BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS THE ULTIMATE APPETIZERS BOOK (John Wiley &
Sons, 2011, 480 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-63414-1, $19.95 US soft covers)
is a bargain of a book, with 450 quick and easy nibble and drinks,
along with the usual party-planning advice. It's all done in typical
BH&G fashion, playing to the harried homemaker. Chapters cover dips,
meatballs and sliders, wings, seafood, pastries, cheeses, breads,
stuffed morsels, one and two-biters, small bowls, veggies, crunchies,
and desserts. Plus drinks, of course. There's a wealth of information
here, plus a minimal amount of bought processed ingredients such as
pita chips, puff pastry, BBQ sauce, at al. Many items can be expanded
into most of a meal, say for four people, or family time. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
a metric table of equivalents. There is also a listing of emergency
substitutions.
Audience and level of use: homemakers,
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: leek and olive tart with
brie; California sushi rolls; nutty pork sliders; pepperoni biscotti;
Jamaican jerk chicken wings; beer and cheddar fondue.
The downside to this book: just speculative – will the binding hold up?
The book is squat and heavy.
The upside to this book: useful, especially if you don't want to buy or
use pre-made canapés from a supermarket.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
Sons, 2011, 480 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-63414-1, $19.95 US soft covers)
is a bargain of a book, with 450 quick and easy nibble and drinks,
along with the usual party-planning advice. It's all done in typical
BH&G fashion, playing to the harried homemaker. Chapters cover dips,
meatballs and sliders, wings, seafood, pastries, cheeses, breads,
stuffed morsels, one and two-biters, small bowls, veggies, crunchies,
and desserts. Plus drinks, of course. There's a wealth of information
here, plus a minimal amount of bought processed ingredients such as
pita chips, puff pastry, BBQ sauce, at al. Many items can be expanded
into most of a meal, say for four people, or family time. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
a metric table of equivalents. There is also a listing of emergency
substitutions.
Audience and level of use: homemakers,
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: leek and olive tart with
brie; California sushi rolls; nutty pork sliders; pepperoni biscotti;
Jamaican jerk chicken wings; beer and cheddar fondue.
The downside to this book: just speculative – will the binding hold up?
The book is squat and heavy.
The upside to this book: useful, especially if you don't want to buy or
use pre-made canapés from a supermarket.
Quality/Price Rating: 85.
4. THE CITY COOK; big city, small kitchen, limitless ingredients, no
time (Simon & Schuster, 2010, 277 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391-7199-8, $20 US
hard covers) is by Kaye McDonough who launched thecitycook.com in 2007.
This is a practical guide to fitting in cooking with a busy life and a
small kitchen (e.g., condo or apartment). There's also log rolling by
Barbara Kafka and Molly O'Neill. Her first point is, of course, to stop
ordering takeout. And use SLOFE principles (seasonal, local, organic,
fast, and easy). There's lots of advice here, and the book does read
like a primer for beginners. (She says you'll only need three different
knives). As well, you'll need a commitment to food. She goes on to sort
out the various greengrocers, farmers, butchers, wine merchants, cheese
mongers, fishmongers, bakers, spice merchants, Community-Supported
Agriculture, urban gardeners, farmer market organizers, and many more.
There's also planning for pantry and larder, with advice on what needs
to be on the shelf, on the counter, in the fridge, and in the freezer.
This is from what you cook. There's a listing of larger urban markets
in the USA, web merchants, other helpful web sites such as Slow Food,
Seafood Watch, USDA, and Sustainable Table. The ninety reparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are
metric tables of equivalents. Large typeface helps a lot.
Audience and level of use: beginning cooks, apartment dwellers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: poached pears with parmesan;
winter greens with butternut squash croutons; composed salads
(variety); lamb shanks with tomato sauce.
The downside to this book: nothing really
The upside to this book: strategies for buying from specialists.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
time (Simon & Schuster, 2010, 277 pages, ISBN 978-1-4391-7199-8, $20 US
hard covers) is by Kaye McDonough who launched thecitycook.com in 2007.
This is a practical guide to fitting in cooking with a busy life and a
small kitchen (e.g., condo or apartment). There's also log rolling by
Barbara Kafka and Molly O'Neill. Her first point is, of course, to stop
ordering takeout. And use SLOFE principles (seasonal, local, organic,
fast, and easy). There's lots of advice here, and the book does read
like a primer for beginners. (She says you'll only need three different
knives). As well, you'll need a commitment to food. She goes on to sort
out the various greengrocers, farmers, butchers, wine merchants, cheese
mongers, fishmongers, bakers, spice merchants, Community-Supported
Agriculture, urban gardeners, farmer market organizers, and many more.
