Review of "Real Food, Real Fast" by Sam Stern

British teen Sam Stern raised quite a ruckus with his first cookbook "Cooking Up A Storm". Now he gives us a collection of recipes from snacks to complete meals you can make in under a half hour using basic ingredients. The book has five sections, based on the preparation time - 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes. As you'd expect, the five and dime sections are pretty simple affairs - lots of toast, salads, and sandwiches. But once you get to the 15 minute meals, things start to get much more interesting with elaborate stir-fry's and wraps.

Sam writes like he's trying to be the next Jamie Oliver, and I could do without all of the pictures of Sam and his friends. But there's no denying that there's lots of great ideas in this slim, but satisfying cookbook.