Fantastic Food with Splenda: 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories

Book Description

The first of its kind cookbook expands the uses of Splenda, proving that it is versatile enough to be used in many different recipes for all types of meals.

Customer Reviews:

What a great cook book from Splenda.......2007-04-11

This is a great cook book. I am lossing weight and needed to find a good cook book with lower calories. The food that I have made from this cook book is great. It tastes like regular food. When I bring something to a party no one can tell the diffence. I tell others that are trying to loss weight about this book. This is a must have.

Making splendid treats with splenda.......2007-01-10

A friend of mine gave me this book for Christm,as the year that it first came out. I immediately began using it. Chai tea, hot cocoa, pumpkin muffins, glazed carrots, etc. all became quick favorites. My niece came for a visit and together we would cook up recipes to test. All winners. I sent her a copy for her birthday and she was thrilled. She had asked me to send her some of the recipies, I decided that it was just easier to send her the whole book!
For me, the only negative aspect of some of the recipies is that they are way to spicy (picante). Now I just modify the amount of spices I add and all are happy with the result!

Great cookbook.......2006-12-22

I like this cookbook. I have tried the strawberry lemonade, which was great, and a cheesecake. I look forward to trying more things. It also has the weight watchers points listed which is nice.

Marlene Koch Fantastic Food with Splenda.......2006-11-06

This book has a good variety of recipes and is well organized. I also have another book using Splenda which is written by the same author. She covers the benefits of using Splenda very well. It's a great way to get rid of the empty calories in sugar without sacrificing sweet taste.

A Perfect Fit.......2006-01-05

I have been on a moderate carb diet for a few years and was experimenting with recipes that would fit with my exchange diet and carb counting. Splenda had been on the market for only a year and few people knew how to cook with it and gain good results. Enter Marlene Koch into my life. Her recipes from this book were just what the doctor ordered. There is just enough sugar to make the textures in the food work, but the carb count and fat content was "a perfect fit" for my diet needs. Not only that, but every recipe I tried tasted fantastic and this book has allowed me to return classic recipes such as three bean salad, coleslaw, gingerbread and "sugar" cookies back into my diet without guilt or ill effects. I've made many of the recipes in this book and make her "Heavenly Cheesecake" for my holiday table each year.

Thank you Marlene for all your hard work. I'm looking forward to reading and cooking from more of your books!

The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Info on Herbs-Recipes, Cultivation, and Deliscious Photos!
A green kitchen
One of the best cookbooks published with simple recipes!
Even Better than The Herbfarm Cookbook
Accessible and Divine!

The Herbal Kitchen: Cooking with Fragrance and Flavor
Jerry Traunfeld
Manufacturer: William Morrow Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Herbs | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060599766
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Amazon.com

There are herb gardens, and then there's the Herbfarm, both an award-winning restaurant with an award winning chef, Jerry Traunfeld, and an herb farm--literally. Over the past 14-years Traunfeld has had a farm's worth of herbs to work with in his commercial kitchen and at home. He opened the doors to his commercial kitchen with The Herbfarm Cookbook. And now he takes us home with The Herbal Kitchen. Here's a hint: It's all about heightened flavor through the creative use of herbs.

There's the humble roasted oyster, for example. Traunfeld makes a sauce of fresh sorrel, butter, shallots, cream, and lemon juice. Each oyster sits in its half shell atop a dollop of the sauce and bakes until plump. They are served topped with fine strips of fresh sorrel. Briny oyster meets tart sorrel gentled with cream and butter. Does it get any better? You bet it does. Roasted Oysters with Sorrel Sauce is but an appetizer, along with Minted Lentil and Goat Cheese Strudel, and Spicy Verbena Meatballs.

After a brief introduction to herb basics, Traunfeld moves on to appetizers and drinks (the Rosemary Gin and Tonic sounds intriguing). Chapters that follow cover soups, salads, fast suppers, meals for a crowd, intimate feasts, vegetable dishes, breads, and desserts. Consider the Shiso Crab Cocktail, or Black Olive Roast Chicken, Sides of Salmon Slow-Roasted in Dill, or Lavender-Rubbed Duck Breasts with Apricots and Sweet Onions.

