The Can't Cook Book: Recipes for the Absolutely Terrified! Hardcover-spiral – October 8, 2013

I love this cookbook. So far I have made 3 recipes and it has been very easy to follow and makes me want to come back for more. When she says "Oh yes you can" she really means that!

I just put this out there, my wife doesn't like to cook and I do.That said, I have 5-6 things which I just do by feel. I have made them so many times, I don't follow a recipe anymore. I got this as a joke gift for her for Christmas (along with other things ... I'm not a monster!), and I figured she would thumb through it, put it aside, and that would be the end of it.But that's not's what has happened. Within the first few days, she had picked off a couple of very tasty, easy recipes and that confidence has helped her move onto more challenging things. I still do the bulk of the day-to-day cooking, but to have her pick a night or two per week is a big change.We are ordering out less (a good thing), and eating very good quality food.One side benefit I did *not* see coming is that I am also picking it up to help me think outside of my own box.The recipes and clear and simple. They come out looking like the pictures. The book itself if beautiful (I especially like the spiral lay-flat binding). Well worth the price!

I can not say enough wonderful things about this book. I highly recommend this cook book for beginners, such as my self. I have always been uninterested in cooking. Luckily, I was smart enough to involve myself in relationships (romantic and platonic) with people who "enjoyed cooking" and were willing to feed me in exchange for other useful talents(wink wink). I am a mother now. People much wiser than I, have said it is important to feed your kids, and to feed them vegetables. That being said, I didn't feel great about the prospect of telling my kids " Dinner time! get in the car!" So I gave it a shot.If you have never seen a kitchen in your life and are interested in learning how to cook basic yet awesome meals that you can feel good about putting in front of you or your family, get this book. Jessica Seinfeld completely breaks down everything basic you need to know about cooking. From the tools you need to function, all the way to what fruits and veggies are in season. I have confidence now and am excited to try a new recipe almost every night.

First, this book just looks awesome. It’s spiral bound and colorful and super easy. I’m giving it 4 stars because the recipes are somewhat blah BUT that’s kind of the point of the book. This is going to be good for a beginner cook - someone just learning how to prepare food. It’s very entertaining.

I love this book, I truly do. I've made several recipes from it, and after being served the first three dishes, my hubby proclaimed them to be better than he's had at many a restaurant and anniversary worthy. That was a big wow for me. I have to say, in all honesty though, the prep times sometimes weren't as accurate for me, I ended up taking longer than the stated times for many of the recipes I have tried, but how well they turned out really took the sting out of that for me. Even my mother-in-law liked the two dishes I've prepared out of this book, and I'm pretty sure I've never made anything else she liked so well. Which is another huge plus in my book.And, one of the things that I think makes this book so awesome, is the descriptions for how to do things. I've heard many people say that anybody who can read a recipe can cook. Not necessarily so. For example, if you don't know how to fluff/sift your flour (and not to pack it like you would sugar), you will indeed have made something using a recipe, but it won't have the best taste or texture. I thought her encouraging tone was also a good touch. This is, I think, a great book to own if you want good results with your cooking and aren't entirely sure how to get them.

I gave this book to a friend as a birthday gift after reading the description and flipping through the pages at a store. My friend is definitely a "can't cook"/absolutely terrified of cooking kind of person. She is in her mid-20s and just learning to cook for herself, but she lacked the confidence to try new things and explore cooking outside of her comfort zone. She didn't even want to cook meat because she was afraid of undercooking it. Ever since she started using this book, she has been raving to me about the recipes she's tried. I even got to try her slow-cooker lasagna & it was really delicious.If you or a loved one feels completely inept or lacking in confidence in the kitchen, this book is the way to go. Jessica Seinfeld makes it so easy to follow, and success with each recipe will really embolden your cooking confidence. My friend now even thinks about improvisations and changes to recipes that she'd never consider before. Accompanied with the meat thermometer I gave her, she's used this book to make some really delicious chicken dishes. It's really awesome to hear her talk about how good the meals are and brag about her dishes proudly.

I live alone so cooking isn't fun for me but these recipes are easy and really good. I love this cookbook.

I just ordered it and haven't read it but Amazon wouldn't let me write a review unless I clicked on the stars, so for now even though I haven't read it I'll give it 4 stars. If I end up LOVING it I'll come back and edit my review. I'm one of those people that REALLY is a total rookie in the kitchen, so if the book starts giving instructions like I already know what I'm doing, like other cookbooks do, I'll mention it in my subsequent review. According to all you folks that wrote reviews, this book should be PERFECT for me. If you guys mislead me I'll be very upset and may even ask for my money back ;-) I read a lot of the reviews prior to buying it. I think I'm going to be very happy and learn a lot. Hell, I may even learn how to cook at 62 (lol). Wouldn't that be something!

I still won't be able cook as it seems that you can't start without the 100s of pounds of equipment she recommends that you must have before you can get going

Perfect.

Oh, Jessica. I'm so sorry about this review. I desperately wanted to like this book afterall the front cover and marketing looked less amateur than Deceptively Deliscious. The cover looked so interesting and I loved the thought that there would be videos to help me improve my skills but unfortunately the videos were so simple and there were so few of them that I learnt almost nothing from this investment. Not many photos in this book either. I can't help thinking that with photos this book might have come to life? Why not take photos of your recipes and cooking tips to create visual excitement and interest in helping cooks to learn from you. You obviously have much experience in the kitchen and whilst I envy your skills I found that accessing your experience and enjoying the process was limited simply by the way in which your knowledge was presented.

Lots of practical and delicious recipes for people who fear cooking. I've added many techniques of cooking mmentioned here to my arsenal, and learned a bunch about cooking.Stylishly laid out and fun to read.Would recommend.

I love cooking and was ready for some new easy recipes. I love how Jessica breaks down each recipe. Every recipe is simple, easy to follow and everything i have tried is super yummy. I would recommend this to beginner cooks or advanced. Its a great addition to my collection