There's also planning for pantry and larder, with advice on what needs
to be on the shelf, on the counter, in the fridge, and in the freezer.
This is from what you cook. There's a listing of larger urban markets
in the USA, web merchants, other helpful web sites such as Slow Food,
Seafood Watch, USDA, and Sustainable Table. The ninety reparations have
their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are
metric tables of equivalents. Large typeface helps a lot.
Audience and level of use: beginning cooks, apartment dwellers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: poached pears with parmesan;
winter greens with butternut squash croutons; composed salads
(variety); lamb shanks with tomato sauce.
The downside to this book: nothing really
The upside to this book: strategies for buying from specialists.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
5. GLYCEMIC INDEX COOKBOOK FOR DUMMIES (Wiley Publishing, 2011, 360
pages, ISBN 978-0-470-87566-7, $19.99 US soft covers) is by Meri
Raffetto and Rosanne Rust, both registered dietitians and food writers.
Raffetto had previously writer The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies;
both had written The Calorie Counter For Dummies. The GI is now a
mature and proven industry with many books behind it. It had initially
begun with a series of numbers to determine high or low glycemic
qualities. The index is a way of determining how different
carbohydrates in foods affect blood glucose levels. The lower the
number, the slower (and more sustained) the absorption of carbs into
the body. This is useful information for those with health issues
(diabetes, heart problems, et al) or those trying to lose weight. So
there is a good summary here in 50 pages, and then the creation of
menus and recipes. All courses are covered, from apps to desserts. 150
or so recipes are listed in an index at the back and in a separate
table of contents near the front.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there are metric tables of equivalents. It is all safe and
effective and healthy. If you stick with low GIs, then you'll probably
lose weight and be healthy. Check out the authors' website
www.reallivingnutrition.com.
Audience and level of use: dieters, those with health issues.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: understand the differences
between types of carbohydrates.
The downside to this book: much has been simplified, but then that is
the Dummies style.
The upside to this book: major foods are identified by "high" or "low"
or "medium", which is better than a number out of 100.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
pages, ISBN 978-0-470-87566-7, $19.99 US soft covers) is by Meri
Raffetto and Rosanne Rust, both registered dietitians and food writers.
Raffetto had previously writer The Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies;
both had written The Calorie Counter For Dummies. The GI is now a
mature and proven industry with many books behind it. It had initially
begun with a series of numbers to determine high or low glycemic
qualities. The index is a way of determining how different
carbohydrates in foods affect blood glucose levels. The lower the
number, the slower (and more sustained) the absorption of carbs into
the body. This is useful information for those with health issues
(diabetes, heart problems, et al) or those trying to lose weight. So
there is a good summary here in 50 pages, and then the creation of
menus and recipes. All courses are covered, from apps to desserts. 150
or so recipes are listed in an index at the back and in a separate
table of contents near the front.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there are metric tables of equivalents. It is all safe and
effective and healthy. If you stick with low GIs, then you'll probably
lose weight and be healthy. Check out the authors' website
www.reallivingnutrition.com.
Audience and level of use: dieters, those with health issues.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: understand the differences
between types of carbohydrates.
The downside to this book: much has been simplified, but then that is
the Dummies style.
The upside to this book: major foods are identified by "high" or "low"
or "medium", which is better than a number out of 100.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
6. KEYS TO GOOD COOKING; a guide to making the best of foods and
recipes (Doubleday Canada, 2010, 553 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-66645-9, $42
US hard covers) is by Harold McGee, author of "On Food and Cooking".
Indeed, it has all the appearance of a slimmed down version of that
1984/2004 tome, minus much of the science behind the food. But it has
also been updated beyond 2004: much of the bibliography is new, new
foods have been brought in, and there has been a general updating
throughout. For example, the section on sprouts in the 2004 book did
not mention microgreens (which is in the 2010 book). On the other hand,
much of the science behind sprouts has been left behind, and instead,
the safety factor has been highlighted (sprouts promote bacterial
growth). So it is a bit of a tradeoff. In length, this book is about
one-quarter the size of "On Food and Cooking". The 2004 book had a
smaller typeface over two columns, with smaller leading and tables. The
current book has an extremely large typeface and lots of blank space.