These are precise, carefully thought-out and executed recipes, and they are all built around the masterful use of fresh herbs. You will want to attend to your gardening as much as your cooking with this book as inspiration. Work through The Herbal Kitchen from front to back and you will transform your relationship with herbs. The food you cook and eat will never be the same. And that's a delicious gift from one of the mighty. --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

The secret to transforming easy dishes into extraordinary meals? Fresh herbs.In The Herbal Kitchen, IACP award-winning cookbook author and acclaimed Herbfarm Restaurant chef Jerry Traunfeld presents simple dishes using herbs straight from the market, windowsill, or garden.

Until recently, the fresh herbs available in supermarkets were limited to parsley and maybe dill. Today, thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, mint, and sage are among the many fresh herbs as close as the produce section or the farmer's market. Not to mention marjoram, lovage, tarragon, lavender, shiso, and so many others.

Jerry shows you how to incorporate these fresh herbs into your everyday home meals. So whether preparing a workday supper for the family, a special dinner for two or four, or a feast for a table of guests, using fresh herbs in your cooking will result in fresh and vibrant food.

The Herbal Kitchen includes some recipes that are home variations of the innovative dishes Jerry prepares at the Herbfarm, while others are fresh takes on familiar classics such as Herb Garden Lasagna or Shrimp in Garlic-Sage Butter. All are uncomplicated and prep time is minimal -- with the emphasis on spontaneity and the unmistakable flavors of fresh herbs.

Start off with Asparagus and Lemon Thyme Soup, Spicy Verbena Meatballs, or Rye-Thyme Cheese Straws before moving on to Cinnamon Basil Chicken, Side of Salmon Slow-Roasted in Dill, and Root Ribbons with Sage. Delectable desserts include Warm Lavender Almond Cakes, Rhubarb Mint Cobbler, and a sinful Chocolate Peppermint Tart.

Once you're hooked on cooking with fresh herbs, you'll want to grow them yourself. The Herbal Kitchen is filled with important tips for growing, harvesting, and handling each of the herbs used in the recipes. Valuable information on the varieties of each herb is also highlighted, such as how to tell the difference between Greek oregano and Italian oregano, why you always want to choose bay laurel over California bay, and what type of lavender is best for cooking.

Filled with stunning photos of the herbs, the techniques for handling them, and the finished dishes, Jerry's definitive guide is sure to be a classic, reached for again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Info on Herbs-Recipes, Cultivation, and Deliscious Photos!.......2006-11-13

This books has wonderful herb cultivation tips, as well as recipes using those freshly grown herbs! The photos are a bonus! The book, "Flavoring with Culinary Herbs: Tips, Recipes, and Cultivation" by Mary El-Baz would be a great companion to this book!

A green kitchen.......2006-04-15

If you've always cooked with herbs, but always rushed off to the grocery store to get them fresh for your recipes, now is the time to stop and pick them fresh out of your own garden or pot! This book has a lot of great detailed information about how to grow, cut and cook with herbs. There are also a lot of pictures so you're not left wondering what something, you may never have seen before, should look like. The recipes are easy and tasty, the information is simple and this book makes a great gift or center piece on any coffee table. You'll be entertaining guests with your new recipes, indoor herb pots and wonderful cookbook, while explaining it all, in no time.

One of the best cookbooks published with simple recipes!.......2006-02-23

I have a bookcase full of great cook books. This is one of the best I have ever used because the recipes are simple and so full of flavor and one is better the next. Most recipes have no more than seven or eight ingredients and the photos included really represent the final dish.

Even Better than The Herbfarm Cookbook.......2006-01-19

I have both of Traunfeld's cookbooks. I have had great success with the Herbfarm Cookbook, and did not think that there could be a better effort, but the Herbal Kitchen is even better. They are different books and I will use both, but the Herbal Kitchen includes more fabulous dishes that you can put together on a weeknight. The Herbfarm Cookbook is a much more thorough compendium of recipies and herb growing/properties information. Get them both.

Accessible and Divine!.......2005-12-02

The recipes in Jerry's new book are well-written, easy to follow, novel, and delicious. Every single recipe is worth serving to guests, yet simple enough to make for a weeknight meal. Anyone with access to fresh herbs - and who appreciates the creative spirit of cooking - should buy this book.

