Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I’m a fair cook, but since buying this book, I’ve learned more about how to choose, mix and prepare ingredients than I could have imagined. There are fantastic, delicious recipes - yummy zucchini and feta fritters, scallops with orange/lime dressing, orzo with lemon shrimp, to name just of few of the dishes I’ve already made!! The authors explain why they do certain things (e.g. braising vs. baking), provide really helpful tips (e.g. how to devein shrimp and zest a lemon), give overviews on basic ingredients like olive oil, beans and fresh herbs, and offer variations for many of the dishes. Nutritional information for each recipe is even provided! Recipes are easy to follow and presented in a logical order that makes preparation efficient, even to the point of indicating when mixing bowls and pans can be re-used. To be fair, most of the recipes take more than 40 minutes to prepare, and while most of the ingredients can be found at any grocery store, they aren’t items I already had in my pantry. After making about 10 of the dishes, however, I now have most of the staples for Mediterranean cooking readily available and use them regularly. Buying sherry vinegar and ground coriander may seem like one-off investments, but trust me, you’ll be using these items again in no time! And to my surprise, this book has done such a great job educating me, I’m can now modify some of the recipes based on personal preferences! If you’re looking to change your diet, or for just a few great dishes, this book is a must have! UPDATE: I've been using this cookbook for a year now, and have made more than 125 of the recipes, many on multiple occasions. All but 1 of the dishes have ranged from good to great! I've even tried some of the recipes that didn't sound appealing on paper and am so glad I did...who knew Spicy Turnips and Chickpeas could be such a delicious combo?? I can't overstate how great this cookbook is! My absolute only issue is the binding is weak. Pages started falling out almost immediately, so I suggest going with the spiral bound version if it's available. Happy cooking!