Customer Reviews
One of the best cook books around today ***** - By: Andrew Porter, 27 Nov 2008 
I bought this book two years ago & am forever recommending it. As other reviewers have said, too many cook books assume a level of knowledge/skill that we don't all possess. If you're an older cook, you might, like me, have forgotten many of the more simple recipes that Sophie Grigson presents so clearly & with such good photographs.
My current favourite is the one for Beef Stew with Mushrooms & Guinness. Don't be put off by the title, it's not just for beginners.
Best recipe book purchased - By: J. H. Walker, 06 Sep 2008 
I recently purchased this book at Waterstones for £12.99 for a friend that had no idea how to cook (I personally did not put myselfin that category- at first). I came home & browsed through it & was totally amazed at how many recipes that were usable. (Most cookery books I have bought I may have used half a dozen recipes at the most), I immediately got on to amazon to order it & realised I could save over £4.00. The chocolate cake is absolutely divine. It was the best chocolate cake I have ever tasted, the shortbread really is gorgeous. There are so many recipes I cannot wait to try as they are all pretty simple with accessible ingredients. This book definately sits at the top of my cookery books.
Great! - By: Kiki, 05 Sep 2007 Fab book, lovely recipes. Really simple recipes that turn out tasting amazing. Great ways of taking a basic recipes, & turning them into something else, e.g. beef casserole into daube de beouf. Really good for cooks of all levels. Would recommend it to anyone.
'.... fills the gap left by conventional cookbooks which assume a knowledge most people don't possess' - By: Amazon Reviewer, 22 Jun 2007 `Sophie`s accessible approach & ability to communicate both classic & contemporary cooking styles have made her a hugely popular figurein food today.'
`Want to feel more confidentin the kitchen but don't know where to start?....Detailed step-by-step photographs show how recipes should look & finished shots are of real food, not overly styled dishes that only a professional could achieve....
Just like having one of the very best cookery writers & teachers standing by youin the kitchen, `The First-time Cook' will transform beginners into confident cooks & provides lots of fun along the way.'
240 high quality shiny pages, split over 7 main chapters:-
Soups, Starters & Eggs
Pasta, Pizza & Rice
Meat & Poultry
Stir-frying
Fish
Vegetables & Salads
Puddings, Cakes & Biscuits
sandwiched between sections entitled `Why Cook?' & `Techniques & General Tips' & a full index.
The Techniques & General Tips section includes `How to Read a Recipe', `Preparing Common Vegetables & Other Ingredients', 'Cooking Terms' & 'Recommended Kitchen Utensils'.
Each chapter opens with relevant textin Sophie's typically descriptive, often humorous style, e.g.
`Soups
I'm a great believerin soup. Here is a dish that fulfils a multitude of functions, the prime amongst them being that it satisfies the soul. Oh - & the stomach.
A big steaming bowlful of soup can really hit the spot. It makes a good first course & it makes the heart of a handsome lunch or supper, eked out with loads of soft-centred, crisp-crusted bread, a big hunk of cheese, & healthy fruit or something more indulgent to follow.
Make one big batch & it will feed a crowd, or just feed you on your own quickly & easily over several days.'
Then follows all the information you will ever need re types of soup, tips & techniques, `sweating without perspiration', `thick, thicker, thickest`, liquid essentials', `thinning down', `dressing up' & 'machinery'.
Headedin red, each recipe has an opening note & is clearly laid out with servings, list of ingredients - often split into 'base' & `main' - plus a step-by-step method, along with any extras e.g. `dressing up', `aromatics', seasonings etc.
The book also has informative `need to know' sections, easily found by their blue headings.
And there's more... much, much more........if you need to `prepare an egg`, it's all here:-
Boiling, frying, scrambling, poaching, separating, foldingin or whisking, after a guide to buying freshness, even salmonella advice.
But, if the childhood memory of `scrambled eggs on toast' is enough to get you to turn the page - please do so - for Sophie's twist on a theme - the most superb recipe for `Lemon Scrambled Eggs on Toasted Bagels'!
A taste of the other recipes within:-
Roast Tomato & Onion Soup
Mushroom Omelette
Pasta Frittata
Salsa Cruda (Raw Sauce)
Tagliatelle Bolognaise
Good Pizza Dough
Egg-fried Rice
Grilled Steak - has summary of the timings for `blue`, `rare`, `medium-rare`, `medium' & `well-done'
Chicken Fajitas
Roast Leg of Lamb
Parsley & Lemon Stuffing
The Best Easy Roast Chicken
Thai Stir-Fried Noodles (Pad Thai)
Tuna Fishcakes
Roast Salmon with Lime
Fundamental Fish Pie
White Sauce
Mashed Potatoes
Tomato & Basil Salad
Simple Chocolate Mousse
Blackberry & Apple Crumble
Lemon Ice Cream
Custard
Victoria Sponge
Shortbread
plus the most delicious `Double Chocolate Cake' -
`This chocolate cake boasts a double helping of chocolate (in the form of real chocolate & cocoa powder) for a `wildly big hit of chocolate heaven`. Swathedin a fudgy chocolate cream all over the outside & the inside, it becomes a king amongst chocolate cakes.
And with such tempting, mouth-watering description I do wonder, if Ms Grigson might turn her attention to the boxed chocolate market,in the near future!
Coming to a sweetshop near you....................., if so, you read it first at Amazon!
Simply Fabulous! - By: Ms. H. Hughes, 12 Aug 2006 As a self-confessed cookbook-addict, I feel I can say with some authority that Sophie Grigson's "First Time Cook" is one of the best out there.
Accessible without being over-simplified, educational without being patronising, this is a book that covers all the basics & a lot more besides. The recipes are easy to follow and, more importantly, utterly delicious, taking inspiration from many different cultures & food traditions, without forgetting homely British fare (I particularly reccommend her recipe for beef stew).
Amongst all this, Sophie still manages to take you through the correct boiling of an egg, how to make the perfect roast potatoes & all other manner of useful advice.
My only criticism of this fantastic book is that there is not more of it!