The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients

Average customer rating:

Disappointed
Unique & Delicious Recipes
An excellent general manual for occasional baker. Buy It.
Viva Coconut Biscotti

The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and Other Ingredients
CCP Carole Bloom
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0764576453

Book Description

If you are a beginning baker, this book offers an accessible introduction to essential baking ingredients, equipment, and techniques as well as detailed, step-by-step recipes that make it easy to prepare even the trickiest baked goods. If you are already an accomplished baker, it offers many sophisticated and unusual recipes that will help you refine your knowledge and skills.

The book features a distinctive organization based on six key baking ingredients, from fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and chocolate to dairy products, spices and herbs, and coffee, tea, and liqueurs. Select an ingredient or flavor you love, and you'll find many delicious ways to incorporate it into your baking.

Bloom's recipes encompass every type of baking. You'll find spectacular versions of familiar favorites - Cherry Pie, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and Double Peanut Butter Cookies - as well as intriguing variations and extravagant indulgences, including Coconut Biscotti, Lemon Verbena and Walnut Tea Cake, and Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee. Her meticulous recipes specify essential gear, offer tips on streamlining the recipe and storing the finished dish, and provide advice on varying ingredients and adding panache.

With in-depth guidance on techniques and ingredients, 225 standout recipes, variations and embellishments for almost every dish, and 32 pages of striking full-color photographs, The Essential Baker is truly the only baking book you'll ever need.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-09-09

The first three reviews all gave "The Essential Baker" top 5-star ratings and, frankly, I was impressed and ordered the book. However, my elation quickly turned to disappointment once I scanned the pages. The first 50 pages on baking essentials had brown text on a light brown background and the remainder of the book, the text remained brown on white rather than black on white. Moreover, the font style and small size in addition to the brown text made reading difficult for a senior citizen as myself. This difficulty was more pronounced since the ingredients listed on the left margin were in bold type whereas the instruction were not, thus I personally would find difficulty in using the book while trying to cook.

One thing the author mentions up front is that all her recipes use Extra-Large eggs and every recipe for making pie dough uses a food processor. Just be aware to adjust your thinking. The book is hefty with 220 pages devoted to fruits, 21 to vegetables, 48 to nuts and seeds, and 125 to chocolate, 29 to dairy, 45 to spices and herbs, and 50 to coffee, tea, and spirits. The way the recipes are formatted, as discussed in prevous comments, are unique and at times it takes three to four pages for a recipe such as Pumpkin Pie or Lemon Meringue Pie.

In comparing the recipe for Anise and Almond Biscotti (Carole Bloom vs Martha Stewart), for example, Bloom calls for 3 extra-large eggs and 3 extra large egg yolks, but no butter and Stewart calls for 4 large eggs and 4 tablespoons of butter (both use 2-1/4 and 2-1/2 cups of flour respectively. I would have to bake each recipe to determine which I preferred, but someone like Alton Brown (author of, "I'm Here Just for the Food") could tell you the pros and cons of eggs vs butter.

If I had to choose an all round baking book, my choice would be, "The Dessert Bible" by Chrisopher Kimball who is also Publisher and Editor of Cooks Illustrated. His recipes include a feature that explains "what could go wrong" explaining things that could go awry whch I found helpful.

Bloom incorporates some innovative features in laying out her baking techniques and no doubt has many excellent recipes, but I downgraded the book primarily on "mechanical" features rather than content and the fact that I personally find the book difficult to use.

Unique & Delicious Recipes.......2007-08-09

"The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices and Other Ingredients" is a new book by Carole Bloom, who is a professional pastry chef and confectioner. As the title promises the contents include an impressive array of recipes that use everything from coffee & tea to vegetables & fruits as their main ingredients. More than this, however, Bloom's recipes are unique, with a dash of sliced almonds adding both flavor and texture to banana muffins and pearl sugar enhancing the visual appeal of apple turnovers. I loved her recipes for coconut biscotti, jasmine tea cakes and spiced sugar coin cookies. Indeed, though I usually give away most of the goodies I bake, I couldn't bring myself to share the biscotti with anyone other than my husband. On a few occasions I wasn't entirely thrilled with the way a recipe turned out, but given my delight with other recipes I have to chalk this up to taste. One cannot expect every single recipe in a book to enthrall, after all, and modifications can always be made to suit your preferences.

