Editorial Review

Vegan cupcakes will take over the world. Better to give in sooner than later and make this a smooth transition.After all, they're so delicious, easy to make, adorable and portable, these little cuppers are sure to be the beginning of a dairy-free baking revolution.

In this sweet and sassy guide, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of the smash-hit cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance,and Terry Hope Romero serve up a batch of everyone's favorite dessert.Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World unleashes more than 75 recipes for cupcakes and frostings--some innovative, some classics--with beautiful color photographs.

Every single recipe has been tested to perfection, so sneak these 'cakes into any party and watch them win over the crowd.Indulge in:

* Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes
* Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Cupcakes
* S'mores Cupcakes
* Lemon Macadamia Cupcakes
* Mucho Margarita Cupcakes
* Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
* Cappuccino Cupcakes filled with Espresso Crčme

You'll also learn Isa and Terry's secrets of no-fail baking, inspired decorating, piping like a pro, and shopping for vegan ingredients, plus true cupcake anecdotes from the trenches. When Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World , no dessert lover can resist! ... Read more

Reviews

Vegan Cupcakes Have Taken Over My World!, January 4, 2007
I love love LOVE this book. The recipes are simple and perfect, every time; I have had VCTOtW for about a month and a half now, and despite at least weekly bakings, haven't had a single recipe fail yet. Not one. Since I bought it I seriously can't stop baking and am beginning to fear for my waistline!

I would like to second another reviewer who pointed out that the recipes don't ask you to use egg replacers or other "substitutions" common in vegan baking (usually because someone is trying to veganize a non-vegan recipe); instead, the recipes are just designed vegan from the ground up, and call for simple ingredients that anyone would have (oil, baking powder, etc.). Also, there are tons of beautiful color pictures of finished cupcakes throughout, which is one of the most important things about a cookbook, to me. Then, too, they suggest enough variations on each cupcake recipe (there's 6 suggested ways to dramatically alter the chocolate cupcake recipe alone) that this book will keep you occupied for quite a long time.

Since every baker likes a little external validation, here's mine: I have gotten absolute raves on every cupcake I have made so far, and most of these raves were from non-vegans who were comparing my vegan cupcakes with regular [non-vegan] cupcakes. For example, last night I fed a chocolate cupcake with cookies 'n cream frosting (vegan buttercream frosting with Newman's O's mixed in... this is a recipe from the book, obviously) to a friend who didn't just enjoy it, but was absolutely WOWED. "Geeze, it's amazing what they're doing without dairy or eggs these days; these are better than regular cupcakes" was one comment that I particularly appreciated because most vegan desserts can taste good, but in my experience it's the rare vegan dessert that can taste identical or even BETTER than the regular omni thing.

I would recommend this book to anyone, vegans and omni's alike, because even if you're not vegan (or lactose intolerant), the cupcakes taste fabulous. The recipes are so simple they're basically idiot-proof, and I have seriously never in my life had better chocolate cupcakes than the ones I made from this book: moist and fluffy and ooh... just perfect. And I'm not even a chocolate person.

Anyway, do yourself (and everyone in your life who will be eating your baked goods) a favor and buy this wonderful book! I'd give it 10 stars if they'd let me...

Vegan Cupcakes Have Taken Over My World, November 8, 2006
I am not a vegan, but I loved Vegan with a Vengeance...and I couldn't wait for VCTOTW -- this book is awesome. So far I've only made the basic vanilla cupcakes but the frosting alone (vegan buttercream and the chocolate buttercream -- couldn't resist making both) was worth the price of the cookbook and MORE! And, to top it all off, I made the first batch in honor of my son's birthday and neither of my kids even blinked an eye to notice that these cupcakes were anything other than YUMMY!

P.S. I have always been intimidated by cupcakes (and especially frosting) -- but these recipes made it all seem easier, somehow.

WOW is all I can say..., October 12, 2006
I have been a wandering vegan for about a year now, and the only reason I wander is to indulge in delicious, yummy sweet treats that contain egg and/or dairy. I was so impressed with Isa's first book that I pre-ordered this one from Amazon, and I shall wander no more! Wow. This is a must-have for anyone who is vegan or allergic to dairy. You can pretty much recreate any of your favorite cupcake (or cake, for that matter - same recipes, different pan) recipes without the need for cholesterol-laden egg or milk products (calories are another story...). The layout of the book is wonderful, and the pictures are great! I am so excited to make these as gifts for friends during the upcoming holiday season. They'll NEVER believe they're VEGAN. I think that's the highest compliment any pastry chef could receive. 5 GLOWING STARS! Thanks, Isa, for making veganism so easy and tasty :)

Ok Isa, we need to talk..., October 24, 2006
Isa is ruining my number one excuse for declining dessert, and most vegans know exactly what I'm talking about. Picture this scenario that all vegans have experienced countless times: you're at the office potluck/halloween party/family gathering. Post-meal, the desserts come flying to the table. As everyone lifts their forks grabbing their favorite decadent dessert, they stare at you. The strange vegan. Those who don't know you approach, and with a warm smile, offer you a slice of NY cheesecake. You decline politely, saying, "sorry, it has dairy so I don't eat cheesecake." Well, based on Isa's doing, I can no longer sit out from the dessert scene. I don't know if I should salute her or throw my bathroom scale at her since I no longer want to use it after baking from her new book.

Similar to the reasons I raved about her cookbook, Isa's charming book of cupcake recipes is stellar. First of all, I challenge all omnivores out there to think of 75 possible cupcake combinations. Now take away the milk. And eggs. Oh, and one can't use any butter, so nix that too. Ah... that's better. Now one is introduced to the vegan-style baking that Isa makes so effortless for the rest of us who are ingredient-challenged.

Before I learned how to bake vegan cupcakes from this book, I would trudge down to Sticky Fingers bakery in DC and cough up $4 for a product reminiscent of a 25-cent Hostess cupcake. While at the bakery I would hand over my money, gritting my teeth and reminding myself how lucky I am to live in a vegan-accepting city. Then, I would take a bite back to the 4th grade, pre-Vegan era.

Not only does this book make baking a lot more economical and bring back those childhood memories, but these things are really frickin good. In the mood for fruity cupcakes? No problem. Craving rich chocolate buttercream? Simple. And delicious. And awesome. For all you closet vegans living in the heart of the south (and I'm sure you're out there), bake some of these cupcakes for the most die-hard fans of banana fosters and it will truly rock their world. I baked a variety of the cupcakes for a dinner party and when people saw them they asked when I stopped being vegan.

What I'm trying to say: baking these delicious cupcakes are easy and the end result is phenominal. Not only is this cookbook revolutionary in that I can't think of another dedicated to the undiscovered art of cupcakes, but it's also one step closer to saving vegans from being known as the strange eater at the dinner table. Thank you, Isa Moskowitz, even if my growing thighs do not. How about for your next cookbook you introduce a low-fat vegan cookbook for those getting out of their cupcake-induced sugar comas?

My Cupcake Bible, December 12, 2006
The moment I pledged my devout allegiance to this book was when my husband's entire family (including my mother-in-law, who used to work at a bakery) fell in love with the gingerbread cupcakes w/ lemon buttercream icing I made from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World."

Baking does not come naturally to me - thankfully, this cupcake book provides really good details and pictures that help any novice make beautiful, tasty cupcakes.

TRUE SELLING POINT: Instead of "replacing" ingredients (i.e. substituting eggs with applesauce) the authors clearly took a lot of time and effort to concoct a perfect balance of ingredients to make these taste amazing, rather than like a "veganized' version of the "real thing."

I cannot wait to try out some of the "fancy" cupcake recipes, like pistachio rosewater or the boston cream pie cupcakes. Brownie cupcakes look amazing, too, since I have not yet been able to create a good vegan brownie.

"Vegan Cupcakes" is consistent with what I had expected from Isa's other book, "Vegan with a Vengeance." Along with the recipes, there is fun, cheeky commentary that makes the book so unique.

In short, this book is great for vegans and non-vegans alike. You do not need dairy or eggs to enjoy these sweet & adorable treats!

You don't have to be Vegan to love Isa's books, November 1, 2006
I am not a Vegan or Vegetarian but prefer to cook vegan and vegetarian meals. I find vegetarian recipes more fun and creative than meals that focus on meat. Isa's books are by far the most creative (and tasty) I have used and I highly recommend them to anyone. To omnivores who are wondering if these recipes only taste good to vegans who have forgotten the way cupcakes are "supposed" to taste; you have nothing to fear. Happy Baking!

Best cupcakes ever!, October 6, 2006
I was lucky enough to be a recipe tester for this awesome book, so trust me, you have to buy it! I just counted and so far I have made 28 recipes that you can find in this book.

Everybody will like these cupcakes, vegan or not. There are so many creative and easy recipes, there's something for everybody.

Not only are the cupcakes great as is, but you'll find other uses for these recipes that will come in handy for absolutely everything. I haven't made a cake this year that wasn't based on one of these cupcakes. I've memorized the vanilla buttercream frosting because I've made it so many times. It's good with cakes, as a topping for desserts, donut filling, etc. Same goes for the chocolate ganache, good for everything. You won't be disappointed!

Divine, delicious and dairy-free, November 16, 2006
These cupcakes are seriously delicious and a lot easier than you would expect. I made them for a birthday party and no one could believe they didn't (1) come from a bakery and (2) were vegan. And I had never baked cupcakes before! My first batch was so easy that I tried three other recipes. All delicious.

Isa and Terry - hats off!

I'm in my kitchen pouring over the gorgeous pictures singing "Who can bake a cupcake without the eggs and cream?" to the tune of Candy man. With Isa and Terry life is sweet.

Seriously vegan, Seriously good., October 19, 2006
I'm not a great, witty writer, so simply said - this book is amazing, adorable, and will make you and your mouth and your vegan friends and your omnivorous friends happy.

-I've made the chocolate coconut coffee cupcakes - which I'd pay any overpriced tag for
- The s'mores cupcakes (so sweet and tasty you can't believe they are vegan)
-The sexy lowfat vanilla cupcakes (the name says it all)
- Last night I made the classic maple cupcakes. The maple cupcakes take your mouth to a Vermont tasting wonderland.

Cupcake fan, vegan or not, these recipes need to be tackled by ya, and given to all you know and love. I bought my non-vegan sister a copy and one for myself.

Pure vegan genius!, October 7, 2006
Whether you prefer plain yellow cupcakes or fancy-schmancy green tea cuppers with marzipan flowers, there is something in this book for you. I also was fortunate enough to have been a tester for this cookbook, which is filled with winners. The authors are accessible and helpful on their website, theppk.com, and they've provided lots of useful tips and troubleshooting hints in the book. There's even decorating advice. This is one of those books where the fact that the recipes are vegan is incidental--the cupcakes all taste wonderful! (Although vegans, vegetarians, and other kind-minded folk will be glad to know that the recipes can all be made without harming another being, except yourself if you burn your tongue because you just can't wait to taste your creations!) Beautiful, drool-worthy pictures, too. It seems very likely that if anything is going to take over the world anytime soon, it's going to be these vegan cupcakes. ... Read more

Editorial Review

In today's global market, cooks are constantly coming across unusual or unknown ingredients in recipes; it seems that almost every day new varieties of fruit and vegetables, rare meats, exotic spices, and flavorings are available at supermarkets, butchers', and farmers' markets.



The ultimate comprehensive "show and tell" reference to ingredients from around the globe, The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients showcases fresh food and explains how to get the best out of it. Packed with annotated images and expert information that tells which varieties are best, and how to buy, store, and eat them, more than 250 "simple classic" recipes, and over 2,500 photographs, The Illustrated Cook's Book of Ingredients is an invaluable reference for food lovers and cooks intent on making the most of all the ingredients available today. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, the landmark best-selling malt whiskey companion by the late Michael Jackson, doyen of whiskey writers, has been comprehensively updated by a team of experts. Featuring over 500 new bottlings, reviewed and scored, plus hundreds of revised entries, Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch includes background information on the distilleries, tasting notes on over 1,000 bottlings, and practical advice on buying malts and interpreting whiskey labels. ... Read more

Reviews

THE guide to Single Malts, May 10, 2002
I consider myself an above-average (although by no means an expert) fan of Scottish single malts, and I own several books on the subject. I find "Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" to be the most comprehensive, intelligible and above-all useful book in my whisky library.

While no book can take the place of sitting down and doing some tastings, buying whisky by the glass for tasting can be prohibitively expensive. If you are buying by the bottle, it becomes an even greater investment, and figuring out your individual tastes will be a considerable investment. Michael Jackson's guide goes a long way in the selection process, leading you to the whiskys most likely to meet your pallet. Each whisky is outlined, explained and graded. It will at least give you an idea of what to expect when approaching an unfamiliar label.

This book definitely falls into the "If you only own one book about single malt..." category.

So Many Scotches, So Little Time, October 10, 2001
As a novice Scotch drinker, I often found myself in the local liquor store standing in front of the whisky displays feeling a little like Sir Edmund Hillary before Everest- wondering just where to start. Scotch, like wine or music, is an incredibly personal thing, and there are numerous brands to appeal to a wide array of palates. By my ignorance hasn't cost me, because I tend to buy what I already know I like rather than risk forty of fifty dollars on a malt that I won't like. So, rather than risk money on a malt that will just sit on the shelf, I tend to only buy various Glenmorragie, Glenfiddich, etc. In restaurants I always seem to be stuck with the 12 year old Glenlivet, since liquor barons Seagrams seems to have control of every restaurant's alcohol supply. And while on a day trip to Stillwater, Minnesota we ate a restaurant that had an impressive list of Scotches, (I consider any more than 3 or 4 types impressive), and I tried a 15 year old Glenkeith that amazed me.

It finally dawned on me that after nearly a year of conservative tasting, i.e. not going beyond what I have listed above, that perhaps I need an expert opinion. Michael Jackson's "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches" seems to fit the bill nicely. Inside are personal reviews of over 800 Scotches from Scotland and Ireland, plus a brief history of Scotch is discussed. To my chagrin, Jackson seems to have taste for peatier Islay malts like Laphroaig and Talisker, malts that I have yet to mature enough to enjoy. He does give high marks to what I already drink, with the Glenmorangies scoring in the 80's on a scale of 100. The Scotches he seems to most enjoy are those bottled by the MaCallan in the Speyside region. And again the MaCallan's seem to have an abundance of peat.

Overall, though, the book is marvelous. Well illustrated with clear photographs of lables to give a reader some idea of what they can look for in a store when making a purchase. His descriptions of Nose, Body, Palate and Finish are clear and concise enough that even a novice drinker like me can understand the meanings, especially when it came to what I already drink. Scotch seems to have become trendy again, and I'd like to think that I am not following that trend, because as so many people have told me, drink what I like rather than what everyone else tells you to. So I plan to start experimenting, with the "Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotches", I have a better direction. And maybe in time I will come to like Islay malts. Time will tell.

Classic work, November 28, 2002
The discovery by Americans of single-malt whisky back in the 80's and 90's was one of the most interesting stories in the food and beverage market ever. This event by itself probably prevented a number of distilleries from closing, and several, such as the great Ardbeg, which had been moth-balled, were perhaps reopened as a result.

Some great but lesser known malts, like Edradour, found new appreciation for their tiny output abroad. Edradour, for example, produces less in a year than some distilleries do in a week, like Tomatin (the Edradour distillery only has 3 employees and only makes 2 barrels a week). Others, such as the Islays like Lagavulin, Laphroaig, and Bowmore, and even the oddly dual-natured Caol Isla, with its both sweetish and phenolic character, were already known in Scotland but garnered new fans here in America. As in Scotland, the Islays are not to everybody's taste, but I know people here who will hardly touch a drop of anything else--an amazing testament to the enthusiasm that has developed in America even for the stronger and more exotic malts. And probably no book did more to make that happen than Jackson's great little books on single-malt scotch.

On a personal note, sometimes even the Scots themselves failed to appreciate how far American sensibilities had come with respect to single malts. I had the experience 20 years ago, when still a young man, of sitting in a bar at the south end of Loch Lommond, and having a well-meaning bartender refuse to serve me some Laphroaig. He insisted on giving me Royal Brackla from an old bottle, itself a great malt. But he thought this young American didn't know what he was asking for, and I think he was worried he might do in a perfectly good, paying customer with a draught of the pungent, phenolic, peaty, and iodine-tasking Laphroaig.

These books taught me a lot and I have all 3 editions. They're great for learning to appreciate the particular aspects and flavors of a malt, and as I've been tasting single-malts for 20 years, I've found Mr. Jackson's descriptions to be very accurate and informative. In many cases, after learning from his description, I was able to go on and detect things that weren't even in the book--a great testament to his skill as a teacher and writer. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have been able to educate my sense of taste nearly as expertly.

There is no better way to learn about single malts than to take samples of several malts and then taste and compare them using this book. After you're tasted a couple of dozen malts you should be able to get a good sense of what's going on and be able to go on from there.

A good way to do this is to pick a couple of classic malts from each category, say a couple of lowlands, a couple of highlands or Speysides, and a couple of Islays, and taste them alongside each other with this book. Some of the malts are just so unique or special that they deserve tasting by themselves--as in the case of Clynelish and Highland Park, or Caol Isla and Talisker, or the often overlooked but wonderful lowland malt, Littlemill, with its sweet cocoanut, English toffee, and creme de caramel flavors.

Well, I could go on for a while about interesting things to do for tastings, but I will leave the rest of that to you, hopefully by way of this book, except for one last recommendation. The great Victorian connoisseur and single-malt scotch authority Professor Shaftsbury considered mixing together some Clynelish and Longmorn to be possibly the greatest drink in the world. So you might give it a try sometime and see what you think. Good luck and happy tasting!

A welcome update of a classic guide, February 11, 2000
Many of us have learned to appreciate the variety within the world of single malt whiskies with a wee dram in one hand and an opened copy of Michael Jackson's guide in the other. The new 1999 edition of this classic work on single malts is a welcome update. It includes all of the information from earlier editions and adds reviews of many even more whiskies than were included in the last edition. Jackson's descriptions and opinions are accurate and they are fun to read. Running Press has done a first rate job in publication of the material; it is a beautiful book.

If you are new to the world of single malts and want a single reference, this is the place to start (although you should also seek out the writings of such authors as Charles MacLean and Jim Murray). If you already have an earlier edition of this book, the 1999 edition is still worth getting for all of the new reviews.

Thanks to Michael Jackson for his outstanding work.

Going To The Candy Store?, January 17, 2001
Do not, repeat, do not, go to a well stocked liquor store in search of single malt scotch without this book. I've been a follower of Michael Jackson for some time now in the beer world. When I decided to branch out into single malts my wife ordered me this book and I've found it invaluable. If you are familiar with Mr. Jackson's work in the beer world, this book is the equivalent of his pocket guide to beer. Read it, put it in your car and take it with you to the liquor store like a good friend, and, like a good friend, it will give you good advice and never desert you.

If you already have a few single malts, read the reviews and see what Mr. Jackson says about them. Take that information and you'll be able to find other winners, guaranteed. I've found that my single malts must be aged as close to the sea as possible. I appreciate the highland malts but the sea is me. Where do your favorite malts come from? Read the book, live it and see.

Still The Best, June 26, 2005
Consider this a devil's advocate of a review. I would not be without this book; it is still the best guide to single malt whisky available. However, with the fifth edition, it has become apparent that the burgeoning world of whisky has surpassed the ability of Jackson, or any writer, to keep up. It's well known among afficionados that a number of very popular single malts have changed subtly over the past five or ten years, and Jackson's notes on them have not been updated. It would be nice if he would at least note the date each tasting was made. There are also one or two questionable editorial choices made. No fewer than twenty-seven pages are devoted to Macallan (which is generally not at all peaty, by the way!), including notes on many rare vintages that the average user of this book will never see, much less taste. Meanwhile, the venerable Bowmore distillery is given the short shrift of three pages, and half of its standard bottlings are not listed at all.

Despite my quibbles, I would still recommend this as the one book on single malts to have, if you could only have one. But if there's one thing I've learned in several years of whisky appreciation, it's that opinion is subjective, and the more opinions you can read, the better a picture you will have. Get this one first, for sure, and then get Jim Murray's Whisky Bible (available at amazon.co.uk, if not here). At that point you will either be sated, or off and running. The saying "The more you know, the more you know what you don't know" is nowhere more true than in the world of whisky.