Its emphasis is on cooking food, and not the science behind it. The mix
of chemistry, history, folklore, literary anecdotes, kitchen tips,
recipes, and explaining the science behind the cooking techniques are
all gone. Still, it is extremely useful for strategies such as
shopping, safety, storing, and preparations for cooking. The few tables
that exist are inside the covers, and detail mostly metric
equivalencies.
Audience and level of use: cooks, libraries, cooking schools.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: the 2004 book said that
flipping meat on the grill every minute creates moistness. The 2010
books just says "to speed the cooking", with no mention of moistness.
The downside to this book: excessive log rolling (did we actually need
Thomas Keller, Ruth Reichl, Rose Beranbaum, and even Shirley Corriher
[who had McGee log roll her own book] doing endorsements? It's like
getting the Pope to give advance praise to a new edition of the
Catholic Bible). Also, there is more on food and the kitchen and so
little on human use of food (nutrition and digestion) and taste buds.
The upside to this book: there is a newer audience out there for the
science behind cooking. The updated bibliography.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
recipes (Doubleday Canada, 2010, 553 pages, ISBN 978-0-385-66645-9, $42
US hard covers) is by Harold McGee, author of "On Food and Cooking".
Indeed, it has all the appearance of a slimmed down version of that
1984/2004 tome, minus much of the science behind the food. But it has
also been updated beyond 2004: much of the bibliography is new, new
foods have been brought in, and there has been a general updating
throughout. For example, the section on sprouts in the 2004 book did
not mention microgreens (which is in the 2010 book). On the other hand,
much of the science behind sprouts has been left behind, and instead,
the safety factor has been highlighted (sprouts promote bacterial
growth). So it is a bit of a tradeoff. In length, this book is about
one-quarter the size of "On Food and Cooking". The 2004 book had a
smaller typeface over two columns, with smaller leading and tables. The
current book has an extremely large typeface and lots of blank space.
Its emphasis is on cooking food, and not the science behind it. The mix
of chemistry, history, folklore, literary anecdotes, kitchen tips,
recipes, and explaining the science behind the cooking techniques are
all gone. Still, it is extremely useful for strategies such as
shopping, safety, storing, and preparations for cooking. The few tables
that exist are inside the covers, and detail mostly metric
equivalencies.
Audience and level of use: cooks, libraries, cooking schools.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: the 2004 book said that
flipping meat on the grill every minute creates moistness. The 2010
books just says "to speed the cooking", with no mention of moistness.
The downside to this book: excessive log rolling (did we actually need
Thomas Keller, Ruth Reichl, Rose Beranbaum, and even Shirley Corriher
[who had McGee log roll her own book] doing endorsements? It's like
getting the Pope to give advance praise to a new edition of the
Catholic Bible). Also, there is more on food and the kitchen and so
little on human use of food (nutrition and digestion) and taste buds.
The upside to this book: there is a newer audience out there for the
science behind cooking. The updated bibliography.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
7. VEGAN COOKING FOR DUMMIES (Wiley Publishing, 2011, 364 pages, ISBN
978-0-470-64840-7, $19.99 US soft covers) is by Alexandra Jamieson, a
certified holistic health counselor and a vegan chef (featured in the
documentary "Super Size Me"). Vegans avoid all animal products, both in
diet (flesh, eggs, dairy, honey) and in lifestyle (fur coats, shoe
leather, furniture). She has about 160 vegan preps. All courses are
covered, from apps to desserts. The recipes are listed in an index at
the back and in a separate table of contents near the front. And she
does make it all sound easy and fun. There's party food here as well as
menus for entertaining. A highlight is a listing of 11 emergency snacks
such as pretzels, hummus and pita, salsa and tortilla chips, olive
paste and rice crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the
like. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there are metric tables of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: vegetarians, vegans, those seeking a
different lifestyle.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Occasionally, some vegans
will recycle "used" animal products to avoid an environmental conflict.
The downside to this book: much has been simplified, but then that is
the Dummies style.
