Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis

Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes Reviews

• 
  Amy Kannel

  I get that Giada is gorgeous. Really, she is. Stunningly so. But when I open a cookbook, I expect to see photos of, I don't know, the food described in the recipes maybe? Instead it is: Giada stirring a pot of something. Giada chopping something. Giada's million-dollar smile as she juices a lemon. I MEAN SERIOUSLY. This is a cookbook, not a fashion magazine. Good grief. Photos of garlic, photos of a cutting board + knife. SHOW ME WHAT THE PREPARED FOOD LOOKS LIKE!!
  
  Mostly this seemed not really my style. I marked maybe three recipes I want to try. But on the whole it seemed too simplified and too Italian-American...I don't mind going to some extra effort in the kitchen and I was looking for some authentic Italian recipes. Also I was just so annoyed by the useless photography.
• 
  Christine

  OK, I have some strong opinions about the Food Network stars and I happen to love Giada. I do not like Rachel Ray, by the way, and don't get me started on lame-ass Sandra Lee. Crazy Ida will probably have a breakdown one day when that husband of hers who is never around finally leaves her, but she does know how to cook well though.
  
  Anyway, Giada has it all: the perfect body, adoring husband, impeccable cooking skills, a winning personality, the most current Anthropologie wardrobe, and friends miraculously appear wherever she travels to on her weekends.
  
  And I actually do really like her as a Food Network chef. She knows what she is doing, has style in her cooking and is a great teacher. Now onto her cookbook...
  
  Her cookbook has wonderful, appetizing, close-up photos of the finished product. Her ingredients and directions are very clear. More importantly her recipes are really good. They are what Italian cooking is all about...fresh and relatively simple ingredients prepared correctly to create something wonderful. It is truly a celebration of food.
  
  Giada makes her recipes so detailed that someone who knows almost nothing can make them. But they are decent enough that anyone who is an ace in the kitchen will enjoy them as well.
• 
  Mary Frasier

  Everything from anti-pasti to dolce' in an easy to follow format and with beautiful photos of the finished food. The Crostata with Mushrooms and Pancetta (page 28) looks and tastes like something you would be served in a 3 Michelin Star restaurant, yet it is so easy to prepare, even for the beginner home cook.
  
  Most of the ingredients in these recipes are easily found in a well stocked pantry. Loved it and use it as one of my day to day "go to" cookbooks. As a barkeep would keep his/her finer liquors a level above the rest, this particular book of Giada's is kept on the "top shelf" in my cookbook cupboard.
• 
  Jess | dapper.reads

  Cookbooks are books!
  
  I love reading cookbooks! I am aware that many people do not consider a cookbook to be reading material, but if you take the time to really sit down and read one I think you’ll discover that while yes, it is primarily recipes, it is also an incredibly educational experience! I always learn so much about finding the best produce for my needs or knowing when spices need replaced (even if they are far from expiring). This book taught me a lot of things about making authentic Italian food!
• 
  Devon

  I love Giada de Laurentiis. She is a model chef, mother and wife and has the cutest style and her show "Everyday Italian."
  
  This cookbook is wonderful if you want to cook tradition Italian dishes. I love the tortellini in chicken broth.
  
  My one complaint in this book is that she doesn't bring anything contemporary into these dishes. I love anything traditional, but I wanted her cookbook to see a new twist on some of these everyday italian meals.
  
  I am very excited to try her desserts!!
• 
  Loretta

  Great Marinara recipe. Very close to my own Nana's.
• 
  Shawn Grant

  I don't remember much about this book, but it taught me how to make risotto. For that I will ever be grateful.
• 
  Nicole (Reading Books With Coffee)

  Since I checked this out from the library, I only had time to make a few of the recipes, all of which were really good! Plus, there’s a few more I wanted to try, but I didn’t get the chance. It’s definitely something I want to buy when I get the chance. Or maybe I can just check it out from the librayr another time. The recipes I did make were interesting: lots of fresh herbs and veggies! I managed to not hurt myself while chopping the vegetables up, which is a miracle. And washing/rinsing and then chopping them the second I got home from the grocery store is a really good idea! It made everything go a lot faster knowing that everything was ready to go.
  
  Plus, I love the simplicity of the recipes: I did have some trouble finding some of the fresh herbs at the grocery store, but thankfully it was really easy to substitute them with the ones I could find.
  
  Rating: Based on the few things I managed to make, it gets a 4 out of 5. I love the easy-to-follow recipes, and the layout of the book.
• 
  Kristl

  I love Giada. I love Giada's books, I love Giada's recipes, I love Giada's show, I love how Giada says "crunchy," heck, I love Giada's clothes.
  