A "Must Have" Book for Malt Whisky Drinkers, January 28, 2000
This is one of two "must own" books for serious Malt Whisky drinkers. It contains the most comprehensive list of Single Malt Scotch Whisky available. For each, Mr Jackson provides a history of the distillery, his ranking (1-100 points) and (most valuable) detailed tasting notes on each. Michael Jackson is perhaps the most highly respected figure in Scotch Malt Whisky tasting. Photographs of the labels are provided for many selections. If you love the variety and expirience of sampling Single Malt Scotch Whisky, buy this book.

Essential, Inspired & Inspiring Guide to the "Water of Life", November 3, 2004
"Michael Jackson's Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch" is a truly great reference for the connoisseur and novice alike. This 5th edition includes descriptions and scores for over 1,000 single malt Scotches, about 250 more than the previous edition. It is a handsome volume, well-organized and printed on slick high-quality paper. The book has an attractive, durable cover instead of a dust jacket.

The "Complete Guide"'s first 80 pages are dedicated to educating the reader about whiskies in general and single malt Scotches in particular. Ten chapters discuss a useful variety of topics: trends, origins, definitions of terms used in labeling, the influence of the terrain on flavor, the characteristics of various regions, the significance of age, the woods used in casks, and a list of the companies that own Scotch distilleries, with some explanation of their history. The chapter on Flavours is particularly interesting. Michael Jackson is a good writer. His explanations are clear without being dull, and they will leave few questions in the minds of readers who are new to Scotch whisky.

The core of the Guide is the "A-Z of Single Malts". Michael Jackson explains his scoring system and the components of his tasting notes: colour, nose, body, palate, and finish. Then he launches into descriptions of more than 1,000 Scotches produced by, I believe, over 90 distilleries. A few paragraphs explain a little bit about each distillery's history and unique characteristics. The Producer (owner), Region, District, and Address are listed for each distillery, as well as telephone, e-mail and web site where it is available. I found that the palate and finish descriptions took some getting used to before I was able to reconcile Jackson's description to how the malt really tastes. He has a sensitive palate, which has become, or always was, keen to certain nuances. I'm sure everyone is different in that sense, but I picked up on his meaning after a while. His attempts to describe all aspects of the sensory experience unique to each whisky are most helpful and impressive. It is a pleasure to browse his descriptions. The book's single imperfection is the absence of pronunciation guides. The pronunciations of some distillery names are mysterious to those unaccustomed to hearing Scottish words.

In the last pages of the "Complete Guide', Jackson gives us some general information on whiskies from Ireland, the United States, Japan, Asia, and continental Europe. There are also brief descriptions of some vatted malts and Jackson's recommendations for how best to enjoy whisky.

A good attempt at updating the classic, March 16, 2010
Michael Jackson died in 2008 and his book had not been updated since 2004. The malt whisky industry has changed greatly since then. The goal of these three editors was to update Michael's classic book while trying to do it as he would have himself.

The layout of the book is in alphabetical order by distillery. There is a short half-page introduction to each distillery, a sentence on the distillery's house style, followed by very short reviews and ratings of several whiskies from the distillery. Many reviews also include a picture of the bottle label. The beginning of the book starts with a general introduction to whisky, left mostly untouched from how Michael wrote it.

The goal of the editors was to keep as many of Michael's original reviews as possible, while updating them with reviews of new whiskies and removing outdated whiskies. The introduction says that two-thirds of the reviews are new, but I also found many of Michael's iconic tasting notes still in the book. The authors have intentionally changed very little in The Macallan section due to Michael's special affection for The Macallan, although they have added reviews of the Fine Oak series.

I listened to a recent interview with the editors. When it came to reviewing the whiskies, the editors say that they tried to stay true to Michael's style. This means that the reviews are terse, ratings are rarely above 85, and also that the editors tried to put aside their own opinions of the whiskies and tried to rate them as Michael would have (based on their reading of his past reviews). They spent 18 months updating the book, each working on reviewing separate distilleries without consulting each other on the reviews.

Overall I am satisfied with this book, although I do not own the previous versions. Many recently released modern whiskies are reviewed now, while I was also able to find some reviews that I know to be Michael's originals.

The editors hope to continue to update this classic and release new editions, but there are legal issues regarding Michael Jackson's estate. Therefore future editions of this book are still uncertain.

The next best thing to a single malt itself, October 7, 2003
This guide to single malts is being continually revised and is the best of its kind. Mr. Jackson is always expanding his range of whiskies, even to include those made beyond Scotland. He provides an valuable index to the best brands and give you a short history of the distilleries. I've used this guide to help me enlarge my taste for single malts, which now includes a pretty fair sampling. I find myself repeatedly drawn to the 10 year-old Laphroaig, which proves as Mr. Jackson notes, that age is not always the best indicator of a great whiskey. Location has a lot to do with it, as this Islay whiskey seems to have a flavor all its own. He also notes the various blends, and which malts they use as their base. You'll be surprised to find that the more popular brands are not necessarily the best brands, as White Horse uses another Islay malt, Lagavulin, as its base. If you are new to single malts, this book will help you get started. The only limit is the your pocket book, as these whiskeys don't come cheap. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Gluten free doesn't have to mean taste free, and chef Robert Landolphi proves it with his new work, Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook.

Landolphi is the up and coming gluten-free cookbook author. His dishes aren't just delicious, they're also quick and easy, and take living without wheat from endurable to enjoyable.

It's lots of flavor without the fuss. This cookbook includes more than 100 recipes for contemporary dishes ranging from main courses and sides, to soups and chowders, biscuits and muffins, pies and puddings, and cookies and sweetbars.

* Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook is one of only a few gluten-free cookbooks written and developed by a professional chef.

* This cookbook provides a fresh and progressive voice for gluten-free living. ... Read more

Reviews

Excellent gluten-free cookbook!, September 18, 2009
I was recently diagnosed with Celiac disease and needed a good "every day" cookbook. I followed the reviews here, and I was not led astray. This is by far one of the best cookbooks I have ever owned! My husband (who is not GF) and I have been very impressed with every recipe we've made from this cookbook. The recipes are easy, the ingredients aren't hard to find (which is a big plus if you live in the boonies like we do), and the food you will make is far better than non-GF food (really!). I highly recommend it!

This Cookbook is Simply "Fabulous"!, May 31, 2009
I bought this book because of an interest in gluten free eating, but this cookbook is great for even those not following a G-free diet. I find the recipes all very interesting and delicious. I made the "Coffee-Encrusted Beef Tenderloin with Port Wine Sauce" for dinner last night, and I only wish there was some left - it was amazing! I'm making the "Hazelnut-Encrusted Salmon with Cilantro-Lime Creme" tonight. I can see myself using this book frequently. The Gluten-Free Basics section at the beginning helps with understanding how to cook G-free. It seems this book will make this transition to a G-free diet very easy. I highly recommend this book!Gluten Free Every Day Cookbook: More than 100 Easy and Delicious Recipes from the Gluten-Free Chef

Gluten Free Goodness!, May 6, 2009
I had overheard a few people discussing this book and decided to buy a copy for myself to try. I have one relative with Celiac Disease and thought this book would be great for holidays or just when the family gets together. At our most recent family gathering my family members raved about the Maple Glazed Pork Tenderloin Recipe! The recipe directions are to the point and very easy to understand. I look forward to trying every recipe in this book!

Great Recipes, March 7, 2010
I ordered this book in an attempt to try my 6 year old son on a gluten free diet. Eliminating gluten from his diet has helped him to calm down in school and he has become less "angry" which I believe was a side effect of gluten in his diet. This book has a lot of basic information about gluten free ingredients. I especially appreciated the descriptions of many non-wheat based flours. This cookbook has excellent recipies including one for flaky biscuits and awesome chocolate chip cookies. It's a great book to start or add to a more healthy living cookbook collection.

Really Great Recipes, November 7, 2009
I've tried out a dozen of the recipes in the book so far - and all have been winners! The real proof can be found in the fact my father (a picky eater through and through) happily eats at my house when these recipes are on the table. Straight forward, easy to follow, but a different take on each recipe.

And the romantic in me can't help but be touched that a chef would go gluten free and work so hard just to make sure his wife got tasty food!

Lots of great gluten free ideas and helpful cooking and prep information, July 10, 2009
I had been searching for a new cookbook recently, which can be challenging if you can't eat gluten. My friend gave me a copy (actually signed by the author) and was immediately excited about finding lots of easy to follow recipes that contain many ingredients that are easily accessed as well. It also contains many simple tips about special food prep and cooking ideas that can take your recipe over the top. Although, the only meat that I eat is select fish, the meat oriented recipes can be replaced with meatless sources too. Lots of cool dessert recipes that even the most discerning gluten eater would enjoy!

gluten free cooking, November 28, 2009
This is a wonderful book for anyone, gluten consceience or not, who enjoys cooking and wishes to create healthy dishes. Author Rob Landophi offers his reasons why he became involved in gluten free cooking and his personal experinces add a special touch. The love and dedication he feels for his family come through in each recipe. The book covers all the different areas of cooking in easy-to-read text with fabulous explanations of gluten free products for the beginner.

What a find! - Best gluten free cookbook!, June 1, 2010
No. 1: This is one of the few gluten free cookbooks written by a certified chef.
No. 2: Everything is superb!
No. 3: I can now make biscuits better than I could when I was on a gluten diet.
No. 4: A nutritionist was involved in its creation.
No. 5: It teaches you how to cook whether it is gluten free or not.
No. 6: It teaches you about the gluten free ingredients and its purposes.

What an easy decision. Buy this book! It has great recipes. I can't wait to try the pizza dough recipe!

I've been sharing this book on my blog and with my over 3400 Facebook fans and they love it, too!

He recipes are INCREDIBLE!, November 14, 2009
All I can say is THANK YOU for these great recipes. My seven year old son finally likes something that is gluten and dairy free. The shrimp recipe is to die for!!!! I can't wait until the next book comes out :-)

Great Book - Great Food!!, August 20, 2009
This book has been such a delight. I was struggling with how to cook some favorites and this was the answer. Clearly written with great suggestions for products and sources. ... Read more

Editorial Review

American chef Jessica Theroux spent a year traveling throughout Italy, cooking and talking with Italian grandmothers, learning their secrets and listening to their stories.The result is a charming and authentic collection of recipes, techniques, anecdotes, and photographs that celebrate the rustic and sustainable culinary traditions of Italy’s most experienced home cooks.
Cooking with Italian Grandmothers features the histories and menus of fifteen grandmothers, each of whom welcomed Ms. Theroux into their kitchens and pantries and shared both their favorite dishes and personal wisdoms.From the dramatic winter shores if Ustica to the blooming hills of Tuscany in spring, readers will journey through Italy’s most divers regions and seasons, to discover the country’s most delectable dishes, from the traditional to the unexpected, and meet the storied women who make them.
Part travel diary, part photo essay, part cookbook, Cooking with Italian Grandmothers features over 100 time-honored recipes, from the perfect panna cotta to the classic meat lasagna.

Includes:

Recipes and wisdom from 12 Italian grandmothers
100 classic Italian recipes
A number of regional and seasonal menus, complete from appetizer to dessert.
Over 150 full color photographs. ... Read more

Reviews

Truly a Beautiful Book, September 30, 2010
Chef, author, artist, and healer Jessica Theroux traveled all throughout Italy, apprenticing to wise grandmother cooks during her year-and-a-half adventure. This book is a set of stories, recipes, and photography from the journey.

The recipes are absolutely fantastic, the photography is luscious, and the documentation of vanishing traditional Italian food culture is important. But what really makes the book stand out is the quality of the writing.

The language is evocative, and the tales of the women embody such beautiful wisdom. The prose is poetic and rich; the writer has a gift for telling the tales of these extraordinary women. And Jessica's journey was not just physical; you can feel the author grow wiser throughout the progression of the book. The challenges of the trip, the exposure to the wise grandmothers, and the wild and unexpected experience of life itself serve to impart this wisdom to Jessica page by page.

The Jessica who set out on this journey is different than the Jessica who returned.

I don't normally associate cookbooks as something that you can just sit down and read, but this book is a joy to curl up with, like a warm wool blanket by the fire. I will be buying them for family and friends as Christmas presents, and just-for-the-heck-of-it presents. A sense of love and warmth permeates the book, and it will truly touch the reader.

Every once in a while a truly special book comes along- this is one of them.

Five stars.

A cookbook rich with recipes, stories, and pictures from a year spent with Italian grandmothers, October 25, 2010
Chef and health consultant Jessica Theroux had a mission: travel throughout Italy for a year, meet bona fide Italian grandmothers, and learn from them the secrets of real Italian cooking. With little more than a handful of personal contacts--but with a clear idea of what, and whom, she was looking for--she traveled from town to town, seeking out incredible home cooks, earning their friendship, and learning their most beloved recipes. The result is a gorgeous, heavy volume rich with rustic Italian recipes; lovely pictures of Italian homes, foods, and countryside; and stories about the women who brought these recipes to life.

The twelve Italian grandmothers featured in the book are generous with their time and cooking techniques, providing over a hundred recipes ranging from caramelized baby artichokes to blood orange gelato. These are not thirty-minute meals--but ease of preparation isn't the point; this is about tradition and nourishment in their very best forms. //Cooking// will make readers long for an Italian grandmother of their own--but provides the next-best way to get succulent Italian food on the table.

Reviewed by Margo Orlando Littell

Soulful Journey, October 11, 2010
This book is absolutely beautiful! Between the illustrations, the photography, the words, and the recipes, it's truly a piece of art! Jessica's journey connected me back to my journey in and out of the kitchen..travel, food, grandmothers,,,, After reading her book, It felt as if my own grandmother was present. A true hommage to older generations...bringing back what's good, soulful, and much needed in today's busy world. It's a reminder to slow down and tap back in to our roots...to remember our past generations who were serving up soulful advice and food! I can't wait to give this book as gifts for the holidays and birthdays...especially for women..it is a beautiful work of art with amazing and easy recipes from Italy. What more could you ask for?

Could be the cookbook companion to "Eat Pray Love", November 15, 2010
With the delicious recipes and stunning photographs to go along with the stories of Jessica's relationships with these wise Italian women, this amazing book should take the place of "Eat Pray Love," particularly for foodies who now can make the revelatory meals in their own kitchens. The veal osso bucco and saffron risotto recipes from this book resulted in, by far, the most delicious meal I've ever made. It's hard to choose what to make next, and the stories about how Jessica came to these recipes make the meals even more meaningful when enjoyed. The only trouble with this book is that I can't decide whether to keep it in my kitchen, or on my coffee table!

Amazing recipes...Fantastic food!!, October 15, 2010
My mom and I just spent a lovely day together cooking five of the recipes from this amazing book! We were able to make all of them despite our somewhat limited chef skills...and each dish was just FANTASTIC!!! We both thought it was one of the best meals we've ever had. The Apple Cake was phenomenal! The fennel salad was a simple wonder! And the best part is feeling that connection with our heritage and with each other...everyone should give a copy to their mom!!!

Women, Food, & Listening, December 13, 2010
I must first apologize for taking so long to complete this book review. I was expecting this to be a mere cookbook. I thought I would skim over it quickly, try a recipe or two, then tell you if they were any good. But that was not to be. This book will not allow one to rush. It demands that you savor it slowly, one page, one recipe, one photograph at a time, with pauses for absorbing what you have seen. It begins with a quotemost appropriate, considering what is to follow:

"No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers." Laurie Colwin

In an introduction to the book, Chef Alice Waters says, "We have forgotten how to feed ourselves and each other and are at risk of losing our culinary heritage. However, when the stories are told and the recipes retained, we somehow manage to secure them for the future...Jessica Theroux has taken a gift for connecting with people and new cultures and translated it into an anthology of stories that capture the role of food and family in the lives of twelve remarkable women. Her closeness with the women she has lived and cooked with comes through with clarity and beauty as we meet them through their pasta, beans, and rabbits."

As a young girl, Jessica Theroux was fortunate to have an Italian au pair. Then she and her family traveled to Italy a few times to visit Graziella (the au pair) and her mother, Mamma Maria. "It seems to me now that I was always destined to return to Italy someday to recapture those childhood pleasures... Mamma Maria was the original Italian grandmother for me, and as I set out as a young chef to document and learn Italy's food traditions, it made complete sense to go back to that beginning...I also yearned for the sense of nurture and connection that comes with being well fed; I wanted to experience this, and I wanted to learn how to do this for others." If you too are interested in learning how to do this, I think this book would be a very good place to start.

As someone who is very much interested in using local, seasonal ingredients and trying to recapture the "taste of place," I was especially interested in seeinghow the cooking of each of Italy's regions has been informed by its geography, history and evolving circumstance. For instance, Theroux tells us that the Lombardian cooking of Mamma Maria's youth was affected by wartime's enforced simplicity, with an intimate dependence on one's garden, on the local trees, on the land and the ocean, on the animals one raised, and on the foods and skills one could trade with neighbors. "As Mamma Maria and I cooked these Lombardian dishes together I started to get a better sense of Northern Italian cuisine. These dishes were heavy, warming, and very sturdy. Mamma Maria was like this, too."

From there Theroux worked her way south, absorbing all that she could from the women she cooked with along the way, until at last she found herself with another Mariaone whose cheeses tasted of the local grasses and ocean airon a tiny volcanic island off the coast of Sicily. And the recipes she picked up along the way? Oh, my, my. Working my way through them will be the next best thing to spending a year in Italy myself!

The first recipe I tried was Giovanna's Brown Butter and Sage sauce, served over mushroom ravioli from my freezer, but I look forward to autumn, when I shall try it on her Pumpkin Tortelloni with crumbled amaretti biscuits in their filling. Over the holidays I plan to try her Torta de Grigna, a simple cocoa and almond cake which will be perfect for afternoon tea. I also plan to try several of the soup recipes in the bookso warming on a winter's day. Come summer, it will be difficult to choose between Daria's Pesto Lasagna and Maddalena's Spaghetti with Burst Tomatoes, but one thing is certain. Dessert will be Blood Orange Gelato!

Theroux says, "This is a book about women and food and listening... Good cooking, the kind that feeds the soul and nourishes the body, is the result of listening openly and acting simply. All of the women in this book taught me something about the power of food to connect us to ourselves, our history, our land, our culture, to our past and to the present moment...My greatest hope is that this book will encourage you to pay the utmost attention to your life, and in particular to your food and the people around you. What you discover could change your life."

by Becky Lane
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Packed with flavor and insights, December 10, 2010
COOKING WITH ITALIAN GRANDMOTHERS: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM TUSCANY TO SICILY comes from an American chef who spent a year traveling throughout Italy cooking and talking with Italian grandmothers, learning their secrets and stories. The result is a fine blend of history and recipes of twelve selected grandmothers who welcomed Theroux into their kitchens and shared their favorite dishes. From Roasted Leeks with Eggs and Olives to Broccoli and Pine Nut Pasta, this is packed with flavor and insights.

Beautiful book, great recipes!, December 5, 2010
I ditto the comment that Cooking with Italian Grandmothers belongs in the kitchen, on the coffee table and the nightstand for interesting reading. I'm buying it for holiday gifts for several relatives and my friend who's an Italian granddaughter.

Exquisite, December 22, 2010
Beautifully written. The recipes are authentic and superb. The photography is gorgeous. Before I run out of adjectives, just want to say this is one of the finest cookbooks I have ever seen. This is real food for real people. No ridiculous combination of trendy ingredients. What a joy to read and use over and over again.

Everyone's Thanksgiving Gift, October 17, 2010
Jessica has gifted us with a deeply thoughtful, moving, and beautiful book. Every page reminds us what truly nourishes: The land, what it provides, the legacy of the cultural knowledge that has been passed down through the generations of women. The love that is shared through good meals and time spent with friends and family. The opportunity we have to slow down, listen, and learn from our grandmothers.

This is not only a cookbook, it is a collection of experiences that give context and richness to the ingredients and recipes. What I like most about it is the understated feel, look, and tone of the book. It's not flashy, or hyped, and in this world of glossy fads and celebrity chefs, that's a breath of fresh air.

I especially loved the simplicity of some of the meals. Roasted broccoli shoots with olive oil and salt. That's it! So incredibly yummy.

Jessica is an authentic, welcome voice for the Slow Food movement. I look forward to being nourished by this book and whatever she shares with us next. ... Read more

Editorial Review

For all who love the magical flavors of good Indian cooking and want to reproduce effortlessly some of the delectable dishes from that part of the world, here is a groundbreaking book from the incomparable Madhur Jaffrey that makes it possible. By deconstructing age-old techniques and reducing the number of steps in a recipe, as well as helping us to understand the nature of each spice and seasoning, she enables us to make seemingly exotic Indian dishes part of our everyday cooking.

