 Eat smart, not dumb! |
| Review Date: January 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Julie Neal, Sanibel Island, Fla. |
Addicted to the Cheesecake Factory's Warm Apple Crisp but can't afford the 1,355 calories? Save a whopping 1,155 calories by making your own! Cook This, Not That shows you how.
This book is for anyone wanting to eat smarter. It gets down to basics: "Forget dieting. Forget joining a gym. Forget the ads for the Abinator device you saw on QVC. If you really, truly want to lose weight, there is no quicker way to shave pounds off your body -- and dollars off your food bill -- than to cook more at home."
Cook This, Not That makes it simple for even novices to prepare home-cooked meals. A whole chapter gets you set up with exactly the utensils and equipment you'll need, and the items to set up the perfect pantry. Most of the dishes can be made in 30 minutes or less, and the instructions are short and straightforward. Every recipe is paired with a close-up color photograph of the finished dish. On same page is a small photo of the "Not That!" variation of the recipe from a restaurant chain, complete with price, calories and, in most cases, sodium and fat counts. In each case you learn how many calories and dollars you save by cooking at home.
Besides the hundreds of recipes, sprinkled throughout the pages are helpful segments:
* Scorecards: Ratings of fat, meat, carbs and dairy foods clearly show the best, worst, and everything in between in terms of healthiness. (The winners? Canola oil, light meat chicken, bulgar and nonfat yogurt.)
* Master the technique: Instruction on how to perform chef-like functions such as sautéing vegetables or cooking an omelet.
* Secret weapon: Particular foods the authors recommend, and why. For example, Thomas' Light Multi-Grain English Muffin (only 100 calories each, and packing a whopping 8 grams of fiber).
* Save-Money Strategy: How to alter the accompanying recipe to make it less expensive but still delicious.
* Meal Multiplier: Ways to alter the recipe by changing the ingredients.
This book has a lot going for it, but its biggest benefits are:
1. Recipes that are easy, delicious and illustrated with beautiful photography.
2. Thorough nutritional information for each recipe, including the portion size, calories and gram counts of fat, sodium and sugar.
3. Simple comparisons with similar restaurant dishes.
4. Advice on the best brands to buy, from vegetable oil to breakfast cereal.
Other books in the series: Eat This, Not That!, Eat This Not That! for Kids!, Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, Eat This Not That! The Best (& Worst!) Foods in America!, Eat This Not That! 2010 and Eat This Not That! Restaurant Survival Guide. All are uniformly excellent. I also recommend In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life and Deceptively Delicious.
Here's the chapter list:
1. The Truth About Your Food
2. The Eat This, Not That! Kitchen
3. Breakfast
4. Appetizers & Small Bites
5. Soups & Salads
6. Sandwiches & Burgers
7. Off the Grill
8. Pasta
9. American Classics
10. Ethnic Dishes
11. Sides, Snacks & Sauces
12. Desserts & Drinks |
More flavor less time and calories!!
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| Review Date: January 5, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Brian Behr, Washington DC |
This is not the traditional "Eat This Not That". With this addition, Mens Health gives you a rare gem of a cookbook. As a cookbook afficionado, I would normally turn my nose up to something like this. However, this book proves the old cliche you shouldn't judge a book by its..... Inside is packed with recipes that are high in flavor, healthy, and require minimal time/ingredient/culinary skill to prepare. The ingredients called for are ordinary pantry/fridge staples that are neither expensive nor hard to find.
Each recipe is accompanied by a nutritional breakdown and the restaurant dish that it is similar to and healthier than. In my humble opinion the food you can make at home with this guide is far superior to it's restaurant alternative. These dishes are both cheaper, healthier, and have a cleaner taste (by clean I mean not loaded with heavy cream, butter, or other junk that takes away from the actual flavor of the ingredients).
The recipes I have attempted (~10), have so far provided a surprising depth of flavor that makes me want to cook my way through the entire book. It also has a ton of info about how to make healthy decisions with ingredients and other foods (which I guess is in line with the prior books in this series). To sum up you really can't go wrong with this book and I can't wait for the sequel so long as it is another cookbook!!
I note that another reviewer has commented that these recipes are not necessarily low in fat/calories....this book does not purport to be such a book. In fact the authors point out that fat is a good thing and provides direction as to what types of fats are good and which you should avoid at all costs. |
Outstanding!!
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| Review Date: January 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Food Fan, |
| Ok, so the whole series has been packed with information, advice, and witty comments that help us make better choices. Finally, we get to sample what's going on in their kitchen. It's not just a cookbook to fight the restaurant wars, it deserves a spot with the best cookbooks on my shelf - thoughtful, well written, easy to follow yet high quality recipes. Extra tips and comments show gourmet expertise. Great layout. I just got the book and have already tested it out for last night's dinner - Our whole family is very, very pleased!! |
My Fave of the series
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| Review Date: January 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Cinderkelly, |
| I absolutly love this book, by far the best in the series.I love how they explain exactly what you need in your kitchen in order to cook and cook healthy *turns out not a whole lot! Then gives you recipes that are easy to cook, not crazy diet food with weird grinding up of beans to sneak them in brownies or using cereal to fry fish. These are real recipies for people who want to eat good food without suffering the consequences. They even include simple things to help save money. I love it, my husband loves it, and I'm sure you will too!!!Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide |
Not Just Another Yawn in a Series
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| Review Date: January 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Kennel, Terre Haute, IN USA |
I was a little hesitant when I saw Zinczenko and Goulding had ANOTHER book out, but was very pleasantly surprised when I read it. The book is colorful, easy to read, and helpful for starting the new year with baby steps to saving money and eating healthier. The book has great tips for stocking your kitchen, recipes for feeding your family interesting food while saving money, and helpful ways to incorporate new foods into your diet (even if you don't like to cook or "diet").
