A simple guide to one of life’s most essential skills: cooking.
New to the kitchen? Living on your own for the first time? Don’t be intimidated! This useful guide has everything you need to cook yourself real meals with real food. Centered around 10 basic lessons to get you comfortable in the kitchen, this book will get you whipping up nutritious meals, satisfying snacks, and simple desserts for you and your friends in no time. Also included are notes on knife skills, essential (and nonessential) cooking tools, and stocking your pantry. This is your go-to guide for cooking basics.
Prep by Kate Sullivan Morford really is a cookbook that has all of the essentials. The layout is simple and the instructions are easy to follow. Also, there are also lots of tips and tricks that will be of use to new chefs. Prep is a definite resource for any college student.
REVIEW: PREP: THE ESSENTIAL COLLEGE COOKBOOK
The one thing that draws me right into a recipe book is one that has beautiful images. Prep has bright and simple pictures that help to describe cooking basics. The no fuss pictures fit perfectly with the easy and straight-forward nature of the the cookbook.
❀ SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN THE KITCHEN
The cookbook is laid out into ten different sections that vary from pasta to desserts. In addition, each section focuses on a skill that can be useful to create other recipes. Sullivan Morford really does help her readers achieve success in the kitchen by providing useful tips. Most importantly, to not strive for perfection.
❀ USEFUL RECIPES FOR STUDENTS
Many of the recipes that are included in the book are ones that students will find useful. Common take-out foods, such as Thai and Mexican are featured in Prep. Also, these recipes are lightened up and simplified for a student who is busy and wants a healthy alternative, I made the Greek Chopped Salad and really enjoyed how quick and easy it is to prepare. The use of pita chips as croutons and a simple oil and lemon dressing give it a lot of flavour. Prep is a cookbook that should be on every student’s wishlist.
This is a fabulous starter cookbook, filled with appetizing, low-fuss, recipes. The layout is clean and pleasing and the pictures are appealing. The recipes have just the right amount of detail to be thorough, straightforward and not overwhelming and the introduction and notes are helpful and add value to the text. I think this would be a good cookbook to use with a tween or teen who is learning to cook at home, as well.
I received a digital arc from Edelweiss, but I will probably buy a hard copy for my family.
The book is marketed for college kids, but perfect for any beginner cook. I picked it up for my kids (ages 6-12) to use as a guide for cooking on their own. It has 5 basic recipes per category with a good variety. Instructions are good, but more pictures would make it even better.
I’ve never read a cook book cover to cover, but there’s a first time for everything! I really enjoyed the tone and style of the writing overall, and like the range of simplicity to complexity found in the recipes. A go-to for sure!
Just bought two copies for new college grads. I ended up reading it from cover to cover myself even though I've been cooking for many years. Great book for anyone who is new to the kitchen.
Excellent for Super Beginners like myself. Tells you exactly what to buy, has in-depth recipes, and healthy options. It also goes over food safety and what kind of tools you need.
This is a friendly cookbook for the beginner. The print is easy to read and the photos make the food look delicious. Each recipe has helpful sidebars that list not only the ingredients needed for a recipe but also the equipment needed. Some sections start with basic instructions such as how to cook dried beans and then has suggestions for the many things you can make with a big pot of beans. I made a couple of the recipes and they came out well. A pretty good basic little cookbook that would make a nice gift to someone starting out cooking on their own.
This book has a nice collection of cooking recipes along with some useful tips, ideas, and valuable information. The book is divided into multiple sections like Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, Snacks, etc with detailed recipes. There are also easy kitchen hacks, tools information, and the meaning of common jargons. Overall a nice read.
As a Teen Librarian I love finding books to add to my "Adulting" suggestions list. Prep is the newest addition to that arsenal. Morford, a mother of 3, wanted to ensure her kids knew how to cooking before they are on their own.
Morford tackle this by breaking down cooking into 10 sections, focusing on 5 recipes per section. The idea is to master the technique in each recipe and then use it in other recipes or areas of cooking.
Recipes cover all meal times (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and components such as mains, salads, sides and one dish options. The format is easy to follow and the organization put into this is well thought out. The intro section includes measurement conversion charts, cooking style definitions and how to tips on cutting and prep. Morford includes a great basic list of what kitchen equipment is needed to complete each recipe and includes a listing for each individual recipe.
Prep is a brilliant, non intimidating guide to cooking via skill building. I would recommend this to beginner cooks and anyone who may need a refresher or reintroduction to cooking basics.
I have received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
A good, basic beginner cookbook for teens and young adults. Covers basic cooking skills like the difference between chopping, dicing, and mincing, gives lots of helpful tips, & covers equipment and pantry basics, both essential and "nice to have." The book covers different types of foods- eggs, grains, meat, vegetables, pasta, beans- and gives several recipes in each category, along with chapters on snacks and small meals, cooking for a crowd, and sweets. A good gift for someone going off to college or moving out of the family home.
Prep: The Essential Cookbook by Katie Sullivan Morford is chockfull of recipes and cooking tips that should help almost any cook get a meal to the table. Her book is targeted for novice cooks as she wrote the cookbook for her daughter who getting ready to graduate from high school. Moford's book was written to teach how to prepare nutritious meals.
Throughout her cookbook you will a Pro Tip section that offers key cooking tips. For example she writes this tip on how to increase the recipe size for making Scrambled Eggs.
"You can easily multiply the recipe to feed more people. Just be sure to use a big enough pan with a nice stick of butter along the bottom and know that the cooking time may be a little longer."
You will find plenty of color recipes depicting the prepared recipes too.
Some of the recipes you'll find in her cookbook include:
Cheesy Parmesan Polenta Cheeseburgers with Awesome Sauce Quick-Fix Pita Pizza Sheet-Pan Chicken and Potatoes One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recommend.
Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.
This is supposed to be a cookbook for college students, and I am thinking of getting it for soon to be graduates I know. But, I found this perfect for my middle school kids. Teaching your kids to love eating is easier than teaching them to care for themselves. This book is so beautifully made, particularly with the graphics that look like linocuts. It feels very grown-up, but gives simple info. Frankly, plenty of "grown-ups" could enjoy this book. It also does a great job of cooking with real, affordable ingredients. I will be getting this book for my little ones.
Thanks to NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am reviewing this book for Katie Sullivan Morford, Roost Books, and NetGalley who gave me a copy of their book for an honest review
An excellent book for those living by themselves for the first time and who are not skilled in the kitchen. It goes back to basics to start with and explains terms used, useful equipment and how to do simple things such as chopping onions. Then moves onto recipes which you can adapt to suit your own tastes – a bit of a challenge for those not skilled in this department. It is definitely a book for a newbie as the recipes contained in here are those most of us carry around in our heads.