• First, she tantalizes us with bite-size delights to snack on with drinks or tea.

• A silky soup is mellowed with coconut milk; a spinach-and-ginger soup is perfumed with cloves.

• Fish and seafood are transformed by simple rubs and sauces and new ways of cooking.

• A lover of eggs and chicken dishes, Jaffrey offers fresh and easy ways to cook them, including her favorite masala omelet and simple poached eggs over vegetables. There’s chicken from western Goa cooked in garlic, onion, and a splash of vinegar; from Bombay, it’s with apricots; from Delhi, it’s stewed with spinach and cardamom; from eastern India, it has yogurt and cinnamon; and from the south, mustard, curry leaves, and coconut.

• There is a wide range of dishes for lamb, pork, and beef with important tips on what cuts to use for curries, kebabs, and braises.

• There are vegetable dishes, in a tempting array—from everyday carrots and greens in new dress to intriguing ways with eggplant and okra—served center stage for vegetarians or as accompaniments.

• At the heart of so many Indian meals are the dals, rice, and grains, as well as the little salads, chutneys, and pickles that add sparkle, and Jaffrey opens up a new world of these simple pleasures.

Throughout, Madhur Jaffrey’s knowledge of and love of these foods is contagious. Here are the dishes she grew up on in India and then shared with her own family and friends in America. And now that she has made them so accessible to us, we can incorporate them confidently into our own kitchen, and enjoy the spice and variety and health-giving properties of this delectable cuisine. ... Read more

Reviews

Great Addition to the Cookbook Library, November 5, 2010
I bought the Kindle edition of Madhur Jaffrey's new book and am more than pleased with it. I have used Ms. Jaffrey's Indian and Asian cookbooks for many years and love her recipes and techniques. This new one is a nice addition to my library as it contains simplified versions of some great Indian classics as well as regional Indian specialities that are new to me and will help be get a good Indian meal on the table in less time but with as much taste.

I'd like to say a few words specifically about the Kindle edition, which is what I purchased. I'm very pleased with amount of thought that the publisher put into making this a very useful e-cookbook. I have had to return two different e-cookbooks recently because they had minimal or no formatting, which made them useless as reference tools. The publisher of Ms. Jaffrey's book, however, went to the trouble of effectively formatting the index and lists of recipes and ensuring that there were internal links within the different recipes for other recipes related to the one I was look at at the time. This is really important in a e-cookbook -- that one can jump back and forth between index and recipes as well as between recipes themselves for a seamless experience. So, kudos to the publisher for doing much more than just scanning the book and throwing it out there for unsuspecting Kindle owners.

The best yet...., November 4, 2010
I have all of Ms. Jaffrey's books and many other similar cookbooks. This is a breath of fresh air. There are always writings about "curries". Even lists of ingredients. There are NEVER NEVER EVER writings about how these curries are developed for fish, poultry or vegetables. One book lists 50, 100 spices, yet offers no advice on how they might be combined for various foods.
THIS book actually talks about fish and several spices, meat and several spices, vegetables and appropriate spices - both as marinades and spices to add during cooking. Finally there seems to be some sense about this. Not complete, but a start.
Please Ms. Jaffrey, write a book on how these spices are combined and designed for various purposes.
This is the first book that lets the light glimmer out from under the bushel basket. Thank you.
Buy it.

At Home with Madhur Jaffrey, November 16, 2010
I just got Jaffrey's new book, and I'm going to make several recipes from the book later this week. I think that this book will become my favorite Jaffrey , although I have several others as the recipes seem really tasty and interesting without being too complicated or too spicy in most cases, and mostly they seem to be very healthy and tasty food, and lots of fish and vegetables but also meat and chicken, and kabobs. I can tell that this book is going to become a great favorite , and I'm planning on giving it to various people for Xmas.

I love Madjur Jaffrey, November 15, 2010
I have almost all of Madjur Jaffrey's cookbooks. I got hooked on Indian food while living in England in the late '70's and I started buying her books then. They were particularly helpful when I returned to the US and I was unable to find any Indian restaurants so I had to cook it myself. I even took a cooking class from Madjur in Ireland in the late '80's and it was wonderful! I have never made a bad recipe from any of her cookbooks and I anticipate that this will be the same. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Entertaining made easy,with Mexican-inspired recipes and handy tipsfrom the celebrity chef and winner ofBravo’s Top Chef Masters.Whether you’re hosting a casual get-together with friends or throwing an outdoor shindig, no one can teach you the art of fiesta like Rick Bayless. With 150 recipes, Bayless offers you the key to unforgettable parties that will have guests clamoring for repeat invitations. There are recipes for small-dish snacking (Mushroom Ceviche, Devilish Shrimp), dynamic cocktails to get the party started (Champagne Margarita, Sizzling Mojito), and Bayless’s signature takes on Mexican street food (Grilled Pork Tacos al Pastor, Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas). Live-fire grilled fish and meat dishes like the “Brava” Steak with “Lazy” Salsa will draw friends and family to the glow of open flames. And if you’re going to throw a truly epic celebration, you’ll need a killer finale like Frontera Grill’s Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars or Dark Chocolate–Chile Ice Cream.

Fiesta at Rick’s offers 150 diverse preparations organized into easy-to-follow chapters. But it’s far more than a collection of recipes. With four complete, can’t-miss menus for parties ranging from a Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12 to a Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24, Bayless has all your friends covered. Each of these parties has a complete game plan, from a thought-out time line with advance shopping and preparation to a fiesta playlist. Whether a first-time entertainer or a seasoned veteran, anyone can learn from the helpful sidebars, which cover topics such as how to shuck oysters, the perfect avocado for guacamole, and the best way to pick out fresh fish for ceviche preparations. Bayless breaks down the timeless building blocks that make up authentic Mexican food, explaining the value of fresh tortillas and providing surprisingly simple instructions for making your own Mexican Fresh Cheese.

Bayless’s entertaining blueprint eliminates the guesswork, so you can let your inspiration run free. Companion to seasons six and seven of Rick’s Public Television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time, Fiesta at Rick’s is required reading for everyone who loves opening their home to friends and good times. Four-color photographs throughout ... Read more

Reviews

Lots of good recipes, good supplementary Mexican cookbook, not a first reference, July 5, 2010
I view this book as a complement to Bayless's other books: once you are comfortable with Mexican cuisine, this book is a big help when you want to show off your skills for a crowd. He and his wife Deann (co-authur of the book) deal with the logistics of centering a party with various Mexican themes, from a "Luxury Guacamole Bar Cocktail Party for 12" to a "Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24." Included are drink recipes, salsas, guacamoles (the roasted garlic and orange guacamole in particular is excellent), as well as many main dishes and desserts. Included are a surprising number of vegetarian options, important so that those guests don't feel left out of the party. The recipes also scale down well, if you aren't feeding 100 guests. Winners are the enfrijoladas, the guacamoles (not your typical guacs, these!), the Cochito Chiapaneco (grilled pork roast), the Tacos de Arrachera al Carb�n, and his twist on Enchiladas Suizas. I didn't care for the Queso Fundido al Tequila, but so far most of the recipes have ranged from pretty good to great.

If you are looking for an introduction to Mexican cooking from a beginner's standpoint, I'd suggest either "Mexico One Plate At A Time" (by Bayless), or "The Art of Mexican Cooking" by Diana Kennedy. Either of those will provide you with the solid fundamentals that you need before you can get the most out of Fiesta at Rick's.

Pros:
* Detailed party-planning timelines
* Mostly good to excellent recipes
* Easy to follow and understand instructions

Cons:
* A few "clunkers" in the recipes
* Not a good Mexican cooking intro: the recipes make more sense if you are already familiar with Mexican cooking

If you like Mexican food you will like this book, July 9, 2010
Rick has a way to pick his dishes, and to describe them in an appealing way, with clear instructions. I'm biased, sure, I love Mexican food, and I love cooking. Still, having cooked out of dozens of cookbooks I can recommend Rick's books. This one addresses parties, cooking for larger groups of people, in a way that helps you organize the cooking work (which is an art in itself), the selection of the dishes and drinks, and the actual cooking. You'll not over-commit to too complex dishes, or run out of time - your guests arriving with your mole still cooking.

A great book, July 14, 2010
This is a great cookbook with a unique spin. Each section is broken up into an outline for a party from appetizers to main course, including group size and even a suggested playlist. If you want to throw your own Fiesta but arent certain where to start this is definitely the book for you.

Beyond the party blue print there are some great recipes in here. My wife's family is from Mexico and these recipes are very similar to the traditional recipes they use, the main difference is he provides details, something that has been very difficult to get with the traditional recipes. My mother in law did not measure anything using a measuring cup.

Finally the photography and printing in the book are excellent beautiful photographs of nearly every dish.

LIFE IS GOOD WITH THESE RECIPES, August 20, 2010

"Fiesta" is certainly a well chosen word to be included in the title of Rick Bayless's 7th cookbook because each recipe is a delicious celebration of food. Not only is the food the tastiest but with FIESTA AT RICK'S one finds joy in the preparation and most especially in sharing with friends.. Many of us who know how ebullient Rick is on television may be pleasantly surprised to find that this same joie de vivre and encouragement come across on the printed page.

Offered as a companion to the sixth season of Rick's PBS series, "Mexico - One Plate At A Time," this photographed filled volume presents 150 new recipes ranging from"Guacamoles, Nibbles, and Libations" to "Sweet Inspirations from Street Stalls, Bakeries and Ice Cream Shops" (do not, I repeat do not miss the White Chocolate - Mezcal Ice Cream found on page 310 - a little bit of heaven on earth!)

Whether you're cooking for yourself and a significant other or for a party of 20 Rick is a trustworthy guide, offering full menus and easy to understand day or two before the big event suggestions. For instance, since Fall is not too far away he suggests a Classic Mexican Mole Fiesta for 24. Your friends won't soon forget this get-together beginning with a Mexican "Cruidite" Platter with Chamoy Dipping Sauce followed by Lacquered Chicken in Classic Red Mole along with Sweet Plantains, Steaming Corn Tortillas and finishing with "Cafe de Olla" Flan. Yes, you can do this thanks to Rick's Fiesta Game Plan that includes equipment, a timeline (clearly explained day by day), serving strategy, and embellishments. It's a no-fail plan for a never to be forgotten Fiesta. Rick is a wonder at making preparations not only easy but fun.

What is my favorite recipe in FIESTA AT RICK'S? Impossible to say because each is so different treating us to varying taste sensations.

Next time I'm in Chicago my first stop will be the Frontera Grill owned and operated by Rick and his wife, Deann. Until then I've been having my first tastes of Frontera foods (FronteraKitchens.com). We started with Frontera Guacamole Mix - fresh tasting, just spicy enough with hints of tomatillo, garlic, green chile, and cilantro - unbelievably good! We made enough for 18 people and four of us devoured it in under an hour. So easy - simply mash ripe avocados and add mix - presto perfection!

Following that we tried Frontera Roasted Vegetable Soup - only 80 calories, no cholesterol - rich with tomato, corn, pepper, onion, zucchini. Yes, yes I know the directions say "Just heat & serve." However, since it's summer in Texas we served it chilled topped with dollops of sour cream and loved it. Know it will be yummy and warming when cold weather comes.

FIESTA AT RICK'S is a much appreciated book at our house, and Frontera foods are much enjoyed.

- Gail Cooke

Another Awesome Bayless Book!, September 5, 2010
Just finished doing the dishes after a great meal cooked from recipes in this book! Looking forward to cooking more tasty dinners for family and friends. Even the "going all out" menus are simplified with a timeline to help you pull it all off without breaking a sweat. But not everything has to be used for huge gatherings. There's plenty here for everyone!

Viva la Fiesta at Rick's!, August 8, 2010
I admit that I am a Bayless fan and have all but one of his cookbooks and use them regularly when in need of inspiration to cook some great Mexian food.

Here though is a different approach in that it provides sequence of recipes and menus and drinks and music play lists and suggestions for fiesta with friends. This is unique and so useful and a well done resource. Such a variety to choose from as well, e.g. Guacamole Bar Coktail Party; Classic Mole Fiesta; Mexican Tapas Party, and my favorite so far: Street Food Party!

The photos and helpful breakouts on such as Tequilla tasting, Guacomole Basics are truly well done and useful. This guy is expert and can provide all kinds of insights and tidbits to make fiesta so great!

So far tried Roasted Beet Salad with Red Onion, Poblano and Lime; Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce and Melted Cheese; Grilled Rack of Lamb with Honey-Pasilla Glaze; Flaky Turnovers with VArious Fillings; Blueberry-Tequilla Ice Creaml and Mojito Fruit Ice Pops (to which I added some coconut rum).

Another classic from Rick Baless, July 26, 2010
Fiesta at Rick's explores multiple themes in Mexican cooking with multiple recipes organized to be used together for entertaining. In classic Bayless fashion, each recipe has an introduction explaining the dish, with its inspiration and ideas on when to make the recipe. Each section is concluded with an outline of how to throw a fiesta with menu, drink ideas and sound track inspiration.
Fiesta at Rick's explores variations on Guacamole, Mexican inspired cocktails and ice cream/gelato/sorbets much more than in previous books along with sections on taco fillings, seafood appetizers and a great section on wood fired cooking.
Great addition to Rick's collection of cookbooks.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Civilize the wild beasts in your life, one meal at a time.

Four hungry brothers. Three ravenous sons. A husband who loves to eat. Lucinda Scala Quinn has spent much of her life feeding the men and boys in her life and teaching them how to feed themselves. Now Scala Quinn—chef, television personality, and Martha Stewart Omnimedia's resident food guru—shares winning strategies for how to sate the seemingly insatiable, trade food for talk, and get men to manage in the kitchen.

She provides recipes for single-skillet meals and dinners that yield fabulous leftovers and that are a cinch to stretch for extra guests. Her grab-and-run breakfast will help kids start the day right, and her healthful drinks make it easier for guys to say no to soda. Scala Quinn's recipes are easy to prepare, affordable, and so good that even the most finicky eater will want to dig in.

Along with her cooking techniques and survival strategies ("Never be caught without bacon"), Quinn muses about life in a predominantly male household and provides empowering advice to feed guys' spirits as well as fill their bellies. With her help, homemade meals become second nature, nourishing both diner and cook.


... Read more

Editorial Review

"I am a firm believer in The Paleo Solution. I maintain a hectic schedule that starts early and finishes late. Filming a television series, maintaining my fitness, and being a mom can be harrowing some days. Since adopting a Paleo way of eating I look and feel better, and I know that I am setting a good example for my daughter."—Eva La Rue, star of 'CSI: Miami'

"I have watched as The Paleo Solution healed people after medical professionals had given up. Whether you are an athlete, or simply uninterested in becoming a health care statistic—there are no more excuses! Now you will finally look, feel, and perform as well as your genes will allow. Robb Wolf changed my life, and he is about to change yours too."—Kyle Maynard, author of No Excuses and 2004 ESPY Award winner

"Robb Wolf and The Paleo Solution have changed the way I look at diet and nutrition. He has helped me understand just how critical diet and sleep can be to your overall health and life."—Forrest Griffin, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and author of the bestselling Got Fight?

"They say the worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. The Paleo SolutionÆs value is far reaching for the knowledge that it offers. Robb has taken a unique approach to health and lifestyle that will help countless people."—John Welbourn, 10-Year NFL Veteran

Do you want to lose fat and stay young, all while avoiding cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and a host of other illnesses? The Paleo Solution incorporates the latest, cutting edge research from genetics, biochemistry and anthropology to help you look, feel and perform your best. Written by Robb Wolf, a research biochemist who traded in his lab coat and pocket protector for a whistle and a stopwatch to become one of the most sought after strength and conditioning coaches in the world. With Robb's unique perspective as both scientist and coach you will learn how simple nutrition, exercise and lifestyle changes can radically change your appearance and health for the better. ... Read more

Reviews

READ THIS BOOK!!!!, October 29, 2010
About five months ago, I started doing CrossFit (an exercise program/gym). The coach explained the Paleo diet model and suggested this book. It took me almost five months before I read it, but prior to reading I had pretty much adopted a Paleo diet, which completely changed my life. I mean, really changed my whole experience. I used to be a vegan (six years ago for four years), but then my hair started thinning and that was the end of that, so I started incorporating fish and eggs, and a little dairy. But I was still almost always hungry, and it seemed no matter what exercise I did, or how much, it wasn't ever really getting me to where I wanted to be, even though I thought I was eating super healthy. I also drank a lot of wine, which interfered with my sleeping. All in all my digestion wasn't so good. I felt my health slowly and steadily declining. So, long story short, when I started CrossFit I decided to give this Paleo diet a try. Amazing results! Never felt better, my blood sugar is even and steady all day long, and my sleep is restorative not something to "get through"; not to mention, my body is rockin'! I don't crave sugar, which is a miracle, and I hardly drink anymore. Why? Because I feel so good, I have no desire to mess that up. Me, a wino, yes, giving up wine. For once in my life, I'm lean, I'm stronger than I've ever been, and I feel certain solidity to my being. I never thought it possible. So then I bought Paleo Solution, because I'm thinking, "I gotta learn why this diet works so well. What's up with this Paleo stuff? I want to tell the world about it!" I was skeptical about the read, despite my great results in trying out this lifestyle. Books on diet and health can sometimes be boring, daunting, and uninspiring. Right? How many books have you bought, hoping to find the thing you were looking for, only to quit reading it half way through? Robb Wolf has assembled an incredible amount of information into one book, and he's presented it in a simple way. He's also got a great voice -- a great sense of humor -- and it feels like he's talking directly to you. I liked this. It felt personable and it was engaging. Plus, I was understanding all this scientific information, (and I'm not scientifically oriented at all), which when all put together into the bigger picture was like "WHOA!". (It was more like a holy you know what). So here's the skinny: If you are suffering from diabetes, a heart condition, high blood pressure, an auto-immune disease, indigestion, cancer, a sugar or alcohol addiction, or pretty much any illness; or, you are an athlete seeking greater performance, or you're wanting to loose weight and look and feel fabulous and incredible, then you MUST read this book! It's quick, it's easy, informative, it's entertaining, and it will change your life like it did mine. That is, if you're willing to give it a try. And for those of you who are vegetarian, or concerned about industrialized farming and general slaughtering practices, I suggest you check out eatwild on the internet to find out where you can get grass-fed animal directly from sustainable farms in your local area. READ THIS BOOK, for your health, and for the health of your family. Thank you, Robb Wolf!

Wolf's teachings in the Paleo Solution changed my life, September 14, 2010
Let me begin by saying that I have always been a healthy person--or at least that is what I thought. Since I was fourteen, I went to the gym almost every day and ate foods that I thought were good for me. Around the age of thirty I got super busy. Although I still worked out and ate foods that I had been told were healthy, I didn't sleep as much, stressed a whole lot more, and things began to go down hill. I developed a fairly good-sized tire around my midsection. The color of my skin was a little off. And, most importantly, I no longer felt super healthy. I tried everything I could thing of, which basically boiled down to eating less of the foods I had been told were healthy. I ate a ton of lean meats, and I combined them with a ton of carbs in the form of rice. I cut out every ounce of fat I possible could. And guess what? I started to feel (and look) even worse. In an attempt to correct the situation, I began working out even harder. Although I got stronger and gained more muscle, I still had that tire of fat around the midsection and had very little energy on most days. Was I just getting old? Were the good old days of being fit and healthy gone for good?

A friend of mine had been following Robb's teachings for some time, and he turned me on to the diet. As with most people who learned "nutrition" in college, I was highly resistant. I mean, why would they be teaching us the wrong nutrition in college. The professors seemed pretty smart, and I doubted that they had the goal of trying to kill me. But I was failing with the traditional way of thought, and so I decided it to give the thirty days. My friend told me that Robb preached the "give me 30 days" philosophy, and so that is what I decided to give this new and strange diet, which I still doubted would ever work. Well, thirty days later I had dropped TWENTY SIX POUNDS. Am I joking about that number--absolutely not. A part of it had to do with the fact that I was working out a whole lot more--but the only reason I could work out more is because I was feeling so GOOD. How good? Well, to be quite honest, I was feeling like I did back when I was eighteen (well, maybe not eighteen, but twenty one for sure.)

