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Review
'Cooking without Recipes liberates you from the tyranny of someone else's culinary imagination. Do your own thing, it says; listen to the food, listen to your stomach and your palate; let cooking become second nature. It is the book my grandmother would have written if she had known how to frame a sentence, which Philip Dundas certainly does. Read, inwardly digest, then throw the book away. This is the first day of the rest of your life in the kitchen.' --From the foreword by Simon Callow
Product Description
Do you envy people who seem to be able to cook with effortless ease? Have you ever wanted to cook like your mother, bringing an endless variety of meals to the table without ever looking at a recipe book? Do you want to be inspired in the kitchen again, and just by opening the fridge door concoct a feast from nothing but a few leftovers, a squeeze of lemon and some fresh air?
Then look no further. Cooking without Recipes will show you how. Using the right implements, shopping with confidence, and stocking up on essential ingredients you will acquire the instinct needed to prepare your favourite dishes from your own creativity and imagination.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At a time when obesity is reaching epic proportions and culinary expertise amounts to little more than ordering a take-away or piercing the plastic film on a ready meal this book offers up a solution to problems plaguing British culinary expertise and understanding of the simple basic foods we eat. What it does successfully is re-introduce and re-acquaint the reader with basic knowledge about simple foods and the different ways in which they can be adapted and utilised in creating wholesome healthy meals. It is exactly what it promises on the cover i.e. cooking without recipes as recipes are a bit like diets in that they function best as guidelines that the individual can then embellish or tailor to their own specifications. What really emerges from this book however is the necessary understanding of food in creating a successful, tasty and healthy diet.
Concentrating on the basics such as different types of vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, salads, pastas, rice and various fruits Dundas explains, confirms and debunks certain myths that surround each of these staples and ways to make them more interesting. A section on which potatoes are best for mashing, boiling, roasting or baking-skin on or peeled?- may initially seem unnecessary but proves itself informative about this most basic of foods. Who really knows which type of potato is best for each of these different methods really? Although I am no slouch in the kitchen myself I must admit I have always been slightly wary of artichokes and usually resort to buying them in jars and dripping in oil just to avoid any potential mishaps or culinary disasters. After reading Dundas' appraisal of them however I am now more than willing to try my hand at preparing them myself in future.
The actual food in creating a successful meal is not all that Dundas pays attention to however. He details which pots, pans, woks, knives and boards to use in different situations as well as a section on how to maintain said utensils in order to constantly achieve maximum efficiency and results from them for as long as possible. All of this is done in a tone which is warm, friendly and comforting. Although the information he imparts may appear basic and ,to some, mere common sense there is never a sense that he is being patronising but simply helpful and informative.
This book would be an ideal purchase for anyone who has a fear or lack of comprehension about food and how to prepare it. The simplicity of the content does not render it unimportant and in fact the opposite is true as the information is essential in basic culinary understanding. As an essential purchase for anyone fed up with the aforementioned takeaways and convenience foods and feels ready for a foray into real cooking this book is as good a place as any to start.
Concentrating on the basics such as different types of vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, salads, pastas, rice and various fruits Dundas explains, confirms and debunks certain myths that surround each of these staples and ways to make them more interesting. A section on which potatoes are best for mashing, boiling, roasting or baking-skin on or peeled?- may initially seem unnecessary but proves itself informative about this most basic of foods. Who really knows which type of potato is best for each of these different methods really? Although I am no slouch in the kitchen myself I must admit I have always been slightly wary of artichokes and usually resort to buying them in jars and dripping in oil just to avoid any potential mishaps or culinary disasters. After reading Dundas' appraisal of them however I am now more than willing to try my hand at preparing them myself in future.
The actual food in creating a successful meal is not all that Dundas pays attention to however. He details which pots, pans, woks, knives and boards to use in different situations as well as a section on how to maintain said utensils in order to constantly achieve maximum efficiency and results from them for as long as possible. All of this is done in a tone which is warm, friendly and comforting. Although the information he imparts may appear basic and ,to some, mere common sense there is never a sense that he is being patronising but simply helpful and informative.
This book would be an ideal purchase for anyone who has a fear or lack of comprehension about food and how to prepare it. The simplicity of the content does not render it unimportant and in fact the opposite is true as the information is essential in basic culinary understanding. As an essential purchase for anyone fed up with the aforementioned takeaways and convenience foods and feels ready for a foray into real cooking this book is as good a place as any to start.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whether you love cooking, love food, or just love another human being and want to create new, physical manifestations of your love, this book will change your life for the better! Described by Simon Callow in his glowing foreword as 'The equivalent of a culinary bra burning', author and cook Philip Dundas takes on the awesome challenge of saying something new about food and cooking among the plethora of titles currently pouring out of publishing houses, normally adding to the fame and fortune of myriad 'celebrity chefs'. And, while I like most people have my favourites in the culinary galaxy, and gamely attempt to emulate their achievements via my own selection of flour-and-olive-oil-stained recipe books, reading 'Cooking Without Recipes' really does feel like a fresh start.
