I have a confession. I don't really like cooking that much. I tend to eat out a lot more than I would really like to, because it's easier and faster than cooking for myself. Over the years it has had an effect, though. My waistline has increased, and it's straining the budget. Anyone who says that costs of even basic things hasn't increased lately has not been looking too closely. I thought for a long time about looking for restaurant recipe replicas and kept on putting it off. Like I said cooking and I are not a perfect match.
When it comes to food, I go for taste and I have favorites. I love ribs, for example, but had always thought that they were beyond my meagre skills. I like pizza and ditto to that. It put me off cooking more than the basics. It doesn't have to be that way, so I found out.
Have you ever watched the cooking channel? Despite the fact that I can't cook to save myself I seem to watch it compulsively. Really, I should know better. The channel has experienced chefs showing us all the tricks of the trade, but what they don't tell us is the amount of years it took for them to become that proficient. If you can find the ingredients, and the right tools, and then try to replicate what they have done, the chances are that what you'll end up with is something...less than optimal. And even worse, it may not taste the way you expected it to. You are playing the lottery, and who wants to do that with your tastebuds? They deserve better. So, where does that leave you?
Back to buying food from chain restaurants. Not exactly the answer to the budget problems, is it? Or, you could take a gourmet cooking course, but let's face it, who has the time or energy to do that. After all the reason you're going to the chain restaurant in the first place is lack of time, or lack of motivation to cook.
About a month ago I stumbled across a site claiming to have discovered all the secrets to how to cook like the restaurants do, and to have a cookbook based on these recipes. Let's face it, any search of the Internet will bring up a variety of these types of sites. They are a dime a dozen, and the free recipes you find on them don't necessarily work that well. I was skeptical, but the offer was good, and I had yet another book to add to my collection. The good thing was, at least this one was electronic, and I could ignore it without it gathering dust. I was curious, though, and did give it a read...and then another one and another one. The recipes looked easy enough, but that didn't mean that they'd taste authentic.
I found an easy one, with only a few ingredients and gave it a try. There was nothing to lose but my dignity, after all. Imagine my surprise when it worked! Have you ever had your mouth watering for Applebee's Babyback Ribs? If you have then "America's Most Wanted Recipes" is the cookbook to get. there are more restaurant recipe replicas beside this one, one hundred in the first book alone. Since my first foray into cooking the restaurant recipes I've tried more and surprisingly, they've worked. Even more surprising was that they weren't hard to make.
If you want to cook great meals at home that are easy, and accessible then there are ways to do it. If you are like me, and don't really like cooking, except from afar, then consider "America's Most Wanted Recipes". You'll be glad you did.
When it comes to food, I go for taste and I have favorites. I love ribs, for example, but had always thought that they were beyond my meagre skills. I like pizza and ditto to that. It put me off cooking more than the basics. It doesn't have to be that way, so I found out.
Have you ever watched the cooking channel? Despite the fact that I can't cook to save myself I seem to watch it compulsively. Really, I should know better. The channel has experienced chefs showing us all the tricks of the trade, but what they don't tell us is the amount of years it took for them to become that proficient. If you can find the ingredients, and the right tools, and then try to replicate what they have done, the chances are that what you'll end up with is something...less than optimal. And even worse, it may not taste the way you expected it to. You are playing the lottery, and who wants to do that with your tastebuds? They deserve better. So, where does that leave you?
Back to buying food from chain restaurants. Not exactly the answer to the budget problems, is it? Or, you could take a gourmet cooking course, but let's face it, who has the time or energy to do that. After all the reason you're going to the chain restaurant in the first place is lack of time, or lack of motivation to cook.
About a month ago I stumbled across a site claiming to have discovered all the secrets to how to cook like the restaurants do, and to have a cookbook based on these recipes. Let's face it, any search of the Internet will bring up a variety of these types of sites. They are a dime a dozen, and the free recipes you find on them don't necessarily work that well. I was skeptical, but the offer was good, and I had yet another book to add to my collection. The good thing was, at least this one was electronic, and I could ignore it without it gathering dust. I was curious, though, and did give it a read...and then another one and another one. The recipes looked easy enough, but that didn't mean that they'd taste authentic.
I found an easy one, with only a few ingredients and gave it a try. There was nothing to lose but my dignity, after all. Imagine my surprise when it worked! Have you ever had your mouth watering for Applebee's Babyback Ribs? If you have then "America's Most Wanted Recipes" is the cookbook to get. there are more restaurant recipe replicas beside this one, one hundred in the first book alone. Since my first foray into cooking the restaurant recipes I've tried more and surprisingly, they've worked. Even more surprising was that they weren't hard to make.
If you want to cook great meals at home that are easy, and accessible then there are ways to do it. If you are like me, and don't really like cooking, except from afar, then consider "America's Most Wanted Recipes". You'll be glad you did.