Bloom's instructions are clear and easy to follow, though the way ingredients are presented took some getting used to. Instead of listing ingredients before the recipe, as most cookbooks do, recipes are divided into stages with the ingredients for each stage listed beside the instructions. At first I didn't like this aspect of the book, but as I continued to cook with it I realized that this arrangement a) forced me to read through the entire recipe before beginning, I'm a notorious improviser, and b) made it nearly impossible to become confused about which ingredient should be used where. Essential gear is listed along side the recipe, where helpful information is also included: storage tips, variations, and instructions for streamlining the baking process over more than one afternoon (i.e. How to begin cookies one day and finish them the next.) While I'm always appreciative of baking books that have photos for every recipe, the straightforward presentation of Bloom's recipes made it easy to visualize the final result without an image. Photos for twenty recipes are collected in the center of the book, representing the various chapters, which include: fruit & vegetables; nuts & seeds; chocolate; dairy products (milk, cream, cheeses); spices & herbs; and coffee, tea, liqueurs & spirits. The first chapter is devoted entirely to baking techniques, language and an overview of essential baking gear.

Recipes range in difficulty from easy to challenging, so this may not be the best book for a novice baker. Yet those with baking experience and a curiosity for novel recipes may want to check it out. From Key Lime Squares and Raspberry-Blueberry Galettes to Pomegranate Butter Cookies and Triple Vanilla Souffle, there is something in this book to pique everyone's interests.

An excellent general manual for occasional baker. Buy It........2007-05-11

`The Essential Baker' by professional pastry chef and culinary writer, Carole Bloom presents itself as a complete baking manual, with a distinctively different organization, by ingredient. For its size, price, and claims, the book begs us to compare it to the recent `Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook', which is also a comprehensive introductory baking text.

As I first open the book, Bloom's `Essential Baker' does not readily impress me when stacked up against Team Stewart. Like Stewart, the book does not delve into a lot of the more technical explanations of baking science (as one may find in Rose Levy Beranbaum's more advanced `Bibles' on baking technique), but then the average baker really doesn't need most of this, as long as they get the message that with baking, one really needs to follow the recipe closely, even down to the size of the baking pans. Bloom does go into just a bit more detail, and may get herself into a few questionable statements, as when she states that one should not use all purpose flour for baking bread (every book I've ever seen on bread baking uses and condones `all purpose flour', with a preference for the higher protein products such as those from King Arthur.)

Based on their enormous magazine publishing resources, it's no surprise to find Team Stewart's book with wonderful pictures all along the way, especially with good series of tutorials on some basic techniques. Ms. Bloom oddly has virtually no pictures, and all she has are in two middle of the book rotogravure sections, to keep the cost down.

Two more comparisons tend to favor Team Stewart. The first is that their organization is by end product and method rather than by principal ingredient. For an introductory manual, I simply find that more useful and intuitive. Unlike savory cooking, one is much more inclined to begin with `lets bake a cake' or `lets make a pie' or `lets make some cookies' or `lets make some bread'. One of the few cases where this may not be true is with some highly seasonal local ingredients such as rhubarb. Otherwise, my baking choices are largely based on birthdays needing cake, picnics needing pies, and Christmas needing cookies. The second is that Ms. Bloom does not cover yeast breads at all. There are recipes for quick breads such as biscuits and Irish Soda bread (under the subject of buttermilk), but that's it. Team Stewart has a 70 page chapter on yeast breads with 31 recipes, including muffins, bagels, pizza, Danish, croissants, and babkas. If this were the whole story, Team Stewart would have it all over Ms. Bloom. Ms. Bloom, however, has an ace up her sleeve.

