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No Time to Cook
If you love to eat delicious, simple food, but have no time to cook, Donna Hay′s sumptuous new book is the answer to your prayers.
Time poor and tired from a busy day - but don′t want take away? No problem, look at the yummy options of Assembled Dinners.
Nothing much in the pantry, no time to do a proper shop? Take heart from the simple combinations in Donna′ Fast Flavours chapter which needs a few ingredients, a grill pan or a barbecue, and a few minutes to let intense flavours unfold
Hate the thought of washing up pans and pots? The One Pot chapter lets you prepare gastronomic delights in one pan, and One Dish serves up flavour combinations for dinner in a single dish.
No good at planning for later? Turn to Donna′s chapter on Freezing with Flair, something she′s re-discovering as working mum.
There′s all this plus cheat′s notes, hints on styling which still let you make simple special, plenty of short cuts and of course the mouth-watering photography you expect from the world′s leading cookbook writer.
Time poor and tired from a busy day - but don′t want take away? No problem, look at the yummy options of Assembled Dinners.
Nothing much in the pantry, no time to do a proper shop? Take heart from the simple combinations in Donna′ Fast Flavours chapter which needs a few ingredients, a grill pan or a barbecue, and a few minutes to let intense flavours unfold
Hate the thought of washing up pans and pots? The One Pot chapter lets you prepare gastronomic delights in one pan, and One Dish serves up flavour combinations for dinner in a single dish.
No good at planning for later? Turn to Donna′s chapter on Freezing with Flair, something she′s re-discovering as working mum.
There′s all this plus cheat′s notes, hints on styling which still let you make simple special, plenty of short cuts and of course the mouth-watering photography you expect from the world′s leading cookbook writer.
205 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Donna Hay
110 books77 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Donna Hay is an Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. Her food, recipes and styling focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed – hallmarks of her work which have set the benchmark for food publishing worldwide and inspired a whole new generation of cooks.
Donna Hay is an Australian food stylist, author, and magazine editor. Her food, recipes and styling focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed – hallmarks of her work which have set the benchmark for food publishing worldwide and inspired a whole new generation of cooks.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 11, 2018
Overall, No Time to Cook is a solid cookbook. The recipes are definitely quick and straightforward, and I've found some new favourites in this collection. However, I do think it's a bit lacking in range—particularly cultural range—and consistently lacks in the vegetable department. Trust me, I don't like vegetables all that much, but I make an effort to incorporate them into my meals, unlike most of these recipes. But if you're just looking for easy-to-make meals, I'd still recommend this.
July 27, 2020
The recipes in this book are lacking detail and because of this, the end result doesn't meet the expectations that are set (by the otherwise great photography in this book). Some dishes benefit from the simplistic style of writing and were delicious. But for me most recipes from this book have been oversimplified, and it seems that the dishes that are photographed are not made using the same processed that are described in the recipes.
An example; the "crispy pancetta, spinach and ricotta bake" instructs you to poor boiling water over the spinach, and to afterwards dry the spinach on absorbant paper before mixing it with other ingredients. This resulted in spinach that still had way too much moisture in it and because of it the end result was ... soggy (lots of moisture in the bottom, cooked instead of crispy bacon on the bottom, etc).
Generally, it is a nice book with a couple of really nice and simple recipes, but for me I was disappointed a couple of times too often while trying recipes from this book. Would not recommend.
An example; the "crispy pancetta, spinach and ricotta bake" instructs you to poor boiling water over the spinach, and to afterwards dry the spinach on absorbant paper before mixing it with other ingredients. This resulted in spinach that still had way too much moisture in it and because of it the end result was ... soggy (lots of moisture in the bottom, cooked instead of crispy bacon on the bottom, etc).
Generally, it is a nice book with a couple of really nice and simple recipes, but for me I was disappointed a couple of times too often while trying recipes from this book. Would not recommend.
February 16, 2019
Love this cook book! As a working mum this is my go to for a quick easy deliciously tasty meal. Simply and tasty ingredients that come together quickly and easily for a dinner that the whole family loves. Haven’t cooked a dish that we didn’t like from this book
November 25, 2019
Another winner from Donna Hay!
May 13, 2020
Ik heb één ander boek van Donna Hay en vind dat ze in dit boek erg in herhaling valt, de recepten zijn vooral variaties op een thema. Dus ik vrees dat je aan één Hay genoeg hebt.
March 22, 2014
Another Donna Hay treasure trove of quick and easy recipes. Her books always inspire me with the ideas and inspiration for styling and serving food. Most of the recipes are for 2 (sometimes 4) servings, making them perfect for my needs.
So far I have made the Grilled Salmon and Asparagus with Preserved Lemon Sauce (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...), Red Curry-Spiced Fish with Sesame-Ginger Rice Noodles (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...), the Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) and the Banana Maple Puddings (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) All were fast to put together and tasted great.
So far I have made the Grilled Salmon and Asparagus with Preserved Lemon Sauce (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...), Red Curry-Spiced Fish with Sesame-Ginger Rice Noodles (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...), the Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) and the Banana Maple Puddings (http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...) All were fast to put together and tasted great.
May 26, 2013
Donna Hay is one of my favourite cookbook authors. Why do I love them so much? The recipes are diverse with a lot of different global influences - a great blend of Mediterranean, Asian, Indian, Caribbean and European. The photos are big and gorgeous. I want to have a sense of what the dish will look like on the plate. It's great to flip through when you are looking for something to make and get a sense of the dish without having to read through the entire recipe. She also makes sure to include a lot of instructional sections (what to have in your pantry, tools & equipment, basic/foundation recipes, glossary). For these reasons, I keep going back again and again to Donna's cookbooks. Most importantly - the recipes are delicious!
August 2, 2010
For those who want to make a decent impression to friends and family, with minimal effort, then this is the book for you.
It's full of really quick and easy recipes that are sure to WOW. I've cooked around six meals from this book (which is a record for me, usually I may try one or two) and they have all turned out pretty much as Donna said they would (which again is a record for me).
It's full of helpful hints and cheat sheets for the culinary challenged, and is beautifully illustrated so you generally know what you're aiming for.
It's full of really quick and easy recipes that are sure to WOW. I've cooked around six meals from this book (which is a record for me, usually I may try one or two) and they have all turned out pretty much as Donna said they would (which again is a record for me).
It's full of helpful hints and cheat sheets for the culinary challenged, and is beautifully illustrated so you generally know what you're aiming for.
April 9, 2010
Donna Hay is like the Martha Stewart of Australia. Her recipes emphasize fresh ingredients with simple preparations. You'll find Asian and Italian flavours in her recipes. Full page glossy color photography included (which I like in my cookbooks!)
April 5, 2013
Lots of meat and veg recipes, which just isn't my style of cooking - or eating!
At first glance the book looks gorgeous, but it can be difficult to tell which image represents each recipe on the multiple recipe pages. There's just no logic to the layout.
At first glance the book looks gorgeous, but it can be difficult to tell which image represents each recipe on the multiple recipe pages. There's just no logic to the layout.
July 2, 2009
Some really good ideas. I may have to buy this one.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews