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Peg Bracken
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The I Hate To Cook Book by Peg Bracken (5-Aug-2010) Hardcover Board book

Middle English Edition by Peg Bracken (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 557 ratings
"There are two kinds of people in this the ones who don't cook out of and have NEVER cooked out of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, and the other kind...The I HATE TO COOK people consist mainly of those who find other things more interesting and less fattening, and so they do it as seldom as possible. Today there is an Annual Culinary Olympics, with hundreds of cooks from many countries ardently competing. But we who hate to cook have had our own Olympics for years, seeing who can get out of the kitchen the fastest and stay out the longest." - Peg BrackenPhilosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy. 50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't. This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.
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  1. Language
    Middle English
  2. Publisher
    Grand Central Publishing; 50 Anv edition (5 Aug. 2010)
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B013PQOM90
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Middle English
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 557 ratings

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Peg Bracken

Peg Bracken

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Peg Bracken spent her life writing when she could, cooking when she had to, and seeing the world as only she could see it. In her passing, she leaves behind nine books, a multitude of articles, columns, pieces of light verse, and a family whom she loved… and who loved her.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
557 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the recipes easy and delicious. They appreciate the humor and witty writing style. The book is simple and understandable, making cooking easier. Many customers find it a great gift with nostalgia and a touch of history. However, some readers feel the references are outdated and the lack of a quick reference index makes it difficult to find a specific item. Opinions differ on the value for money - some find it affordable and inexpensive, while others consider it a waste of money.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
RecipesHumorEase of useTasteGift valueNostalgiaValue for moneySpeticism
52 customers mention "Recipes"44 positive8 negative

Customers find the recipes in the book easy to follow and impressing. They say the cookie recipes are the best they've ever made. Some readers mention that the recipes use a lot of canned goods, which they usually try to avoid. Overall, customers find the book relevant and practical with good ideas for meal planning.

"this is a great cookbook...very funny and has many good, easy recipes." Read more

"...The new one has so much more to it and not just recipes." Read more

"...The recipes are great, as well!" Read more

"Easy read and great for new cooks" Read more

23 customers mention "Humor"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book witty and entertaining. They say the writing is fresh and irreverent, making it an enjoyable read.

"this is a great cookbook...very funny and has many good, easy recipes." Read more

"...The book is great reading. Bracken's irreverence and humor shine through...." Read more

"...Peg is a very entertaining writer, and while there are some different cooking shortcuts now (microwaves, a big one) and perhaps seasoning..." Read more

"I loved the humor in this cook book, and that's really what I bought it for. The recipes used a lot of canned goods, which I usually try to avoid...." Read more

22 customers mention "Ease of use"19 positive3 negative

Customers find the book's recipes simple and easy to follow. They appreciate the straightforward approach and understandable instructions that make cooking more enjoyable. The writing style is described as breezy and amusing, making it a refreshing take on cooking.

"...She was so observant & a great writer! So much of this is true." Read more

"...As a woman who hates to cook, it is a refreshing view of the tedious and often boring need to cook meal after meal...." Read more

"Easy read and great for new cooks" Read more

"...was very successful, and there are several others that sound good and easy...." Read more

15 customers mention "Taste"12 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the recipes in the book. They find the whiskey cake and spice cookies delicious. Many of the recipes have a nostalgic feel, like the favorite old-fashioned farm fry.

"...The recipes have a certain nostalgic feel. I’ve been cooking way more than normal due to Covid 19...." Read more

"...solid recommendations for pairings/meal planning and the whiskey cake is completely amazing, as are the spice cookies...." Read more

"...Cookie recipes are the best I've ever made and the Cockeyed Cake is wonderful." Read more

"...The recipes are easy, quick and delicious...." Read more

6 customers mention "Gift value"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and a good gift.

"...This cookbook remains relevant! Very entertaining too. A great gift 🎁..." Read more

"Made a nice gift for my wife who used to use the original over 40 years ago." Read more

"A gift for a family member!" Read more

"Great gifts..." Read more

6 customers mention "Nostalgia"6 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the nostalgic feel of the book. They find it a retro heaven with good stories and a touch of history.

"...I do like the book just for the nostalgic connection that I feel to previous generations that also hated cooking, but this makes it obvious that..." Read more

"...recipes in here, but with that comes some good stories and a touch of history, as well as some very solid recommendations for pairings/meal planning..." Read more

"...Lots of nostalgia here (if you're "of a certain age" as I am, you'll recognize many a youthful dinner you ate!), and lots of good humor...." Read more

"Nostalgia and easy recipes..." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive3 negative

Customers have differing views on the book's value for money. Some find it affordable and tasty, with easy ideas for things they already have on hand. Others feel it's a waste of money and not as good as the original.