Only after reading the long and highly informative (but pictureless) introductory chapters in `The Essential Baker' did I discover that Ms. Bloom is hiding her light under a basket. While celebrating her ordering by ingredient, she neglects to trumpet the fact that her method for writing recipes is really superior. Everything is laid out in exactly the way one may wish to find it. And, on this count, she has Team Stewart beat hands down. But that's not all. I also find her recipes to be more interesting (albeit not necessarily more complicated) than those from Team Stewart. I compared at least a half dozen recipes and in all cases, Ms. Bloom had the more satisfactory recipe for the beginner. Stewart either tended just a bit too much to the simple or overembellished to fit her overriding motif of cooking for entertaining.

I'm still inclined to see Stewart's `Baking Handbook' as the superior book for the beginner, except for the fact that Ms. Bloom does something that is rare in bigger baking books. She does not `divide and conquer' by separating all her utility recipes for crusts and other pastries in a separate section, so that one must constantly be flipping back and forth when doing a pie or an icing. This is really an exceptionally good thing for the occasional baker, who wants `the recipe, the whole recipe, and nothing but the recipe' in one place.

And, although both books retail for $40, Ms. Bloom has about 200 more pages, with a corresponding 30% more recipes. She also has an exceptionally good list of sources, the best I've seen in quite some time (although Miss Martha does a good job here too).

On the arrangement by ingredient, I'm still a bit agnostic about it, and it would have been nice to see a supplementary table of contents by type of recipe, but if you happen to really like books such as Aliza Green's `Starting With Ingredients' or books on vegetable or fish cookery, you will love this book. Otherwise, you may just like it very, very much.

Viva Coconut Biscotti.......2007-04-14

Though I love to cook and entertain, I seldom bake. Somehow, in planning my meals, dessert is often an afterthought. Thus, when a friend gave me Carole Bloom's latest tome, The Essential Baker: The Comprehensive Guide to Baking with Chocolate, Fruit, Nuts, Spices, and other ingredients, I thanked her profusely and thought I would relegate the exhaustive 650 page book to the upper reaches of my kitchen shelf. Last week, in need of an easy dessert recipe, the stunning chocolate madeleines on Bloom's book cover came to mind. What delights might I find within its pages, I wondered? I thumbed through it, looking for something simple to complement a bowl of fresh strawberries. The Coconut Biscotti on page 229 caught my eye.

I followed Bloom's instructions to the letter. The author of Chocolate Lovers' Cookbook for Dummies, among eight other books, made it all the easier thanks to her clever organization: ingredients and their corresponding usage are laid out side by side on the page rather than one following the other as is usually the case. I assembled the dough in minutes, shaped it into two loaves as instructed, and popped them in the oven. I waited for them to cool before slicing them into biscotti, and returned them to the oven a few minutes longer. Twenty minutes later, "my" biscotti looked like those sold by the piece at an extravagant price in upscale coffee shops--sweet and crumbly and ready for dunking. "Those are the best biscotti I have ever tasted," opined my husband, a cookie connoisseur from way back.

The Essential Baker may not turn me into a pro but the clarity of recipes inspire me to try the Cherry Clafouti(page 61) and the Pineapple Tarte Tatin (page 247). I may even read through Bloom's extensive Baking Essentials section to expand my newfound skills!

Average customer rating:

A trifle dissapointing
Inspiring book with lovely photos for healthy food.
Great pictures but wasn't what I thought it would be

Cooking With Herbs
Emelie Tolley
Manufacturer: Clarkson Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0517571390
Release Date: 1989-09-23

Book Description

Herb aficionados Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead offer dozens of delicious recipes that make use of the garden's edible bounty. No longer relegated to the role of "flavor accents," herbs and edible flowers take center stage in these creative and sophisticated recipes, bringing flavor, color, and texture to a variety of entr*ees, soups, salads, pastas, breads, desserts, and drinks. Full-color photographs.

Customer Reviews:

A trifle dissapointing.......2000-05-26

Compared to Tolley and Mead's other excellent herb books, this one was a trifle dissapointing. Althought the photographs were stunningly beautiful and the text was good, the recipes themselves were pretentious and impractical for the home cook who is busy tending their herb garden! I do not have the time or the means to be a gourmet cook, althought I do enjoy using herbs in my quick everyday meals. I wish the book would have given more practical recipes, although I did enjoy reading it and looking at the lovely photopraphs.

