Time to Eat

November 30, 2020
Great British Bake Off champion Hussain (Nadiya Bakes) makes a strong showing with 100 recipes intended to teach home cooks how to be a “time-smart cook without even really realizing it.” Dishes are modern mash-ups of recipes drawing on Hussain’s South Asian heritage, vibrant global flavors, and classic British fare. Time-saving tricks (like prepping breakfast pastry dough the night before using it) appear throughout, and Hussain is a proponent of quashing mealtime doldrums (“I don’t see why we can’t have French toast for lunch”). For breakfast there’s an impressive olive and rosemary crown bread and spice-infused masala porridge. Lunch features lentil and orange soup and pizza parathas. Tarts and pastry-based dishes such as beef pasties or a puff-pastry wrapped meatloaf roll (“like meatloaf meets Wellington meets sausage roll”) are abundant. The dinner chapter showcases rosemary and rhubarb glazed butterflied leg of lamb, while dessert options include twists on s’mores, handmade pies, and tarte tatin. Hussain also has ample advice on batch cooking and proper freezing techniques, such as always being sure to let food cool completely before freezing so as not to melt items already in the freezer. This cornucopia of delights is sure to please.

January 1, 2021

A companion to the 2019 BBC series of the same name (now available on Netflix), the latest book from The Great British Bake Off star Hussain promises "delicious meals for busy lives." Broken into sections covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, and basics, Time to Eat features more than 100 recipes to help cooks prep and save time by always having a little extra left over. In addition to the recipes, Hussain includes a chapter explaining how to use the book to become a "time-smart cook," along with strategies to maximize freezer space for storage. A "basics" section provides extra guidance for those who prefer homemade to store-bought (think spices, curry paste, butter), and Hussain's concept of active vs. recipe time gives home cooks a real sense of how long it takes to complete a given dish. An ingredient-based index makes it easy to find recipes based on what one has on hand. VERDICT Great for home cooks who want to reduce waste and streamline effort. Plenty of family and budget-friendly options, British classics, and recipes that work for meal prep.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib., Miami

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