For cooks who believe Rachael Ray invented 30 minute meals, first there was Peg Bracken, who wrote the I Hate to Cook Book, published in 1960. It was a time when housewives were expected to spend all day in the kitchen preparing meals from “big fat cookbooks”. Peg and several friends met for lunch; these were women who hated to cook but had to daily. They decided to “pool our ignorance, tell each other our shabby little secrets, and toss into the pot the recipes we swear by instead of at”. She goes on to say “the recipes have not been tested by experts. That’s why they are valuable” (p. 3).
Written with timeless and still relevant humor, each chapter covers culinary challenges one might face such as Chapter 2: The Leftover or Every Family Needs a Dog and Chapter 5: Potluck Suppers or How to Bring the Water for the Lemonade.
Peg’s daughter, Jo Bracken, wrote the preface to this 50th anniversary edition and the recipes, such as Skid Row Stroganoff, still work today.
Bon appetite!
Bracken, Peg (2010) I hate to cook book (50th anniversary ed.) New York: Hachette. TX740 .B63 2010