Why? Because, as Philip writes, 'It aims to do all the bits that most cookery books overlook by consigning the most useful information to a few pages at the beginning or between chapters'. For this book tells you about the essence of food and cooking - describing in his elegant yet down-to-earth style what food actually IS. For example, why meat is a far more complex proposition to cook than fish - and yet, Philip's sections on Roasting Birds, Roasting Meat and Stews make these scary undertakings seem not only doable, but eminently exciting to contemplate. No more believing I should emulate my mother and rise at 5am on Christmas morning to start roasting the turkey! In typically liberating style Philip confirms that 'For all the things you can do to prepare meat and poultry for cooking, sometimes nothing makes any difference at all and your expensive joint ends up looking like a dried up leather satchel or a deep-fried alien.' In what other cookery book would you read that sentence, or sentiment! He goes on to reassure 'to start with there are some approaches that will build your confidence and produce some pretty impressive results'.
That is the delight of this book in a nutshell. First, Philip takes away all the pressure that the quest for perfection so often creates in the amateur chef, rendering time spent in the kitchen as nothing short of a miserable trial. Then, by demistifying everything from which tools and gadgets to own, how ingredients cook and blend together, and how heat works, he gives the reader the knowledge to try stuff, experiment, have fun and ultimately triumph in the kitchen.
Once read, this book should sit on every kitchen bookshelf - as it will mine - and be consulted for advice, inspiration and encouragement, whether one is embarking on a roast dinner for family and friends or an intimate breakfast for two. It's a good read, well-written and often very funny, and above all delivers what it promises: the secret to effortless, confident cooking that will surely (unless you happen to be Mr J. Oliver or Ms N. Lawson) change your life. Bon appetit!
Why? Because, as Philip writes, 'It aims to do all the bits that most cookery books overlook by consigning the most useful information to a few pages at the beginning or between chapters'. For this book tells you about the essence of food and cooking - describing in his elegant yet down-to-earth style what food actually IS. For example, why meat is a far more complex proposition to cook than fish - and yet, Philip's sections on Roasting Birds, Roasting Meat and Stews make these scary undertakings seem not only doable, but eminently exciting to contemplate. No more believing I should emulate my mother and rise at 5am on Christmas morning to start roasting the turkey! In typically liberating style Philip confirms that 'For all the things you can do to prepare meat and poultry for cooking, sometimes nothing makes any difference at all and your expensive joint ends up looking like a dried up leather satchel or a deep-fried alien.' In what other cookery book would you read that sentence, or sentiment! He goes on to reassure 'to start with there are some approaches that will build your confidence and produce some pretty impressive results'.
That is the delight of this book in a nutshell. First, Philip takes away all the pressure that the quest for perfection so often creates in the amateur chef, rendering time spent in the kitchen as nothing short of a miserable trial. Then, by demistifying everything from which tools and gadgets to own, how ingredients cook and blend together, and how heat works, he gives the reader the knowledge to try stuff, experiment, have fun and ultimately triumph in the kitchen.
Once read, this book should sit on every kitchen bookshelf - as it will mine - and be consulted for advice, inspiration and encouragement, whether one is embarking on a roast dinner for family and friends or an intimate breakfast for two. It's a good read, well-written and often very funny, and above all delivers what it promises: the secret to effortless, confident cooking that will surely (unless you happen to be Mr J. Oliver or Ms N. Lawson) change your life. Bon appetit!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a cookery book with a difference and it is the cookery book I have always been looking for! What a great find. It offers expert advice and tips in way that rather than make you feel fearful and overwhelmed, makes you want to get working in the kitchen straight away. If you are prone to cooking the same food, in the same way and wish you were adventurous enough to try doing it differently then this is the book for you too! What I also love about the book is the way that it combines very personal associations with food through anecdotes and stories which are sometimes funny and sometimes poignant. I would recommend this book to all those who love reading cookery books and who want to feel more confident with ingredients and less fearful of trying things out.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fun book for a reasonable cook in a cooking rut
I'm a reasonable cook who nearly always 'cooks without receipes' and even when I follow one I feel obliged to add or change something.
So why did I buy this book? Read more
So why did I buy this book? Read more
Published 1 month ago by Wolfblass
Confidence inspiring
This book has given me the confidence to experiment and have fun in the kitchen, which along with a little patience has revolutionsed the way I cook. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kins-e
Really helpful
I found this book really helpful and it made me want to start cooking again after not being keen for some time.
Published 3 months ago by Medjool
Cookability
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book when a friend who knows I love the idea of cooking but rarely get round to it gave me it as a present at my recent attempt at a burns... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Readerwrites
The book I will give to each of my children the day they leave home
To be honest I am astonished after reading about this book in the telegraph and such great reviews in the papers that there are, so far, just a few reviews. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Vanessa Kimbell
Great book, interesting information
This book has a lot of useful information on how to make delicious food without working about spoons or cups. Takes the fear out of cooking.
Published 4 months ago by Toria
For an absolute beginner, but won't help
This book tries to make an absolute beginner into a decent cook without following any recipes. I can admire this aspiration, but will it work? I don't think so. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jackal
A feast...
A delight from start to finish dealing,with a comprehensive but straightforward approach to the love of food, its preparation and the cooking, then the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by tcoupar@hotmail.com
My new favorite cook book
I greatly recommend this book to anyone with a love for food! It's superbly written, I'd even say exciting, which for a cook-book is already quite something. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Daniel Trumbull
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