The upside to this book: cheerful and upbeat, a good intro to vegans.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
8. VEGETARIAN TIMES EVERYTHING VEGAN (John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 352
pages, ISBN 978-0-470-54788-5, $29.95 US hard covers) is edited by Mary
Margaret Chappell. It's a collection of some 250 recipes with SLOFE
principles (seasonal, local, organic, fast, and easy). It's billed by
the publisher as "the something-for-everyone vegan cookbook", drawn
from the pages and kitchens of Vegetarian Times. Vegan cookery usually
means "vegetarian without eggs and dairy". And this can limit some
choices of food preps since eggs and dairy are extensively used as
binders in the plated product, holding a casserole or a cake together.
Vegan meals can help reduce cholesterol, certain kinds of cancer,
diabetes, and weight. These have been proven. This is a basic book,
beginning with a kitchen primer and menu ideas. There are about 30
important and suggested menus, ranging from Thanksgiving, Christmas
(all the usual holidays) to a Sunday Breakfast or Weekday Dinner. The
preps begin with starters, drinks, burgers and sandwiches, salads, and
then move on to pasta, noodles, rice, whole grains, soy products,
"vegetables", and beans. There are also soups, baked goods, sweets, and
a variety of sauces and jams. There are informative sidebars, such as
"Guidelines for Choosing Rice". Preparations have their ingredients
listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no metric table of
equivalents. Each prep also has nutritional data.
Audience and level of use: vegans, vegetarians, natural health lovers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: barley risotto with spinach
and tofu; polenta wedges with black-eyed pea salsa; forbidden rice
bibimbap; radicchio, radish and fennel salad; morning glory loaf.
The upside to this book: a good selection of vegan recipes from a
vegetarian magazine.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
9. FOODISTA; 100 great recipes, photographs and voices (Andrews McMeel,
2010; distr. Simon and Schuster, 204 pages, ISBN 978-0-7407-9767-5,
$19.99 US paper covers) has been edited by Sheri L. Wetherell, Barnaby
Dorfman, and Colin M. Saunders. All three are founders of
www.foodista.com, a Seattle-based collaborative project to build a
large online food encyclopedia along the lines of Wikipedia, with
material that can be edited by members and cross-checked, etc., as
Wikipedia is supposed to be. It's another free resource social media
site, allowing free information for anyone who wants to cook and to
share recipes. The members chose the 100 best recipes from the
thousands on the site, and here they are. It's arranged by course, from
appetizers to desserts. Each prep is sourced, with a picture of the
plated dish, and some biographical information (a picture of each cook
is at the back of the book). Preparations have their ingredients listed
in avoirdupois measurements, but there is a metric table of equivalents
at the back. Recipes come from around the world, mostly from young
people (mainly women), and appear to be derived from their extended
families. So there are a fair bit of ethnic dishes here, which is a
good thing.
Audience and level of use: new cooks, bloggers, foodies.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: paneer kofta; cranberry
crumb bars; spicy pumpkin soup; buckwheat galettes with an egg; Asian
meat loaf.
The downside to this book: the typeface for the list of ingredients is
a light orange, hard on the eyes after awhile.
The upside to this book: the recipe line spacing is good with plenty of
leading.
Quality/Price Rating: 86.
10. THE ART OF THE CHOCOLATIER; from classic confections to sensational
showpieces (John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 408 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-39884-5,
$65 US hard covers) is by Ewald Notter, an award-winning pastry chef
and chocolatier. He has been working for over 35 years, and a teacher
for a quarter century. Currently, he is also pastry adviser to the
Culinary Team USA. It becomes at once THE book on chocolate for pastry
chefs, students, and chocolate stores. Part One gives the basic
overview (equipment, ingredients, techniques), while Part Two covers
all manner of small chocolates (gianduja, marzipan, ganache, chocolate
pralines). Part Three is the heavy gun – creating chocolate showpieces
(not for the faint of heart), dealing with flowers, painting, piping,
creating 3-D models, etc.). The work is complemented by absolutely
stunning photography and numerous charts, diagrams and templates.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric, US and volume
measurements, but otherwise there are no tables of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: professionals in the chocolate business,
students, libraries, reference collections.
Some interesting or unusual facts: for a unique look, chocolate candy
molds can be smeared or finger-painted with coloured cocoa butter using
colours that correspond to the flavours inside. Splattering is also
useful.
The downside to this book: it weighs 2 kilos (4.4 pounds)!
