packed with glossy photos but, after one or two recipes are tried for novelty, are consigned to the kitchen bookshelf, never to be opened again. This book, on the other hand can bee used every day to produce quick but satisfying and delicious food. For that alone, in a world where to many people "home cooking" is putting a readymeal in the microwave, Nigel deserves a Knighthood.

Excellent for fish recipes
My husband & I got this book as a gift. Most of the recipes we've tried are hit & miss but thumbs up for the Beef Stroganoff.

In addition, this little tome is excellent for fish dishes especially salmon and cod as well as smoked & tinned fish.