Now a year and a half later, I feel better than ever. That twenty six pounds of weight loss not only did not come back on, but it turned into thirty pounds of weight less (and yes, I needed to drop thirty pounds.) Just like Wolf's slogan, I LOOK, FEEL, AND PERFORM better than I ever thought imaginable. For someone who has always prided himself on being fit, healthy, and happy, I can honestly say I owe Wolf the world. His teachings have convinced me that getting older does not mean getting fatter, sicker, and less happy. Will you be eighteen for the rest of your life if you take Wolf's 30-day challenge and then adopt a Paleo lifestyle--no, probably not. But you most certainly won't be 40 or 50 or 60. You will look younger than you are, feel younger than you are, and be happy in your skin. Honestly, I don't see how you can put a price tag on that.

What about the sacrifices? This is the big one, right. Well, I have been on diets before, and this is not a diet. It is a lifestyle. And when you get that "diet" word out of your head, restricting certain foods becomes a lot less challenging. Trust me when I tell you that I was a guy who LOVED my bread and wheat beer. But you must also trust me when I tell you that I do not miss these delicious products in the slightest. . .Wolf's lifestyle plan puts you in much better contact with your body, and when you acquire that mindset, things that make your body feel, perform, and look better begin to taste better. Foods I used to despise now taste wonderful. And the foods that I once could not have lived without (bread, rice, pasta) are now the farthest thing from my mind. I've talked with other people on the Paleo diet, and many of them have told me that when they cheat, they can feel the negative effects immediately. Personally, I think I may have cheated on the diet twice in a over a year. Is it because I am super strong willed. Absolutely not. When it comes to will power, I don't think I have that much of it. The reason that I haven't cheated is because I simply don't want to cheat. When I smell the foods I once loved, I no longer have the urge to consume them. Did this take fun out of my life? Did this destroy the thrill of eating and socializing over a tasty meal? Actually, the opposite has happened. I actually enjoy eating a whole lot more because it makes me feel powerful, just like food should. It makes me feel strong, both mentally and physically. And despite what some people will believe, eating healthy does not destroy your social life. All it may do is add some interesting conversations into the mix.

In conclusion, try the Paleo Solution. it works. It works well. And it will change your life in ways you can not imagine. I know change is scary for a lot of people (it was for me), but when the changes you make break the barriers of what you thought life could be, you won't regret it!

Good but some things to fix for the second edition ..., October 21, 2010
I've read this book, Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint, and Cordain's Paleo Diet recently. Wolf's book was a good and accessible explanation of his overall approach, without the diet-book-y style of Cordain's effort.

With the growing popularity of paleo eating lately, I would have liked to see more discussion of some of the controversial issues within the field, such as "cheat meals" or the use of salt (Cordain is strongly anti-salt but Wolf's recipes often include it). Explaining how the Paleo Solution's prescriptions differ from those of others would strengthen the book.

I also would have liked to see an index. Not having an index is especially a problem if you're looking for a recipe. (I also would have run the entire meal plan, followed by all the recipes. When the meal plan calls for a recipe, just give the page number for the recipe.)

Finally, there are a couple of references to a "Gear List," which doesn't seem to appear as such anywhere in the book. The last section on resources seems to cover what the "Gear List" should have covered, but could have been more conveniently organized.

Unbelievable, October 26, 2010
Been following this devoutly for one month now and have never felt better. Waking up each morning with a renewed fervour, an abundance of energy and optimism I've never possessed (well not since I was a child!). Can't recommend enough.

I feel great!!!!!, September 27, 2010
I have been on this for 12 days and my energy level is through the roof. I have not had this kind of energy since my twenties, and I am 53. Dropped 6 pounds so far and I feel fantastic. Dan Adkins

Robb Wolf helped change my life!, October 3, 2010
I always considered myself "healthy" - having been athletically active and with reasonably good blood-work and body weight markers all my life. But after I turned 30 years old 6 months ago, with 9 years of highly stressful desk-jockey jobs behind me; I realized I had slowly accumulated a number of afflictions that could be considered part of normal "aging":
- joint pain & arthritis (in my knee)
- hair loss
- muscle & strength loss
- slow build-up of spare-tire around my mid-section
- allergies (to something new every few years)
- canker sores
- disrupted sleep
- chronic tiredness, leading to increased caffeine consumption
- a growing sweet tooth
- gum pain

After doing some basic research on arthritis, I came across the concept of the ancestral diet, primarily through the internet. However, having trained with a scientific background, I was highly skeptical of many of the stunning claims despite all the testimonials.

Of all the different recognized experts in the arena, it was Robb Wolf's scientific explanations (through his website and his podcast) given freely (with no hidden financial agenda or sketchy corporate relationships) that convinced me to give the ancestral diet a try.

I have since never looked back.. all the above afflictions disappeared in a few months, and I now am healthier, fitter, stronger, leaner, sharper and more pain-free than I have been in 15 years.

I owe Robb and his compatriots in the field a huge debt.

However, I have struggled to explain the concepts to others. This is why I am excited about Robb's book!

The Paleo Solution brings the right amount of scientific background, complete with associated reference material, while maintaining a conversational, engaging tone. It covers all the right bases of a hugely complex subject (the key apocalyptic "horsemen" of the Standard American Diet) from the perspectives of anthropology (ancestral history), biochemistry, nutrition and actual clinical practice. It scares the reader, while at the same time providing the right solutions and motivation, with enough hope and optimism.

If asked to bring someone up to speed on the concept of the ancestral diet, I would absolutely recommend this book as the perfect start!!

So:
If you've ever been confused by "expert" dietary recommendations (This food is poison! No it's actually good for you! All fat is bad except fat is good from fish or avocados! Have whole grains! Don't have eggs! Have eggs! You need vitamins! Vitamins don't work! etc etc bla bla) and wanted EVERYTHING to just make sense for once - read this book. Even if it's just from a robust scientific perspective, and you don't enact the actual diet, you'll never look back.

Not enough!, October 10, 2010
What I like about this book:

1. It explains in a scientific way how the Paleo Diet works from the nutritional point of view.
2. The book is written "with an attitude" and is fun to read.
3. The author is passionate about his ideas and this rubs off on the reader getting the reader excited, fired up, and motivated


What I don't like about this book:

1. Paleo Diet is nothig new. Loren Cordain published a book of the same title some 8 years ago. If you happened to have read it or anything written by Mark Sisson, then you might as well skip reading this one. There is nothing new in this book. In fact jn my opinion The Primal Blueprint is a better read.
2. The author doesn't go beyond the basics, the book is very general in nature and lacks in specific how-to's
3. I am very uneasy about some of the most popular reviews of this book that seem to be "doctored". One reviewer goes on and on about how this book changed his life, only two days after the book has been published (!!!???)
4. Most importantly, this is yet another diet. We need to understand that unless we change our focus we will never fix the obesity problem. It is not only about what and how we eat, but mainly about living a healthy lifestyle that is in total agreement with nature. Read " Live 150 -- The Body Maintenance Handbook " to properly understand the problem and how to deal with it.

As good as it gets, September 20, 2010
I'll be honest, I've been a fan of Robb's work for a while so I'm somewhat biased but even considering this I was impressed. He lays out not only why a change in diet, and more importantly lifestyle, is scientifically validated but it also gives you a jumping-off point in a 30 day, meal by meal guide. It doesn't get easier than this folks. Buy it. Now.

Excellent, September 17, 2010
I definitely didn't expect it to be this enjoyable! Loved all the humor and the geeked-out info as well.

The information is very concise - with a lot covered in few pages. As someone who already follows a paleo life style, I know it works but wasn't very clear on all the reasoning behind the results. Robb pretty much cleared up every question I could have asked plus I have lots of new recipes to try!

It Just Plain Works, September 20, 2010
I've been studying carb restriction diets for over 15 years. I've read the Paleo Diet, multiple Zone Diet books, much of the Eades' work, Dr. Atkin's books, read and re-read Gary Taubes' "Good Calories Bad Calories," hundreds of studies, and digested blog posts and podcasts while doing a fair amount of writing and coaching on the topic ([...]). Robb's work is a mixture of the rants of a guy who's too smart for his own good, a clinician who's been tested by working with real clients for over ten years, and a serious competitor in a variety of physical arenas. I know of other approaches that will work, but don't know of any single source with a more dense store of knowledge or a more accessible plan for health, fitness and competitive performance. I by no means agree with all of Robb's editorial temper tantrums outside of this book, but I've competed against him, listened to every podcast, and read most of his entire blog before reading this book. If you want a book that cuts to the chase giving you the yellow brick road for health, performance, longevity and with a detour around the diseases of the West, this is your book. I've been looking for a book that does not cheat on the science, is not too hard to read, and therefore makes the truly common sense of the paleolithic diet accessible to everyone with an IQ of room temperature or better - Robb, thanks for writing that book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Join Bethenny on the Skinnygirl journey and learn how to cook
fearlessly and make the food you love that fits your lifestyle

In her New York Times bestseller Naturally Thin, Bethenny Frankel shares her ten real-life rules for enjoying healthful natural foods and escaping the diet trap. Now, in The Skinnygirl Dish, Bethenny joins you in the kitchen and shows you how to stop the "cooking noise" and put an end to the anxiety about how and what to cook and eat. The Skinnygirl dishes on how anyone can:

• Get in touch with your "inner chef" and make the Skinnygirl philosophy yours

• Use Bethenny's list of kitchen essentials and the core concept of using what you have at hand to enjoy creating healthy, satisfying meals

• Take your basic cooking skills to the next level with practical tips for saving time, money, and sanity

• Make personalized gourmet recipes from celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay and Top Chef stars Lee Anne Wong, Hosea Rosenberg, and Ariane Duarte

• Light up -- and lighten up -- holidays and special occasions with tips and recipes for throwing the perfect, stress-free party

Over sixty recipes become more than a thousand recipes with Bethenny's "Use What You Have" substitution charts. Enjoy Breakthrough Breakfasts, Delicious Dinners, Simple Snacks, To-Die-For Desserts, and Skinnygirl Cocktails, plus tips to turn almost any dish into a vegetarian delight. With the famous wit and real-world sensibility that made her a breakout star, Bethenny reveals her kitchen adventures and inspires readers to cook the Skinnygirl way with taste and style. ... Read more

Reviews

A very unique cookbook with scores of great dishes. (The chocolate cake alone is worth 10 stars!), March 30, 2010
I have to start by saying I consider myself a pretty fine cook...we are a two chef household with strong culinary backgrounds. It's hard to impress me with new info. I'm also a weight loss coach...balance! Yin Yang!

Yet this book is very different than my other cookbooks. I actually read it cover-to-cover the day I got it. It's not just recipes. If you are totally new at learning how to cook healthy dishes, you will feel as though you've just had a crash course. Better yet, if you attended culinary school I swear there is enough "teach an old dog new tricks" info in here to continue learning...at least there was for us. While I already knew things like using pumpkin or applesauce in place of fat in cakes (it makes a spice cake BETTER and MOISTER and pumpkin is high fiber, high water, low glycemic so it takes as many calories as are in pumpkin to digest it so it's an amazing fat replacement in baked goods), I learned scores of new things...I now stock my cupboard, for example, with oat flour. After using it in her cake recipe I was floored. I have also been trying to create a low calorie and low fat hummus (yet yummy) for ages with no tahini. She beat me to it. I also hate the taste of low fat or no fat sour cream and her greek yogurt and lemon juice trick in the recipes has changed my Southwest dishes for good. The substitutions really do change your mind and the book is just as much about teaching the reader a lifestyle more than handing them some recipes.

That said, I wasn't happy not to find nutritional information in the book. Granted, I get the reasoning behind it since I read Bethenny's first book (if you didn't, you'll also get a good overview of it in here) and her mindset against dieting but, instead, enjoying good healthy food in moderation...however, statistically most of us eat 40% more calories than we think we do. For those of us who don't mind journaling our calories or who actually feel empowered by it, I hope that she adds a link to a website in which she lists them. This way, she takes away the obsession she is against in the caloric "food noise" in the book, but also allows those of us in control of our calories in vs. calories out to go that extra mile to get the info if we are gonna plug it in on the computer anyway...

...and that's exactly what I did this morning. I have been cooking from this book for days and I kid you not, I became convinced that the calorie count was left out because the food was TOO good and she had to be fooling us into thinking it was healthy. If you make the cake called "How Is This So Moist Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze" as I did this morning, you'll understand. This is actually 1000% better than my fattest chocolate cake recipe laden with calories. I mean it is mind blowing good. And very filling. So I was positive I had to have eaten about 700 calories this morning until I actually plugged in the full recipe and included the peanut butter glaze (it makes more than enough glaze; you'll even have some leftover) and discovered the cake and pb glaze was just 150 calories/ serving. It is incredibly great without the peanut butter glaze too so I'm guessing that omission would even bring it down to 100 calories for something that tastes uber fattening and isn't! This recipe alone was worth the price of the book. In fact, Bethenny, the author, noted in the notes about this that the first time she made it she accused Jason, (her husband- according-to-the-front-page-news-as-of-yesterday), of throwing a stick of butter in it while she wasn't looking. I have no idea either how these ingredients make something that rich and low calorie but it's my new fave. I began plugging in the dishes I had made into my nutrional info converter and all were high in health and all natural, low in calories, low in fat, many high fiber...she should include the stats. It's a selling point, not a negative.

Try the lychee martini or skinnygirl cosmo (great tips on keeping drinks low cal!)
Try the guilt-free artichoke spinach cheese dip.
Pad Thai
Pasta Carbonara
Lasagna
Chicken Wings
Baked Ziti
Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad
Kettle Corn
Spicy Chipotle Dip
Quacamole
The pasta with the mushroom sauce using truffle oil is good enough to serve at a dinner party. We fell over ourselves eating that one two days straight in my house
Goat Cheese Dip
Spanish Spiced Rubbed Chicken with Mustard Green Onion Sauce
Red Velvet Cupcakes

You get the idea. What's unique is she lists scores of substitutions with each recipe so you really get the idea how to use what you have, transform a dish, make it go further, or how to pick up substituting low fat and low calorie ingredients in all your other dishes in ways you might not think of.

Also, I add non-fat greek yogurt to her excellent hummus recipe and it makes it super creamy and even higher in protein.

Better yet, while most of my diet cookbooks use substitutions that make a dish a tad more artificial, these are all natural and that always boosts taste.

Know going in: There are no photos in the book. While that never bugs me, I also know it does bug some people and it may be important to you. Also I wish the pages had been glossy (easier to wipe clean) rather than the school-book style novel paper which also made the ingredient list hard to read since it was in a lighter grey. I did need my reading glasses because of that. I think it may have been fine if the font was bigger and maybe they made the font smaller to keep the book at 300 pages which is one of the cut-off points for books, but, if so, I wish when they'd decreased the size, they'd changed the color to black like the rest of the recipe.

Conclusion: In my perfect world, the pages and binding and font color would be more like a cookbook than a novel but I read it like a novel since it's full of information. The dishes, and I mean every dish I've made from it, has been 5 star and we never feel deprived cooking easy dishes with everyday ingredeints we have at home or can substitute with her suggestions. If nothing else, taste that dang addictive and decadent chocolate cake with peanut butter glaze. So I forgave throwing on my reading glasses after I tasted the dishes. Now get that nutritional info on a website somewhere and I'll be eternally grateful--That said, I still love it.

Perfect for hassle-free, health-conscious meals (but no pix), December 29, 2009
Dish. This word can mean a recipe, or information that is not generally known or available. This book has plenty of both. It's ideal for people who want homemade meals that are simple and healthy.

Celebrity author Bethenny Frankel takes a breezy, this-is-easy approach to healthful cooking and eating. She uses the ideas in her book Naturally Thin to create this combination cookbook and guilt-free eating guide. Sprinkled throughout the 60 recipes are baking tips, party guidelines and, best of all, extensive use-what-you-have variations that make preparing these dishes a breeze.

As an example of how Frankel makes cooking and eating hassle-free, she recommends buying hummus and salsa instead of making it, and buying bread instead of baking it yourself. Unless you love to make these foods, why bother? There are great versions in the store to purchase. Save your cooking and baking for dishes you can't buy.

If the book had photos, this would be a five-star review. Cookbooks really benefit from showing you the dishes they describe.

Here's the chapter list:

Introduction: What's the Skinnygirl Dish?

Part 1: The Skinny
1. How I cook and how to make it yours
2. Show me your kitchen and I'll show you mine
3. The Skinnygirl chef's essential kitchen rules
4. Use what you have: Core concepts
5. Learn from my kitchen blunders
6. Channeling your inner chef

Part 2: What to make: Recipes, Conversation and Inspiration
Breakfast breakthroughs
Light lunches
Delicious dinners
Snacking simplified
Skinnygirl drinks and cocktails
Skinnygirl desserts to die for

Part 3: Skinnygirl Special Features
Lightened-up holidays and special occasions
How to throw a Skinnygirl party
Top Chefs, Skinnygirl recipes

Good, low-cal recipes., March 30, 2010
I was looking for a low-cal recipe book and found it in The Skinnygirl Dish. Ms. Frankel does a great job of combining flavors for a low-cal, low-fat lifestyle. But the real reason I wanted to try something like this was because I wanted to lose a few extra pounds. That's a given, I suppose, and this book is helping me reach my goals.

Love it!, March 21, 2010
Yes, it does not have photos but I dont care! Bethenny takes the time to review kitchen essentials, how many cookbooks do that? Maybe some feel they are too advanced cooks to need that but it can never go wrong!
Every dish I've tried so far is outstanding! I'll be using this book for many years to come. Highly recommended!

Loved it!, March 23, 2010
I read this book in one day! I have always loved Bethany since the real housewives of NY season 1 but have just really gotten into eating more natural foods for a healthier life style. I have been one of those people who would buy fat free everything and alot of processed food. I think Bethany has great ideas on living a skinnygirl life style healthfully including not constantly relying on the scale and obsessing over your weight and counting calories. I saw that many people complained that the book didn't have pictures or calorie counts which in other cook books probably would have bothered me but in this book they did not need them! She gives you so many ideas on different ways to make things with what you have in your own kitchen and according to what you like which is very helpful because I have a picky husband and a one year old daughter and cannot always get out to the grocery store. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to start living a healthier, skinner life and feel good while doing it!

Slightly disappointed..., January 2, 2010
I am a fan of Bethenny Frankel (as a writer AND a reality show star) and I really enjoyed her first book, "Naturally Thin." I used the recipes from her first book often - especially the joyful heart muffins and cookies. That being said, I am not a fan of her latest book, "The Skinnygirl Dish."

Many of the recipes are rehashes of better recipes from other lowfat cookbooks. You'll find standard recipes for roast chicken, lemon asparagus, roasted root vegetables, AND the best recipes from the first book. If you already have any lowfat/healthy cookbooks, there isn't anything new here.

The book itself is bound in a large paperback edition with superthin pages and NO photos. It looks more like a novel and less like a cookbook (I am quite messy in the kitchen and I need sturdy pages that I can crease open). My copy of "The Skinnygirl Dish" is already slightly bent out of shape.

And lastly, the book is touted as having over sixty recipes and thousands of "Use What You Have" substitution charts. These charts are a gigantic waste of space...and they are basically common sense. For example: no regular milk? Try soy milk! No red peppers? Try any other color pepper! Really Bethenny?

Despite these negative observations, I like Bethenny's voice as an author and some of the recipes are worthwhile. As a big fan of her previous book, I was just disappointed in her first cookbook. It could have been much better!

I love Bethenny and I love this book!, January 5, 2010
As a big fan of Bethenny on her show and her first book, Naturally Thin, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book and I am so glad I did. It is full of sound advice about cooking and eating. All of the recipes are great as they are, but then Bethenny gives you countless ways to change things up and really make the recipe your own. It's almost more like a cooking manual than a cook book - a true teacher. And there's nothing to feel guilty about because every recipe is cutting so much of the fat and calories.

I have only had the book for about a week and have already made the Boo Boo Banana Bread, the mock-a-mole and the spinach and artichoke dip was a hit over the holidays with my family. Get this book now, you'll be glad you did.

All emotional eaters need this book, April 22, 2010
I have struggled with food my entire life. This book has changed my life by helping me
THINK about food completely differently. I have lost 12 lbs in under 2 months.
THANK YOU Bethenny Frankel from the bottom of my heart.

Kim, April 18, 2010
This is an excellent follow up to her first book. There are many useful tips and excellent recipes with tips on how to make them your own. Cant wait for to right her next book.

Simple, tasty, flavorful, healthy, whole food., January 6, 2010
I wouldn't consider myself a beginner home cook at all and the book worked for me. I loved this book.

I used to get crazy trying to cook healthy and search all over town for the specific ingredients to certain recipes. This book just made cooking and food simply for me and reminded me it didn't have to be so complicated. Sure, I knew I could use rice milk instead of her suggested soy milk but there is so much more in there.

