What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in the House To Eat: More Than 175 Easy Recipes And Meal Ideas

by Arthur Schwartz

Gathers more than 175 simple recipes using ingredients commonly on hand in most kitchens, ranging from pasta, bread, and carrots to sour cream, tuna, and yogurt, and features a host of easy-to-prepare, creative meal suggestions. Reissue.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book for a while, and recently decided to get it out again. You know, just in case. The author lists things that should be in every pantry (fridge too) and gives some ideas on how to use them. Pasta, tuna, eggs, cheese, etc can all be stored for relatively long amounts of time. If you keep certain things on hand you can always make a meal.

Most of the recipes seem quick and easy enough. The book is organized by ingredient, with a little info about each and then recipes/ideas. There are only a couple recipes for most of the ingredients. Some suggested ingredients are not things I keep in the house, such as sardines, mushrooms, anchovies, canned clams, and grits. For these reasons, I give this book 3 stars. It doesn't completely meet my needs, but your mileage may vary.

[Kai Sousa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best basic cook book ever! It has never once failed me.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Glad I only paid 50 cents for this because I don't feel it's worth the full cover price. After the introduction, each chapter is an alphabetical listing of standard pantry ingredients. Each ingredient is given a short history along with storage tips. This part was interesting. Then it gave several recipes using that ingredient. Most recipes I wouldn't cook so won't keep this book as a reference cookbook.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this a lot more when I was just married. Now with 3 kids in the house, I am more organized. Recommended for beginners or non-cooks.

[Nita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book to teach the basics of cooking, storing ingredients, and stocking the pantry. Good gift for newlyweds and college bound kids. This book is how I learned to cook.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fun to read just to read. Being a someone who loves to cook, I have never been so ill provisioned that I had naught but peanut butter and spaghetti to make dinner out of, but some of the 'bare pantry' recipes in this book are interesting enough to try them even if you have a house full of ingredients. I enjoyed it enough to read it more than once and have bought copies for other foodie friends that can enjoy the humor without needing it to be a cooking classic.