Books : Delia's How to Cheat at Cooking

Rating: - Not exactly 'fast food'...
...but well-worthwhile having on the shelf in the kitchen. Nigella's Express is, frankly, the five-star version of this new genre, however Delia is a less entertaining but worthy addition. You should definitely ignore the protestations of the clowns in these review pages who insist that good food should involve tears, sweat and hard work. The result is all that counts, and Nigella/Delia give us all a chance to be creative... as well as relaxed... cooks.

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Rating: - If you lead a busy life and want to cook tasty food quickly, get this
I don't want to spend hours chopping and preparing food, I want to eat something tasty that I can rustle up quickly. If you're looking for new twists on old favourites, and some new ideas,look no further, this book has them.

In addition my fridge isn't stocked with things I only use once in a blue moon anymore. This book has some really useful lists of what to stock in your cupboards and freezer in general so you can cook something from the book without having to make a special trip for exotic ingredients.

If you lead a busy life and want to cook tasty food quickly, get this and Nigella's Express cookbook and you're sorted! Who cares if some people regard it as cheating!

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Rating: - Never Again Delia
I got this book as a present (a joke no doubt) and watched bits of two episodes of the tv programme that goes with the book. I was gobsmacked. How could someone whose books I actually used to find quite good, albeit boring, have touched such a low. I find the recipes dire, long winded and uninspiring. The fact is they are also very expensive to make....its much easier and cheaper to just boil a potato and mash it than have a freezer full of round disc shaped 'cheat's' version frozen mash...yuk! Ready grated Parmesan that she so likes is awful...probably mixed in with some other cheap and nasty cheese (and not a patch on the real stuff), expensive for what you get and if not used within a few days goes rancid. Be wise and save money in the long run by buying a chunk from an italian deli (or when you are next in Italy bring some back in your suitcase), cut it into manageable pieces and freeze them to use when required simply by grating the required amount and then putting the piece back in the freezer (this is my one and only 'cheat's' tip). Not only will it taste wonderful and be fresh but because its frozen you will use much less too making it much less expensive than Delia's 'cheat's' version.

Delia I tried two of your recipes (just to find out what all the fuss was about) and hated them; they were bland, which is why you probably suggested so much added garlic and use lots of spices and pepper in most of your 'recipes', tasted worse than ready made, too much waste from leftover product and no fun at all - so your book is already in the local charity shop and I will switch the tv over to another channel when your programme is on. Go back to what you know best and cook decent, honest food and stop patronising us thinking you know best with your so called cheat's version.

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Rating: - So what's new....?
This is a boring book. Boring because it doesn't tell anyone anything new or make you think 'Can't wait to make that!". It's all very hum-drum and a bit depressing; who really wants to buy frozen mashed potato when it takes less than 15 minutes to make your own at half the cost?! But this idea that buying pre-packed good from supermarkets is a Delia 'take' on cooking is laughable! What about Nigella's last series and book, 'Nigella Express'? She also uses lots of pre-packaged goods, and aims for a fast fridge-to-table turnaround. But I'd say that Nigella succeeds because she oozes passion for her food, whereas Delia oozes compromise. Frankly, if you can't find the time to peel a potato, are you honesly going to buy a book and read all about how to save time? This is a book that, I believe, will have a short shelf-life and I give it 6 months before we're all selling our copies on here for a fiver.

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Rating: - Ledts face it all cooks chest occasiojnally!!!
I find it pathetic to read that there are folk in this day and age who cannot cook, it is not rocket science, for goodness sake.
I found this book fun, and ok for occasional use but I am a fan of true home cooking so I wouldn't use it all the time, but even so, it has good ideas for saving time when time is precious.