Highly recommend this book for someone who is interested in learning how to make simple, healthy, tasty meals cooked with whole foods. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Kids rock! says Rachael, and it seems the feeling is mutual. Young people number among her biggest fans.For them she has created a fabulous collection of age-specific recipes with a high cool factor. ... Read more

Reviews

Another Hit!!!, November 4, 2004
I love this book! My kids love this book, and my husband loves the results. I have four little boys, 10, 8, 5 and seven months. Obviously the baby is too young to help out just yet, but the older three couldn't wait to get home and pick out a recipe from the respective chapters in the book. ( 4-6, 7-11 and 12 and up) They have each made a meal from the book and we not only had a healthy and tasty meal to eat, but we had a blast making it.

We also have Emeril's books and a few Cooking with Mickey books. In Emeril's books the one thing I have noticed is the amount of time it can take to make some of the recipes. On a Saturday, I would think nothing of preparing a four course meal that takes three or four hours, but my kids don't have the patience for that yet. The Mickey books, although they are some of my favorites, are rather complex. Rachel Ray's book is simple and yet fun for the beginning cook. The results while not immediate, are tasty and don't require a lot of patience to reproduce.

If you have kids and they show ANY interest at all in cooking or just helping you out...I highly recommend this book.

My kids think its great...., February 4, 2005
OK, so I'll admit it, I can be a little overprotective. Were my kids ever shocked when I announced that THEY were making dinner. My daughters (5 & 7) had a great time, and were very proud of their meal. They are looking forward to trying more, and my oldest has made a grocery list for all the recipes she wants to make.

One thing, I can't imagine anyone eating the portion sizes as they are listed. My kids made the "Pasta and Trees" in the 4-6 section. It calls for 1lb of pasta and says it makes 4 servings. We cut it down to 1/2 lb., and had more than enough for 2 adults and 3 kids (7, 5, & 2). Use common sense, but if you use the amounts listed for pasta, be prepared to have leftovers.

Excellent cookbook for kids of all ages!!!, October 26, 2004
Makes cooking with kids really enjoyable!!! I bought this cookbook for my six year old daughter as soon as it came out. We both love it!!! Mostly, we have been making the recipes in the 7-12 section, but all sections contain recipes that will appeal to everyone's palate. I have been planning one Cooking Rocks dinner into my weekly menu, and that is my daughter's night to cook (with my help, of course). Last night she and her 7 year old friend made the Mexican Rice bowl dinner- they had alot of fun and ate a HUGE amount- probably because THEY made it, or as Rachael says, they had a sense of ownership of it.

(One tip though- as with any cookbook, you may want to cut back on some of the butter, oil and salt used in some of the recipes. A few of them are a little salty or oily for my taste)

This book provides a good foundation in cooking and healthy eating in the future. It teaches the basic methods in cooking, and introduces your child to different fresh herbs and healthy veggies, such as cilantro and arugula. In a world where many young adults don't know how to cook, Rachael does our kids a big service by teaching them how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home.

The spiral-bound format makes it easy to use, and you can't beat the price!

Ok, but visuals are better, February 27, 2006
I like Rachel's books and cooking; I use many of them. However, i bought the Kids book in hopes of encouraging my girls to cook. First off, their are too many treats and sweets -- not what I was looking for. Additionally, there were no photos of the end products -- which is what makes a good cookbook. Seeing rachel pour corn flakes on a child's head may be cute, but doesn't help the youngster "see" what the end product is.

My Grandaughter's first cookbook!, October 8, 2005
I bought this for my Grandaughter's 5th birthday. I just had to look through it before I gave it to her and I loved it. She called me so excited when she received it and told me all the things she was planning to cook with her Mom. She has since called me back to tell me how everything turned out...what a hit with us all! Her mother is thrilled since she is taking an interest in helping with dinner..even the clean up! So far they have loved everything they tried and they have made a list of things they want to try. My nephew has requested a copy of his own for his birthday and I think I'll have to order a copy for myself. What a great cookbook for kids and their families! Spend some time together and learn some new skills..even practice some reading and math..but don't tell them about that part!

Our favorite Rachael Ray cookbook, April 12, 2006
I own 30 minute recipes, more 30 minute recipes and this book. It WAS intended to be for my son (who is an avid reader and loves Rachael Ray's cooking show). Instead, it's our whole family's favorite Rachael Ray cookbook. I don't even use the other ones. She incorporates humor and stories and great pictures along with *real* recipes that families will eat together. I have to say her 5 minute fudge is now MY 5 minute fudge. I detested trying to make fudge before (anyone have fudge that wouldn't *set*?) and this is great! I would recommend this cookbook to anyone. You don't need to have kids either:)

KIDS LOVE TO COOK!, December 7, 2004
Kids love to cook. It's a natural. They always want to do things that adults do and combine that with food and it's one thing my kids always want to help with. Rachael Ray is the perfect person to write a book on cooking for kids. She has such a child-like enthusiasm for cooking, she seems like a big kid at heart.

This book is sectioned by age giving tips and recipes for each developing age group. And the tips are for parents as well as the kids. Of course, first and foremost these receipes are simple AND fun to prepare. They are things that all kids can do to help.

The section for the very young present very simple ideas with an emphasis on safety and fun, while the chapters for older kids get progressively more detailed and complex. Hey if you can get them to help prepare dinner, why not? They sure aren't volunteering to clean their rooms.

Fun and well-written!

Fun recipes, but missing a few things., February 24, 2006
This cookbook has amazing recipes that are fun for kids & parents! It is split up in sections according to kids' ages. I only have 2 complaints:
1. There are no pictures of the finished product to see what it should look like.
2. Some of the recipes need more detail. Use marshmallows, okay, which size??? Just little things like that so you then have to experiment.

Not for my kids..., April 7, 2007
I don't think Rachael Ray has kids and it shows - alot of these recipes are for things most kids won't eat OR things that are not very good for them, lots of fat, sugar, processed food etc. The book is cute-looking but has not been very useful in cooking with my kids. There are other better kids cookbooks out there or even cookbooks for adults with easier, healthier recipes. Also - no pictures of the food, just Rachael and kids - my kids really like to see what a dish will look like - it makes them want to cook the recipe.

Cute book but..., December 28, 2005
This book is great in its concept and layout. The book is sectioned into age groups, the recipes have cute names and it encourages cooking as a great way to bond with your child. That part of the book is wonderful. I have used other Rachel Ray books with no problems and everything turns out fine.However,it seems the measurements are off on a few recipes in this book. For the "Chicken Toes" (cute title, a spin on Chicken Fingers) there doesn't seem to be enough coating mix to cover the chicken. In the "Candy Sushi" (great idea, easy to make) recipe, it seems to call for too much rice cereal and not enough marshmellow coating. We also made the cheese fries and it produced way too much cheese sauce. I would still recommend this book as a good 1st cookbook for kids, just watch the amounts and be ready to make adjustments accordingly. ... Read more

Editorial Review

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Editorial Review

More Than 125 Healthy, Delicious Recipes From The Biggest Loser Experts and Cast--As Seen On NBC's Hit Show!

By The Biggest Loser experts and cast

Building on the groundbreaking success of The Biggest Loser brand, this sequel to last year's best-selling book is sure to be a hit!

The Biggest Loser Cookbook offers:

* 125 recipes from The Biggest Loser cast, trainers, and fans

* motivational before-and-after photographs of the cast

* 50 beautiful 4-color food shots

* dozens of trainer tips from The Biggest Loser trainers

* inspiring stories of how the cast members did it

* at-a-glance guides to The Biggest Loser Diet and The Biggest Loser Exercise plan

Armed with this arsenal of nutritional information and training tips, readers will be inspired to achieve the dramatic weight loss transformations that have amazed TV fans around the country. ... Read more

Reviews

The only thing you have to lose is your weight., September 22, 2007
Based on the NBC hit show "The Biggest Loser," this colorful cookbook is a plus to anybody's library that is trying to lose weight or even just eat healthy. The promise of the book is that eating healthy can be quick and delicious AND it doesn't have to mean bland, tasteless food- and the book delivers.

Readers will find a short review of the Biggest Loser's way to lose weight- which is sensible- you eat right and exercise. Then comes the heart of the book- over 100 recipes for the various meals like breakfast, snacks, etc. And unlike a lot of cookbooks, each recipe shows you exactly how many calories, fat grams, protein grams, carb grams, fiber grams, sodium, and cholesterol it contains- which is nice for a wide variety of other populations such as those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease.

A sensible and practical cookbook, a lot of people will probably get their money's worth. Also recommend Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff if a shoulder problem keeps you from getting all the benefits of lifting weights.

Best Cookbook so far, November 13, 2006
I've recently taken up the hobby of buying cookbooks which, it was believed, would help me eat properly and lose weight. I've spent a LOT of time and money researching ways to lose weight healthily and tastily. I'm not a big cook and most of the cookbooks I have bought recently left my mouth-watering but not satisfied.

Not so with this cookbook! The recipes are the simplest things I've ever made. I made the Not Really Fried Rice this last weekend, and it was so simple and tasty! Tonight, we are eating the Jerk Salmon. My favorite things to snack on to satisfy my sweet tooth are the graham-wiches. They are so tasty and so low in calories I don't have to worry about it!

I've never counted calories before so the first week was a little hard for me to get used to - that and being careful about what I eat. But now, I feel like a pro and have total confidence on what I put into my body! Plus, the recipes have really added some 'spice' to our otherwise boring and mundane meal-plan.

I have both the Biggest Loser Weight Loss Program and now the cookbook. I have lost four pounds in the last two weeks. I highly recommend this cookbook for anyone wanting to lose weight and do it healthily! This is a great investment in your health!

More Recipes from Devin, Less Talk Please, February 12, 2007
I was disappointed in this book, though the other reviews should have served as a warning. This book contains a lot of information about the "plan" - diet and exercise - and the show - trainers and contestants - before it gets to the recipes. Once you get to the recipes, quite a few of them show the influence of the author's other cookbook seeming almost fast-food like, while still others, coming from the contestants themselves show their own styles and preferences. For that reason, there were fewer recipes that really excited me than I had hoped. Still, there are some definite "keepers" and if you are a fan of the show, you will like this book.

I was surprised..., November 16, 2006
at how much I like this book. It has recipes in it that are good and good for you, even if you are not struggling (too much) with weight.

The book includes over 125 recipes developed by a chef who was well known as a celebrity chef for her good tasting but still good for you recipes.

I gave this 4 stars because there is a section in the beginning that profiles all the people who have been on The Biggest Loser, which was not my favorite part of the book, but for the TV show fans, they might like it. And, there is another chapter that is listed as the Biggest Loser exercise plan, but it really does not go into any depth at all, and just mentions how good exercise is for you.

However, then you get to the other chapters, beginning with the 4-3-2-1 food pyramid, which guides you to how many servings of each food group are suggested if you want to plan a menu. That makes it pretty easy to plan. The rest of the chapters are Breakfasts; Hearty Snacks; Sandwiches, Soups and Stews; Sides and Salads; Main Courses; and Sweet Snacks. This is the real "meat" of the book (pun intended). Some recipes were not to my taste, but some, like the Breakfast Sausage or the Ground Turkey Nachos, or especially the Chicken Lettuce Wraps, are quite good tasting.

There are photos of some, but not all of the foods, but each offering does have calorie and nutrition counts included.

This could be a good addition to your cookbook shelf(ves), if you are looking for a calorie minded, but real food cookbook.

Easy , Delicious, Healthy Meals! I Highly Recommend!, October 13, 2006
Last year I weighed 530 pounds. After being inspired by the TV show The Biggest Loser, I have lost 140 pounds so far. I still have about 200 more pounds to go. I KNOW that with recipes and meals like the ones featured in this book, that I will be able to reach my weight loss goals. The thing that I appreciate most about this cookbook is that the recipes are simple and easy to follow. I am a bachelor and am not an experienced cook but this book makes me look like a pro. I have been asked by so many people how I've lost the amount of weight that I have. The answer is simple...eat less (make healthier food choices and portion control), move more (daily exercise) and drink lots of water. The Biggest Loser has shown me how to lose my weight - The Biggest Loser Cookbook is helping to keep me going!! PS The Blueberry Pancakes are out of this world! Yumm!!

This is a great cookbook!, October 19, 2006
I don't cook, but I have found Ms. Alexander's recipe's to be easy to follow and very tasty too! I can't believe that they are low cal and low fat, because they are very high in taste!

Out of this world!!!, November 15, 2006
Love it, Love it, Love it ... ... you have all opened up "diet" cookbooks hoping there is that little secret in there on how to eat what you love and be healthy at the same time and the pictures look great and then you cook it and blahhh!!! Well that is NOT this cookbook. It is real food, great comfort recipes, something for everyone, easy to prepare, and dishes you can serve to your hubby and he never knows any different!!! And the icing on the cake ... all the great motivational stories, great tips and help from the people we know and love from the Biggest Loser hit show! ENJOY!!!!

Good Three in One Package, June 23, 2008


6/23/2008

THE BIGGEST LOSER COOKBOOK
More than 125 Healthy, Delicious Recipes
Adapted from NBC'S Hit Show

By Chef Devin Alexander, et al

(picture jacket here)

A review by Marty Martindale

The whole Biggest Loser concept is good, it seems, for these times, in that they have dealt with not only the food and its recipes, but a pyramid, general instruction for good sense and several graded workouts with Bob Harper and students on CD. This is a good program for these times when weight seems a problem for too many.

The Biggest Loser Diet is "calorie-controlled, carbohydrate-modified, fat-reduced and high in protein (which controls hunger.)" They want you to eat three meals and two snacks each day. "The 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid" is four tiers, the base, or largest is fresh fruits and vegetables, the next level is protein foods, seafood, cheese, beans, fish and yogurt. The second from the top level is whole grains, your breads, cereals and wheat pasta. The top level, or "The Extras" are sweets with a 200 calorie daily limit. They have an equation for your calorie quota: if you weigh between 150 and 300, multiply your weight by seven, and this is the number of calories you should keep your maximum to. Some simple pointers: No white potatoes, limit amount of starchy vegetables such as pumpkin, winter squash, sweet potatoes and yams. Avoid dry fruits. Choose whole fruits over juices. Vary your proteins and limit red meat servings to two a week. Avoid processed cold cuts. There's a few more guidelines, but nothing too restrictive, really common sense.

They divide the recipe section into Breakfasts, Hearty Snacks, Sandwiches-Soups-Stews, Sides & Salads, Main Courses and Sweet Snacks. Here's some examples:

MANGO STRAWBERRY BREAKFAST SUNDAE: Calls for orange juice, ice cubes, honey and high-fiber, low-sugar cereal

SUNRISE OATMEAL: Orange juice, oats, blueberries, water and orange extract

BRIAN'S BREAKFAST SCRAMBLE: Green bell pepper, onion, tomato, egg whites, and Cheddar cheese

COCKTAIL-HOUR TUNA TARTARE: Mango, cucumber, lime juice, cilantro, green onions and sesame oil

JESSICA'S "THE RANCH" BLT WRAP: Turkey bacon, wheat tortilla, Galeo's Miso Caesar Dressing, lettuce and tomato

PB & J SPIRALS: Wheat flour tortilla, peanut butter and strawberry all-fruit spread

PAM'S COTTAGE CHEESE MARINARA: Cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce

JEN'S ASPARAGUS GUACAMOLE: Add sour cream, guacamole seasoning mix and tomato.

INDIAN CHICKEN SALAD POCKETS: Mayonnaise, lime juice, curry paste, cucumber, red onion, wheat pita and lettuce

MATT'S GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH: Rye bread, Cheddar cheese and oil spray

PARMESAN-PEPPER SWEET POTATO FRIES: Olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne and ketchup, if desired.

DANA'S SPINACH AND FETA BROWN RICE: Onion, garlic and feta cheese.

PARMESAN-ROASTED CAULIFLOWER: Parsley, garlic powder and olive oil

FRESH AND COLORFUL JICAMA SLAW: Cucumber, carrots, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and red pepper flakes

BROCCOLI SALAD WITH SWEET VINAIGRETTE: Orange juice, plain yogurt, mustard, orange marmalade and red onion

HOT AND COLD BROWN-RICE SALAD: Chicken, broccoli florets, bell pepper, red onion, Italian dressing, and balsamic vinegar

DARI'S PICANTE CHICKEN: Picante sauce, cream cheese and Cheddar cheese

HEATHER'S MEXICAN ROLLUP: Ground turkey, extra-lean, wheat tortilla, sour cream, romaine, tomato and salsa

ANGEL HAIR WITH ROCKIN' RED CLAM SAUCE: Onion, garlic, baby clams, tomatoes, oregano, olive oil, red-pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese

ICED BUFFED MOCHA: Powdered coffee, chocolate soy milk, vanilla yogurt, Splenda, fat-free whipped topping and cocoa powder

RASAH AND EDWIN'S WARM GRAPEFRUIT DESSERT: Add ground cinnamon and bake.

TIFFANY'S CANDIED ALMONDS: Butter spray, almonds, cinnamon and Splenda

In a world where too many are jeopardizing their health by carrying too much weight, the whole Biggest Loser program, the exercises, advice and recipies are well worth considering.

You can reach Marty Martindale at Food Site of the Day.

Special interests: Healthy Living

Not what I expected, February 1, 2007
I was expecting a book that was filled with recipes that the show and/or trainers had the contestants eating to help them lose the weight. Instead it was full of recipes the contestants themselves came up with after the fact. Just okay, nothing out of the ordinary. Creative recipe names.

The best!, December 17, 2006
I am not on this diet. I am actually on Weight Watchers, but this book is VERY WW friendly.

The recipies are easy and delishious. I have made some dishes for my husband and he LOVED it.

This has got to be the best cookbook I have owned. ... Read more

Editorial Review

At last, a cookbook that brings Mexican foodwithin easy reach: named to Food & Wine Magazine’s Year’s 25 Best Cookbooks as part of its annual Best of the Best cookbook.In his previous books, Rick Bayless transformed America's understanding of Mexican cuisine, introducing authentic dishes and cooking methods as he walked readers through Mexican markets and street stalls. As much as Rick loves the bold flavors of Mexican foods, he understands that preparing many Mexican specialties requires more time than most of us have. Mexican Everyday is written with the time sensitivities of modern life in mind. It is a collection of 90 full-flavored recipes—like Green Chile Chicken Tacos, Shrimp Ceviche Salad, Chipotle Steak with Black Beans—that meet three criteria for "everyday" food: 1) most need less than 30 minutes' involvement; 2) they have the fresh, clean taste of simple, authentic preparations; and 3) they are nutritionally balanced, full-featured meals—no elaborate side dishes required. Companion to a thirteen-part public television series, this book provides dishes you can eat with family and friends, day in and day out. ... Read more

Reviews

Superb Introduction to Simpler Mexican Dishes. Buy It!, November 23, 2005
`Mexican Everyday' by quadruple threat celebrity chef Rick Bayless is a must-buy for all dedicated foodies, lovers of Mexican food, fans of fast recipes, dieters (more on this later) and the cookbook collectors among us. Before I opened this book, I respected Bayless for being an accomplished home-grown American chef in Chicago, a leading expert and writer on authentic Mexican cooking, a respected TV chef educator on PBS in the tradition of St. Julia rather than on the commercial Food Network and, lastly, the author of a truly great `cook with kids' book, `Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures'. About the only thing Rick has not accomplished is to beat Bobby Flay on `Iron Chef America', although he did loose by only one point.

Just as I did when I opened Jacques Pepin's `Fast Food My Way', I expected to find a `sell-out' book in one way or another. My worst fear was that this was just copied from recipes in his other books. At best, I feared it was simply a cash-in on Rachael Ray's popular '30 Minute Meal' formula. I am here to report that it is none of these, but a culinary and intellectual revelation surpassed by few other true cookbooks.

Bayless' success in this book is grounded in his total mastery of his subject. He knows things so well; there is no hint of any misstatement, certainly none that I can detect in the world of chemistry or technique. I will simply assume his pronouncements on authenticity are authoritative. This great facility with his material even overcomes Bayless' former clumsiness with writing. He seems to have found his voice or a better copy editor.

The introduction is a total surprise to the reader when Bayless launches into a discussion of his weight problem, and how he began dealing it with yoga, weight training, and portion control. None of these reflections make Bayless a weight watchers expert, but the things he personally learned on his journey to loosing excess weight is a great lesson and inspiration for anyone with a weight problem. But what does all this have to do with fast Mexican food.

