Review by carolrnc:

I got this free Kindle book out of curiosity, but find that I am fascinated by it. cooking in the year 1915 is so different from today! I’ve just started reading through this book, but wanted to post a review so that it might catch other’s interest. And, who knows, I might even try some of her receipes!

Review by Gurkie:

When I first saw this I was like great, a free vegetarian cookbook! I downloaded it and started reading it, not sure about you but I dont know where my local ironmonger is… A lot of the techniques are outdated as it was written in 1915 and technology has advanced a lot since then. Still I may continue to browse if I am ever bored with the rest of the books on my kindle, however I am not likely to cook anything out of it.

Review by :

I already own a bookshelf of cookbooks, but Pam Anderson’s is truly unlike any other out there. It explains, in a concise manner, the basis for the primary forms of cooking (from scratch!) that we all love, but never cook for lack of time: those hearty soups, salads, sauces to go with that ever-present chicken, and how to expand your menu way beyond chicken, and so much more. Unbelievable, she shows us that we *can* cook these on a weeknight (most within 30 minutes).I love the concept behind this book because, while I enjoy cooking, I often don’t have time for all of the recipes that are my family’s favorites — or at least I didn’t think I did. This book teaches you that a soup, for example, is a few basic ingredients that you probably already have in your home, and that it can be prepared in 20 minutes! She shows you how this is true for a wide variety of meats, pasta dishes, appetizers, desserts, even stir-fry and pad thai dishes.While there are also example recipes for every category of food in the book, after reading it, you will be inspired to create your own variations, even if you never thought you could. In addition, there are tips on how to make most of this food sophisticated enough for a dinner party, including example menus.With the help of Pam Anderson’s book, I now have the joy and the option of creating my own recipes, instead of constantly pulling a book from the shelf to find the answer to “What’s for dinner?”It’s easy to read, thoroughly enjoyable and best of all, the ideas presented will help end the feeling that cooking the nightly dinner is such a chore!

Review by :

“How to Cook without a Book” is the cookbook that I have been hoping to find. It teaches you the mindset and skills neccesary to quickly prepare a healthy meal with what you’ve got in your fridge and pantry. The weekends are great for trying new recipes and new ingredients, but what do you do on Wednesday night at 6pm when you’re tired and hungry and haven’t yet given a thought to what you’ll cook and whether you have all the ingredients?”How to Cook without a Recipe” teaches you a few simple techniques which can be used with a variety of ingredient combinations. For example, Ms. Anderson’s saute techinique works for chicken, pork, fish, tofu, and more. So, if you have any of these on hand and a few seasonings, you’ve got your main dish.So far I’ve read a few sections of the book, and it has already improved my cooking. What the book boils down to is this: learn a few techniques, stock your pantry, make a weekly trip to the grocery store to buy whatever’s in season or on sale, and you’ll be able to put a “real meal” on the table anytime.Excellent for someone setting up a new house or apartment and for those who are tired of take-out and packaged instant meals. Would make a great gift for a college graduate or for a bride and/or groom-to-be.

Review by CarsPlants:

I enjoyed this vintage vegetable cookbook more than I thought that I would. Nice to scroll through when you are contemplating what to do with all those leftover veggies. Interesting resource for all of you vegans out there. I would imagine that a chef might find some useful ideas here as well.

Includes many “plain” soups and salads that do not require a lot of ingredients, just a little seasoning. Also includes the expected fried, boiled, pickling and canning recipes, as well as some unlikely puddings. Additional interesting recipes include (not all are vegan…): artichokes a la lyonnaise, escalloped asparagus, string beans and apples, curried white navy beans, sweet beet pudding, kale on toast, cabbage a la Holland, Turkish cabbage, carrots a la flamande, carrot croquettes, cauliflower and tomato souffle, celery a la Versailles, celery au gratin, corn chowder, chicken with corn oysters, corn omelet, green corn pudding, corn vinegar, boiled cucumbers (were cucumbers ever “rare”?), fried cucumbers, flower salad, violet marmalade, ground cherry pudding, lettuce soup, tomato wine, frozen tomato salad, squash biscuit, squash custard, cantaloupe frappe, marrow with mushrooms, nasturtium pickles, fried parsley, parsnip fritters, parsnip puffs, ambushed peas, peas and lettuce, pumpkin marmalade, rhubarb tapioca, salsify fritters.

This free Kindle edition of March 17, 2006 was very readable, no editing errors and only the usual margin issues. Includes transcriber’s notes at the end.