  I love basil, tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil (I needn't cutesy abbreviate here or the Food Network world might implode), parmesano reggiano, and I love basil some more.
  
  The recipes in Everyday Italian are fresh, simple(ish), and easily shopped-for.
  
  I only refrained from the final star because not everyone loves the fresh Italian palate all the time (all the time... see the review for "French Women Never Get Fat" to see how I was meant to live abroad) like I do, nor do they necessarily embrace ingredients like pine nuts and currants like me (my sister). And I cook for these people.
  
  
• 
  Janet

  I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook -- the "everyday" concept is delivered in an approachable way. The majority of the ingredients are readily available and in my local grocery store. None of the recipes seem daunting. I can't wait to try them!
  
  The bonus for me was that this was a downloadable library book. I would have passed this by at the bookstore, but the no-risk opportunity to thumb through it (albeit virtually) led to my reading every recipe.
  
  
• 
  Miss Clark

  I loved this one and I know I'll be using these recipes very often. From the homemade marinara sauce to the balsamic chicken, it will be so much fun trying these out and enjoying them with family and friends!
• 
  Douglas

  Some great receipes in this book. I cook for my mom and my girlfriend. They all loved many of the receipes I made for them. If you love italian food, you NEED to get this book!
• 
  Meredith Henning

  Quintessential Giada...my go to for Italian anything :)
• 
  Robin

  This was my pick for this month's Cookbook Book Club at my library. One of the things the group enjoyed about this book was that Giada didn't call for any unusual or expensive ingredients. We only ended up with 2 desserts from the 13 participants. We had a LOT of vegetable based dishes which was fine with me. I made a bean dip from cannellini beans which was yummy and I'm sure I will use again. My husband did sauteed broccoli rabe with pine nuts and raisins, also a tasty dish. Our only other complaint was that there aren't that many photos in the book and some of the directions weren't entirely clear.
  
  This is definitely a good choice for a cookbook club because there are a lot of recipes that can easily be made ahead of time. Oh, one of the most unexpected tasty recipes was Giada's spin on mashed potatoes! Yum.
• 
  Denise Mullins

  Tried a number of her recipes, and while the desserts were all winners, her take on common fare was a little too out there for my family to rank as s keeper(salmon cakes with mayonnaise and saltines proved alarmingly inedible). However, there were plenty of color photos and recipes were well explained. Would recommend for those who enjoy recipe books and cooking in general.
  My library's cooking club worked with her series and it proved to be a great discussion.
• 
  Shirin

  This is the book that I learned how to make marinara sauce from after two other attempts using recipes I found on the internet turned out to be duds, so I'm probably sentimental about it for that reason alone.
  
  Also, my half-brother is currently crazy about this book's recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo, though I usually modify it by using half-and-half instead of cream and only a mixture of mixture of mozzarella and Parmesan (instead of just Parmesan) and adding chicken.
• 
  Nancy

  I did really enjoy the recipes in this book, I just wish I could have seen pictures of each completed dish. The 5 food-related pictures sprinkled throughout the book were lovely, I just didn't need to see 53 pictures of Giada. In black and white. Stirring something. Chopping something. Tasting something. Smiling about something. And always, ALWAYS, in the same short sleeved vee neck tee. Ugh! Giada, we all know you're quite the dish, but we don't want to see you in a cookbook!
• 
  Debra

  It's only $2.99 on a Prime Special.
  
  It was well worth it. I have bookmarked a number of sauces, pasta dishes, veggies, risottos, and desserts.
  
  There's grilling recipes and stews.
  
  This might be a one stop cookbook for everything Italian. I'm especially excited about the vegetarian lasagna and the turkey meatballs.
  
  See if it's still $2.99!
  
• 
  Sal Vulcano

  ITALIAN FOOD IS LITERALLY JUST THE SAME THING EVERY TIME! THEY AREN'T CREATIVE OR SMART. ALL ITALIAN FOOD IS MADE OUT OF THE SAME INGREDIENTS! WAKE UP! ALL OF IT IS OVERRATED! ITALIAN CARS SUCK TOO. THEY ARE JUST EXPENSIVE GARBAGE MACHINES!
  
  USA IS THE ONLY GOOD COUNTRY!
  
  CAW CAW CAW!
  
  FREEDOM!
  
  
• 
  Anna

  I simply looked through this entire book that I borrowed from a friend and it was awful. I have made a few of her recipes in the past and they just don’t work. Her food is boring and lacks flavor. And not only that, but I just cannot stand her!!!!!
• 
  Michael

  Awesome Cookbook. Loved The Tons Of Recipes.
• 
  Meghan Stapleton

  I have tried most recipes and they are all fantastic. I also haven’t found a better chicken piccata dish any where! This is a must have on a shelf.