The starting point is Bayless' statement that many classic Mexican dishes have a lot of `extras' loaded on top of its basics. This is the first time I have ever heard this statement and I must say that my knowledge of Italian and French cooking indicates that the same is NOT necessarily true of these European cuisines. I do suspect that it may be true of Thai cooking, but that's just a hypothesis at the moment. So, Bayless' first step at slimming down both himself and cooking times was to remove much of the traditional frills such as moles and red chile sauces. He then gives a masterfully concise list of things to pare down recipes and speed up prep times by citing which techniques can be speeded up or simplified with things such as the rice cooker, microwave oven, food processor, and blender. In spite of this, Bayless also states that in a pinch, you can do everything in this book with a really basic set of tools. The one oddity in his recommendations is the fact that he is virtually the only major chef I have read who endorses the use of a garlic press.

The `second' introduction is a rundown of pantry items for Mexican cooking. Aside from a few brand recommendations, I suspect his earlier books cover this material in far greater detail, but it is well done for the Mexican cooking newbie.

The Table of Contents is done in the very best way for a book of this size. Every recipe name and page number is given in the Contents in English. The Spanish name in smaller type is given on the page with each recipe. Almost as good is the fact that each chapter is intelligently divided into sub-subjects as follows:

Chapter 1: Salads and Other Easy to Make Sides
Dressings
Vegetable Salads
Beans and Rice
Chapter 2: Contemporary Main-Dish Salads
Chapter 3: Classic Main Dish Soups
Chapter 4: Quick Meals from the Grill: Seasonings, Salsas, and Skills
Rubs and Marinades
Classic Salsas
Grilling Springboards:Classic to Contemporary
Chapter 5: Soft Tacos, Enchiladas, Tostadas and Tortas
Chapter 6: Seafood, Poultry and Meat Main Dishes
Chapter 7: Desserts (five recipes)

Each recipe ends with some `riffs' which, like fellow Chicagoan Charlie Trotter, are jazz-influenced improvisations on the original recipe. Unlike Trotter premium cookbook prices, this fine volume retails for $29.50. It would be a good buy even at the typical $35.

One thing I especially respect about Bayless' book is the way he is so true to the sense of his title in that this book deals with things Mexican cooks actually do everyday when they are pressed for time, without bypassing the need for some basic cooking skills such as roasting peppers or harvesting the flesh from a fresh avocado. Part of this `everyday' doctrine is the statement that regular weekend and holiday feasting is as much a part of sensible weight control as is everyday portion control.

Thus, Bayless has essentially followed in Pepin's footsteps by giving us a collection of authentic but trimmed down recipes from a great world cuisine. And, all this is done with a recipe writing style that is better than most I have seen. The list of ingredients is done with lots of clarifying details regarding preparation, quality, and choices, such as in the selection of the best vinegar for a dish, when several may be good.

Note that rather than giving a list of sources at the back of the book, Internet sources are in the leading section on Mexican pantry items.

This is an excellent book. Possibly it's very best audience is those who want to start out in Mexican cooking but are intimidated by the work involved in many Mexican staples described by Senor Bayless and Senorita Diane Kennedy.

To Cook with Everyday in a Mexican Food Mood!, November 14, 2005
Having most of Bayless' cookbook offerings to date and used them extensively, this purchase was a non-brainer.

It lives up to the high expectations that this renowned chef has for Mexican cuisine, but here with the added nicety of for everyday, health conscience eating. He goes through his dietary advice at the beginning which includes portion control, yoga, etc. What is catchy as well is his leaning in this recipe collection for what can be prepared quickly and yet with robust taste and nutritional and easy-to-find ingredients, especially via Mexican staple supplier or via internet.

This Norton published volume has gorgeous full-color photos, with absolutely great pictures of various ingredients, techniques and finished dishes. Bayless also jazzes each recipe up with what he refers to as "riffs." This are wonderful options, e.g. Grilled Fish in Tangy Yucatecan Achiote he suggests one can substitute pork or chicken and vegetable substitutions as well for the green beans. There are some great sidebars as well, e.g. five page tips for quick grilling ten great foods.

This is a winner with the likes already enjoyed of: Lime-Cilantro Dressing, perfect with Jicama Salad with Watercress; Avocado-Mango Salad with Fresh or Blue Cheese, Bacon and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds; Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero; Seared Salmon (using Masa) with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers; Skillet Fruit Crisp; Fresh Lime Ice with Berries.

This can easily become a "go-to" volume within your collection also when you want some really great Mexican meals with all the flavor and minimal effort/ingredients.

Authentic, Delicious and Speedy!, April 27, 2006
I am a huge fan of Rick Bayless, but with two children aged 3 and under in my house, it is difficult for me to find the time to make some of his more elaborate recipes. With "Mexican Everyday", however, Bayless has provided the solution for cooks like me. It is indeed possible to get authentic Mexican meals on the table in under an hour.

These meals are indeed fast to prepare and very tasty. The three I have made so far (Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos, Guajillo-Spiced Pork and Potatoes, and Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans) have been hits. They do require some specialized ingredients but most of them were found in my local grocery store.

This cookbook is going to become one that I return to frequently and I highly recommend it.

GOOD BOOK FOR US NOVICES, February 2, 2006
I like the trend in cookbooks towards simple, quick meals. How many of us have the time to take hours to prepare a meal outside of the holidays? Mexican cooking can be intimidating but Rick Bayless takes the complication out of it with this great book of simple yet delicious recipes. While the recipes are designed to be prepared in 30 minutes, I think the average home cook will be looking at 15 - 30 minutes longer, depdending on thier skill and quickness. Still, even 45 minutes isn't bad for some of these recipes. Rick has essentially dumbed down the recipes to make the preperation with more common ingredients, easily found in your pantry or grocery store. While the recipes may be scaled down and simplified, there certainly seems to be no effect on the taste. His tips for cutting prep time are not only vital to the recipes in this book, but to your home cooking in general.

The book is laid out by section in the usual manner: Salads, side dishes, soups, main dishes, desserts, etc...I'm still not all that experimental so the section on Tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, was my favorite and my family and I really enjoyed the varitions on these more common dishes such as the green chile chicken tacos, as well as the grill prepared recipes as we grill a lot. The Chicken Tortilla soup with Avacado was another winner.

Rick proves that Mexican need not be intimidating and time consuming. This is a book that I am happy to have in my collection!

Quick and healthy Mexican food, January 3, 2006
I began cooking Mexican food at home 5 years ago while living in upstate New York where authentic Mexican restaurants are scarce. While I loved the results, many of the dishes were time consuming and unrealistic for weeknight cooking. I purchased the newest Rick Bayless cookbook hoping it would introduce Mexican cuisine beyond tacos to our mid-week dining.

So far, I am very pleased with the cookbook. Rick left out more time consuming recipes such as mole or chile sauces made with whole, dried chiles and in their place has recipes that rely on chile powder, tomatillos or other quick cooking ingredients. To my delight, there are several slow-cooker recipes included which are perfect for mid-week meals.

So far, I have made the fire roasted salsa, slow-cooker beans, chipotle-balsamic dressing, the adobo marinade and the Yucatan rice. All were delicious and very easy. The salsa has quickly replaced store-bought as it can be made in minutes. It's even quicker if you forgo the roasting of the jalapeno and garlic, which I've done with fine results.

As a bonus, the majority of the recipes are quite healthy with little added fat or cheese. I also appreciate the chapter on main dish salads. I expect to use this book frequently during the week and would recommend it to anyone who loves Mexican food and would like to make it at home.

Just what I was hoping!, January 31, 2006
Oh boy, Rick Bayless has done it again.

I love Mexican food and consider myself very fortunate to live in a Mexican-American neighborhood. From my neighbor's tamale days to the taco trucks and multiple hole-in-the-wall restaurants, I am constantly surrounded by the aromas of that glorious cuisine. But I was intimidated by all of the effort (and heritage) that went into preparing the _real_ Mexican food that I craved.

Enter Rick Bayless. His previous books gave me a bedrock where I could build my own Mexican cuisine. I've developed a reputation among family and friends as a great Mexican cook (thanks, Rick!)--and even humbly swap salsas and moles with my neighbors.

The one problem: Most of the recipes in Bayless' earlier books are much too involved for everyday meals. Like most of us, I don't usually have the luxury of spending an hour or two roasting chiles and tomatillos, soaking dried chiles or pressing fresh tortillas.

That's why "Mexican Everyday" hits the bulls-eye. I've prepared several of the recipes in the last two weeks and they've all been remarkably quick/easy and very tasty. They may not always be truly "authentic," but they do have that spirit and vitality that makes Mexican food so special.

And don't miss the philosophy behind the recipes. Reading the Introduction is a pre-requisite for understanding each one--and provides a very healthy perspective on eating in general.

And now it's time for dinner--my fifth night in a row of homemade Mexican!

Mexican Everyday, March 12, 2006
I have several of Rick Bayless's books and this is the best of his books. Complete, simple, with adaptations for those who do not have access to ingedients readily available in Mexico. If you love to cook and you love Mexican food, this is a must. Rick is always sure to include lots of other information that not only gives you a flavor for the food, but of the culture.

Tasty & Simple!, February 25, 2006
For those who love Mexican, yet can't spend a long time in the kitchen, this is the cookbook for you! This book is filled with wonderful recipes that can be made in the same time it can take for any other typical weekday meal. Bayless lends his voice to both healthy living and good food and you can feel the flair of the Mexican culture coming out of the pages. This has quickly skyrocketed to my favorite cookbook and I use it often. This book comes as a delight to those who are looking for meals full of flavor without taking hours to prepare.

Tasty, very tasty, June 8, 2007
This is what I call traditional mexican food, for real, I am mexican by the way, and the flavor of the real mexican food has been captured in these recipes, although I must say that using masa harina in some of the recipes is not such a great idea, I know in some areas of Mexico it is used, but its taste overpowers everything else, so I would not use it, I would use corn starch instead, plain and simple. Besides that detail, the book definitely is worth it, if you like traditional mexican food; some dishes brought me back to my childhood years.

Excellent recipes, terrible binding., November 1, 2006
I love this book. Too much, it seems, as the binding is completely broken. The recipes are authentic--I live on the border and can compare with my Mexican friends' recipes. They are easy. They are flavorful. It is the only Bayless book that I use, although I own the others. Buy it. But complain to the publisher about that horrible, cheap binding. ... Read more

Editorial Review

300 Fast and Flavorful Recipes from America’s Most Trusted Test Kitchen

Tired of quick recipes that aren’t really quick or don’t taste very good? While some cookbooks promise 30-minute meals, America’s Test Kitchen delivers. The Best 30-Minute Recipe is packed with more than 300 great-tasting recipes, along with time-saving techniques that will help you become more efficient in the kitchen. You’ll also find honest evaluations of ingredients important to quick cooking, such as chicken broth, preshredded cheese, instant rice, and more. And because the type of equipment you use is important to the success of any recipe—made in 30 minutes or not—we tell you which brands are worth buying.

The Best 30-Minute Recipe features a surprisingly wide range of recipes. You get not only the very best versions of naturally quick dishes like salads and stir-fries, but also quick and easy recipes for typically long-cooking dishes that you’d never even think of making on a weeknight—including meatloaf, lasagna, beef pot pie, and a pad thai so easy that you may never call for takeout again. With efficiency and good taste, The Best 30-Minute Recipe is the time-pressed cook’s guide to getting dinner on the table, night after night. ... Read more

Reviews

Great as a standalone cookbook, problematic for anyone with other ATK material, February 4, 2007
If this is your first cookbook from the ATK/Cook's Illustrated crew, I can almost guarantee you will be very happy with it. It's a very thorough and accessible approach to some cracking good recipes. The prose style is entertaining and informative and helps a less experienced cook get some insight into the tastes and textures that make a "good" recipe.

But if you want to learn more or get further into the style, you may find that you get less geniunely new material with each subsequent purchase. While any one of their books is very much worth having, they tend to endlessly repackage and reissue their recipes in various formats. That's a little problematic for someone who is a fan of the ATK approach, but also is in no way a collector of cook books. If a cook book has 3 or 4 recipes that I haven't seen before and genuinely want to try, I'll be satisfied, and each new ATK issue just barely satisfies that criterion. But the relatively high cost of acquiring these new recipes along with the 5th iteration of, say, mashed potatoes, Chicken Parmesan and skillet tamale pie, may irritate and exasperate some buyers.

One reviewer called these folks "A cottage industry gone amok". That has some truth to it, but it may be a little harsh. A more sympathetic reframing might be that they are simply trying to package their recipes in convenient ways so as to meet the demands of a particular segment of the cookbook market: "Best Recipe" vs "America's Test Kitchen companion series" vs "Cook's Illustrated compilation". And "Quick Meals" vs "Light Meals" vs "Vegetables" and "Soups and Stews". But at some point, the typical cook will probably decide that he or she is being rather cynically exploited by some shrewd entrepeneurs determined to squeeze every possible cent out of about 350 really good recipes, supplemented with some helpful product reviews. I haven't reached that point yet, but I may soon.

So in summary: excellent cookbook, but docked a star for my purposes because I am paying "all new recipe" prices for a "20% (or less)new material" format.

Another Great Cookbook By Cook's Illustrated!, April 21, 2007
This is my eighth book in my Cook's Illustrated (CI) collection and I have really enjoyed it. While it is true that many of CI's cookbooks are packed with repeat and/or repackaged recipes as other reviewers have pointed out, this book stands out from the pack in that it offers techniques in streamlining recipes so that you can get a delicious meal on the table in 30 minutes or less. And yes, every recipe I have tried has lived up to that promise (unlike other famed 30 minute cookbooks!). For people familiar with CI, this is quite a change in pace. My only real complaint with other CI books has been that the recipes can be involved and time consuming and leave your kitchen looking like a disaster area when you're finished. The good people at America's Test Kitchen didn't seem to be aware with how much kitchen equipment they had you dirtying with their recipes! This hardly made CI recipes very appealing on those weekdays when you needed a fast and easy meal on the table. This book changes all that! I can finally have delicious CI recipes even on high-stress, fast-paced days!

It is clear that CI had two very distinct goals when they put this book together...(1)every meal truly must take the average home cook 30 minutes or less to prepare, and (2)every meal must taste great. While this may sound like a given, most other 30 minute/quick meal books do not always deliver on those counts. Not only do they usually take the average cook WAY longer to prepare (do they even take prep time into consideration when they are putting together the recipes?) but even more importantly, all too often the shortcuts they take compromise the overall quality of the dishes, leaving them flat and unexciting. This is not so with CI's 30 Minute Recipe. They truly have found ways to shave time and effort off of so many of their recipes without compromising the overall flavor. How exciting to be able to deliver delicious meals even on the most stressed days! I do also love the "Got Extra Time" feature that some of the recipes come with, which gives you the option of making the meals even better if you have a few extra minutes (like using long grain rice instead of instant or adding a few other components to enhance the overall flavor) but the recipes as written are still perfectly delicious on their own. It's just nice to have that option on days that you have a little extra time to put into the recipes.

While the techniques are different than other CI cookbooks, you can still count on all the features that you come to expect from America's Test Kitchen...the product and equipment ratings, illustrations of techniques, quick tips, and detailed explanations as to how they arrived at their recipes can all be found in this book as well. Even the most seasoned CI veteran can still feel comfortable with this book--the techniques may be different but the governing principles of CI are still front and center!

In short, I love this cookbook! While I'm an avid cook and very often enjoy spending extra time in the kitchen putting together delicious and in-depth meals for my family and friends, even I need a quick, low-maintenance meal from time to time. Thanks to CI, I now have techniques to streamline my cooking processes while still delivering fabulous meals!

Fabulously fast fantastic food!, March 25, 2007
I love all my cookbooks from the Cook's Illustrated line. This one is great, too! The recipes truly are doable in under 30 minutes. And when they say 30 minutes, they mean thirty minutes from start to finish- NOT 30 minutes of prep time and another hour of cooking!

My family loves the teriyaki recipes! I've never had better teriyaki- fast, light and fresh. We also have made some of the braised chicken dishes and they were very good.

This book is in a similar format to many of their others: there is a discussion of ingredients and methods leading up to the recipe and then usually several variations on the actual recipe itself. I like this because it allows for some flexibility if you don;t have certain ingredients on hand. This cookbook gives tips for how to prepare the recipes in the most efficient manner (for example, it says "While meat is browning, chop the onions"). I usually find that when I've cooked a recipe several times, I'm much faster at it becase I figure out what steps to do in what order- these 'quick tips' help me get there sooner.

The resulting food is fab! This cookbok isn't just for rushed weeknight dinners, the recipes are good enough to warrant including in your regular repetoire of things to prepare for guests and special occasions. Quick doesn't have to mean lower quality, the folk from Cook's Illustrated have proven that here with this book!

Outstanding, Easy, and Delicious, October 14, 2006
Have tried four recipes and all have been very quick and easy to make and have been delicious. Have given the book as gifts and plan to give more. An outstanding book in a wonderful series of books. Never a disappointment with Cook's Illustrated books. Highly recommend to beginner or experienced cooks.

Quickly became a favorite cookbook, November 13, 2006
I have yet to find a weak recipe in this cookbook and have used it nightly for several weeks. The recipes are straightforward to follow, use fresh ingredients, and yield excellent results. Highly recommended for any busy person who loves really good food.

The Cook's Illustrated people do it again, January 7, 2007
I love the "Best Recipe" series from the Cooks Illustrated authors. Each recipe has been thoroughly tested and refined so that everyone who can follow directions can mimic their excellent results. The 30-minute recipes are a collection of recipes that I have cooked (they really do take only 30 minutes and are delicious) and plan on cooking in the future. The ingredients are those that are found in well stocked grocery stores and while I find that I often only use a few recipes from most of my cookbooks, I want to cook most of these recipes in this book.

The best part of this cookbook and the rest in the series are the directions and the explanations. They take the time to explain why some choices about ingredients or techniques were made and not others. They take the time to give directions on how to perform cooking tasks; these explanations are very well written and the simple diagrams, when necessary, are effective. I especially like their reviews of products and cooking items. The carefully describe WHY they prefer one item over another in different circumstances. Reading this book makes me feel like I am in a master cooking class and gives me the confidence and the knowledge to try my own ideas in the kitchen.

A large number of great recipes and great cooking lessons. A great deal for the price!

Best Cookbook I have ever owned, February 4, 2007
I gave up on cooking many years ago. In the past, I would spend hours in the kitchen to make one dish that would turn out so so. I was so frustrated that my husband took over the cooking in our home. He can make up his own recipes and the dishes would turn out delicious. I do not have that skill. I have been looking for that one cookbook that had easy to prepare recipes that were fast and delicious. This is that cookbook. So far, I have made 3 meals since Christmas and they have all been easy to make and delicious. The recipes have been so good that I am actually looking forward to my next time cooking. I appreciate the written discussion with the recipes to explain some of the ingredient choices and hints to help with the recipe. With me not being an experienced cook, I need all the help I can get. I have been very pleased with this cookbook.

don't order this from Cooks Illustrated, May 4, 2007
I agree with the reviewer who was frustrated with the amount of repackaging that Cooks does--although it is probably necessary for their business model, given that they accept no advertising. I have always been willing to pay their prices because of the quality of their recipes and of their techniques, and this book was no exception. What drove me over the edge was that, having ordered it from Cooks directly, I inadvertently got signed up for their "Automatic Preview Privilege," which meant that cookbooks just started showing up at my house. It tooks MONTHS to get them to stop. So, while I will keep buying their books and their magazine, I won't be doing it through them--will stick with Amazon, B&N, or my local bookstore.

Great Recipes, January 10, 2007
If you're tired of the same old quick dinners, this book is for you! I have been very impressed with the variety of cuisine in this book, and so far, I have been able to make them all in around 30 minutes. I have used AMT's "The New Best Recipe" for several years and the recipes always turn out as promised. This book has the same trustworthy recipes, but without the 2-3 hour cooking time! The recipes taste great and are easy to make as long as you plan out your shopping list ahead of time as some of the recipes use unusual ingredients. I gave this book to my sister and she loves it too.

Any general-interest public library, especially those catering to busy professionals, will find it a popular lend., February 5, 2007
Plenty of cookbooks promise quick recipes, then either add time or skimp on flavor. Not so in The Best 30-Minute Recipe: each and every recipe here has been tested time and again - some 300 of them - and paired with overall time-saving techniques busy cooks will appreciate. The 'got extra time?' sidebars offer ideas for embellishments such as sauces which may be made when there's need for a little more zip, while recipes blend quick techniques (such as microwaving long-grain rice) with adaptations which retain flavor while speeding prep time. It also includes shopping hints as a way of speeding things all the way around. Any general-interest public library, especially those catering to busy professionals, will find it a popular lend.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Editorial Review

Two award-winning books in one box offer a lifetime of learning for anyone who loves fine food.

