Family Chow Hall

A Man, A Can, A Plan - can these three items really go together?

April 17th, 2006

Honestly, of course they can! Men have traditionally gotten a bad rap when it comes to expertise in the kitchen. But truly they can learn to cook just as easily as a woman can learn to change the oil or mow the lawn. No biggie.

Hence, the cookbook “A Man, A Can, A Plan” — by David Joachim and the editors of Men’s Health.

A couple of years ago, my sister gave this cute little cookbook to my husband for Christmas. Of course, I have used it more than he has, not because he’s not capable - I just simply enjoy and therefore do most of the cooking.

A Man, A Can, A Plan comes as a boardbook (those chunky little books that babies love to chew on) and includes 50 simple recipes that all involve opening a can or two. Organized by type of meat is helpful if you have a hankering for a particular main ingredient, and there is a special chapter for cooking with spaghettios and another for beer. We see inside recipes for everything from breakfast to Mandarin Chicken to Chili and even some desserts.

A Man, A Can, A Plan would make a great gift for a bachelor or a busy family who has to cook quick meals often. It is full of actual photos of the ingredients, to help the inexperienced shopper find the right stuff at the store. The recipes are not always as simple as you would imagine, and often require cooking up the meat before adding the canned items, but that should be a cinch for guys who can remember all the NFL scores of their lifetime, build a computer from a pile of parts, or figure out why the engine light on my car came on.

I think the only drawback this book has would be that although it all claims to be healthy food, much of it includes prepackaged items that are probably high in hydrogenated oils and trans fats. I’m not talking about the canned items - there’s usually not a problem there - but some of the recipes call for refrigerator biscuits, prepared cookie dough, etc. I think it’s also a bit of a stretch to suggest that spaghettios are health food. While the tomato content IS good, the over-processed starchy O’s are not.

So, all in all, I would give this book a hearty recommendation to anyone who is not overly serious about health food.

This week — Chicken Enchiladas, Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Pulled BBQ Pork Sandwiches, and Sourdough bread.

Eat Well to Live Better

Entry Filed under: Book Reviews, Mixed bag, Supper