Review: Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller

[barbszy]

I've spent a good chunk of the afternoon browsing through Robin Miller's Quick Fix Meals, published in 2006 by the Food Network and Taunton Press.

I enjoy Robin Miller's show on the Food Network. While I have never wound up making one of her recipes, I've gained a lot of tips and strategies from watching the show.

This cookbook contains 200 recipes, advertised on the cover as "simple, delicious recipes to make mealtime easy." That's very true!

Here's what I liked about this book:
These are convenient meals without the use of convenience foods! Once in a while she calls for a canned ingredient, but I didn't see any recipes asking for boxed mixes (full of salt and sugar), jarred spaghetti sauce (again, the salt and sugar), or goopy condensed cream soup. This, by far, is the best part about the book.

Robin Miller's recipes depend on a planned menu. I'm all for that!

This book is LOADED with tips! There are storage tips, planning tips, prep tips, health tips, information about ingredients, easy variations, and more. Even if you don't make the recipes, read this book for the tips! And pages 2 through 11 are fully-packed with information that anyone can use with any recipe. It's totally worth reading.

The directions are clear and easy to follow. Cook times are broken down into prep time, active cooking time, and walk-away time.

Directions also come with suggestions for where you can "stop" in a recipe and store the food in the fridge or freezer for finishing and eating later.

The recipes are often healthy-but-flavorful twists on old favorites (such as cacciatore, fra diavolo, lo mein).


Here's what I didn't like:
I think I'd go broke buying all the ziplock bags she uses....how about using some reusable containers instead? Is Ziplock her sponsor?

The recipes were heavy on Thai, curry, and cilantro--3 flavors that are not popular with anyone in my family. We're not picky; in fact, I'd say my kids are fairly adventurous eaters, but we don't care for that kind of food.

All the text in the book is green and brown. It's kind of pretty, but I find it hard on the eyes. She tells stories about the recipe in green, and gives the information in brown. I'd prefer just using italics to set apart the story and keep all the text black.

Most of the pictures in the book were Robin Miller. Sometimes we see her with a pot, pan or knife in her hand. Sometimes we just see Robin Miller. I want to see the FOOD! Make me drool! Make me want to cook this recipe tonight so we can eat it! There's a color-photo section in the middle of the book, but I like to see a photo next to the recipe, not go hunting for it.

Love the stories, hate the bad jokes. And it gets a little old, hearing about how "crazy" her life is every day. Yes, that's the premise of the technique, but enough already.

I think it's safe to say that the things I didn't like were generally minor things, and not something that would put me off from the book.

All told, I'd give this book a B+.

**This is an unsolicited review. As a matter of fact, the book is a library book; I was not given a free copy and I have not yet purchased a copy. So there's nothing in it for me for sharing my opinion here.

(cross-posted on my food blog; link below)

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I have seen her show a few times. I have never read a single one of her books. However, I like her idea of cook once and make several meals.

I do something similar. I'll cook 3 times the amount of boneless chicken that I need. I put BBQ sauce on 1/3 of them. Then, I dice 1/3 and make poppy seed chicken the next night or make the poppy seed chicken and freeze it for another night. Then, I slice the last third and make chicken quesadillas. It is just easier to cook it once and then make 3 meals.

[ajrsmom]

I have her show on my DVR for everyday taping. I have yet to make any of her recipes.

I have often thought of the waste in the number of plastic bags that she uses--epecially since the bags are rarely full.

I don't think that I would like the colorful writing either and I totally agree with you that I want pictures of the food next to the recipe!

Thanks for a great review!

If you make anything from the book, please let us know. ;)

[Lizzie-boo]

Barb,
Your review made me chuckle -- I've watched her show a few times and had similar reactions to her "crazy" life and all the ziploc bags, although I have seen her use some Glad reusable/disposable containers, too. I thought it was just me -- a little too heavy on the Thai and curry flavors, and the pictures during the credits imply that she has two young boys. I was a little surprised that she'd make that kind of food for her family, but maybe that's what they eat.

Liz

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I have to say that I save food for the freezer for convenient purposes. I just made a week's worth of dog food for my dog and froze individual servings for him in zip-loc baggies. I also cooked meat for several meals and froze the extra cooked meat in baggies too. Now, all I have to do is take them out and defrost. Then, I mix them with whatever to make casseroles and so on. It is worth the convenience to cook once and save for several meals with my schedule.

[Lizzie-boo]

DeBora,
Don't get me wrong -- I use a fair number of ziploc freezer bags myself. Since there are only two of us, I generally buy meat in larger packages and divide into what we can use for a meal, freezing a meal's worth in a bag.

I just found it amusing when I watched Robin Miller's show that every half cup of diced onion, etc., was put into a ziploc bag and into the fridge for the next day or two days later in the week.

Liz

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I totally agree with you. It seems it would be easier to freeze them in muffin tins and then put each muffin-shaped deal of diced onion, or whatever it is, in one large zip loc and take out as needed. If I am using onion within a couple of days, I just put it in a container. Sometimes, I put it in the same container that I will mix my dish in.

[barbszy]

I came back to this thread today because I just watched an episode of Quick Fix meals and I noticed that she was using a lot of reusable containers, some plastic and some jars.

In fact, she showed a very frugal tip on one recipe for a dinner salad. When you have only a little mustard left in the jar, add the other ingredients you need to make honey-mustard salad dressing. Put the lid on the jar, shake, and you have salad dressing! When that's all gone, wash the jar and reuse.

That was a great idea. I don't generally make honey-mustard dressing, but I do make a few marinades/sauces with mustard and that technique would work there too, as well as with some recipes I have for sauces that contain Hoisin--when I'm close to the end of that jar, I can do this.