Peg Bracken (1918–2007)

I won this book in a contest years ago but stacked it with all the rest of my cookbooks and didn't really look at it. I mean, it's the 50th anniversary reprinting but it isn't at all like the cookbooks today with glossy, drool inducing pictures and to be honest, since I actually do like to cook, I thought it unlikely there'd be much in here I'd want to cook. But we renovated the kitchen recently (a busted toilet pipe made it a necessity rather than an indulgence) and I went through my show more cookbooks with the express purpose of actually using them instead of just leaving them to collect dust on the shelves. So I picked this one up and cracked it open.

Have you ever actually read a cookbook like a book? This is one to do that with. Peg Bracken is hilarious and she tucks funny little gems all over the book. She definitely didn't like to cook and searched out easy and, according to her, tasty recipes for the book but her commentary on everything is pure gold. She is overly fond of mushrooms (which I hate) and some of her ingredients (can you even still buy chipped beef? And if yes, do you want to?) might be less common than they were when the book was published and these recipes clearly pre-date the fresh produce movement, but there are still recipes people who want to spend minimal time in the kitchen will probably thrill to. Since I do like to cook, there are only a handful of recipes I intend to try but I greatly appreciate the entertainment value here. If you hate to cook, you might look to this for easy, fast recipes. If you like to cook, you'll want to read it just for the giggles. show less

A delightful dry and witty look at cooking for those who find kitchen chores less than enjoyable. The book includes recipes for the novice or uninspired cook, household hints, and even a couple pages of equivalent and substitution tables at the back. While written close to sixty years ago, most of this book is not dated.

From her chapter about leftovers ("or every family needs a dog") we read:

"But still you can't quite bring yourself to dispose of it! So you put it in the refrigerator, and show more there it stays, moving slowly toward the rear as it is displaced by other little glass jars half full of leftover ham loaf and other things. And there it remains until refrigerator-cleaning day, at which time you gather it up along with its little fur-bearing friends, and, with a great lightening of spirit, throw it away."

I'm keeping this one. show less

My mom had the original version of this book in the kitchen. When we sold the family house, I took a photo of the one recipe I had used, wacky cake (called cockeyed cake here) and gave it a well-deserved burial. (It went through a lot!) But I had never read the whole thing. So when I saw there was a 50th anniversary edition, I took it out from the library.

It's written in a funny, breezy style and while some of it's dated now (the chapters on dinner parties and ladies luncheons especially), show more there is still a lot of great things in it. What's fabulous is that none of the recipes require fancy ingredients (although it's pretty funny to see lamb considered a cheap meat and assuming everyone has a well-stocked bar of liqueurs) or long prep times. A lot of recipes here use either cream or mushrooms (I hate both) but I still found some simple recipes that I want to try.

If you're like me, who doesn't want to spend ages cooking, I'd recommend checking out this classic. show less

Some women just don't feel at home in the kitchen. Instead of finding solace in cooking a great meal for their families, they dread having to succumb to the endless chore of meal making. The I Hate to Cook Book is just the book for them. Actually, it's for all of us, for reasons I shall soon explain. While this is a cookbook for rather reluctant cooks, it's also a great piece of comic literature that digresses on the reasons women don't like to cook and some of the fundamental show more misunderstandings that go along with being a non-cook. With witty and wry delivery, Peg Braken reveals why vegetables cannot be disguised into other more interesting foodstuffs no matter what you do to them, as well as the stubborn persistence of leftovers, while also interspersing some unique and easy recipes into the clever mix. The book is divided into sections that include entrees, side dishes and the aforementioned vegetables (in which several types are drowned in cheese sauce).

I actually decided to try two of these recipes and first went with the Skid Row Stroganoff. Making the stroganoff was a cinch, requiring only a few basic ingredients, and the family really loved it. Actually, they fought over the last few servings, and voices were raised, much to my chagrin. My husband took some of the leftovers to work and was very happy to find that the flavors really soaked in overnight, making it even better the second time around. I am not choosing to post that recipe and picture, because frankly, though it was delicious, it was unfortunately not very photogenic.

The second recipe I tried was the Chicken Rice Roger, which was also surprisingly easy and tasted great. Everyone loved the bed of mushroom garlic rice that the chicken was cooked in, and even I ate much more than I should have. The chicken was pretty good too, but we all felt that it would have benefited from a more liberal dose of seasoning. This second dish was nice because it was basically the type of recipe that you could throw into a pan, put in the oven and serve without further preparation. If you are a fan of easy chicken and rice recipes, give this one a try:

Chicken Rice Roger

* flour
* vegetable oil
* 2 1/2 pound fryer (or 2 1/2 pounds breasts or thighs)
* 3/4 cup uncooked rice
* salt, pepper
* 1 tablespoon grated onion (or half a garlic clove, minced)
* 6.5 ounce can of mushrooms
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 1 3/4 cups water
* 1/2 stick butter

Flour and then brown the chicken in a little vegetable oil. While it browns, put the rice, salt, and pepper in a greased casserole dish and strew the grated onion about (I used garlic, instead). Add the mushrooms, juice and all. Arrange the chicken artfully on top, pour the bouillon over it, and dot with the butter. Cover and bake at 350 for one hour.

I liked this book a lot, and found that not only was it funny and sarcastic, it had some delicious and easy meals scattered throughout as well. Though I'm the type of person who loves to be in the kitchen, I got a lot out of this book and think it would be great for all types of cooks. Even if these recipes don't seem like the types of things you would enjoy, the book is an interesting form of comedy that pokes fun at both those who are kitchen savvy and those that are not. show less