Straight Up Tasty by Adam Richman
Rating: 3 out 5 stars
Our family is a big Adam Richman fan. We love watching old episodes of Man V. Food together. So I was really excited to see that his cookbook was available from Blogging for Books. Straight Up Tasty is a collection of over 100 recipes ranging from breakfast and snacks & small plates to sauces & condiments and sweets. I like that Richman is not a chef or claims to be one. He’s a guy who loves food….and don’t we all?!!! There isn’t a specific theme to this book of recipes. Rather it’s a mix of recipes that Adam has grown up making and recipes of family and friends. Interspersed through the cookbook are recommendations on where to get the best breakfast, the best burgers as well as a list of best restaurants based on the protein (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and meat substitutes), based on his culinary travels.
I didn’t end up cooking any of the recipes from the cookbook. I found the recipes were either similar to things that I’ve already made before (“Lemon Ricotta Pancakes,” “Easy Carbonara,” “Chicken Marsala,” and “Spaghetti Pie”) things that I’d just rather order out at a restaurant and not be bothered making (“Maple-Glazed Pork Belly Poutine and Sweet Potato Fries,” “Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe Dumplings” and “Pulled Pork Egg Rolls”) and things that I already make and don’t need recipes for (“Latkes,” “Home-style Corned Beef and Cabbage” and “Grandma’s Egg Salad”).
The recipes cover a range of tastes and ingredients. There’s simple recipes like “French Farmhouse-Style Simple Roasted Chicken,” “Easy Lemon Butter Salmon,” and “Smoked Paprika Onion Rings.” None of the recipes called for difficult to procure ingredients, except for maybe the “Banh Mi Burger” which asks for pork pate.
So who is this cookbook for? I’d say fans of Adam Richman will enjoy this cookbook as they get to know a little more about him and are able to cook some of his favorite recipes, including his “Mom’s Spinach Pie” and his “Grandma’s Home-style Brisket.”
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. However, all opinions are my own.
