Nigella Express: Good Food Fast

Nigella Express: Good Food Fast

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96  ·  rating details  ·  7,736 ratings  ·  156 reviews
Nigella Lawson and her style of cookery have earned a special place in our lives, symbolizing all that is best, most pleasurable, most hands-on and least fussy about good food. But that doesn’t mean she wants us to spend hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove.

Featuring fabulous fast foods, ingenious short cuts, terrific time-saving ideas and easy, delicious meals,...more
Hardcover, 400 pages
Published October 23rd 2007 by Knopf Canada (first published 2007)
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(showing 1-30 of 3,000)
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Christy
I love Nigella for the following reasons:

1. She likes the same kind of food as me
2. She has the same "use what you have on hand" attitude about being in the kitchen as I do
3. She is unashamed to divulge what some would consider embarrassing eating habits (such as consuming entire avocados or having bread pudding for dinner), as am I (I lick the mayonnaise spoon -- you heard me)
4. She's a clever, witty writer with a great sense of humor, and an appropriate level of modesty...just like me
5. She's...more
Cheryl in CC NV
Well, I suppose if I could afford smoked trout and lamb, and had a dishwasher and a housekeeper, I might cook some of these. I don't read a lot of cookbooks, but to me this looked like just another glossy doorstop. I did read every recipe title and I tried to find something to try; the only 'maybe' is the "Fast Fries:"

1/4 cup vegetable oil
9 oz new potatoes

1. Place the potatoes in a freezer bag and hit them with a rolling pin until they are broken into pieces.

2. Heat a frying pan with the oil unt...more
Emily
I may never make anything from this cookbook, but it made great reading! Nigella is a funny, smart writer with a killer vocabulary (plaudits? recherche?) as well as her own vocab (e.g. "spatch" as a verb meaning "spoon with a spatula"), so much less annoying than you-know-who and her EVOO. Reading straight through, I find the major themes are: Nigella hates diet food and the concept of restraint in food; Nigella shops online a lot (mentioned in fully half of recipe entries); and Nigella is embar...more
Jean
I liked Forever Summer better. Maybe it's just the recipes we chose but I didn't fall in love with all of them like I did the others. They are fast and they are easy but they missed some of the wow-factor I loved in Forever Summer.

Here is what I've tasted and the cookbook club cooks who made them:

Gretchen - Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad: Perfect quick-pickle dish. I could nosh on them all day.

Me - Potato Pancakes with Smoked Salmon: Calls for more salmon than you need. Could have used some Crem...more
Shonaigh Mudie
Quick recipes and handy shortcuts. Lots of good ones in here including some fancy show stopping ones that are both simple and take no time at all. Amn't a big fan of cream, butter and very rich food so she probably isn't the right kind of cook for me! However, there are a good number of recipes that I have enjoyed and even more that I have made for other people. I regularly have my family around for a meal and if I do go home I always cook for them. I have made a-lot of the recipes from this boo...more
M.D.
I don't often review cookbooks. In fact, I almost never review them, but I felt this one deserved a mention. I first became interested in Nigella Lawson's type of cooking through her TV program, Nigella Bites. She has a way of going through a recipe in a few, simple, sensual steps that is very attractive. Her recipes are usually full of flavour and are quick to prepare.

Quick is what I like (in addition to the sensual part of cooking), so I picked up Nigella Express. Overall, the book meets it's...more
Evie Hutchinson
some awesome recipes i've already made: baked eggs, chicken cacciatore, banana chocolate smoothie (me and zoe drink those every day for breakfast!)
Kjersten
If you have never had the pleasure of watching Ms Lawson on her Cooking Channel shows, I am sadden for you. She is a sweet, sassy and salt of the earth cook to watch in action. I didn't think her cookbooks would hold a candle to her on-screen pizazz but was I ever wrong. Her writing style is that of sitting right next to you with no-holds-bar conversation about food, life, family, friends, what have you. Her recipes in Nigella Express are much more simple and honestly, kid friendly than any of t...more
Susan Howson
I want to like this book because I love Nigella so much, but I've looked through it again and again and have found hardly anything that actually looks worth it to me. Also, the chapters are almost all just variations on "fast," so why bother having them? It probably would make for easier thumbing if the chapters were "Some Sort of Smoked Fish," "Chops of Various Meats," and "Everything Else."