The upside to this book: good, detailed index.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
showpieces (John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 408 pages, ISBN 978-0-470-39884-5,
$65 US hard covers) is by Ewald Notter, an award-winning pastry chef
and chocolatier. He has been working for over 35 years, and a teacher
for a quarter century. Currently, he is also pastry adviser to the
Culinary Team USA. It becomes at once THE book on chocolate for pastry
chefs, students, and chocolate stores. Part One gives the basic
overview (equipment, ingredients, techniques), while Part Two covers
all manner of small chocolates (gianduja, marzipan, ganache, chocolate
pralines). Part Three is the heavy gun – creating chocolate showpieces
(not for the faint of heart), dealing with flowers, painting, piping,
creating 3-D models, etc.). The work is complemented by absolutely
stunning photography and numerous charts, diagrams and templates.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in metric, US and volume
measurements, but otherwise there are no tables of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: professionals in the chocolate business,
students, libraries, reference collections.
Some interesting or unusual facts: for a unique look, chocolate candy
molds can be smeared or finger-painted with coloured cocoa butter using
colours that correspond to the flavours inside. Splattering is also
useful.
The downside to this book: it weighs 2 kilos (4.4 pounds)!
The upside to this book: good, detailed index.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
11. HEALING SPICES; how to use 50 everyday and exotic spices to boost
health and beat disease (Sterling Publishing, 2011, 322 pages, ISBN
978-1-4027-7663-2, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Bharat B. Aggarwal (a
Ph.D. cancer researcher with over 500 scientific papers and articles),
with Debora Yost (a health book editor and writer). First off, I'm not
sure why the title says just "spices" when the book also includes herbs
and nuts. Notable herbs here include basil, bay leaf, mint, parsley,
rosemary, sage, and thyme. Nuts include almonds. Even veggies are here
(sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic). Let's just say that the foods he
recommends are "flavourful foods", usually consumed in small quantities
because they are intense. Several pages are devoted to each "spice".
The entry for turmeric, for example, is about a dozen pages long,
subtitled "leading crusader against disease". There's an explanation
about what it does, suggesting that it is the anti-cancer spice.
There's a list of what it may help prevent or treat (about 30
illnesses), a statement about how much is needed to promote good
health, what other spices it pairs well with, and a recipe (here,
turmeric with potato cauliflower soup). There is also a list of other
recipes in the book (with page references) that call for turmeric, and
a statement of non-recommended partnering with food (here, dairy dishes
will mask turmeric's delicate flavour). There are sidebars scattered
throughout, such as the one on how to make your own vanilla extract,
what is Mexican oregano, how to mask garlic breath, and using elephant
garlic like a leek). The last part of the book covers about two dozen
special spice combos, such as masala, which you can do yourself, and
substitutions. There's also the use of spices as natural medicines,
ranging from something as simple as bad breath to the more complicated
varieties of arthritis or asthma. Indeed, the book has linked spices to
the prevention and treatment of more than 150 health problems, such as
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's. It concludes with a
listing of US sources for spices, many of them online. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no metric table of equivalents. Colour photos of the spices are
collated into one section at the middle of the book.
Audience and level of use: alternative medicine fans, reference
libraries, natural health lovers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: turmeric had a secondary use
as a fabric dye, so be careful about spills; it can be difficult to get
turmeric out of fabric.
The downside to this book: more recipes would have been useful, say, at
least two per entry.
The upside to this book: a good collection of materials, nicely laid
out.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
health and beat disease (Sterling Publishing, 2011, 322 pages, ISBN
978-1-4027-7663-2, $24.95 US hard covers) is by Bharat B. Aggarwal (a
Ph.D. cancer researcher with over 500 scientific papers and articles),
with Debora Yost (a health book editor and writer). First off, I'm not
sure why the title says just "spices" when the book also includes herbs
and nuts. Notable herbs here include basil, bay leaf, mint, parsley,
rosemary, sage, and thyme. Nuts include almonds. Even veggies are here
(sun-dried tomatoes, onions, garlic). Let's just say that the foods he
recommends are "flavourful foods", usually consumed in small quantities
because they are intense. Several pages are devoted to each "spice".
The entry for turmeric, for example, is about a dozen pages long,
subtitled "leading crusader against disease". There's an explanation
about what it does, suggesting that it is the anti-cancer spice.
