I would recommend this book for college bound person. Prep is filled with information to help you prepare before you get into the nitty gritty of cooking. For some people I think this will help take some of the pressure off of cooking. It breaks things down to help you stay organized.

Even this little bite of information is a bit excessive for college students who probably don't have access to a sharp knife or an oven in their dorms, but the lessons are handy and useful for those in their first apartments or anyone sharing a house for the first time.

This was easy to follow and I enjoyed the tips and tricks to help encourage confidence in cooking. The layout didn't feel overfilled with text or pictures so it was enjoyable to look through.

PREP by Katie Sullivan Morford is subtitled "the essential college cookbook" and contains a nice list of staples to keep in the pantry. Fun recipes include Double-Cinnamon French Toast which, like many of the others, lists ingredients, key equipment and offers a "pro tip" (about making and freezing some extra servings, in this case). Morford is writing for the novice cook and encourages experimentation while also explaining terms (dice, chop, etc.) involved in food preparation. She offers numerous sidebars (like "How to Dress a Salad" or "How to Ripen an Avocado") with step by step directions and suggestions.

Her section headings ("Prep eggs like a pro" or "Fix a killer plate of pasta") will generate interest, too. Beautiful, colorful pictures are interspersed throughout the book, but I wish there were more images and slightly fewer ingredients per recipe. PREP is a wonderful complement to other cookbooks for beginners like Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown.

I swear, after just glancing through the table of contents, I was smiling like an idiot. This book was literally calling my name. I can totally picture myself being a broke college freshman, opening my fridge to make oatmeal, in the morning, salad and eggs in the afternoon, and a slab of chicken breast at night. But with more flair and flavour thanks to this book. I am so so excited to be able to try out some of these recipes.

Each chapter consists of five recipes, but I think that's more than enough to provide myself a foundation for the rest of my college years.

There so many pictures to accompany the book and although they are fairly simple, I'm still salivating over the recipes and photos.

As a cooking guide for college students, it also provides all the terminologies and tips necessary to begin our college cooking careers. I'm usually terribly afraid of recipes that have instructions that take up more than a page and get very turned off by ingredients list that consist of more than a half a dozen obscure ingredients. But Prep's recipes are simple and the ingredients are minimal (#brokecollegestudent #brokeAF) but regardless, I can sense it's potential of transforming me into a master chef (haha I'm joking). So reading through this cookbook was pure heaven for me.

Prep by Kate Sullivan Morford really is a cookbook that has all of the essentials. The layout is simple and the instructions are easy to follow. Also, there are also lots of tips and tricks that will be of use to new chefs. Prep is a definite resource for any college student.

REVIEW: PREP: THE ESSENTIAL COLLEGE COOKBOOK

The one thing that draws me right into a recipe book is one that has beautiful images. Prep has bright and simple pictures that help to describe cooking basics. The no fuss pictures fit perfectly with the easy and straight-forward nature of the the cookbook.

❀ SKILLS FOR SUCCESS IN THE KITCHEN

The cookbook is laid out into ten different sections that vary from pasta to desserts. In addition, each section focuses on a skill that can be useful to create other recipes. Sullivan Morford really does help her readers achieve success in the kitchen by providing useful tips. Most importantly, to not strive for perfection.

❀ USEFUL RECIPES FOR STUDENTS

Many of the recipes that are included in the book are ones that students will find useful. Common take-out foods, such as Thai and Mexican are featured in Prep. Also, these recipes are lightened up and simplified for a student who is busy and wants a healthy alternative, I made the Greek Chopped Salad and really enjoyed how quick and easy it is to prepare. The use of pita chips as croutons and a simple oil and lemon dressing give it a lot of flavour. Prep is a cookbook that should be on every student’s wishlist.

As a Teen Librarian I love finding books to add to my "Adulting" suggestions list. Prep is the newest addition to that arsenal. Morford, a mother of 3, wanted to ensure her kids knew how to cooking before they are on their own.

Morford tackle this by breaking down cooking into 10 sections, focusing on 5 recipes per section. The idea is to master the technique in each recipe and then use it in other recipes or areas of cooking.

Recipes cover all meal times (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and components such as mains, salads, sides and one dish options. The format is easy to follow and the organization put into this is well thought out. The intro section includes measurement conversion charts, cooking style definitions and how to tips on cutting and prep. Morford includes a great basic list of what kitchen equipment is needed to complete each recipe and includes a listing for each individual recipe.

Prep is a brilliant, non intimidating guide to cooking via skill building. I would recommend this to beginner cooks and anyone who may need a refresher or reintroduction to cooking basics.

Beautiful ~ Simple ~ Appealing
tl; dr: Easy recipes with attractive graphics

This is supposed to be a cookbook for college students, and I am thinking of getting it for soon to be graduates I know. But, I found this perfect for my middle school kids. Teaching your kids to love eating is easier than teaching them to care for themselves. This book is so beautifully made, particularly with the graphics that look like linocuts. It feels very grown-up, but gives simple info. Frankly, plenty of "grown-ups" could enjoy this book. It also does a great job of cooking with real, affordable ingredients. I will be getting this book for my little ones.

Thanks to NetGallery for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Prep by Katie Sullivan Morford is the perfect cookbook for those who have absolutely no clue what they're doing in the kitchen but would like to learn. Given that most of the human beings with zero cooking skills are students, this book is marketed as the essential college cookbook.

The book is bright and clean, which is a good thing, because when there is so much to learn you don't want to be distracted by unnecessary information. It starts with a very good general introduction to cooking and covers topics such as equipment, knife techniques, and different ways of preparing food. The book has a decent number of basic recipes that challenge you to experiment, by trying it with a couple different ingredients etc. Everything is really well explained, and the author never forgets the audience she is writing for. One of my favorite things about this book was that whilst I was reading it, I got the feeling that Katie drew some of her inspiration from Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (which I absolutely love) and then that was one of the books Katie mentions as further starter cookbooks.

Whilst this book covers the basics of cooking in a very thorough way, I believe it won't be very interesting for more experienced cooks, as the recipes are quite simple. I believe that this book would make the perfect gift for those in your life that are about to start college, or perhaps even some younger kids that want to be fully prepared before they leave for college.

My rating for this book is 3,75 out of 5 stars.

Super easy recipes for this learning to cook or for those learning to love to cook. Great pictures, recipes, tips and tricks along the way.

Prep: The Essential Cookbook by Katie Sullivan Morford is chockfull of recipes and cooking tips that should help almost any cook get a meal to the table. Her book is targeted for novice cooks as she wrote the cookbook for her daughter who getting ready to graduate from high school. Moford's book was written to teach how to prepare nutritious meals.

Throughout her cookbook you will a Pro Tip section that offers key cooking tips. For example she writes this tip on how to increase the recipe size for making Scrambled Eggs.

"You can easily multiply the recipe to feed more people. Just be sure to use a big enough pan with a nice stick of butter along the bottom and know that the cooking time may be a little longer."

You will find plenty of color recipes depicting the prepared recipes too.

Some of the recipes you'll find in her cookbook include:

Cheesy Parmesan Polenta
Cheeseburgers with Awesome Sauce
Quick-Fix Pita Pizza
Sheet-Pan Chicken and Potatoes
One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

A good, basic beginner cookbook for teens and young adults. Covers basic cooking skills like the difference between chopping, dicing, and mincing, gives lots of helpful tips, & covers equipment and pantry basics, both essential and "nice to have." The book covers different types of foods- eggs, grains, meat, vegetables, pasta, beans- and gives several recipes in each category, along with chapters on snacks and small meals, cooking for a crowd, and sweets. A good gift for someone going off to college or moving out of the family home.