JAMIE OLIVER'S MEALS IN MINUTES

“I’m too busy.” “It’s too expensive.” “I don’t know how.” Celebrity chef and author Oliver (Jamie’s Food Revolution, 2011, etc.) doesn’t want to hear your excuses for not preparing home-cooked meals. None of them are true anyway, and he sets out to prove it.

The author provides an eclectic assortment of recipes for 50 entire meals—not just single dishes—that can be prepared in around 30 minutes. The key to foolproof success, Oliver writes, is smart preparation of the kitchen workspace, having the right tools on hand and learning to excel at multitasking. If readers find the system a bit intense at first, the author promises that it becomes easier with experience, and, he warns lightheartedly, possibly even a little addictive. Oliver provides simply stated and easy-to-follow instructions for every aspect of the process, from getting started to serving. He lays out the steps for each meal like a lavishly illustrated road map; which dish to start first with, when to begin the second dish, when to start dessert, etc.—it’s all plainly indicated on the page. Those who might prefer to prepare a single dish rather than the entire meal will find that easy to accomplish, as all the individual dishes are indexed at the back of the book, with vegetarian dishes designated.

It’s difficult to imagine the average home cook not gaining wisdom, skill and confidence from this worthy addition to the Oliver Empire.