Beat the Clock Books

In Beat The Clock Chicken, Anne Egan provides the time-stressed kitchen cook with an invaluable compendium of quick and easy recipes using simple ingredients, timesaving techniques, while showcasing the versatility of chicken as a mealtime entree. From Zesty Chicken with Corn Salsa; Chicken with Creamy Mustard Sauce; Chicken Paprikash; and Chicken with Cranberry-Orange Sauce; to Chicken Curry in a Hurry; Szechuan Stir-Fry; Wild Chicken Marsala; and Rigatoni with Herbed Chicken; Beat The Clock Chicken recipes can be artfully prepared in 30 minutes or less and very highly commended to any meal from daily family dining to special celebratory party occasions.

There are excellent books discussing time at a level accessible for the general reader (e.g. Empires of Time, by Anthony Aveni). The Quantum Beat is the only one I've seen that gives a thorough discussion of the basics and then goes on to give an incredibly lucid discussion of all the minute details involved in making more and more accurate clocks. He elaborates on the pluses and minuses of each new development, from the sundial to the pendulum clock to the quartz crystal clock to the atomic clock. He also outlines the directions currently being pursued -- clocks based on a single atom held in an atom trap.

The book will have special appeal to those who know about physics, crystals or engineering, and it should make fascinating reading for any educated layperson.

Major was a key figure in the development of atomic clocks and has produced an exhilarating book describing their importance and the incredible technological efforts that went into their development.

This is a good book, allowing even people (like me!) who are not gourmet cooks to produce meals that wow their friends and relatives. The most amazing thing to me is that when I had a question about a recipe, I went to his website and got his email address and asked him the question -- and he answered me! Now I get his email newsletter and I know that he answers everybody who asks him a question. Way to go, Sam!

I've been a follower of Sam since we worked together on the Mercury News in San Jose. He really knows his stuff. I'm retired on the California coast and will use Sam's book almost daily in my culinary pursuits. dan hruby

Gugino's receipes may take only 15 minutes, more or less, but they are inventive, delicious, with nary a can of Cambell's cream of anything. It pays to read Gugino's introduction carefully - he lays out a well organized larder which is what makes it all possible.

This is one of my favorite cookbooks - especially for working days. There's a great section in the beginning about stocking your pantry, and he even includes mail-order sources in the back for the few, hard-to-find ingredients. As other reviewers, I've never been able to prepare any of these dishes in 15 minutes, but they are fairly quick, and simple to prepare. My two favorites are the Flank Steak Salad, and the Moroccan Chicken Soup. I found both the San Diego Fish Tacos, and Shrimp & Goat Cheese Quesadillas too greasy for my taste, but enjoyed the other recipes I've made. I would definitely recommend this book to working folks who want to eat nutritious & tasty meals, with a minimum of effort.

I asked my brother to buy me this book for Christmas because of the number of positive reviews I'd read. So far I've tried two recipes that were quite successful. The recipes take me about 30 minutes to make, which is great for me.

In my opinion, the author assumes quite a bit of meat per person. I think about half the beef or chicken he has listed in his ingredients is about right for me, and maybe anyone else who might have vegetarian leanings. The one recipe I tried with less meat still worked fine with all the other ingredients being the same.

Love the book- bought 8 more similar titles. Replaced all the cholesterol-laden, fat-dripping, high calorie cookbooks I used for years. Great CookBook. Easy - Tasty - Healthy, oh my! NO WAY YOU CAN DO THIS IN 15 MIN- UNLESS YOU HAVE A TEST KITCHEN AND A CREW- BUT CLOSE! THIS IS GOURMET COOKING FAST- GO FOR THE TIPS, LOOSE THE WATCH.