There's a list of what it may help prevent or treat (about 30
illnesses), a statement about how much is needed to promote good
health, what other spices it pairs well with, and a recipe (here,
turmeric with potato cauliflower soup). There is also a list of other
recipes in the book (with page references) that call for turmeric, and
a statement of non-recommended partnering with food (here, dairy dishes
will mask turmeric's delicate flavour). There are sidebars scattered
throughout, such as the one on how to make your own vanilla extract,
what is Mexican oregano, how to mask garlic breath, and using elephant
garlic like a leek). The last part of the book covers about two dozen
special spice combos, such as masala, which you can do yourself, and
substitutions. There's also the use of spices as natural medicines,
ranging from something as simple as bad breath to the more complicated
varieties of arthritis or asthma. Indeed, the book has linked spices to
the prevention and treatment of more than 150 health problems, such as
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's. It concludes with a
listing of US sources for spices, many of them online. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no metric table of equivalents. Colour photos of the spices are
collated into one section at the middle of the book.
Audience and level of use: alternative medicine fans, reference
libraries, natural health lovers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: turmeric had a secondary use
as a fabric dye, so be careful about spills; it can be difficult to get
turmeric out of fabric.
The downside to this book: more recipes would have been useful, say, at
least two per entry.
The upside to this book: a good collection of materials, nicely laid
out.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
12. HEALTHY COOKING (John Wiley & Sons, 2011, 314 pages, ISBN 978-0-
470-05233-4, $34.95 US hard covers) is from the Culinary Institute of
America, and is another addition to its consumer-styled "At Home"
series. This series is meant for home cooks: the recipes have normal
quantities of about 4 to 6, the ingredients can be reasonably found,
and equipment is home-sized. Kudos to the CIA for this series, but I
still wonder why a "Healthy Cooking" at home is needed. There are many
other books out on the market dealing with this matter; the CIA in
establishing some turf is a "Johnny-come-lately" entrant. Nevertheless,
the CIA would probably like you to buy all the books in this series.
The basic premise here is to replace unhealthy fats/oils and sugar and
carbs with flavour from herbs and spices, and using better, more
appropriate cooking techniques for different foods in different
circumstances. Recipes are based on the latest USDA nutrition
guidelines and food safety techniques, along with portion control.
Strategies are important, to develop healthy menus for meal planning.
Accompaniments must be balanced, and the whole day's nutrition cast
amongst the three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 235 recipes
here provide for variations and other options. And, in essence, the
book tries to practice SLOFE principles (seasonal, local, organic,
fast, and easy) as much as it can. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in avoirdupois volume measurements, but there is no metric table
of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: home cooks, new cooks, students.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: curried apple-squash soup;
artichoke seviche in Belgian endive; medallions of lobster with shaved
vegetable salad; Vietnamese summer rolls; lentil ragout; thyme-scented
trout; cocoa-rubbed pork tenderloin; pumpkin, zucchini, and chickpea
tagine.
The downside to this book: heavy book, could have been lighter. Also,
there is lots of competition out there.
The upside to this book: recipes are pretty basic and simple to do.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
470-05233-4, $34.95 US hard covers) is from the Culinary Institute of
America, and is another addition to its consumer-styled "At Home"
series. This series is meant for home cooks: the recipes have normal
quantities of about 4 to 6, the ingredients can be reasonably found,
and equipment is home-sized. Kudos to the CIA for this series, but I
still wonder why a "Healthy Cooking" at home is needed. There are many
other books out on the market dealing with this matter; the CIA in
establishing some turf is a "Johnny-come-lately" entrant. Nevertheless,
the CIA would probably like you to buy all the books in this series.
The basic premise here is to replace unhealthy fats/oils and sugar and
carbs with flavour from herbs and spices, and using better, more
appropriate cooking techniques for different foods in different
circumstances. Recipes are based on the latest USDA nutrition
guidelines and food safety techniques, along with portion control.
Strategies are important, to develop healthy menus for meal planning.
Accompaniments must be balanced, and the whole day's nutrition cast
amongst the three meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The 235 recipes
here provide for variations and other options. And, in essence, the
book tries to practice SLOFE principles (seasonal, local, organic,
fast, and easy) as much as it can. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in avoirdupois volume measurements, but there is no metric table
of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: home cooks, new cooks, students.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: curried apple-squash soup;
artichoke seviche in Belgian endive; medallions of lobster with shaved
vegetable salad; Vietnamese summer rolls; lentil ragout; thyme-scented
trout; cocoa-rubbed pork tenderloin; pumpkin, zucchini, and chickpea
tagine.
The downside to this book: heavy book, could have been lighter. Also,
there is lots of competition out there.
The upside to this book: recipes are pretty basic and simple to do.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
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