The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20-Minute Meals

by Tod Dimmink

-- A focus on great meals in 20 minutes or less A better time-promise than the competition -- Clear, easy and functional line-art shows technique and equipment -- not cartoony.Families today have less time than ever to sit down and enjoy a meal together And who has time to cook? Making the most of precious minutes in the kitchen has lead to one of the biggest trends in home cooking - the quick and easy meal. Filled with delicious recipes that the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028644190
• ISBN13: 9780028644196
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Best Cookbook You Can Buy

I have many many cookbooks, and this one is by far my favorite. I have made almost every meal in the book and they are almost all fantastic. If you need to spice up your nightly meals with easy tasty recipes, this is the book for you. I'm a working mom without a huge amount of time and coming home to a quick delicious meal is so nice.

Exactly what I wanted

Tod clearly is no dummy when it comes to making tasty and nutritious meals for a busy family. While I am not a novice in the kitchen, many nights I am not in the mood to make elaborate meals. However, I still desire to have something beyond the basic. Tod's book fits that bill perfectly. Its emphasis on fresh ingredients and influences from many cuisines makes it the perfect book for the sophisticated palate that either lacks the hours or the inclination to spend their time in the kitchen. The layout is easy to comprehend, and the explanations of ingredients, tools and methods for less advanced cooks is concise but thorough. Finally, his categorizations make sense and lend the air of a comprehensive text. Overall a great basic cookbook.

Good food, easy to use

My husband gave me this book for Christmas. It was a struggle to pry it out of my sisters-in-law hands when it was time for us to head home from the holidays. Tod Dimmick writes in an easy-to-read conversational manner about easy-to-make recipes. I cooked veal scallopini for the first time in my life using Tod's recipe. Given the straightforward directions, I whipped up this dish in 13 minutes while my husband threw together a spinach salad and the rolls baked in the oven. The dinner was everything Tod promises: fast, easy and delicious. I'm looking forward to making many of the other dishes. This book fast becoming a staple in my cookbook collection.

The simple meals in this book make the entire family smile

I am not a "complete idiot" in the kitchen and I love this cookbook. Since the book arrived three weeks ago, I have referred to it almost daily for great ideas about making everything from simple kid's lunches, to elegant adult dinners. The book is all about keeping meal preparation simple, without skimping on nutritious ingredients and fabulous flavors. This cookbook is for any cook, novice or professional, who needs to take a fresh look at what to make for dinner. Buy this book and keep it right on the kitchen counter.

Why Should I Cook?

"This book is first about dispelling the notion that cooking a tasty, nutritious meal must be a time-consuming process." -Tod Dimmick I am "slowly" starting to enjoy "fast" cooking. Normally I like to take my time and cook at my leisure. I've learned the bliss of a bread machine and the luxury of a slow cooker, not to mention the fun of an ice cream maker. However, my love of reviewing has changed my life in various ways. Now I love writing as much as cooking. What is a girl to do? Write or Cook? In a world filled with time challenges, I choose both. My husband also doesn't have a regular work schedule, so when he arrives home "earlier or later than expected" I have to figure out what to cook and I don't have time to waste. By purchasing ingredients at the start of each week and having cookbooks like "The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20-minute Meals" to inspire me, cooking is more of a pleasure instead of a stressful experience. Cooking is always in a process of evolution. Often we look for cookbooks to inspire us in our own creativity or we are just looking for new recipes to satisfy our current cravings. Tod Dimmick is known for his writing and weekly "Gourmet Cooking on a Budget" e-mail newsletter that is read by over 75,000 subscribers. Tod has written this completely wonderful book about cooking in a day when we often feel we don't have time to cook. He made me feel like a pro in the kitchen. There are just some recipes that make me feel like "more of a chef" than others. There is a recipe for "Chicken Marsala" on page 107 which I absolutely loved. Sure, I made a few changes because in this type of recipe, you can actually play around a bit with how you create the dish. I ended up using only the butter instead of the additional olive oil and using skinless chicken tenderloins. Also, I fried the mushrooms in the butter with the chicken and used a chicken base mixed with water instead of just a canned broth. This recipe can be taken to the level of gourmet very easily. The reason I had to change the recipe was because I only had frozen chicken and frozen chicken doesn't really like being rolled about in flour and I was saving time by not defrosting them slowly in the microwave. So, I mixed flour with water and thickened the sauce at the end instead. Experimentation is half the fun of cooking! Contents: Part 1: Meals Done Quick, Done Right This section explores the elements of the successful kitchen. You learn everything about kitchen tools to spices, herbs and the ingredients for the perfect pantry. 1. Why 20-minute cuisine is an important part of today's busy lifestyle. 2. Ingredients: The basics for the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. 3. Methods: A review of cooking methods perfect for 20-minute cuisine. 4. Equipment: A review of those key pots, pans, tools, and equipment that make cooking easier. 5. Practical Secrets: Tips for a fun, tasty, and speedy meal. Part 2: Main Courses Here are recipes and tips for prepara