"...must watch costs, this book has a great deal of easy and inexpensive ideas for things I'd probably have on hand or can find fast at the local market...." Read more

"...Falsely advertised, waste of hard-earned money. Fuming!" Read more

"...The Jam Tarts alone are worth the price of the book." Read more

"This book has nothing to add to the original. It is a waste of money. The first I Hate To Cook Book was just delightful...." Read more

6 customers mention "Speticism"0 positive6 negative

Customers find the book has outdated references and a lack of quick reference index. They also mention it's not new, high in fat, and hard to find specific things. The recipes are great, but the lack of a quick reference index makes it unnecessary to find a specific thing.

"...by a foreword by the late author's daughter, and a short chapter of household hints...." Read more

"Has some outdated references but all in all a decent book...." Read more

"...A little out of date and high in fat but still easy to make and the humor puts you in a better mood, if you must be in the kitchen anyway." Read more

"...great, the lack of a quick reference index makes it unnecessarily hard to find a specific thing. I would only buy it again in book form." Read more

More complicated than I expected
3 out of 5 stars
More complicated than I expected
Hating to cook in 1960 must have been different than hating to cook in 2019. This was more like a normal cookbook to me than a cookbook for people that hate cooking, just no pictures and the directions were sometimes entertaining and sometimes confusing. She references using my double boiler and “rolling out dough,” and honestly, I have never done either and would possibly screw it up since I hate to cook and never bothered to learn. I do like the book just for the nostalgic connection that I feel to previous generations that also hated cooking, but this makes it obvious that even though they hated it, they knew how and did a whole lot more than I do. I keep the book next to my stove to remind myself of how lucky I am to have not been born 75 years ago. If I’m ever feeling adventurous then I’ll try some of the recipes, even though most aren’t as simple as I had hoped.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Freda Harrington
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great cookbook!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    this is a great cookbook...very funny and has many good, easy recipes.
    Helpful
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  • chriso
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wedding gift
    Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I have the original one, says sixty six cents on the cover. I got this for a wedding gift because I know how much I used, and still use, my copy. The new one has so much more to it and not just recipes.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • jane
    5.0 out of 5 stars I may never make the recipes but I still love this book
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I first got this as a young bride 40 years ago. I know I made some of the recipes and we are still alive. I also winged it a lot. But I’ve always hated cooking. Fortunately my husband took up cooking as self-defense so I’ve never really cooked since. He recently had surgery that keeps him out of the kitchen him, so I figured it was time to step up. I decided to get another copy of this, and have to say I’ve been laughing ever since. She was so observant & a great writer! So much of this is true.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • J. Ney-Grimm
    4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh-out-loud funny
    Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    I purchased this cook book for the essays alone. True, I hoped to pick up a recipe or two that might be useful for those days when it's 5 pm and you have no idea what to cook for dinner and you should have started it an hour ago anyway. But I knew nothing about the book until one of my favorite authors recommended it on her blog as being a hilarious read. When I checked the "Look Inside," it looked like exactly the brand of humor I love. And so it proved. Peg Bracken had an accurate bead on are the foibles and frailties of women (and likely men, too, but she was writing in the 1960's when women were expected to do the cooking for their families) who want dinner without the labor of cooking, and she sketches us with such a smirk on her lips that I could only laugh.

    Now the recipes...well, I'm picky about nutrition and am unwilling to use packaged foods. In fact, I buy organic, pasture-raised, unprocessed foods. So few of the recipes will work for me as written. But I could see adjusting the recipes - for example, making white sauce (which is really pretty easy and quick) instead of using canned mushroom soup - and seeing how that worked. Of course, that would make cooking the dish more labor-intensive. But I didn't get the book for the recipes, so I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
    45 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Angelena
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgia and easy recipes
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I remember hearing about this book when I was a kid. The recipes have a certain nostalgic feel. I’ve been cooking way more than normal due to Covid 19. I’ve been getting a lot of recipes from the NYTimes. One came from this cookbook. I tried it (Chicken with artichokes and mushroom casserole), and it came out well and tasty, so I thought I might like the cookbook. One reviewer commented that the recipes don’t seem all that easy, so she wondered what easy meant in the 1960’s v easy today. To some extent this is apt, but I’m a fairly inept cook, and didn’t find the recipe that difficult.
    25 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Listener08
    3.0 out of 5 stars More complicated than I expected
    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Hating to cook in 1960 must have been different than hating to cook in 2019. This was more like a normal cookbook to me than a cookbook for people that hate cooking, just no pictures and the directions were sometimes entertaining and sometimes confusing. She references using my double boiler and “rolling out dough,” and honestly, I have never done either and would possibly screw it up since I hate to cook and never bothered to learn. I do like the book just for the nostalgic connection that I feel to previous generations that also hated cooking, but this makes it obvious that even though they hated it, they knew how and did a whole lot more than I do. I keep the book next to my stove to remind myself of how lucky I am to have not been born 75 years ago. If I’m ever feeling adventurous then I’ll try some of the recipes, even though most aren’t as simple as I had hoped.
    Customer image
    Listener08
    3.0 out of 5 stars
    More complicated than I expected

    Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2019
    Hating to cook in 1960 must have been different than hating to cook in 2019. This was more like a normal cookbook to me than a cookbook for people that hate cooking, just no pictures and the directions were sometimes entertaining and sometimes confusing. She references using my double boiler and “rolling out dough,” and honestly, I have never done either and would possibly screw it up since I hate to cook and never bothered to learn. I do like the book just for the nostalgic connection that I feel to previous generations that also hated cooking, but this makes it obvious that even though they hated it, they knew how and did a whole lot more than I do. I keep the book next to my stove to remind myself of how lucky I am to have not been born 75 years ago. If I’m ever feeling adventurous then I’ll try some of the recipes, even though most aren’t as simple as I had hoped.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
    117 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Angie Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars STILL HILARIOUS AND RELEVANT . . .
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A classic. The recipes are outdated, but the concept behind the book - it's OK if you hate to cook - was, at the time it was written, earth shattering. As a woman who hates to cook, it is a refreshing view of the tedious and often boring need to cook meal after meal. However, Ms. Bracken's sense of humor, and her irreverent view of the housewives' obligation to cook gourmet meals is still relevant today. Her advice on how to make your husband think he is going "first class" when you haven 't had time to cook much of anything is hilarious. The chapter on "how to bring the water for the lemonade" to potlucks, and other irrelevant comments will have you laughing your head off. With it's understanding of how the woman who hates to cook struggles through life, this book is a must read for those of us who would rather be doing anything else.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Janet Mills
    5.0 out of 5 stars classic for Its Time
    Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I have enjoyed reading and rereading The I Hate to Cook Book for 40 years. I consider myself a good cook if not always the most enthusiastic. Peg came through with some clever dishes when I was at my least enthused and the most desperate. I recall that Peg made no grand pretense of hi-falutin’ cooking, only recipes that got her through the month.
    I had my own versions of staple menus.
    But simply reading Peg Bracken’s book never ceased to give me the wherewithal and energy to do my best under less than optimal circumstances.
    Thank you, Peg, for your perseverance, your honesty, but most of all for your wit. Reading this book never ceases to make me smile, if not actually cook!
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Gabi
    5.0 out of 5 stars Endlich!
    Reviewed in Germany on October 7, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Auf diese Neuauflage habe ich Jahre gewartet.
    Report
  • Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Both hilarious and useful
    Reviewed in Canada on December 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Would you rather put a campfire out with your face than cook dinner, but don’t want anyone to know? This book tells you how to fake it. Worth reading just for how funny she is. Now I want to read her other books.
    Report
  • Jen K
    5.0 out of 5 stars good fun
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book at a remaindered bookshop many years ago, then I gave it to a charity shop when I moved. I missed it though I had copied out the recipe for cockeyed cake which is so easy to make whenever I am expecting visitors and it is worth buying it just for that. It is a vegan recipe too and so many of us have vegan friends these days!
    Report
  • JoanG
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great recipes
    Reviewed in Canada on April 12, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I grew up with the I Hate to Cook book recipes as my mother, busy with 4 post-war baby boom kids - including twins - was always looking for quick, easy, acceptable to kids recipes. I still make some of the recipes and my own grown-up kids email me asking for them now. My copy of the book was a little paperback - faded, ragged, missing the cover now - so I was delighted to get a new hardcover copy. It's timeless.
    Report
  • Lalage Clarke
    5.0 out of 5 stars An inherited favourite
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I lost my mother's passed down original copy!
    PANIC! - I found to my delight and relief, that I could still get hold ofit, and even better, some new recipes to add to the old favourites!
    Report