Brilliant !!
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Easy to follow recipes, some sumptuous dishes, what more could you want ?
The recipes are indeed very quick & are easy to follow but for me the most impressive aspect of this cookbook, is the range of recipes, there's a very good cross section of food & you really don't feel as if the book has been either "padded out" or "stripped down", it's absolutley spot on.
One of those books that makes you thinks "ooh, I never thought of doing that" & because it is so well done, "doing that" doesn't seem to be a challenge.
A really useful & enjoyable book with some really delicious reipes.
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Not a typical Gary Book...but absolutely superb recipes
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I have to agree with a previous comment about this having the feel of not being penned by Gary himself, it certainly does have a womans own/asda magazine style of recipe in it. I feel Gary has just put his name to this rather than actually writing or even knowing what is in this book.
However, i have so far tried about a quarter of the recipes and i have to say they really are superb. They are fast, contain simple ingredients, can be made easily during weeknights (all under 30 mins) and taste absolutely fantastic. Favourites include Creamy pea soup with crispy bacon, chicken sald with strawbs, smoked cod chowder and mexican bean soup. The only one and i mean only one which has just been ok is the cauliflower & sweet pepper soup, everything else ab fab and will defo be made again. There are 220 pages and they are fantastically laid out, a recipe per page with a great colour photo.
I am the owner of around 40 cook books (mostly celeb chefs) and this i have to say is one of my favourites, i prefer it to his new british classics i'm sad to say as he obviously put a lot more effort into that one! I love cook books and just keep buying them cos i like to see them on the bookshelf, i havn't used half of them yet, but this one will be used til i've done all of the recipes and then i'll come back to them. If you love cook books then i'm sure you won't be disappointed with this, the only reason i gave 4 is that i don't think it has been penned by Gary.
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Cannot recommend highly enough
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I originally borrowed this book from the library and it was so good I just had to get my own copy. All the recipes are made in 30 minutes, many are less and most are around the 20 minute mark so this is a perfect book for midweek cookery and informal entertaining. Lots of simple and easy ideas with fairly standard storecupbard ingredients that don't break the bank. The recipes are laid out in simple steps and we're talking 3-6 steps to get your meal on the table!
The recipes are organised in an easy fashion so it's quick to find ideas and every recipe has a large full colour photo so you can see what you're aiming for. This is the first recipe book I have ever bought where I want to make virtually every dish. By the way the book does not include any recipes for desserts but in no way do I feel this detracts from its value.
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Named and Shamed
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First let me say that I am a fan of Gary Rhodes. I treasure New British Classics and frequently cook from Short-Cut Rhodes, which I thought this book was extending. I heartily recommend those 2 books. I excitedly brought this one home today and opened it up, only to discover that it didn't sound like Gary Rhodes' superb writing voice at all. Upon investigation of the photo credits page, the reason became clear. Almost all of the recipes have been borrowed from (and duly credited to) cookbooks by Reader's Digest, Family Circle, Homes & Gardens, Ideal Home, Woman's Journal and 30 Minute cookbooks by other authors. I would be very surprised if Gary Rhodes came anywhere near this book. It is the worst kind of example of celebrity chef sell-out. And I am a huge fan of Gary Rhodes. Imagine what his enemies will think. Please go back to your wonderful strengths, Gary, and take your name off of this book and others like them. As for me, I just hope I can find the receipt for this book...
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Recipies that actually work!
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I'm not a skillful cook, but I've always enjoyed the challenge (and occasional reward) of cooking recipies from books. Sadly, too often I seem to find that after a lengthy struggle with a glossy cookbook what emerges from the pan doesn't look anything like the photo promised it would. Often the instructions suggest that the food will start to turn certain colours at certain stages, or reach a certain consistency, and irritatingly things don't seem to go quite the way they should! Not so with Great Fast Food. The instructions are clear, easy to follow, and accurate. I have had this book for over a year, and have had a close to 100% success rate - more often than not so successful that it has been possible to more or less recreate the photos in the book on my own plates at home. Each recipie comes with an indication of how long it is likely to take to prepare (usually not more than about half an hour - as the name suggests), and even these timings seem to be spot on. Thoroughly recommended for anyone who enjoys a little cooking, but doesn't want to spend too much time on it.
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