favorite cookbooks

Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 Cookbook

Since having to give up gluten and wheat, I have had to go back and edit a few of my cookbook reviews. I’m focusing more on gluten-free/wheat-free foods and don’t want to risk recipes or photos that could be confusing to anyone who has to eat gluten-free. The Cookbook review I’m editing and republishing today is one I absolutely love, Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 (Amazon link). Not long ago, when I told someone I collected cookbooks, she asked what my top 6 cookbook recommendations would be. The first thing out of my mouth (well, actually fingers, we were talking through Twitter DMs), was “Anything by Michael Symon…. but I’d start with his wonderful 5 in 5.”

A Few Thoughts Before Publishing my Edited Review:

• Every cookbook can easily be altered in order to make the recipes gluten-free. You simply have to be diligent about making certain your replacements are in fact gluten-free. If you have Celiac Disease, an autoimmune disease, an intolerance, or an allergy, I HIGHLY recommend always looking for the gluten-free label on the product, itself. Don’t trust the label on the grocery store shelf – look at the product. When it comes to substituting pasta, for example in the wonderful Orecchiette with Sausage and Kale recipe in this very cookbook, more times than not I simply replace the ingredient with potatoes. I’ve used gluten-free pasta many times as well, but always love the extra goodness and flavor potatoes bring to a recipe. Bread is also very easy to “clean up,” whether it’s by using gluten-free bread, a wrap, or (my “go t0”), simply putting shredded lettuce in a bowl, adding the sandwich components, and calling it a “bowl.” The Fried Bologna and Egg recipe in this cookbook is delicious this way… you cut out extra calories AND the crunchy iceberg or Romaine lettuce adds so much to the flavors.
• The original review was posted back in 2013 (before I had to leave gluten and wheat behind), yet this remains one of the cookbooks in my collection I turn to the most often. Most of the recipes, in fact, are memorized by now! Want to know another one I use just as often? Michael Symon’s Fix it With Food (Amazon link). There’s simply something about his extraordinary recipes I love – they’re PACKED with flavor, healthy, and never too highbrow. At this point, if he writes a cookbook, I’m one of the first to order it.

(Review Continued Below…)

Every now and then (quite often, actually), my husband does something super cool.  His recent act of coolness involved ordering me a new cookbook from Amazon. Not just any cookbook, mind you. This was the newest cookbook by one of our favorite Food Network Chefs, Michael Symon.

Like any good Food Network groupie, I knew Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 (Amazon link) was about to hit stores and like any good Food Network groupie, my plans were in place to grab a copy asap. I was beaten to the punch, but the only things that matter are that 5 in 5 is in my eager hands and that it’s even better than I’d expected.

From the Back Cover:

With his boisterous laugh and Midwestern charm, Michael Symon has become one of the most beloved cooking personalities on television. For ABC’s The Chew, he developed a brilliant, simple formula to help home cooks pull together fresh, from-scratch meals on weeknights: a maximum of five fresh ingredients that cook in five minutes. This cookbook ties into the segment, featuring dazzlingly quick, satisfying dinners that the whole family will love.

Michael first teaches readers how to set up their pantries with essentials that make whipping up dinner easy. Then he shares 120 recipes for pastas, skillet dinners, egg dishes, grilled mains, kebabs, foil packets, and sandwiches illustrated in 75 photographs. This is streamlined cooking for busy families and firmly solves the “what’s for dinner?” conundrum for home cooks everywhere. With a 5 in 5 recipe, there’s always time for a home-cooked meal.

The only exception I take with the description is this: I’ve made two of these dinners, so far, and Fantastic doesn’t even begin to cover it. These. Recipes. Will. Blow. Your. Mind.

Below are a few of the other recipes from 5 in 5:

(reminder: if you have to eat gluten-free, simply make safe substitutions you’re absolutely sure of)

• Cavatelli with Cauliflower and Red Pepper Flakes
• Orecchiette with Sausage and Kale
• Lazy Meatball Kebabs with Yogurt
• Fried Bologna & Egg
• Spicy 50/50 Burger
• Chicken Marsala
• Garlic Chicken with Asparagus
• Pork Schnitzel
• Swiss Steak
• Bricked Grilled Chicken with White Bean Salad
• Grilled Skirt Steak with Chickpea Salad
• Caramelized Banana Sundae
• Salted Caramel Sundae
• Ultimate BLT
• Philly Cheesesteak with Provolone
• Salmon with Rosemary and Garlic
• Turkey and Avocado Melt
• Poached Eggs Parmesan
• Sloppy Mikes
• Eggs in Hell
• Plus Many more!

In the front of the book, you’ll find timesaving tips, Chef Symon’s favorite flavor combinations, and great pantry advice.  The book’s filled with gorgeous photos, including photos of Michael Symon and his beautiful wife. As one of the most genuinely likable celebrity chefs (or any celebrity or any chef for that matter!), one of the best things Michael Symon’s books have going for them is his personality – it comes through alongside his skills as a chef and the result is a cookbook you’ll always keep in plain sight.

If you love great food and love looking like a superhero to your family, you’ll want to order your own copy of Michael Symon’s 5 in 5: 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners today. This cookbook would also make an IDEAL gift for anyone, whether it’s Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Graduation, or “Here’s this because you’ll love it…” basically any occasion.