Quick Cooking
I really like cookbooks in general but I am particularly a sucker for 30 minute cookbooks, especially the kind that look like they might actually contain reasonably high quality recipes that don’t rely on crockpots and cans of condensed soups. In general I resist my desperate desire to purchase books of any kind, but I make an exception when it comes to cookbooks because I dream of the day when I might actually have the time/energy/inclination to cook a full meal for my family each night and I am realistic enough to know that even at my most inclined, energetic and free, a cooking process that takes hours is one that isn’t going to hold up in the long run.
Mostly I find 30 minute cookbooks to be okay. Like probably any cookbook, there are some pretty good recipes and some recipes that are good if you are maybe really hungry and not feeling too choosy, and some that are just bad, and even with the best recipes it’s always somewhat understood that “best” is a relative term. Compromises are made to achieve a fully cooked meal in 30 minutes and it’s understood that while the food might be pretty good, it’s never going to be as good as a comparable meal cooked over the course of an entire afternoon/early evening. It’s a compromise that I (and many others) are willing to make in the interest of trying to balance available time and getting some nutrition into our families, but it’s a shame too because the meals are often just “good enough” instead of truly being good.
Enter The Best 30 Minute Recipes. I’m not sure why I hadn’t read this recipe book before now, devoted fan of Cook’s Illustrated; that I am, especially considering that I read The New Best Recipes like a novel a few year ago, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I put it on my hold list at the library (and then it took a few months to arrive as I am not the only fan out there).
When it arrived I happily poured through it and was excited about the potential of many of the recipes, so much so that I immediately purchased my own copy. So far I’ve tried two: Chicken Curry with Cauliflower and Peas, and Baked Ziti (penne in my case) with Vodka Cream Sauce. I made both recipes on a Sunday night with the plan that I could take the leftovers to work during the week.
First of all, I should say that neither recipe took me 30 minutes, but I doubt they took me as long as 45 minutes and a good part of the hassle in both cases was the fact that my kitchen was a mess so I was constantly having to clear shit off counters before I could dice or mix or measure. Plus, any new, untried recipe is going to take longer than some specified optimal minimal prep time no matter how clean the kitchen. It became quickly clear to me, though, that my usual cooking efforts take far longer than 30 (or 45) minutes because in both cases I was shocked to be done so quickly. I was also shocked that the recipes truly did take close to 30 minutes. Recipes involving potatoes (the curry) and pasta are always tricky because they aren’t done until they’re done and that can take much longer than expected.
As for the quality of the resulting dishes, I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Both dishes came out much better than I would have expected from a 30 minute recipe, with ingredients perfectly cooked and fresh, distinct flavors. I definitely did not feel like I compromised on either dish; I definitely did not feel like these were 30 minute meals. I will admit that the flavors weren’t exactly my ideal preference. I felt that the pasta needed a tiny bit of sweetness from balsamic vinegar or maybe even a bit of sugar and I felt that the curry needed something to round out and deepen the flavor…like fat of some sort? Butter? Or would it be ghee in the case of curry? But regardless, both the pasta and the curry were improved by a stay in my fridge over night (as tomato-based sauces and curries tend to be) and I definitely felt that the recipes themselves were solid.
I manage to cook a full meal (30 minutes or otherwise) once a week on Sundays (yes, we eat cereal and/or ice cream every other night) and I’m looking forward to poking through the recipe book for this Sunday’s meal. I’m quite impressed with this cookbook, it’s definitely the best 30 minute cookbook in my collection. Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire me to start cooking twice a week!