As with all Nigella books, it's a good read on its own. Her prose is unmistakable and always entertainin...more
Christian
This is without a doubt THE BEST COOK BOOK I OWN!!! (no i didnt forget that the cap lock was on)

The recipes are reallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly EASY!!!

The recipes are fast!!!

The recipes are TASTY!!!

Another thing I LOVE about Nidge is her alternative suggestions to ingredients (lets face it we dont all have a fully stocked larder like she does) and the fact that usually ridiculous and odd ingredients are left out dont expect to have to go to a fancy place for the ingredients!

Real...more
Manny
For some reason, it's not supposed to be cool to like Nigella. I don't care - she has excellent recipes that really work, she's smart and writes amusingly, and she even looks sexy! I suppose the last part is the problem, some version of Legally Blonde syndrome. You'd think people would have got over that by now.

Another person who reviewed this book praised the Coq au Rielsing. It is indeed totally excellent - especially if you do what she recommends, and make it the day before you're planning to...more
Kasia S.
I was actually surprised that Nigella came out with this new cooking concept, making her favorites with short cuts, suddenly being impatient and saving time while still having parties and cooking dinners ever night for her family. Honestly I never found her recipes hard, I enjoyed making everything the proper way but I have to say its fun to find way to cheat I guess, making mousses without all the fancy work, creams and cakes and stews with minimal effort, without hours of baking and slow cooki...more
mindi
1. i love nigella. even if this was a book entirely made up of ways to cook meat and coleslaw, i would have read it because of Nigella's writing style and the beautiful photos.

2. i am such a fan of cookbooks that include a photo with nearly every recipe. i am not a confident cook by any means, so it's nice to "see" what i'm working towards.

3. i love that Nigella is so down to earth about food. she doesn't make me feel guilty for eating more raw brownie batter than i bake(and i feel that she woul...more
Valerie
I think this is a nice cookbook. It's the kind of cookbook that I would've really liked before I had kids... recipes like "Gravlax Sashimi" and "Griddled Venison with Pink Gin Applesauce and Roast Pencil Leeks" are probably not going to be prepared in my house unless I'm also preparing a completely separate meal for the younger palates. But with that said, I can usually find recipes in any cookbook that will work for my family, and this one was no disappointment. Things that we've tried (or will...more
Antonia
It is not as good as the 'principles' book and for that reason alone - because Nigella has a better book, do I give it four stars instead of five.

But this is a good book for an 'in a hurry' moment which is the purpose. For inspiration without having to think too much. Easy to follow, and all recipes work well.

Lots of recipes which can become part of your staple and that you can cook from memory after a while, or with only minimal reference back to the book.

Recommend it for every kitchen!
Mo Tipton
I picked out this book to use as inspiration for my mini food-making, and the pictures are amazing. The recipes all sound delicious, although most of the savory fare is pretty meaty, but I'm excited to give some of the veggie dishes and desserts a try.

The only downside is that many of the recipes call for pre-made components, hence the "express," I suppose, and it's not nearly as bad as, say, a Jell-O cookbook from the 70s where every ingredient has a brand name, but still.
Kim
If you, like me, find yourself longing for excellent food when the temperatures drop, DO NOT read this book in the fall. I have done nothing but eat for the 10 days I've been reading this - and I think I may also be overdoing things when it comes to dinnertime. My family, needless to say, has enjoyed this time immensely.

Nigella doesn't disappoint, in her writing style or recipe selection. There's only a couple things in this book that I would never cook (one word: liver) and a preponderance of i...more
Debra
The Cooking Channel www.cookingchanneltv.com started up in May,2010 and I have become hooked on Nigella Lawson's Express show. I've made one or two of the recipes in this book. The Clafouti was a definite hit. I made it once with peaches and the second time with the called for cherries. As Nigella would say,"Lovely." I take cooking books out of the library,if they have more than three good recipes,than I try to find the book on www.half.com
RH Walters
I adore the fun chatty writing style of contemporary British chefs and liked another of Lawson's books very much, but "express" is the key word here, and even Lawson seems a little apologetic about the flimsiness of the recipes and knows her joie de vivre isn't quite enough to pull this one off. I made the warm potato salad, but it's practically the same salad I make in the summer. I'll look it over a little more before I return it to the library.
Brad
I really love this cookbook. Generally the recipes are simple and quick to make (as the title suggests) and are always delicious.