Biggest reason to buy the book: lots of photos so you can QUICKLY see and do, without reading a whole cookbook or diet book. The recipes are very appetizing and flavorful, but NOT intimidating for even inexperienced cooks.
For other longterm additions to your meal plans, we also highly recommend The Biggest Loser cookbooks.
These gentlemen know their information very well, and know how to teach people to incorporate baby steps of change into their lives. Their other books are good for keeping in a car or desk at work. This one is great for keeping in or near the kitchen. Nice gift idea too. Two thumbs up from our house! |
Saves both money and calories!
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| Review Date: December 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Celia Lynn, |
I try to eat healthy in my house, but I'm usually frustrated by my inability to put together meals with as much flavor as the stuff I eat when I go out. Unfortunately every time I eat out, I can't avoid setting my diet back a few hundred calories. That's why I'm loving this book. The recipes are easy enough for someone like me, who doesn't have a ton of cooking experience, but challenging enough to still impress the people I have over for dinner (or lunch or breakfast). Plus everything I've made so far - the tortilla soup, honey mustard salmon, grilled apricots, sausage frittata with mushrooms, etc. - has all turned out infinitely more delicious than the drab stuff my kitchen table is used to.
Now when I'm really in the mood for something delicious, I just open up the book and pick something out. There's a full-color photo accompanying every recipe, so I can see it before I make it. It's like my own, in-house menu, and the meals not only save me calories, they also save me a ton of money at the restaurants. That means no more guilt-hangovers from eating too much fat and spending too much money. This one is definitely going to stay on my kitchen bookshelf for years to come. |
Better than I hoped...
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| Review Date: April 3, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Blair Lucas, Charlottesville, VA |
| As a fan of the author's approach of "eat this, not that" I purchased this book on a whim. After trying 15 of the recipes and reading the book cover to cover, I'm an even bigger fan. Of the things I've tried so far, most are great and the others are quite good. Neither time consuming, nor bland, these recipes have become some of our new favorites and I'm sharing them with friends and family. Can't recommend this book highly enough - it's a great addition to any kitchen - even bought a copy for my mom. |
Easy recipes that taste great
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| Review Date: January 18, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Michael Jones, Chicago, IL |
| My wife and I are big fans of the series and find this to be by far the most useful book. We've made five recipes so far and haven't discovered a loser in the bunch. We find that with a little planning we can quickly and easily prepare these dishes, even attending to two hungry, young children at the same time. We especially like the Chicken Mole Enchiladas and Stuffed Chicken. As with the other books in the series, along with the recipes are many interesting and useful tidbits. Bottom line, because of this book, we are eating out less, buying less pre-packaged foods, and enjoying cooking together again. |
Great tool!
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| Review Date: March 15, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Tony Holeman, Central MS |
| This book is a great tool to know the do's and don'ts of different foods. If you're counting calories this book will help arm you with the knowledge to make your diet a lot less like a diet.. WE LOVE IT! |
Great Book!
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| Review Date: March 21, 2010 |
| Reviewer: R. Zavala, |
| This book has great recipes that are easy to prepare. The book includes healthy alternatives to everyday foods we consume. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in eating healthier or trying to lose weight. |
Very suprised...
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| Review Date: March 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Karen Vocaturo, Nutley, NJ USA |
| I have quite a collection of cookbooks, but I have to say I have made more recipes from this book in one week than any other cookbook I own. You use everyday ingredients and simple steps to cook. Quick and easy. They also explain that you do not have to use the listed ingredients and could subsitute for your taste or what you have on hand. I also like the comparisons to the restaurant recipes such as calories, fat and sodium and the cost you save by cooking the similiar dish at home. Love that they included photos too! |
Great Book - Save Calories, Save $
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| Review Date: March 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ramsey M. Tisher, Ohio |
| Great recipes ... so far have made 4 and liked all 4 or them. Definately paid for itself already. |
Cook this, not that
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| Review Date: January 8, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Alisha A. Vargas, Bakersfield, CA USA |
| I have almost all the books in the "Eat this, not that" series. I love them all. I was particularly excited when I came across this book. I love to cook and don't eat out that much. All the recipes are simple and delicious. Love this book! |
excellent resource
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| Review Date: January 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Ladonna W. Hale, North of Atlanta, GA |
| excellent resource for anyone that wants to eat better. Great matrix recipes for dressings, kabobs, smoothies and more. Real eye opener. |
Cook This, Not That
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| Review Date: January 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Carolyngreene, |
| Great book....another in the series. I have already used several of the recipes. The information about food is always interesting and sometimes shocking! |
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