Product Description

Whether it's pancakes on a Saturday morning or dinner on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday when Mom's away on a business trip, today it's as important for men to know how to cook as it is for women, and to redress that all-to-typical imbalance here is DAD'S OWN COOKBOOK. As much about attitude as it is about technique, DAD'S OWN takes fear out of the kitchen and replaces it with a reassuring camaraderie. Bob Sloan is a self-taught professional chef who knows how to teach the basics in jargon-free language, from how to hold a knife to why heat a pan before sauteing to what parts of a chicken to buy. There are tips on shopping, storage, preparation, timing; primers on meat, fish, cheese, grilling, and wine; plus dozens of feature boxes. Chicken Breast Piccata. Asparagus and Orange Vinaigrette. Baked Mackerel with Sundried Tomatoes and Herbs, Dad's Official Meatloaf, Mexican Chicken Stew, and Apple Brown Betty. Not only does DAD'S OWN solve the problem of how to cook, but it deliciously solves the problem of what to cook. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and Better Homes Gardens Family Book Service. 233,000 copies in print.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #202104 in Books
• Published on: 1992-12-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 319 pages

From Amazon.com
And now, for the kitchen impaired, a cookbook guaranteed to take you from zero to frittata in less than an hour. Dad's Own Cookbook offers culinary neophytes and novice cooks the chance to finally flex a little muscle in the kitchen. For singles who don't cook but are trying to impress a new date, this could be the dating guide of the century.

Joy of Cooking, The New Basics, and Betty Crocker's New Cookbook are all excellent books, but if you think Cuisinart was a movement that followed the French impressionists, they just might be a bit over your head. Author Bob Sloan assumes nothing, and Dad's Own Cookbook covers it all, start to finish. From buying the ingredients to cooking and serving, Sloan offers concise, no-nonsense instruction that strips away intimidation and sends confidence levels soaring. The highlight of this extraordinary cookbook is the recipes. While Sloan assumes you might be inexperienced in the kitchen, he never assumes that you are inexperienced at the table. The recipes are admirable, including such delicacies as Chicken Tortellini with Prosciutto and Tomato Cream Sauce, Baked Salmon with Herb Crust, and Strawberry Mousse. Best of all, Dad's Own Cookbook provides you with the tools you need to put them on the table.

Sloan starts with shopping tips, such as how to read product labels and select fresh produce. (Quick quiz for the experienced cooks out there: how do you tell if an egg is fresh?) He moves on to how to pick knives and pans, and how to measure (under the snappy title "Real Men Do Measure"), prepare, and serve. Along the way, Sloan offers solid advice on selecting a menu, what to prepare in advance, and how to time the cooking so everything comes out just right and at the same time. About the only thing Dad's Own Cookbook leaves out are excuses--when it comes to cooking, you simply won't need them any more. --Mark O. Howerton

From Publishers Weekly
Space may be the final frontier for some, but for others--men, maybe?--it could instead be the kitchen. Sloan has assembled a light-hearted, very practical book aimed at fathers (or anyone) who is kitchen-shy and cuisine-ignorant. The author points out--accurately--that many cookbooks assume a level of competence that some beginners just don't have. He takes his readers in hand and literally tells them how to boil water. Also, how to shop, select good kitchen ware, organize the pantry and get a meal on the table. After mastering these basics, Sloan gets us started with breakfast recipes and goes on to homemade pizza and fare for a child's birthday party. Along the way, the designated cook can assign tasks to the kids to familiarize them with cooking. For some who might think that Dad's Own involves microwaving a prepared meal and sprinkling on a little pepper, forget it. Sloan believes in cooking from scratch. At first glance, tossing off chicken breasts with prosciutto and mozzarella or organizing a cocktail party may seem impossible for a novice. And yet, Sloan's extremely well-organized recipes and preparation and cooking tips should have even take-out devotees thumbing the pages for new recipes to try. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
This book has a curiously dated feel to it; weren't cookbooks for the helpless male popular in the 1970s? Sloan, a New York City caterer, includes a lot of information about cooking basics, along with simple recipes, mostly designed with the kids in mind, though there are some more sophisticated attempts too. However, the tone of the book at times verges on that of a third-grade reader ("How Dad Likes to Cook Fish"), with a few sports analogies thrown in for good measure ("these are the Titleists of meatballs"). There are plenty of good basic cookbooks around, as well as more specialized titles like Michele Urvater's Monday to Friday Cookbook ( LJ 9/15/91), for any busy cook with children to feed. Nevertheless, expect demand.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.