The Minimalist Cooks at Home: Recipes That Give You More Flavor from Fewer Ingredients in Less Time (Hardcover)

The fabulous thing about this book is that it dissects the fundamentals of good cooking - no matter what the cuisine. Ingredients that are in their prime and of the highest quality, a basic understanding of what's staring at you from the kitchen counter or refrigerator, and the willingness to experiment and trust your innate (yes, we all have to a certain degree) gastronomic intuition.

Cookbook authors are most often restaurant professionals whose idiosynchratic personalities make them interesting points in the culinary universe, but all too often intimidate the average cook with a heavy-handed emphasis on tradition/precision and mind-boggling lexicon. Bittman's casual approach and culinary flexibility put the reader at ease enough to enjoy the actual process and the significant results from their modest efforts.

For the seasoned cook in purusit of a new perspective or for the willing amateur, approach the recipes without the obligatory pre-recipe tension. Bittman will effortlessly guide you along the way with useful insight on his triumphs and errors and how to make do with several options, even if it seems like you can't.

The result is a book that not only suits weekday cooking (because you can typically use what you have in the fridge), but also increases your confidence and flair as a cook. You build your confidence by successfully substituting ingredients, and coming up with your own ideas for enhancements to dishes. This is a cookbook where you learn structure and principles that can be applied to all cooking -- unlike most cookbooks where you must slavishly follow the ingredients and method without understanding why they work.

A book that strips recipes to their essentials does rely more on the quality of the ingredients. The extra expense to buy good, flavorful free-range chicken, for example, rather than the cheaper-but-flavorless anaemic supermarket version really pays off. If you are not prepared to do this, you will not get as much out of the book.

I have cooked a large number of the recipes from the book and only a couple were misses -- "Chicken with vinegar" was disappointing, for example. But friends who come round for dinner rave about dishes like "Chicken under a brick", which is fantastic as well as being quick and easy to make.

I have bought copies of this book for friends who like to cook, and they love it too. You should buy it!