I Hate To Cook Book

I Hate to Cook Book Peg Bracken Date: 01 June, 1960   —   Book product page Rating:

Plus The Appedix to the I Hate To Cook Book
Nonfiction, Recipe

These books were just passed to me and have been thoroughly loved. Their pages are almost translucent with oil and their recipes are marked with care. The commentary is funny and full of tips and tricks to give the reluctant cook a leg up on the world.

Why, then, such a low rating? It's nothing to do with the quality of the book— quite the contrary, I think the book is marvelous— but more with its applicability. This book and its sequel are, after all, several decades old, and certain things have changed. For example, anchovy paste is not likely to be a staple of a modern cook's cupboard, nor is there likely to be a problem finding fresh vegetables. Enchiladas are no longer considered exotic, and veal is not only uncommon, but considered a bit cruel. A large number of the basic recipes just don't seem to fit, and as the Gallery of Regrettable Food will attest, some of them seem quite appalling to our eyes.

But the style is funny just to read, and you have quite possibly grown up with many of these staples. And, after all, this might be just the book you need to get you started— there is a compilation volume available which incorporates both these books and a third as well, testifying to its longevity.