Review by Michael Friedberg:

I got my copy of the new edition of How to Cook Everything the other day and am beyond thrilled. I own the old yellow edition and have cooked from it far more than any other book, so I knew the new book had a lot to live up to. Well, it by far exceeded my expectations. While the book still feels familiar, it also feels new and improved. The essential recipe sections beginning each chapter are a great way to find the basics. But even the basics have changed. For example, Mark’s roast chicken recipe, which I’ve used and liked in the past (though I still love Barbara Kafka’s) has changed. He suggests you heat the pan before putting the chicken in and placing the chicken breast side up (instead of side down as he suggested in his old book). The heat of the pan helps cook the thighs faster so the breasts don’t dry out. It worked perfectly the first time I tried it. Beyond the basics, there are just so many new recipes in here. The variations, lists, and charts that Mark is famous for seem even more plentiful than before, and there are tons of beautiful new illustrations. I’m so excited to cook with this new edition and foresee a day when it’s pages will be stained with grease and flour just like the old edition. But I still can’t get rid of the old one. It’s like a good friend. I’ll just put the new one on the shelf right next to it, red by yellow, and know that I can always count on them.

Review by Lynn Harnett:

If you have room in your heart for only one cookbook, this is the one. With 2000 recipes it really does have everything. With variations. It’s got vegetables from A to Z, with several recipes for each, primers on meat, fish and fowl, on stocking the kitchen and preserving your tools.

Bittman, author of the Minimalist column in the New York Times, has overhauled the original to reflect the changing times. Almost half the material is new, showcasing more international dishes, more vegetarian fare, and a tighter organization. Best known for keeping it simple – fine food, with minimal fuss – Bittman would like to see the home cook spend an hour a day cooking but most of these dishes can be made in half that time.

If the dishes are inspirational, the organization is breathtaking. Organized by course, each chapter begins with “essential” recipes, the “building blocks,” and icons accompany every recipe, indicating fast (under 30 minutes), make ahead, or vegetarian. Charts and sidebars abound, offering ideas for using different techniques with similar ingredients or the same technique with different ingredients.

As always with Bittman, the watchword is variation, the goal is inspiration. Cooks of all levels of experience and interest will spend hours with this book and never run out of new ideas and new tricks.

Review by Polkadotty:

Here’s a woman after my own heart: she hates to cook and is unashamed to admit this. The manner in which Miss Bracken admits is rife with humour and finesse ~ plus she tosses into the bargain 180 quick, easy, housewife tested recipes (this book was published in the ’60s ~ 1960 to be exact) that anyone can make, even those hostile toward kitchen environs. Miss Bracken’s wit is peppery (note the food connotation), vinegary (ditto), and her prose is salted (!) through with references to classic literature, tidbits of common sense advice, and slams at ‘pop’ psychology (as hilarious then as it remains today). Here’s a sampling of (some of) what you’re in for with this read: ‘The Leftover, or Every Family Needs a Dog’; ‘Spuds and Other Starches, or Ballast is a Girl’s Best Friend’; ‘Potluck Supper, or How to Bring Water For the Lemonade’; ‘Luncheon for the Girls, or Wait Until You Taste Maybelle’s Peanut Butter Aspic’. In between the pages of these chapters you’ll find recipes for such tasties as: ‘Skid Road Stroganoff’, ‘Sub Gum Yuk’, ‘Oddment’, ‘Old Faithful’, and, appropo for the era, ‘Beetniks’ (a nifty way of fixing shredded pickled red beets). If you catch a whiff of the droll and acerbic, you are quite correct. Peg Bracken is a jewel. Very popular in the Sixties and Seventies, she also published an Appendix to ‘The I Hate To Cook Book’, plus several other books including ‘The I Hate To Housekeep Book’, ‘A Window Over the Sink’, ‘I Try To Behave Myself’ (etiquette), ‘But I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World’ (travel), and ‘On Getting Old For The First Time’. In all of these, she never misses a beat, her timing is impeccable. The sort of woman you’d love to have for a friend or neighbour, especially when one runs out of sugar and can’t find the car keys. I highly recommend you begin your Bracken odyssey with this book, and see where it leads you. Enhanced by Hilary Knight’s warm and witty line drawings.

Review by :

Peg Bracken’s book is for those of us who look at Martha Stewart
and want to bang our heads against the wall. Most of the
recipes create simple, “normal” food, in relatively small
amounts of time. Her advice is funny and straightforward.
The book is a pleasure to read, as well as to cook from.
I’ve had luck with all but one of the recipes I’ve tried — the
one that “failed” came out okay, but my tastebuds gave it a
bad grade.

The best of the lot are “Sweep Steak.” “Innocent Chicken,” and
“Boeuf and Oeufplant,” but there are still more that I’d like to
try out.

This book is especially helpful for people just starting to
keep house on their own; Peg Bracken’s insights help keep a
light perspective on the entire domestic endeavor.

Review by Rosaidh Ceallach:

All of the traditional recipes combined with more contemporary health conscious meal ideas. And the fact that it goes to support a great cause, this is a Win Win purchase for anyone interested in a comprehensive cookbook.

Review by M. Ziegelbauer:

This is the best cookbook I have come across for so many different foods. I love it.! I had been looking for bread recipes all over and this cookbook has many different ones to choose from.