Rubbish cook books

[stu_69]

I have a couple of friends in Australia who have been bleating on about a cookbook called 4 ingredients which is selling by the bucketload over there. At the time they mentioned it to me (before Christmas) it wasn't available over here so they sent me a copy. I completely forgot about it till my neighbour said he had some of my mail (he forgot to mention it to me then went on holiday and forgot about it).

Anyway this book is *****. It's not even a cookbook.

Sample recipe: Chicken Korma:

Chicken Pieces, 2 Carrots, Coriander and A JAR OF KORMA SAUCE

There are loads of recipes like this especially the ones for indian food.

Apparently this book has sold 300,000 copies in Australia. How bad a cook are you that you need to be told how to make a dish from a jar of sauce (most jars of sauce have simple recipes on them anyway)? It's like a cookbook for kids. I can see where it might give someone with little confidence in the kitchen and helping hand but a jar of sauce is not an ingredient.

I have loads of cook books and some of them are rubbish or contain recipes which call for impossible to find ingredients but this book has got to be the worst I have read.

[DeadYankee]

Originally Posted by stu_69

a jar of sauce is not an ingredient. .

Nor is a can of worms, but you just opened one there I think. As I recall there are lots of forumites who consider pouring boiling water onto a packet of Mash cooking so chicken, carrots and a jar of slop is bordering on Gordon Ramsey territory

[MetalGearAl]

My main bugbear with cookbooks is an awful lot are tackily produced and chock-full of photos that seemed to have been taken sometime in the late 70s. They never resemble any kind of food that people actually eat, and I wonder if the people who have made the books have bothered actually trying the recipes out.

I know some people might say "Well food hasn't changed that much, how much can the pics really differ?" - Say that after you look at a few of the pics and tell me if they look appetising.

[Spooky_uk]

anything not thrown on the BBQ is advanced, jar or no jar

[liamail]

And why would you put carrots in a korma? This will look like puke on a plate - especially as they've also run out of ingredients before they've accounted for rice.

[Guest 24656]

Originally Posted by DeadYankee

Nor is a can of worms, but you just opened one there I think. As I recall there are lots of forumites who consider pouring boiling water onto a packet of Mash cooking so chicken, carrots and a jar of slop is bordering on Gordon Ramsey territory

You can say his name

Its not like the boogie man when you say it 3 time....

JV
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JV

[DeadYankee]

No, he's the other end of the scale of cooking lunacy.

[Mr Majestik]

If any has a spare jar of sauce and a carrot you can buy the book over here.

Four Ingredients

[stu_69]

I gave my copy to someone else as a birthday present. She hasn't mentioned it.

[JOV]

Most Cookboooks are pants with only a couple of decent recipes - the best cookbook ever is the dairy book of hopme cooking 2nd edtion (I Think) was published in the late 70's and is good with all the basics covered .

Cookbook on Ebay

[JOV]

A review of this book

I am so impressed with this book, it really does provide meals with just 4 or fewer ingredients. Originally, friends told me about it and I thought it too good to be true but I have just made a Pecan Pie which true to its word only required 4 ingredients. I am a busy parent without much time on my hands, this book is a god send!

Well pastry is lard/butter Flour salt and water plus the pecans and something to keep them moist - more than 4 in my book.

[bumfrog]

Originally Posted by JOV

Most Cookboooks are pant with only a couple of decent recipes - the best cookbook ever is the dairy book of hopme cooking 2nd edtion (I Think) was published in the late 70's and is good with all the basics covered .

like the bero one, which you can now access online here http://www.be-ro.com/f_insp.htm

[Johnny Vodka]

Originally Posted by JOV

Well pastry is lard/butter Flour salt and water plus the pecans and something to keep them moist - more than 4 in my book.

Probably done with a ready-made pastry case.

[JOV]

Originally Posted by bumfrog

like the bero one, which you can now access online here http://www.be-ro.com/f_insp.htm

Nice link simple layout might make it to my favorites.

[JOV]

Originally Posted by Johnny Vodka

Probably done with a ready-made pastry case.

Which is fine but not as a recipe in a recipe book - what have we come to -

Tis Dumbing down pure and simple

And Idiots will by this book and think thay can cook - same idiots buy frozen omlettes

[SIMON ADEBISI]

Frozen omlettes??? Seriously?

[Guest 10041]

I guess it's a bit like Delia's how to cheat, aimed at people who either haven't got the time nor inclination to cook from scratch but as the op says the recipe is normally on the back of the jar or packet anyway so why bother?

I think I'll write a cookbook called 2 ingredients! Cherry tart - take one ready made pastry case, open a can of cherry pie filling, put in case, put tart in oven. Chocolate Milk Shake - Put some milk and chocolate ice-cream in a blender and whizz it together. etc. etc.

[splobber]

Originally Posted by anguk

Chocolate Milk Shake - Put some milk and chocolate ice-cream in a blender and whizz it together.

Sounds good. Have you got the recipe for that?

[JOV]

Originally Posted by SIMON ADEBISI

Frozen omlettes??? Seriously?

I have a relation who uses them - and frozen roast potatoes etc etc etc etc etc etc

Thinks mince + Jar Sauce + cooking pasta is creative cooking

[Johnny Vodka]

Originally Posted by SIMON ADEBISI

Frozen omlettes??? Seriously?

Yeah, I've seen them. I think my dad's talked about microwaved omelette before and even that seems wrong to me.

Sure I read about people buying pre-cracked eggs or something. I mean, how lazy/pointless is that?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/fo...aking-egg.html