"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> Julie wrote:
>
>> So I bought the book called 20-Minute Menus by Marian Burros. Luckily I
>> got it used and didn't pay much for it because it is totally worthless to
>> me. The book seems to presume that the people buying it don't know a
>> thing
>> about cooking. They tell you if the recipe calls for an 8 oz onion but
>> you only have a 10 oz. onion to either discard the 2 oz. or add them to
>> your dish. Say what? Who weighs their onions? Really?
>>
>> I do not seem much at all in that book that I would like to eat. It's
>> big
>> on fish dishes. I already know how to make things with chicken nuggets.
>> I know how to make lasagna without meat. In fact I never put meat in
>> mine. I know how to make hamburger patties. It's just far easier to
>> make
>> them already made up. Same with the chicken nuggets. Now that's really
>> fast food. Buy it already made. Which is what I would think they would
>> tell you to do since they tell you to buy the breadsticks, whole wheat
>> bread, pesto, etc. already made up. You are also supposed to buy your
>> veggies cut or sliced already.
>>
>> This book might be good for someone who truly doesn't know how to cook or
>> stock a pantry. It also tells you how to do that and what the game plan
>> is for the meal.
>>
>> So whoever recommended this book to me (I can't remember), thanks but no
>> thanks!
>
> I'm the one who recommended the book. I stand by my recommendation. Your
> objection seems to be that the instructions are written too clearly, which
> strikes me as a bizarre thing to complain about.
>
> The book is "big on fish dishes" because fish cooks quickly. Did you
> expect to see some secret method of cooking an entire brisket in 20
> minutes?
>
> The author doesn't assume you don't know how to cut up vegetables. She
> advocates buying pre-cut vegetables to save you time in the kitchen. You
> are of course free to cut up your own vegetables, realizing that doing so
> will cost you some time while saving you some money.

Well to me buying precut things isn't really cooking. Of course I could
cook something in 20 minutes if I were to do that.

My point was there wasn't a thing in that book that we would eat that I
don't already know how to cook, and I don't need a recipe for it.

I stand by what I said. That book is meant for people who don't know how to
cook.