Spring Break
A college kid's guide to good cookin'
Liz Yockey
Issue date: 4/1/04 Section: Focus
With what seems like half of campus moving into apartments and houses next year, now is the perfect time to learn how to cook. Here to help is Kevin Roberts with his new, hip-approach cookbook, "Munchies."
Geared towards guys who need to learn to eat somewhere other than Taco Bell and with handy recipes for the female sex as well, the book is a pretty well-rounded guide to some fun things to do in the kitchen. The recipes include waffles, ice cream and liquor, but also cover tons of vegetable dishes and seafood recipes; which you might actually want to eat.
According to Roberts, he started cooking because he grew up in a single-parent home where it was either learn to cook or starve while his Mom was at work. This makes the book geared toward teenagers and college students participating in normal growing up activities such as trying not to starve late at night and impressing members of the opposite sex with the ability to cook dinner for two. Every situation is included from what to bring to the big game to a creative breakfast when you are late for your 8 a.m. Many of the recipes are things seen in restaurants or inspired from the remembrance of a delicious meal.
"I saw a sign or commercial advertising some great meal deal ... but it always turned out small, dry and wimpy . ... Out of frustration, I went to the store, bought the exact same ingredients and cooked one of those meals myself," Roberts says in the book's introduction.
A few flaws mar the book's genuine interest in making every young person a cooking guru. Some recipes are painfully obvious wastes of a full sheet of paper (even for a novice.) Nobody needs directions for putting dressing on spinach leaves. Even the dining hall teaches that one. Though for the most part, the directions are idiot-proof, there are a few terms not well-explained such as "sauté" and "steam." They may seem simple, but trust this writer - done improperly - they can screw up a dish. For help with these, consultation with an expert may be in order. Luckily, Roberts provides his email address, munchiescookbook@yahoo.com, for questions and comments. Maybe he will even tell you where to get the best deal on buying the book.
The other unfortunate dilemma is the soft binding which does not let the book lay flat. A different edition, bookmark or something heavy may help. However, since there are plenty of anecdotes and tidbits to keep you flipping pages while the garlic roasts, you may not need an accessory to keep the pages apart.
"It's definitely cool to know how to cook. First of all, it defines you as an independent person," Roberts writes.
Whether you're interested in the philosophy of feeding or just wondering how to make roasted balls, "Munchies" may be the ticket. Be sure to get over vegetable-phobia by trying the roasted asparagus.
Geared towards guys who need to learn to eat somewhere other than Taco Bell and with handy recipes for the female sex as well, the book is a pretty well-rounded guide to some fun things to do in the kitchen. The recipes include waffles, ice cream and liquor, but also cover tons of vegetable dishes and seafood recipes; which you might actually want to eat.
According to Roberts, he started cooking because he grew up in a single-parent home where it was either learn to cook or starve while his Mom was at work. This makes the book geared toward teenagers and college students participating in normal growing up activities such as trying not to starve late at night and impressing members of the opposite sex with the ability to cook dinner for two. Every situation is included from what to bring to the big game to a creative breakfast when you are late for your 8 a.m. Many of the recipes are things seen in restaurants or inspired from the remembrance of a delicious meal.
"I saw a sign or commercial advertising some great meal deal ... but it always turned out small, dry and wimpy . ... Out of frustration, I went to the store, bought the exact same ingredients and cooked one of those meals myself," Roberts says in the book's introduction.
A few flaws mar the book's genuine interest in making every young person a cooking guru. Some recipes are painfully obvious wastes of a full sheet of paper (even for a novice.) Nobody needs directions for putting dressing on spinach leaves. Even the dining hall teaches that one. Though for the most part, the directions are idiot-proof, there are a few terms not well-explained such as "sauté" and "steam." They may seem simple, but trust this writer - done improperly - they can screw up a dish. For help with these, consultation with an expert may be in order. Luckily, Roberts provides his email address, munchiescookbook@yahoo.com, for questions and comments. Maybe he will even tell you where to get the best deal on buying the book.
The other unfortunate dilemma is the soft binding which does not let the book lay flat. A different edition, bookmark or something heavy may help. However, since there are plenty of anecdotes and tidbits to keep you flipping pages while the garlic roasts, you may not need an accessory to keep the pages apart.
"It's definitely cool to know how to cook. First of all, it defines you as an independent person," Roberts writes.
Whether you're interested in the philosophy of feeding or just wondering how to make roasted balls, "Munchies" may be the ticket. Be sure to get over vegetable-phobia by trying the roasted asparagus.