Sam Stern's Student Cookbook: Survive in Style on a Budget

by Sam Stern

Celebrity cook Sam Stern returns with his fourth cookbook, reaching out to an older audience.The world-famous teenage cook is back with a delicious book of tastebud-tempting recipes for independent living. Here Sam champions good food as the best preparation for student life, and shows that it's fantastic fun to create - even on a budget. The book's eye-catching symbols offer a speedy guide for checking on costs, while variations show how to adapt each recipe, whether you're feeling flush or feeling the pinch. Perfect for college starters, gap-year travellers and first-jobbers alike, Sam's cookery bible is grouped into user-friendly chapters based on food types. You'll find a dish for every occasion - cooking and eating well for whatever life throws your way.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2008

About the author

Sam Stern was raised in Yorkshire, England, with three fantastic sisters and one brilliant brother -- until they went to college and he was left to his own devices. It is not unusual that a high school student loves to eat but his ability to cook and write sets him apart. He describes one of his first memories cooking with his mother, Susan, making her famous treacle bread and opening the oven to see it and says "the smell was great!" This appreciation for cooking led him (when he was a bit older) to write COOKING UP A STORM with his mother. He wanted to write a book "for kids like me who enjoy cooking or who want to learn to cook. It's full of simple tasty recipes -- the kinds of things that my friends and I like to eat." Their second book, REAL FOOD, REAL FAST is an effort to lure all those time-pressured teens away from their fast-food fixes.

Writing and cooking share some of the same creative skills. Sam says "when I write I just like to chill. Sometimes it's so easy and the words just come flooding out. Other times I get frustrated. I like to write to music because it helps everything to flow. I like to be creative with my writing but with the cookbook, it had to be really short and sweet. It was really hard to cut it down sometimes." Regarding cooking he notes "well, I'm usually pretty impatient, but I can spend hours chopping stuff, blending, whisking, and mixing. I find all that activity really relaxing. The first thing I do when I get into the kitchen is put on some music."

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little on the expensive side re the cooking ingredients and a little fanciful in the food prep, otherwise some good ideas once the young person gets going with the basics.

[Drew Pearce · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a good cookbook, which may seem odd for a review of only one stars, so bear with me. It is a good cookbook for someone who is interested in cooking, enjoys it and wants a cookbook which has how to cook a lot of the basics from scratch, where it fails however is in providing information that works well for students and I would also question the Budget you are supposed to be on in order to using this cookbook. That said I am sure it a very difficult book to write as most students would be unwilling to spend the time cooking nice (and healthy) meals especially in the early years or when the workload is high. Perhaps a better approach would have been to structure it according to difficulty such that as the reader progresses through the book they can get more and more adept at cooking that way you would convince them to spend the time in order to reap the rewards. Although I now enjoy cooking very much I do not feel this helped that nor did it help me through university life.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite cookbook! Made several of the recipes in it with great results. He can sometimes be a little vague, telling readers to use a 'knob of butter' or 'a bit of oil' or to 'cook gently' but overall the vague instructions are only in parts that allow for some room for variations in taste or preference and basic common sense can guide the readers. Much appreciated is his quick labelling system which allows you to see at a glance wether the meal is cheap or expensive, whether it is fast to make or not and whether its vegetarian or not. A great cookbook overall.

[Jupiter · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a good range of food here, and it's a great source of inspiration when you can't think what too cook. It's not a student cook book though, whatever the title says. The recipes are designed for people with significant cooking skills and they're mostly expensive. There are some great quick recipes though, or ones requiring few ingredients.

[Jo Oram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a brilliant book. However, I have lived with some students who thought it was "too complex" - so you need a basic level of cooking knowledge (i.e. knowing what a knife is for, how to turn on the oven etc.)

Assuming some level of cooking experience, I would recommend this book for all young people and those who are just learning to cook whilst trying to make ends meet.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipes were really vaguely written, I tried to make the french onion soup but I didn't understand what he meant by "cook very gently" and "cook gently" ?! Tasted pretty nice though it wasn't the right colour at all.

[Eloise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got me through Uni.
The Homemade Pizza is great flatmate bonding and the Cheats Fish Pie was great for showing off to my parents. Also, the Rarebit and Swiss Eggs are great post-hangover brunch.