Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook: 100+ Great Recipes With Foolproof Instructions

by Kevin Mills, Nancy Mills

Taking the mystery out of meal preparation, this book of more than 100 recipes will appeal to all those who have great expectations but little cooking ability, patience, time, money or kitchen equipment.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1996

Reviews

[Nicholas Hunter]

Probably the first cookbook I ever bought. Useful for those wishing to start eating at home instead of blowing all their money at fast food restaurants. The recipes emphasize ease of preparation and a minimum of cookware. A good first cookery book, but one that ought to be followed up quickly by How To Cook Everything or The Joy Of Cooking.

[Stephanie Pieck]

This book would be great for any guy who has spent their whole life just appearing for meals who suddenly finds himself in a kitchen without anyone to work culinary magic for him. Each recipe includes at least one "Mom Tip"--you know, those things you wish you had remembered to ask your mom before trying a new recipe. There's guidance on buying veggies, choosing cuts of meat, and much more. There are stories of the author's kitchen disasters, which prove that "it's not a matter of if, it's only a matter of when". Learning to cook is like learning to walk. We're not born doing it, and we'll have to have plenty of accidents, pick ourselves up, and try again in order to succeed.
Beef stroganoff is back in this book, too, but there are many other recipes to expand on the repertoire picked up in the Betty Crocker book.
This book also had more details about nonvisual aspects of food. This book would make a great off-to-college gift or a housewarming gift for someone moving into their first apartment. The book also includes excellent sections on equipment and ingredients that every kitchen should include. The equipment is grouped according to how essential it is, so this can be used to plan a kitchen-stocking budget if you can't afford to buy everything all at once.

[Mat Rueter]

Rice sticks burn quickly, so watch them constantly.

[Katt Messenger]

Best Cookbook EVER. Especially for new couples/single people, who have no idea where to begin in the Kitchen.

[Bob]

I don't cook put got this book and have not read the entire book but what I have read had been very helpful to this amateur.

[Kelly]

This is a really cute book!! Even though it was published in 1996, the recipes are fairly contemporary. I'm looking forward to trying: Spicy Bean Dip, Sizzling Pork Noodles AND Chicken Tikka.

[Ashley]

I received this cook book as a Christmas gift from my little sister the year before I moved out of the dorms. Growing up I didn't cook. As a kid my Mom cooked, and then my sister (who is now a certified chef) took over as a teen, so I never had a reason to learn to cook prior to living on my own.

There are several things I love about this cookbook.

1. All the recipes are varying levels of easy: Very Easy, Easy and Not So Easy

2. If the author messed something up the first time he made the recipe he will tell you flat out what he did wrong so you don't repeat his mistake.

3. Several of the recipes have "Mom Tips" very helpful bits of culinary knowledge supply by the author's own mother.

Though I have yet to try making everything in this cook book what I have tried is simple to make and very good. Some of my personal favorites are the Italian Chicken Sticks and the Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

[Katie Boston]

I received this book as a gift many years ago when I was a teenager living alone. It was my culinary bible, from recipes to the suggested shopping list to the helpful hints. I learned all the things that everyone seems to magically know even though nobody ever tells you. My dad did the cooking when I was a kid and my parents retired to a faraway state when I was 18, leaving me in a tiny one bedroom apartment with an itty-bitty kitchen, very few utensils and even fewer skills. I learned the basics from this book and still use it occasionally. My favorite is the stroganoff recipe, but I always thicken it.

[Cheryl Villars]

This book was gifted to me by my own mother who I'm sure was scared to death when I moved out on my own. I'm sure she was feeling guilty once she realized she had failed to teach me how to cook or even how to boil an egg. This book practically saved my life. It is super easy to follow (even for those who don't read directions very well - just sayin'!) and I still use it to cook easy/good food! I would recommend it to anyone and everyone! Unless you are already a Martha Stewart kind... then it would be insulting.

[Julie Barrett]

Help my Apartment has a Kitchen cookbook
Great cookbook for one whose always relied on their mother to make dinner and now they have moved out of the house and are on their own.
Lots of mother tips are included and most of the recipes are very easy to make. Lots of useful information about how to do things, utensils and pots and pans you will need.
Funny inserts from the college guy along the way. No nutritional information but lots of recipes and how to make them..
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[Julia]

This was an awesome, practical, beginner's cook book. Great, healthy recipes (the Spicy Chinese Pork is one of our standard meals even today), down-to-earth instructional tone for those kitchen novices.

Too bad I burned my copy on the stove :( ....

[Stephanie]

My favorite cookbook from when I first got my own apartment. Not all the recipes were fantastic (the Mediterranean soup in particular disappointed) but they told me what to do as well as why I should do it that way. Great for beginning cooks who made it through college on ramen or takeout!

[Tabitha]

I've had this book for a really -really- long time. Its always a nice go to when I'm out of ideas.
It may not be the single most technically advanced cookbook on the planet, but what it lacks in crazy techniques it more than makes up for in humor and sturdy, tasty recipes.

[The Badger]

The book itself seems fine. But considering it took me 1 1/2 years to notice that I had a dishwasher (and only because someone else pointed it out), there's a reason I haven't actually MADE and of the dishes in this book.

[Dee]

really useful, even for someone who is comfortable in the kitchen. recipes are categorized by very easy/ easy/ not so easy. i still use the recipes for brownies and caribbean jerk.

[Mamabear]

Great cookbook for beginners. Lots of photos of kitchen utensils and step-by-step instructions.

[Shannon Lane]

Gayle gave me this and I have used it more than any other single thing in my apartment that's not a bed!

[Leslie Jem]

Very useful recipes with only 1 or 2 servings and good instructions for leftovers.

[Ted94597]

My first cookbook when I moved out of my parents house. Great tips, lots of recipes laid out simply.

[Andrea]

There's some really easy and basic recipes that even people who are idiots in the kitchen (me) can master. There are tips from mom and also a system to rank the difficulty of the recipe.

[Karen]

Bought this for my teen who is culinarily challenged I love the book very basic and easy too follow

[Kim Sanders]

My husband bought this book to help with his cooking prowess, or lack thereof. The recipes are rated and organized by difficult level. A good gift for a first-time cook.