Ainsley Harriott's Meals in Minutes

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: Great book, wonderful recipes and very tastey too!! If you need to cook good food in a hurry, this is the book for you!

Rating:
Summary: Easy to follow instructions, some rather good recipes
Review: I am somewhat of a cookbook collector, but when I first started this was one of the first cookbooks I ever bought, and it did serve its purpose - which was to teach me how to cook some proper satisfying meals. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and the ingredients are very easy to get a hold of if you live in the UK. Although some recipes are really uninspired and plain, some really do their job well and are regulars on our dinner "menu" at home. Good cookbook for beginning cooks or amateurs...

Rating:
Summary: Ainsley does it again!
Review: I love Ainsley Harriott. His cookbooks are no nonsense get to the cooking and have fun cookbooks. The recipes are clear and simple to follow and the results are wonderful. The recipes in this book are quick. Your family will be surprised when they see how fast you can whip up delish meals!

Rating:
Summary: So, so recipes.
Review: I've tried a few of these recipes. Yes, they're easy to prepare. No, they're not the best recipes I've ever tried. The ones that I've tried were bland and uninspired.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent basic cookbook - easy and tasty recipes!
Review: OK, first let's get passed the Meals in Minutes question - yes the recipes are pretty simple but, as with other books, the recipes could only be done in the time they say if you have everything out on your workspace ready and are an expert chopper. So, you should add 15 minutes to any recipe to get a good idea of "real" time.

But the recipes themselves are wonderful - easy to make, relatively few ingredients but still very tasty. I've cooked five of the recipes so far and not a single miss yet! My wife loved the lamb biryani I did the other night when normally she hates my curries!

If you are after simple but good recipes, look no further!

Rating:
Summary: Mountains Of Marvelous Mouthfuls
Review: The dishes are so delightful and simple that many people will find themselves making over and over again.Lots of English favorites and lots of fun selections that even the kids will be begging for more...which doesn't happen much in our house! Delighfully put together.Ainsleys flamboyent flavors will please every palate.

Rating:
Summary: Tropical Crumble
Review: When making recipes from a chef's cookbook it is always advisable to have an idea of how you can adapt the recipe to your tastes. With that said:

I made the Mango Cranberry Nut Crumble and loved it. I had to adapt the recipe because I could not find the same size can of mango slices the recipe called for. I also used light brown sugar instead of superfine sugar and it worked out very well.

If you are completely new to cooking, you will enjoy how easy these recipes are to make. You may however become frustrated when they don't taste exactly the way you think they will after viewing the pictures. A little salt and pepper and a dash of this or that is going to make each recipe your own.

You also may have to substitute an item because I noticed that just saying: "ground mixed spice" did not give me a clue as to which ground spice and I ended up using apple pie spice. They assume you can easily find pre-made custard, so no recipe was given for the custard to serve with the crumble. Most stores do have the Bird's custard powder now or you can order a lovely container of the most delicious custard from Protea Imports online. They specialize in English treats.

Another strange thing I noticed was that there is a comment at the start of the book that says: "All eggs used in the recipes are medium size. All vegetables should be peeled unless the recipe says otherwise." This could be easily missed by most cooks who are not likely to even read that page.

The Contents include: Time Saving Ideas, Getting Stocked Up, Kitchen Equipment,
Soups, Snacks and Salads, Vegetarian Fare, Fish, Poultry, Meat and Desserts.

The format is especially appealing and the photography superb! The result is a highly appealing book from an aesthetic perspective. All of the recipes are really easy to make and take very little effort.

Some of the recipes that looked tempting included: Tingling Thai-Spiced Vegetables, Wicked Wild Fish Gumbo, Clever Cook's Roast Chicken Dinner and Lemon Caramel Strawberry Nests.

Everything looks delish!