 From two acclaimed restaurants came two of the most acclaimed, award-winning cookbooks ever published—now packaged together in a luxurious slipcased boxed set, the ideal holiday gift for any food lover. 

First there was French Laundry in Napa Valley, setting a new standard for American fine dining. Then there was The French Laundry Cookbook, setting a new standard for American cookbooks. In 2006, Chef Keller opened Ad Hoc, his casual family-style restaurant that serves a single menu a day, and that restaurant, too, gave birth to a groundbreaking cookbook, in fact a New York Times best seller.

Whereas Ad Hoc at Home offers a huge happiness-inducing collection of family-style recipes that includes lunch-counter favorites—lemon meringue and cherry pie; such classics as Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Herbed Rack of Lamb, plus Thomas’s mom’s coconut cake and his dad’s favorite meatballs—The French Laundry Cookbook is a culinary ode to finesse. Every recipe in it has become a classic: from Keller’s Salmon Cornets to his Oysters and Pearls and Butter-Poached Lobster. From the casual but carefully considered food of Ad Hoc at Home to The French Laundry Cookbook’s recipes at their most refined, this is cooking that delivers in taste, and makes us all better cooks. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A fascinating exploration of the inside world of sommeliers, sharing their unique perspectives, extensive expertise, and best stories.

Rajat Parr’s profound knowledge of wines, deep relationships with producers, and renowned tasting abilities have made him a legend in the business. As wine director for the Mina Group, Parr presides over the lists at some of the country’s top restaurants. In Secrets of the Sommeliers, Parr and journalist Jordan Mackay present a fascinating portrait of the world’s top wine professionals and their trade. The authors interviewed the elite of the sommelier community, and their colleagues’ insights, recommendations, and entertaining stories are woven throughout, along with Parr’s own takes on his profession and favorite winemakers and wines. Along the way, the authors give an immersion course in tasting and serving wine; share strategies for securing hard-to-find bottles at a good price and identifying value sweetspots among the many regions; and teach readers how to make inspired food pairings. ... Read more

Reviews

Chock full of good advice, November 2, 2010
Let's start with the worst part of this book: the title. I had to hold my nose and buy it despite the horrible do it yourself, self improvement/self congratulatory vibe of that clumsy moniker. But don't let that keep you from buying this informative and entertaining book, whether you are in the wine trade, a serious amateur, or just a wanna be.

Ed Anderson's excellent photography is one of the draws. There are some really stunning portraits of Dominique Lafon, Jean-Marc Roulot, Freddy Mugnier, Etienne de Montille and others.

Another plus is the collection of biographical sketches of a number of high profile sommeliers -- Larry Stone, Rajat Parr, Daniel Johnnes, Kevin Zraly and others. It's always interesting to read how other people found their true calling.

But the most valuable part of the book is the common sense advice about buying wine, where to find it, and how to cellar and serve it; along with insights into the day to day joys, trials and tribulations of the folks who serve the stuff up in tony restaurants across the land. There are brief profiles of the great wine grapes and the best examples of each -- pinot noir, cabernet, merlot, cabernet franc, and so on. A discussion of the pros and cons of buying wine at auction, and how to find the best deals by avoiding the 'blue chip' names and vintages and using your wine knowledge to get value for money. A discussion of wine and food matching. How to pick your way through a restaurant wine list to find the hidden treasures to be found in just about every good list.

It's a fun ride. Well worth reading.

Approachable book to an intriguing culture, December 22, 2010
A great book
Some of the other reviewers completely missed the point of this book. Yes, there's a strong focus on Burgundy and on fine wine in general, but that's what sommeliers do. It's not meant to be a book to teach how you to buy Shiraz at the grocery store, but rather how to blind taste, pair and shop for classic wines. There's no snobbery here, just a love of the truest, purest wines, something I want to know about, and the authors here deliver the goods. In addition, there's stuff here that never gets address, such how to properly serve wine to make your dinner parties better, how to pair with different kinds of fish, and how to recognize different varieties in a blind tasting. I learned so much from this book.

bona fide buy, December 23, 2010
Approachable for the amateur and engaging for the expert- the foundation of a remarkable read. Secrets of the Sommeliers is succinctly informative, rationally candid and reveals true stories that are downright juicy (yet under 14% abv).

Not your typical wine book, December 21, 2010
Many of the wine books out there are either straight buying guides, which can be useful but make for dull reading; or they are doorstop-style reference books that are valuable for experts but generally TMI for everyone else. Parr's book gives consumers loads of great info on buying and appreciating wines, layered with an in-depth behind the scenes look into the world of fine wine services, from the perspective of someone who has total access. His personal story is fascinating, as are the portraits of some of the top sommeliers from around the country. It's a great read for aspiring professionals and pretty much anyone who has an interest in the wine world.

Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals, December 22, 2010
Not a very good title. There are no real secrets. Many books have been written about these "secrets" before.
The book is simply arrogant. If you like Burgundy, it is helpful. It got a star for that. I love Burgundy as well. My advise: either wait a year and get it for $5.00 or buy a more interesting wine book. Not very well written either.

Instead of the book, buy a bottle of wine, December 13, 2010
As I sat in the airport opening this book, a fellow passenger remarked: "Rajat Parr is an *******." Hmmm. After a two hour flight, I really couldn't disagree with him. You see, this is another nose-in-the-air book about wine snobbery for wine snobs. Admittedly, there are a few hints at collecting and conserving, but nothing that isn't covered in the first chapter of Parker's guide. What is disturbingly apparent is that Mr. Parr and his colleagues truly believe they're saving lives with wine selections. They're so arrogant as to decide, in making their own wines, that they can do better than the best. It's an incestuous group who believe that we all long to be like them. We've seen the celebrification of Chefs. I guess this was inevitable.

Only for Burgundy Lovers, December 21, 2010
I am a long time wine lover and was very excited to read this book. I was very disappointed when the book focused almost exclusively on Burgundy wines. The author is clearly a lover of the region, but it was annoying that so little time was spent on Napa or Bordeaux. Waste of money unless you are a lover Burgundy. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Informative, Entertaining and Ever So Useful, January 11, 2005
Don't buy this book if you're looking for recommendations on which brands of applicances to buy -- even Alton Brown would admit that you're better off checking out "Cook's Illustrated" or "Consumer Reports" for that. What this book is brilliant for is the explanations of what the most commonly used kitchen tools do and don't (and can and can't) do and how they work, along with the practical tips for picking the items that suit your needs best. Alton Brown does, from time to time, make specific recommendations, but he tells you why he likes those items so that you can accept or reject them on the merits. Also it should be noted that some of his recommendations run contrary to what he recommends for baking in "I'm Just Here for More Food," so if you bake a lot, you might want to read that book as well before shopping for items such as scales and mixers that are used in both cooking and baking. "Gear For Your Kitchen" covers items used in both, but emphasizes cooking.

Alton covers each type of equipment thoroughly, explaining, for instance, what types of pans are good for different types of cooking applications, and what are the various properties of the different materials out of which they are made. So not only do you end up understanding the diffference between a sauce pan and a saucier, you can figure out whether clad metal or copper is your best bet. This same type of treatment is given for knives, small appliances, etc.

But my favorite part of the book has to do with sanitation and storage. The explanations of why certain sanitary measures need to be taken are coupled with easy ways to do it. I couldn't get a frozen enchilada smell out of my microwave oven until I mixed water and bleach in the proportions Alton recommends in a plastic spray bottle. So simple and obvious and yet...

While reading this (cover to cover in practically one sitting -- it's that readable) I found myself enjoying Alton's humorous descriptions, numerous photos and drawings. But I've found myself going back to the book as a handy reference for ingenious ways to use items I already have and ideas for shopping more intelligently.

Since buying this book I've cleared out and reorganized my kitchen and even though I bought a lot more stuff after reading this book, I have more space and am able to use it more efficiently.

Thanks Alton!

Fine Tune your Kitchen and add fun to your cooking, September 14, 2003
The top five (5) reasons for reading Alton Brown's GEAR For Your Kitchen are:

1. The tabulation of types of `Pots and Pans' materials, their advantages, disadvantages, and relative costs. This chapter alone is worth the price of admission. This section will not save you money except for its advice on non-stick pans. All sources I've seen from Mario Batali to AB agree on not spending a lot for Teflon ďż˝ lined pans, except be sure to get them with oven proof handles for making frittatas.
2. The thoughtful discussion of knife design and how different design features are important, or not important for different cutting tasks. This section will save you money, unless you are a knife freak.
3. The discussion of most major types of gear, which give you the features you should find most desirable. You may not agree with AB's choices, but he tells you how to make the choice which is best for you.
4. The essay on kitchen sanitation. This is one of many areas where the home cook can learn from professional chefs' practice. I'll bet that even Martha Stewart is not as careful as Alton recommends, and I plan to begin following his recommendations immediately. Note that one can make a little game of finding all the oblique references to Martha Stewart in the book. I've found four (4).
5. The explanation of accuracy versus precision in evaluating measuring devices, especially weighing devices. Being a former chemist, I would argue that AB gives too little credit to the role of the balance, although I concede that using it in the kitchen does require both extra space and special knowledge the average chef may not have.

To the book's credit, it has a wealth of references to actual makes and models, while I have detected no bias to any one manufacturer, in spite of some gratuitous general kudos to OXO. AB's opinions are based on a thorough and thoughtful use of kitchen tools over many years, so his opinions are much better than your Aunt Ida, no matter how good her apple pie may be. However, I take some with a grain of salt. I would not dismiss springform pans unless I heard both Maida Heatter and Nick Malgieri gave them up.

Another minor nit I would pick is in his use of the term multitasking. In computer science, where the word was born, it means the ability to do two things in parallel, not two different things in series! I would especially disagree with some of the uses to which he puts a rolling pin, as some secondary uses may lead to nicks which may harbor microbeasties and impair it function. The solution of sanding said roller may give it an uneven shape. Tsk Tsk.

This book is much better than his first, since it addresses in a comprehensive way a subject which is only dealt with in a very piecemeal way by any other source, including Cooks Illustrated. His first book was just another collection of recipes with humor and some (occasionally) misleading science.

Great Resource for Cooks of Any Caliber, October 12, 2003
"Gear for your Kitchen" provides a fairly in-depth discussion on the whys and hows of choosing various sorts of kitchen implements, from cutlery to pans to small appliances. Alton Brown uses his sense of humor to help present this information in a book that is truly easy and pleasurable to read. There is another book of this nature, a very large and diverse treatise, which attempts to showcase all the various sorts of kitchen gear available to the home cook. But unlike "Gear" it doesn't provide the information that we really need to choose our cookware.

What is great about this book is that in addition to giving actual suggestions of specific products for various sorts of implements, it also goes into great detail to show you how to choose items that will work for you. Brown is careful to highlight areas where paying more money isn't likely in your best interest (e.g. the non-stick fry pans as mentioned in another review, for instance) and where it is (e.g. cutlery).

The goal of having the smallest set of kitchen wear to do all the cooking you need to do is a running theme in this book. In addition to a suggested exercise in minimizing your current kitchen implements, there are many suggestions on how you can use items for tasks other than they are intended, instead of buying specialty pieces (e.g. using the bottom of a heavy fry pan in the place of a meat pounder).

This book is a great resource for cooks of all sorts, from beginners to those with years of experience. It will make a great gift for those people who are just starting out on their own!

Where were you Alton?, October 12, 2004
About a year or so ago I finally gave up. All my knives were dull. All my pans were warped and flaking. All my appliances were not working as I wanted. I decided that I enjoyed cooking, but avoided it because of my equipment. I decided I'd start buying only stuff that'd last a life time or until something better came out.

It started with picking up some Wusthof knives, one every couple months. Then I started getting some new small appliances, and now I'm on to pans. I've cleaned out my "junk" drawer of unitaskers and replaced them with quality instruments.

The bad news, if I had Alton's book, I would have saved a lot of time on research. The good news is, I did fairly well on my own.

I admire Alton and this book in particular for two reason: He's innovative with his tools so that the least number of items can do the most tasks. I used to have four different garlic tools. I now I have one -- a knife. Also, a cooking tool doesn't have to come from a cooking store. Second, I enjoy how Alton doesn't shy from naming names, both the good and bad. In most parts of the book, he explains exactly what he thinks you should have and why. It's up to you if that sounds good to you.

A nice little plus is he gives recipes demonstrating some of the gear he discusses. So when you go out and buy something new, you can try it out.

You'll see a lot of this book on his shows. This is probably what this book is best at, a reference for the TV show. The book is not an authoritative look at what pan is best for this or that, or whatever. Cook's Illustrated is probably a better source for this. This is more of an overview of information. Some parts are more in-depth than others. I get the impression that the book was written from Alton's memory. In other words, Alton relied on past research and experience to write this book without going the extra steps to be more in-depth or complete. Some items are better researched and more in-depth than others, which illustrates this point. If it's important to Alton, he knows it front and back and has tested various products. If not, you just get a rough guide of what to look for.

In short, this book is basically Alton's view on cooking tools, which certainly is impressive, but I would not recommend making this book a shopping list. I don't agree with everything in the book, but it does arm you with enough information to know what you're doing at the store. Case in point, I'm looking for a new roasting pan. Alton incorrectly states that the All-Clad has an aluminum core -- it's only stainless steel. While certainly a quality pan, I'm looking for a more affordable alternative since the big thing with All-Clad is the aluminum core. Alton comes into play on what I specifically want: A stainless steel (non-reactive) pan that is heavy enough to de-glaze on the stove. In this case, I'm looking past Alton's strong product recommendation, but I know exactly what I want and why.

Alton's books and shows made me aware of my neglect for food safety. Some great tips in there. The kitchen truly is the most danger room in the house.

If you enjoy Alton's show and his tips for gear, you'll like this book, even if you've seen every episode. At the very least you'll have something to reference. For everyone else, I'd say page through it at a book store and look up topic you're familiar with. If you agree with what he says, buy it. You'll probably agree with everything else.

I don't like the new Cuisinart either, June 29, 2004
I'm a hobby cook and also a gadget-junkie, so I was delighted to discover this book by one of my favorite people on the Food Network. Brown covers much more than simply can-openers and veggie-peelers, though. His topical chapters cover pots and pans, storage containers, small miscellaneous utensils, safety items, "sharp things," and "small things with plugs," and perhaps the best way to read the book is to browse from the beginning and then read his descriptions, comments, and opinions on certain items as they come to mind. I'm a regular reader of the consumer tests in COOK'S ILLUSTRATED, too, and I think Brown and Christopher Kimball would agree in many ways on what makes a particular tool useful and what features to look for among the products available. Brown's judgments are admittedly personal but he explains them very clearly. Not everything must be specially purchased, either; he recommends a length of dental floss for cutting slices of soft cheese, and he boils eggs in an electric kettle that automatically turns itself off when it reaches a boil. (Great idea!) The book's page design is also quite nice, with good photos and drawings of the tools he discusses, side discussions and tips highlighted in color, and lots of open space. All his sources appear at the back of the book. I certainly hope he does a revised and updated edition in about five years.

Three words: buy this book, November 20, 2004
My fellow reviewers who agreed that this book is worth 5 stars have probably said what I feel better than I could. In a nutshell, this is an excellent resource to have on hand to learn which tools you really need for YOUR kitchen....not Alton's.

The six-month "purge" in the beginning of the book is worth the price of the book alone. It's such a simple technique but it's laid out in such logical detail that anyone who does this will know immediately how much space and money they've wasted on kitchen trinkets, cheap and expensive alike.

The section on cookware is an excellent resource for people who are scraping by on whatever cookware they got from their mother or from the local superstore. It'll help you choose the cookware (and individual pieces) that are best suited for YOU.
I also found his information on cutlery selection to be valuable.

Also, Brown doesn't automatically lean toward the idea that "expensive is better". In fact, he seems refreshingly honest when he tells you that superior tools can often be bought cheaper than at a restaurant supply store. One example is that he opts to use a trowel from the local hardware store rather than buy an expensive "pie server" from one of the houseware vendors.

In other areas, he's candid enough to say, "Hey, this is going to last you a lifetime and if you buy the cheapo, you're going to regret it."

Overall, I thought it was refreshingly honest, thorough and -- well, just plain fun to read.

Regarding the the person who said that "$28 was too much" for a book that "wasn't very big", I'm not sure what the complaint was. Although the book is 200+ pages, well-written and wonderfully designed, that's not even the pragmatic point of the book. It's this: knowing the information in this book will save you a heck of alot more than $28 when buying the RIGHT kitchen gear instead of wasting money on stuff you don't need or shouldn't own. If it does that.....well, in my opinion, it's done its job.

Plus, even if someone knows alot of this stuff, it's a good gift item for the chef/cook in YOUR life. Buy two and give one as a gift!

Can a Kitchen Implement Book Be Interesting? YES!, August 9, 2004
How interesting can a book on kitchen implements be? I have always loved kitchen gadgets and machines, and although I'm the one who drags my wife through the kitchenware sections of stores, I still asked this question about this book. Well, it is a very interesting book, and I wish I had read this before buying most of what's in my kitchen.

Alton Brown is the host of the Food Network show GOOD EATS. The show was first brought to my attention by a local radio morning show DJ. Alton is a sort of combination of Julia Childs and Mr. Wizard with a little wackiness of Jeff Corwin thrown in. After quickly getting addicted to the show, I wondered if Alton had any books, and my search led me to GEAR FOR YOUR KITCHEN.

In the short time I've been watching the show, he's twice lifted his fire extinguisher and said, "This is the only unitasker in my kitchen." That philosophy permeates this book. You will also find that he will often use non-kitchen tools if he feels they perform the task better. He serves pie with a masonry trowel and scapes dough with a drywall taping knife.

He's not afraid to name names, which is extremely beneficial and not often seen in books (Don't want to upset potential advertisers!). So instead of just describing what to look for in an item, he tells you what item(s) meets those requirements. Of course, this risks making the book quickly dated. He is also not afraid to say what items he's abandoned when they were poorly "updated," such as now recommending the Kitchenaid food processor over his once-favorite Cuisinart because Cuisinart changed the toggle switch to a membrane switch. Hopefully, some of the revelation will guide the manufacturers to provide better products.

The book is very easy to read, and reads like listening to the author on his show. The layout is very attractive. The book is punctuated with interesting sidebars giving historical information on the materials and products. There are actually a handful of recipes using the tools described in that section. For example, the section on food processors includes a recipe for Hummus. The book is full of photos of recommended items. There is a several-page table on cooking utensil materials: what they are, what they're good for, and what they're not. Some of these sidebars and tables are very appealing to an engineer like me (Alton Brown, in general, probably appeals to engineers like me), but may be boring to others. You can skip many of them without much damage.

Chapters are Pots and Pans, Sharp Things (knives and slicers), Small Things with Plugs (electric countertop kitchen appliances), Kitchen Tools Unplugged (pretty much any tool that doesn't fall into the other categories), Storage and Containment, and a potentially ho-hum chapter on Safety and Sanitation, which wasn't so bad. I could probably benefit from this last chapter, although (famous last words) I've never gotten sick from anything I made in my kitchen. It's harder explaining to my wife why I'm buying spray bottles and squeegees.

I can offer a few suggestions for improvements. Mainly, additional illustrations are needed to help describe differences in some items. He could use diagrams to describe different kinds of pots and pans, different turners and spatulas, and the different whisks. He does this very thing describing different kinds of knives and the parts of the knives, but falls down on the job in the other sections. There are text descriptions like "straight sides," "curved sides," "flared sides," "sides that curve outward," "they all have an offset angle built into them either at the tip or in the handle," and others. It can be hard to conceive in your mind (or maybe it's really simple, and I'm just messed up because I'm an engineer and he's not describing what plane he's working in, what line he's referring the angle to, etc.) By "straight sides" does he mean "vertical?"

And p. 192 confuses me. Alton insists there is a difference between turners and spatulas, but under "Wide, Solid Turner," he describes a particular product he owns, and there is a photo of it with a caption that clearly describes it as the same item, but calls it a "spatula." Furthermore, the next section, "Cake Spatulas," the first describing spatulas, refers to "the spatula described above." Ugh. Which is it? Are spatulas and turners the same or not?