Particular recipes of note that have made it in to our monthly rotation are her quick chilli (with chorizo), Thai red prawn curry and mustard pork chops.

I believe I own all of Nigellas cook books and this for me is by far the best.
Rachel
Jan 06, 2010 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: cooks with little time but good intentions
Recommended to Rachel by: Teresa
Shelves: cooking, non-fiction
This is full of excellent tasty recipes that dont cost the earth and take under half an hour in general to make. A great way to try new things without having to put too much time and effort in! I can particularly recommend the Naan Pizzas and the prawn and mango curry! mmmm tasty!It also was written by and contains Nigella so thats a plus point for me in anything!
Reema
Nigella is super! She not only makes cooking easy n enjoyable her recipes are very delicious too! Try them and you won't be disappointed. Plus her book is a fun read....not a boring instruction cook book. It's a handy book as ever to have when your in a hurry or have to entertain or just want comfort food and the best part of all it's not too much effort!
Stephanie
This book is full of tasty-looking dishes that I would like to try. I have to admit that the difference in measurements is daunting to me, but for Nigella, I will try!

I enjoy the wee essays Nigella has written to preface each dish. Each dish seems to be a personal favourite for some reason or comes with a good story.

Tempting and gorgeous as always.
Melanie Garrett
Almost everything I've made from this we've gone back to again and again. The only recipe I wouldn't rate so far is the macaroni, as the one from the Xmas book is infinitely nicer.

the quick pork in cider and mustard with gnocchi is sublime.

Overall, the effort to results ratio is ideal. Fast, but tasty food...a must have.
Shannon
I found this at a thrift store for a criminal $4. The recipes that I have made so far have been amazingly fast and surprisingly delicious. Gorgeous photos, ingredients by weight (LOVE LOVE LOVE). This book has expanded our weeknight repertoire. Too bad there are not more veggie recipes.
thelifepursuit
I wasn't expecting much but the recipes are really tasty while also accessible and quick, plus the book is full of excellent photos. (Did I mention I loathe cookbooks without photos? How can you be sure what to make? But I digress...)

I enjoyed the anecdotes and other humor in the recipe notes. The only thing I found odd is that Nigella herself looks so uncomfortable in all of the photos she was in, as though she had frozen herself in an itchy position. Maybe it's just me?

I'm going to try out a...more
Dirk Van de Velde
Excellent cookbook. Lots of beautiful pictures, easy to follow guide to make the recipes, typical Nigella style. Read and used it a lot already and will continue to use it in the future. You never really 'finish' a good cookbook but keep using it in the near or far future.
Claire Coverley
I love Nigella. Her recipes are fun and are always a hit at dinner parties. I have a feeling, however, that heart doctors the world over groan with every new Nigella cookbook...while producers of cream, butter and wine rub their hands with glee.
Kaajal Noorani
NIgella Express.....also one of the good books. Very interesting and creative recipes and all are truly speedy and practical. Alot of them are very do-able and infact prompt you to try them due to their ease and interesting factor. Another book that I often go back to refer. That pretty much says alot about the book.
Sarah
A great cookbook to read. Nigella's writing style is casual and breezy. Each recipe has a brief write up explaining the dish and features a beautiful colour picture.

However, the recipes were not to my personal tastes, which is not Nigella's fault. There was more emphasis on sweets than side dishes. I did get some fantastic ideas for flavour combinations and easy short cuts, but this book won't find its way into my kitchen any time soon.
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Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast (Hardcover)
Nigella Express: Good Food Fast (Hardcover)
Nigella Express: Good Food Fast (Paperback)
Nigella Express: Good Food, Fast (Paperback)
Na Cozinha com Nigella (Paperback)

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Nigella Lawson is the daughter of former Conservative cabinet minister Nigel Lawson (now Lord Lawson) and the late Vanessa Salmon, socialite and heir to the Lyons Corner House empire, who died of liver cancer in 1985. Lawson attended Godolphin and Latymer School and Westminster School before graduating from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, with a degree in Medieval and Modern Languages.
Lawson wrote a r...more
More about Nigella Lawson...
How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking Nigella Bites: From Family Meals to Elegant Dinners--Easy, Delectable Recipes for Any Occasion Feast: Food to Celebrate Life How to Eat: The Pleasures and Principles of GoodFood Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home

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