Inspiring book with lovely photos for healthy food........1999-10-27

Cooking with herbs is one of my favorite books for inspiration when my meals become boring.It is the kind of cookbook that you sit and read from cover to cover and the recipes that I have tried work. More than that it gives me the courage to be adventurous.

Great pictures but wasn't what I thought it would be.......1999-07-02

Cooking with Herbs was great to look through but one important ingredient was left out. The great Northwest. It had Europe, Northeast, California and so on but no Northwest. For shame. I haven't read all of it as yet and I'm not sure I will, but it wasn't the type of cookbook that I was looking for. Too much text and not enough recipes. Am I wrong but are there herb recipes for ordinary food? I love shopping on line and Amazon is great but if I could have seen this book before buying I probably wouldn't have bought it. But there were great pictures.

Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue, on Your Charcoal Grill, Water Smoker, or Wood-Burning Pit

Average customer rating:

Great book with a lot of great ideas and recipes
Excellent book
Impractical
Winter reading and Summer smoking
Smoked Foods

Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue, on Your Charcoal Grill, Water Smoker, or Wood-Burning Pit
Cheryl Alters Jamison , and Bill Jamison
Manufacturer: Harvard Common Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Barbecuing & Grilling | Outdoor Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Outdoor Cooking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Special Appliances | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

Brinkmann 850-7000-1 Cook'N Ca'Jun Charcoal Smoker/Grill

ASIN: 155832061X

Amazon.com

Barbecue is not about grilling food fast over high heat. That's something else, delicious in its own right, but something else entirely. Barbecue is about marginal cuts of meat (for the most part), about smoke, about fires burning so low and slow you hardly ever see the flicker of a flame. Barbecue is about succulent pork ribs as dark as sin just falling off the bone and dripping with glorious sweet pork godliness. Or enjoying the effects that 12 to 18 hours of smoking has on beef brisket.

The trick is, how do you do it? How do you master a cooking technique all but ignored in favor of fast and hot? The answer lies in Smoke & Spice. Authors Jamison and Jamison provide all the information you're ever going to need to run a real barbecue. Tips and techniques abound on every page--accompanied with countless recipes that stretch the barbecue imagination. And seeing that one cannot live on barbecue alone (though that's a challenge well worth considering) there are just as many recipes included for all the good food that accompanies barbecue--from Scalloped Green Chile Potatoes to South-of-the-Border Garlic Soup to Buttermilk Onion Rings and even Bourbon Peaches. If smoke in your eyes makes your mouth water, this is the primer for you! --Schuyler Ingle

Book Description

300-plus recipes. The only cookbook devoted to smoke-cooked barbecue, a hot trend.

Customer Reviews:

Great book with a lot of great ideas and recipes.......2007-08-07

This is a great book on smoking. It has great tips and recipes. Highly recommended for new and existing cooks who want to use smokers. We tried getting this type of information online and it just takes to long and the information is incomplete. This book fills in the gaps and doesn't leave you wondering.

Excellent book.......2007-07-17

A lot of recipes and very detailed information. A must have!!!
My only suggestion would be to dedicate a whole chapter to setting up the fire. There is no info about it in the book.
I think any barbecue book is incomplete without helping the user setup and maintain the temperature. I mean, this is not an oven where you can set it and forget it. Maintaining 200F in a smoker is a talent I think.

Impractical.......2007-07-09

Most of the recipes are too elaborate-- too many ingredients-- too much preparation time. This was a disappointment.

Winter reading and Summer smoking.......2007-07-06

Smoke & Spice makes you want to smoke something year round. You will catch yourself actually reading this cookbook and following it to the letter--then guarding your secret recipe! In the South we use hickory. After reading Smoke & Spice, you'll want to try every hardwood in the forest.

Smoked Foods.......2007-07-03

This cook book was great in helping a newcomer to a smoker. It's a great guide to how to use a smoker and how to smoke different foods.

Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia : The Naturally Sweet & Calorie-Free Herb

Average customer rating:

In reponse to the review...
So Disappointing
Flavor Enhancer Bible
Disappointing
Finally muffins on a low carb diet!

Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia : The Naturally Sweet & Calorie-Free Herb
James Kirkland
Manufacturer: Crystal Health Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Diabetic & Sugar-Free | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1928906141

Book Description

Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia is the perfect companion for people on a low-carbohydrate diet. This hot new book contains revolutionary, delicious recipes like pastas, breads, even cakes and cookies all low in carbohydrates. Filled with practical advice, Mr. Kirkland is inspirational as he explains how he lost his extra weight and regained his life - All while enjoying a variety of favorite foods. Kirkland, an expert on stevia, includes in-depth information about stevia, the natural alternative to questionable artificial sweeteners. With over 175 delightful low-carb recipes and more than 60 pages of important information, Low-Carb Cooking With Stevia is the essential companion for a successful low-carbohydrate lifestyle.

Customer Reviews:

In reponse to the review..........2003-01-22

I would like to respond to the person suggesting the key to success for these recipes is to substitute Splenda for Stevia. Hello??!!! The whole point of Stevia is that it is a natural sweetener, not a chemical who's long-term effects ARE untested and will likely end up the way of toxic aspartame. This review did not help me decide at all whether this book is worth purchasing.

So Disappointing.......2002-01-30

I was so excited to find this cookbook as I am trying to eliminate harmful chemicals from my diet. I tried more than half of these recipes, each of them a total disaster. I thought it was the quality of stevia, so I bought several different kinds. Still, each concoction had a san turn out.

Flavor Enhancer Bible.......2001-11-06

I keep this cookbook in the drawer next to the stove. It has been a god send. I love the last chapter on flavor enhancers. The Sweet and Spicy Texas Rub goes in all the grill meats, and the traditional barbecue sauce makes killer barbecue wings, I would put these in competition with any sugar loaded barbecue wings. My key secret is that I replace the stevia with splenda and follow the packet requirements in the recipes. The only recipe I didn't like was a recipe for Peanut Butter balls. No-Bake Cheesecake recipe I have memorized (not intentionally). I have several Lo-Carb cookbooks this is my favorite.

Disappointing.......2001-10-28

Lots of recipes that only require a little sweetening, with stevia substituted for sugar. I could do that on my own. Too many of the "tough" recipes, like desserts, flopped and had to be thrown out when I tried them, and I am not usually too stupid to follow a recipe.

Finally muffins on a low carb diet!.......2000-06-21

This book is great- much more variety than any other low carb book I have ever read. Most recipes are easy to follow. I can finally have cookies, pasta, and muffins without cheating!

The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil

Average customer rating:

A great read . . .
Is it all too good to be true?
Everything you need to know about olives
Everything you wanted to know about olive oil and more...
Just Wonderful-a keeper!

The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to Do with Olive Oil
Carol Firenze
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 034547676X
Release Date: 2005-03-29

Book Description

For more than four thousand years, the olive tree has been a symbol of abundance, peace, and longevity. Gifted by a goddess, revered by ancient cultures, and protected by emperors, the olive tree and its precious fruit have played important roles in civilization.

Dubbed “liquid gold” by Homer, olive oil has been used for food, medicine, magic, beauty, and divine rituals. Baseball star Joe DiMaggio is even said to have soaked his bat in olive oil. And while it is no longer drawn upon to treat leprosy or massage elephants, the use of this versatile product is growing by leaps and bounds around the world.

The Passionate Olive is the ultimate guide to this natural marvel. Along with olive legends and fascinating history, Carol Firenze shares the myriad practical uses of olive oil through the telling of her favorite family stories and by offering unique formulas and recipes.

Restore luster to your pearls . . . curb your cat’s hair-ball problems . . . silence squeaky doors hinges . . . soothe your sore throat and dry lips . . . replace artery-clogging butter in your favorite dishes with . . . can you guess?

The Passionate Olive reveals the secrets of how to enhance your life, love, and health with olive oil and merits a front-and-center spot among your most cherished books. It makes a beautiful gift, too, for just about everyone and every occasion. In fact, you and your friends will want to keep The Passionate Olive and a bottle of olive oil in your kitchen, your bathroom, and even your bedroom.