OK. Minor point.

Mr. Brown does concedes that there may be a few good unitaskers, and admits to owning a few, but only if they do a job you need a done a lot, and it does it very well. Oh...and he does discuss fire extinguishers.

I don't think I'll personally purchase this book since it is in the my local library, and it's not something I think I'll have to refer to frequently. However, if you don't have access to it, or want to keep it around for the recipes (or have an unlimited book budget and bookcase space), I'd highly recommend purchasing GEAR FOR YOUR KITCHEN.

From a fan Great Book, but not a good buy, January 22, 2005
This is a great book, and very informative. As he does in his first book, he explains the concepts behind cooking in an almost scientific. BUT many of the most important tidbits are found in abbreviated with his first book. He also tends not to give the full story when endorsing a particular product. The Pressure Cooker, Stand Mixer, Perfect Beaker, etc. So before you buy, look at the recommendations on this site, consumer reports, and any other nonpartisan source you can.

My suggestion is try and find this book at your library, then decide if you want to buy it. For me I took a few notes, then returned the book. I can always go check it out, and its not the type of book I'll always have out.

(oh and before any of you try this, the terra cotta smoker is great, but not nearly as cheap and convenient as the smokey joe smoker in I'm just here for the food).

A Must-Have, June 10, 2004
Nominated this year for another James Beard Award (for Tools and Techniques), Alton Brown has yet another gem for all to enjoy, "Gear For Your Kitchen". In this wonderful gem, Alton Brown explains how you can declutter your kitchen within 60 days and stock your kitchen with useful tools that you will actually use!

As any "Good Eats" fan will tell you, Alton Brown believes in "multi-taskers." His logic is: Why have a yogurt maker when you only use it once a year? Instead, he shows us, on one of his shows, how he utilizes a heating pad and a couple of canisters to achieve the same results.

Not only does he suggest unusual items for your kitchen (a cigar cutter to chop chives), but he also recommends traditional items. He explains the process with which one should consider before purchasing any item. He does explain how he chose that certain coffee maker, but he explains how we need to figure out which one is best for us.

Being as he is forever in search of a great utensil or appliance, he is quick to point out which items are more difficult to clean, and not worth buying, and which ones are worth buying. In the section devoted purely to pots and pans, he explains each metal used for cooking, the best uses for that metal, how to care for it and the good and bad points with each metal.

Instead of purchasing that expensive imported terra-cotta cookware, he suggests (with diagrams) on how to create your own cookware from flowerpots...I mean, they are both made from the same material. Why pay more because one says "cookware"?

And he doesn't stop there. He also helps his readers by helping them select safety and sanitation supplies for their kitchens!

And if you thought that was not enough, he has a large resource section, in the back of the book, where he recommends some excellent places to purchase your items, either through mail, telephone or Internet!

This book is complete with Alton Brown's sense of humor, wit and enthusiasm. He is one of the only people out there creating books for people who never went to culinary school. I appreciate his thoroughness, and recommend this book to all new cooks, and for the more seasoned chefs as well.

Always fascinating, February 16, 2005
My husband bought me this book (along with the newest set of the Good Eats DVDs). Initially, I didn't think that this book would be for me even though Good Eats is one of my favorite shows. As interesting as Alton Brown is, I didn't think that a book just about kitchen tools would be interesting. Then I started reading it. AB has such a unique way of writing that I was instantly mesmerized. It makes me want to go through my kitchen and purge all the unitaskers I've accumulated over the years. I will get there, though it may take a while. As an added bonus, he includes quite a few interesting recipes (that correspond to the gear he is talking about). I will never again doubt AB. In my opinion, he's the best there is in the cooking world. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Here's a collection of tasty and attractive dishes that can easily be prepared with little to no attention and are ready when you want to eat. Succulent meats, tender poultry and even vegetarian dishes, hot and full of simmered-in flavor, are waiting for you when you want them. This book is full of more than 120 no-nonsense, delicious recipes that are easy for anyone to use-just dump in the ingredients, dial the heat, and dinner will be ready when you get home from work. All the preparation can be done the night before, so putting dinner on in the morning a breeze. Recipes include everything -- meat, chicken ,and meatless main dishes to side dishes, dips, drinks, and even desserts -- with more than 50 photos of these easy, delicious meals. Slow cookers are an all around economical choice -- from the price of appliance to the amount of time spent cooking and the ingredients you can use makes this subject appealing to a wide group of consumers. Slow cooking enhances the flavor and also tenderizes all varieties of meat, including the less expensive cuts, so it is an economical way to cook. Most recipes have cooking times of 8 to 10 hours, so they can be started at the beginning of the day and be ready for dinnertime. Slow cookers are not only for the work-a-day world; they're also very convenient for entertaining and when stove/oven are being used for other food preparations. It is perfect for making crowd-size hot beverages, such as hot chocolate or mulled cider, and it keeps dips and side dishes hot for several hours, making it perfect for hassle-free entertaining and meal making. With Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, putting dinner on the table has never been easier. ... Read more

Reviews

In Love With My Crockpot, January 11, 2000
If you thought crockpot cooking was a bad idea from the seventies, think again. This fabulous book has a wonderful variety of recipes that are easy, inexpensive, and newly healthy for a nineties audience. Not only does it provide plenty of recipes to keep you busy, but it also explains how to adapt your own favorite fast-cooking recipes to the slow cooker. As a working woman, I can't emphasize enough how this book has brought healthy, easy, hearty cooking into my life. I highly recommend it to anyone who is busy, but wants to eat well.

My gosh, Betty Crocker goes beyond pot roast!, February 15, 2003
I was reluctant to buy a crockpot, perhaps because I'm a little bit of a cookery snob. I'm not a pot roast and meatloaf person; I prefer recipes with a little more zing and originality. But when my friends insisted that recipes existed for much more interesting crockpot fare, I browsed through slow cooker books to see if they were right. This is the cookbook that convinced me I should buy a crockpot. Wow.

The Thai Chicken and the Mango Chutney Chicken Curry recipes quickly became favorites in my house. There are also recipes for Cuban Black Beans and Rice, Lamb Dijon, and Squash and Apple Bisque as well as for the crockpot staples. This cookbook isn't satisfied to offer a single stew recipe; it provides nine vastly different ones, using beef, pork, chicken, or even venison. Somehow, good old-fashioned Betty Crocker realized that cooks like me didn't want to compromise much when it came to crockpot cooking.

I highly recommend this book for its non-traditional fare.

Good, better, best, December 18, 2000
If I had to choose one crock pot cookbook to own, I would still choose Mable Hoffman's Crockery Cookery. Every recipe I've tried in there turned out delicious! Crockpot aficionados, however, need variety in cooking styles. Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook fills the "runner up" category. Most helpful are the suggestions regarding cooking beans in a crockpot, which has always been a tricky affair. In fact, my favorite recipes in this Betty Crocker cookbook are bean recipes. Savory Garbanzo Beans with Vegetables was much appreciated by a crowd of six vegetarian friends of mine. Its "secret" ingredients, believe it or not, are horseradish and mustard! Sounds strange, but tastes great. The Lima Bean and Kielbasa Soup is so delicious that my friend made her own batch of it two days after trying it at my house! A little less exciting, but still comforting on a cold winter day, is Chicken and Rice Gumbo Soup, topped with hot red pepper sauce. The only "bomb" I've tried so far was the Burgundy Stew with Herbed Dumplings. The stew was fine, but steaming dumplings on top of a crock pot recipe is doomed to failure, I'm afraid. It looks like a gloppy mass of uncooked biscuit dough, and not like dumplings, because the circumference of a crock pot does not allow for separate dollops of the dough. Bake some biscuits in the oven and ladle the soup on top of a biscuit in each bowl, instead. Finally, this recipe book has a very nice format. Alongside each recipe are "success tips", "ingredient substitution" advice, and "finishing touch" recommendations which guide the cook along. Each recipe includes helpful nutrition data, and the large majority of the recipes are accompanied by a full color photo of the finished dish. If you are already a Mable Hoffman fan, the Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cookbook is likely to come in a close second.

Impressed, December 10, 2002
Well, color me impressed. I was not expecting much from this cookbook - didn't think there was any way Betty Crocker would be "with it" - but this book kept showing up in my recommendations, and I do love my crock pot, so I ordered it. The book arrived today and I'm in love! Not only is the book full of interesting, yet easy, recipes, but there are plenty that are relatively lean (<30% fat). Yes, nutrition information is included! And I love that it is spiral-bound inside the hard cover; very well put together. There are even recipes for what to do with leftovers from other recipes. My only beef with it is that most of the recipes don't include high-temp cooking times, so if you don't have eight hours to let something cook, you're outta luck.

Crockpot Cooking for Gourmets!, January 22, 2005
Like another reviewer, I resisted getting a crockpot because I'd like to think of myself as a gourmet cook. I recently had gastric bypass surgery, and my surgeon recommended a crockpot as a way to really make meats tender and easier for me to get (and keep) down.

What a cookbook! It is my first crockpot cookbook, and it was an excellent buy. I liked the "Crockpots for Dummies"-type information in the beginning. Each recipe also has excellent tips - did you know that Basil increases strength with cooking time, but Cilantro mellows? Neither did I, and both are useful tips while cooking! The spiral binding is also wonderful. The pot roasts are delicious, as are the Pork Chops with Mixed Dried Fruit. Tonight I prepared the Beef Brisket with Cranberry Gravy, and felt compelled to write.

I highly recommend this cookbook for crockpot newbies like me. Veterans should find useful and delicious recipes as well.

Its Great, November 6, 2000
Im a reformed low carb eater... This book is great it gives me the carb counts and protein counts. The meals I have made are divine. It is great for a person who is eating low carb to find a cookbook that helps those who work a decent (not out of the box) meal. Try it.. I got one for all 3 of my sisters.

Delicious recipes and easy to follow, December 14, 2004
Thanks to this book, I come home several times a week to a dinner that is ready to eat - and delicious! I have tried about 50% of the recipes and so far, all of them have turned out very well. My favorites are the Fruited Pork Chops, which are so good I served them to my family on Thanksgiving rather than turkey! Other highlights are the Hungarian Goulash, the Garlic Pork Roast with plum sauce and the Cassoulet. Best of all, I always have enough left over for lunch the next day.

On top of this, every recipe has a complete nutrional analysis, so if you are watching carbs, you can choose recipes based on that.

My family and friends love this cookbook - they get to eat the results!

Betty does not let you down., April 16, 2006
This was my first slowcooker cookbook for my first slowcooker, and I have yet to have a bad meal from it. The directions are clear, easy, and almost foolproof. It allows for convienance foods like canned beans or frozen veggies, without using a lot of processed food or added fat, also there are several for dried beans (cheap and good for you). Most of the ingredients are easy to come by. The tips are very helpful. I will be making some of these recipies for as long as I am still cooking. The spiral binding is just a great added touch. If you have a slowcooker buy this book.

Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook, March 8, 2006
I had been looking for a cookbook like "the old days" when you threw everything into the slow cooker and turned it on for 8 hours. I found it in this cookbook! Too many slow cooker recipe books demand too much preparation of the ingredients before starting the cooking. This book is wonderful, the recipes are easy and the selection of soups is unlimited. I like being back to "the old days" and using the slow cooker as it was originally intended.

Simple, Tasty , Perfect!, August 27, 2005
I don't know why anyone would give this book a low rating and say the recipes had no flavor...I have tried many of the recipes and I love spicy food, and I have found the recipes to be wonderful! They taste good, they're easy, they have simple ingredients for the most part, and you barely have to lift a finger for dinner!!! I love this book and am buying one for a friend! ... Read more

Editorial Review

It's the book that started it all, the well-loved edition that first bought Betty Crocker cookbooks into American homes and hearts. Published in 1950, this ground-breaking title made cooking easy, it made cooking appealing, and best of all, it made cooking fun. Packed full of practical tips, useful hints, and lavish color photography, this was the book that shaped cooking for generations, the book that people remember. Every recipe you -- or your mother -- ever wanted is here, from pigs in blankets, to Emergency Steak to Chicken Tomato Aspic. Enjoy the clever ideas throughout -- twelve months of birthday cake ideas, showing how to decorate a cake to match each month's gem stone, pointers to make setting up a kitchen easy, or hints to make housework more pleasant. Feel a part of history when making Home Front Macaroni, developed during WW II rationing to stretch meat. Get into the spirit of fun with a Betty Crocker "Cookie Shine" or cookie baking party. People who grew up with this book will want it for the memories; those who are new to the book will want it for its charm and its intelligent approach to cooking. It's a perfect keepsake and a great gift. ... Read more

Reviews

This is the first cookbook I recommend, May 7, 2000
I am thrilled that Betty Crocker has re-issued this cookbook. My mother received a copy back in 1956 as a wedding present and it is the one I learned to cook from. I still use it more than any of my other cookbooks. The recipes are just "plain home cooking": no fancy ingredients, no complicated cooking techiques. However, I have never made a dish from this book that has failed to get compliments. It is a good book for beginners as well as the rest of us whose skills fall somewhere between "burns water" and cordon bleu.

Enchanting! Memories of Mom in the kitchen flooded my mind., October 11, 1999
I grew up watching my wonderful mother use an original copy of this cookbook. She received it as a wedding present. She still has the original....which will someday be passed on to me. The pages still bear traces of all those wonderful baking experiences I shared with mom...chocolate, butter, flour. The original got so much use,that between her learning to become the great Betty Crocker cook she became and her teaching me all she had learned, some of the pages managed to come away from the binding. I remember mentioning to mom how nice it would be if her book was in a binder. Someone must have read my mind because here it is.....the reproduction, in all it's original splendor....bound! Thanks for a wonderful, loving cookbook. Besides my copy, I have since purchase one for each of my three sisters, and one for mom as well.

absolutely the best!, October 29, 1999
I can't really say this is a review. I got this book from my mom, who passed away in 1960. I have used the book so often that it is falling apart. I will never part from the book I got from my Mom, but, since I want to keep it as a keepsake, I decided that I need a new one, because it is the most reliable book I have ever used. I intend to use it as often as I used my Mom's original book. My only regret is that I waited so long to buy a new copy. PS., I just love this book!

A classic worth owning!, April 17, 2002
Please, don't let the fact that this cookbook pre-dates such modern conviences as the microwave oven and food processors drive you away from this book! There are short cuts, methods and recipes that you simply will not find anywhere else. Unlike a lot of modern cookbooks, this volume accepts the fact that not everyone is a kitchen whiz--so it explains EVERYTHING; from how to bake a chicken (time, temperature, preparation of the bird, type of pan, seasonings) to how to cook fresh vegetables (quite an education if all your mom used was canned or frozen!)

This cookbook promotes healthy eating without the guilt trip that a lot of modern cookbooks put you through. It even has suggestions of how to stock a kitchen if you are just starting out (originally for new brides, but hey, you can adapt!) I really like this cook book. Even more important--I USE this cookbook! And no, I'm not a a stay at home wife; I'm a career woman! So if it doesn't work or takes too long, I don't do it! It's a great working cookbook and a great reference cookbook--one you can pull off the shelf and use when you wonder how Mom did it! Bon appetite!

The most useful cookbook and a family heirloom., November 3, 1998
I have searched for this cookbook for years; in garage sales, by writing to the publisher and through many other outlets. My grandmother gave my mother this cookbook as a wedding present in 1956. By then, it was already on its ninth printing. My mother first used this book to learn how to cook, then to become an excellent cook. It was always out on the counter when she was in the kitchen when I was a child. By following these recipes, success is certain. It also contains such helpful hints on the substitution of ingredients and setting a table properly. Often when I would come home from high school, my mother would call from the office and instruct me to make an entr�e from it. Even for a typical sixteen-year-old who was more interested in fast cars than gastronomic delights, I was pleased that whatever recipe I chose to attempt, the instructions were so clear and correct that my family was always pleased with the results. After a few years in the college residence halls, I moved to an apartment. My mother, always worrying that her baby boy would not eat right, handed me her prized cookbook and requested that I please take good care of it. The book was nearing twenty-five years in age and her favorite recipes were easy spotted by the frayed edges. Several pages were coming out of the bindings, even the tape had worn out on some. I cherished this gift. During college and then while moving around the world with my career, I entertained friends while eating nutritious and inexpensive meals prepared using the recipes and helpful hints on color and presentation. Today, I frequently get the old cookbook out and share the pleasures of cooking with my wife. I always think of my mother who passed away ten years ago and with this cookbook was able to please so many people and raise us children. With the reprinting of Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, I can now retire the one with my mother's handwriting and fingerprints on so many pages, set it aside as a family heirloom. Today, I have ordered three of these cookbooks. I shall use one myself and give the others as gifts. Thank you so much for reissuing this treasure.

Kind of disappointed...., July 9, 2000
Having searched old book stores for years for another copy of the ORIGINAL, I was thrilled to see that Betty Crocker was being "reprinted". Mine, you see, has been the most well used book in our home for 40 years of marriage. I didn't want to throw it out for sentimental reasons, however, a lot of pages were missing or stuck together. I also wanted to give one to each of my children. It looks like the same book but those die hard BC cooks will notice right away that this is an edited version and not a reprint of the original! Gone is "Pink Bunny" (I only made it once and have never heard the end of it!) "Black Midnight" (the ONLY chocolate cake you'll ever need! and other favorites. Some recipes were updated for 90's nutrition which took away the 1950's authenticity. Yes I was kind of disappointed but I still feel it should be on every kitchen shelf as it is a most valuable reference tool and all the basics you'll ever need to know about are in this one volume.

Best Cookbook Ever!, December 26, 1999
When I was young I thought this cookbook was the only one which existed. This was the only cookbook my mother ever used. So much in fact that now many pages are missing or just stuffed in the back because they came away from the binding. I have been trying to find a replacement for this cookbook for years for my own kitchen. I called Betty Crocker up years back to see if they could tell me where to get a copy and they told me to look in garage sales or used book store. Finally my mother-in-law who lives in Nebraska found a used copy in pristine condition for me at a book sale. Although I own dozens of cookbooks this is the one I come back to for the true basics of good cooking. I have owned four restaurants and have used this cookbook many a times to reference the basics. It is the greatest thing that Betty Crocker has ever done by bringing this cookbood back to print. I have ordered one as a backup for mine and one for my sister. Everyone should have one in their kitchen!

Buyer beware!, January 19, 2001
Better check this one out before you buy it! I thought my mom had the first edition, so I was enthusiastic about getting a copy of the cookbook I grew up using the most. Then I saw this "1st edition facsimile" in a bookstore. I am SO glad I didn't buy this before I saw it. First, I realized from inspecting this that my mom's copy was probably a second edition of the book, with a lot more pictures, step-by-step instructions, and recipes. Second, this "facsimile" is cheaply reproduced in a three ring notebook on paper that is as flimsy as most modern magazines. I'd predict, after only a few weeks of use, that the pages and hole punches will be torn from just light use. You really should check this out before buying it!

Great blast from the past, August 7, 2000
No nonsense home style cooking. This book is wonderful as a guide for home style cooking. Ever wanted to make just every day home style cooking? Here you go. Recipes are simple to follow, easy to read, and guess what, they do not require anything fancy. I love to turn to this cookbook when I really think I have nothing to cool. This book shows you how to turn out exciting meals from the pantry. This also has some great serving ideas and more. I also enjoyed the book as recipes and cookbooks do change over the years. This had a great deal of recipes that I have never seen, and they were pretty tasty. This is the book to pick up if you want a little change, but not too much in your every day meals.

Amazon.com offers the best deal on this great classic!, August 17, 2004
My late aunt owned this book and I borrowed it from my 80 year old mother who inherited it. The bread and refrigerator roll recipes were excellent as well as all the cake and cookie recipes I tried. Mother was unwilling to part with her copy so I ordered my own online...used for about $80. Now this old, formerly out-of-print book has been reprinted and is even better than the original! It's basically the same as the old book except it comes with a ring binder (like the newer Betty Crocker cookbooks have) making it much easier to use. (lays flat on the counter)It also has dividers for each section (like Soups, Meat/Fish, Pies,Frostings, etc.) which is a big improvement. The nostalgic effect is not lost in the new copy, however, because the pictures/photos, page-layouts, and page numbers are exactly the same as the original 50's book. I own close to 100 cookbooks and this is one of my favorites. It's teaches how to make the basic comfort foods of the 1950's when women were expected to know how to bake "from scratch." (The Amazon.com price is cheaper than I've seen it anywhere else (like Cracker Barrel)and their service is excellent and FAST. I ordered my new copy and received it the next day) ... Read more