Great Food Without Fuss: Simple Recipes from the Best Cooks

by Barbara Witt and Frances McCullough

Book Overview

A very personal collection.--John and Matt Thorne. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805022309
• ISBN13: 9780805022308
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.7" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

A Lifesaver

I was really skeptical of this book when I received it as a gift over 10 years ago. I have dozens of cookbooks and have at least one from most of the authors whose recipes are featured in the book. Why in the world would I want what basically amounts to a recipe anthology? Well, the first recipe I tried changed all that. It was Pasta with Vodka, and it's since become my go-to version of that dish. And it wasn't long before I'd tried many others that became favorites: Pasta with Gorgonzola, Wondrous Carrots, James Beard's Cream Biscuits, brussels sprouts with lime, butter, and pepper. The beauty of this book is that you don't have to slog through multiple volumes to pull out a quick but elegant dish that is perfect for company. Being a cook of long experience, I can't speak to some of the issues one reviewer raised about its usefulness for novice cooks. I found the directions simple and straightforward. And generally the authors chose recipes that use fresh ingredients very well, so you aren't compromising flavor for convenience. I don't know why everyone doesn't own a copy of this book!

Indispensable as a relatively thin quick flip reference

I'm with the other reviewers of this great book. I love to cook, but don't have the time or patience to follow laborious time consuming recipes anymore. This cookbook has a range of recipes that not only present innovative pairings of a few good ingredients; the recipes and course sections also have a "variations" section that give ideas for improvising with ingredients you have on hand. My copy is battered and food impaired with lots of notes on it. I'm really surprised how few people are onto this good thing. I would buy another copy if I had too. I just wish there were a cookbook this good for a celiac/veganish/cholestral diet, as my husband is on a restricted diet. although many recipes in this book are useful, I can't find a reference this good for that kind of thing.

Great Food Without Fuss

I have over 120 cookbooks and this is the best!!!!! This is the one cookbook I keep coming back to. I have honestly tried almost every recipe in the book, and so far everything has been very, very good and very, very easy to make. My only sadness about this book is that it is now out of print and I have to buy a used copy to replace my first one which is falling apart at the seams.

If Stranded with Only 2 Cookbooks, This Would Be One!

Without a doubt, this book delivers. Easy, tasty food from the very best chefs. Try the Roasted Peppers, Potatoes and Onions or any of the Pork recipes.A real favorite. In fact, I find myself going back to this over and over again, and am never disappointed.

A lifesaver - quick, elegant recipes for last minute company

It may never rate as a "classic" cookbook, but over the last 5 years this slim tome has pulled me out of more than one last minute menu scrapes. Recipes like Arrosto di Maile all'Alloro (Pork with Bay Leaves) and Dried Apricots baked with Vanilla set the tone - non-labor intesive recipes with a short list of ingredients -- the emphasis being on the quality of meat, produce & spices rather than fancy techniques or sauces. Barbara Kafka's classic 500 degree roasted chicken and much maligned (but delicious) microwave risotto are by themselves worth the cost of this book!