This book contains many very clever, tasty, healthy entrees that can be prepared quickly, but realistically not in 15 minutes. These are not "meat & potatoes" recipes -- they presume a well-stocked and diverse pantry. Everything that I have made so far has worked and been delicious. The author employs a "mis en place" cooking style and his clock doesn't start running until all the prep work is done. I suppose if there were a prep chef in my house, I could do the cooking in 15 minutes too. On the other hand, all the recipes can be completed in 30 minutes or less and that's fine by me. One really annoying "technical" nit -- many of the recipes have the ingredients list on one page and the instructions on the following page -- meaning that I am constantly flipping back & forth to follow the recipe. Really annoying for a "quick" cookbook. I would consider this the fault of the publisher not the author. If it weren't for this serious flaw, I would give this book 5 stars.

Four stars just because it's false advertising to say these meals can be prepared in fifteen minutes--maybe if you are super efficient or spasmodic you can do it, but otherwise, cook at a comfortable pace and you'll produce good food within a half hour or so. The recipes are simple, the results are impressive and the time invested is minimal. That's a pretty great combination for weeknight dinners or when you're entertaining. Although this cookbook is lowfat, I usually end up using a bit more of the fatty igredients (fat=flavor) to taste.

I've cooked for many years, and have probably too large a cookbook collection. This is a great addition. I really like this book. The pantry ideas are good (although you may stock things you normally wouldn't, like canned artichokes in water or tomato paste in a tube...which I'm glad I know of now), the recipes taste good, and they are quickly prepared. Now, 15 minutes? Maybe if you're very organized and your kitchen is set-up perfectly. Mine's not, yet I can still get a meal from raw to the table in 15 to 30 minutes. It's a different way of cooking for me, as I tend to "nurture" my meals, so it's been fun to try a different speed technique. Be warned that most of these are not really whole meals. He is way to light on vegetables, so have some salad or frozen veggies around, or a really fast prep assistant to use raw veggies. I won't use this technique every night, but it's fun to have an extra hour and still enjoy what I've cooked. The only reason I dropped one star is because of the veggie issue. He makes a strong point that these are meals, but I've had to add extra veggies to almost every dish. Easily done, but not quite as advertised. Oh, and what is with the list of ingredients and the recipe on the other side of the page. Not all of them, but enough to be a little frustrating. That said, you'll probably like this.

I'm not much of a cook, but I still want to eat healthy yet tasty meals. I also did not want to spend all day cooking. The book title looked interesting, so I decided to take a look. When I found the recipe for Paella, a favorite of mine, along with a great picture, I was sold on this book.

Paella in 15 minutes? Well, not quite. The first time it took me about 45 minutes of stumbling around trying to read and cook at the same time. It was overcooked, and the kitchen was a mess, but still tasted pretty good. The second time around was much easier, took about 25 minutes, and the Paella tasted great.

To use these recipes, it does take some preparation before the 15 minute clock starts. I set up the ingredients, open the cans, and measure some of the components. I would say this is more of a 20-30 minute cookbook. I've enjoyed most of the recipes - loved the Minestrone - and they are not very complicated to make. I recommend reading carefully the first time through a recipe. They are very tightly arranged, and looking for a saute pan or some ingredient while cooking and the clock is ticking is not a good idea.

Another benefit is that the recipes are measured for four, which is fine since I'm single. For 20-30 minutes of work, I have dinner or lunch set for most of the week. The meals are low calory and low fat, but there is enough there to fill you up.

Quick and healthy meals that taste great. Can't beat that.

Good puzzles, a bit harder than usual. Some of them are really tough. There is an interesting gimmick: rather than grade the puzzles, there are expected times to complete for a beginner, intermediate, or advanced solver. The sums are tiny numbers printed white on gray and legibility suffers.

I have gone through a few other kakuro books before trying this one. The other books never even came close to the difficulty of these puzzles. It took me a while to get into the spirit, but now I'm totally in love with this book. These are puzzles you can really sink your teeth into.

Maze books are a dime a dozen (sort of), but this one contains 128 mazes on a tear-off pad, and says "feel free to photocopy!" It also comes with three pencils and a digital timer. That's my kind of puzzle book.