Customer Reviews:

A great read . . ........2007-08-15

Very educational, fun, interesting . . . However, I find that I'm not reading this book as I would a novel . . . I'm reading it more as a reference book! I have jumped all over the chapters to see how olives can make a difference in my life in whatever areas interest me at the time. I never would have dreamed that olive oil could be such a part of one's life -- other than enjoying the flavor of it in foods! Wow! Was I ever wrong.

Is it all too good to be true?.......2007-08-01

The answer is yes. The actual olive oil information in this book is fairly light, but most of all I recommend taking the usage information with a grain of salt. Many of the uses presented sound more like family lore than something that could be backed up by modern chemistry or biology -- and some of them are dead wrong. The worst example for me is when Ms. Firenze advises us to use olive oil to "treat" a flea infested pet (what she means is to soothe the skin where the animal has licked or scratched it raw). This is unbelievably misguided and irresponsible advice. There are modern treatments that not just soothe the skin, but actually and reliably get rid of fleas. Indeed, not everything that modern technology and science has brought us is evil and killing us. The flea treatment is just one example however -- there are garlic-olive oil ear treatments, olive oil enemas and such, and I doubt that shaving using olive oil is very comfortable or practical.

For sure, olive oil is delicious, healthy and has many wonderful properties for uses besides cooking. I love it more than I do most other foods. But the answer to pretty much all of what ails us, it is not -- so it shouldn't be presented that way.

Everything you need to know about olives.......2007-05-13

I bought this book for myself and a friend. It has so many easy everyday uses for olive oil. I made my friend a birthday basket with this book, olive oil and olive oil soap. She loved it.

Everything you wanted to know about olive oil and more..........2007-05-01

Beginning with a brief history of olive oil and ending with great recipes this book has useful and fun ideas throughout. Easy, delightful reading.

Just Wonderful-a keeper!.......2007-01-12

There is so many uses for oilve oil in this book.This book will also save you money.It has replaced many products in my home.

Michael Chiarello's Flavored Oils and Vinegars: 100 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils and Vinegars

Average customer rating:

Excellent and easy resource for the inventive home cook/home chef
A good addition to a large cookbook library

Michael Chiarello's Flavored Oils and Vinegars: 100 Recipes for Cooking with Infused Oils and Vinegars
Michael Chiarello
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0811855368

Book Description

The Food Network's Michael Chiarello knows the secret for making great food that is as simple as it is delicious. These 100 innovative recipes for both making and using flavored oils and vinegars capture the essence of herbs, fruits, vegetables, and spices and instantly improve whatever dish they touch. Whether it s a sweet splash f Raspberry Vinegar as a finishing touch to a Crisp Pancetta and Fresh Fig Salad, or a spoonful of spicy Brodetto of Manila Clams and Dried Sausage with its comforting touch of chili oil, each recipe is enhanced by the simple addition of these easy to make flavored oils and vinegars. Combining two classic books (over 250,000 sold!), with an enticing new design and cover, Michael Chiarello's Flavored Oils and Vinegars is a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and easy resource for the inventive home cook/home chef.......2007-04-03

If you like cooking and/or Michael Chiarello, this is a great book to add to your collection. Much of the material was actually produced not too long after his tenure at Napa wine country's marvelous Tra Vigne, where he built the restaurant's excellent reputation as its chef before moving on to his current interests. As a result, there are a lot of references to Tra Vigne and his experiences there peppered throughout. That is not a bad thing; just a point to be aware of as, although this joint edition of "Oils and Vinegars" (formerly produced as 2 seperate books) predates his later cookbooks even thought it has a later publication date.

Anyway, if you are interested in making and cooking with your own infused oils and vinegars, he has demystified this and made it very accessible and user-friendly - something basically anyone can do at home without a lot of special equipment. His directions on process are right to the point and spare....just the info that is needed to do this succussfully based on his very estimed experience. His info on vinegar making is scattered throughout the various topical sections on vinegar and is sufficient to help you get it; if you want a serious artisan treatise on how to make and age fine vinegars, this is not the book and you would be better going to one of the early Chez Panisse cookbooks in which Alice Water's partner (sorry, I forget which one but I think it is the Chez P. Cafe cookbook...or else the Chez P. "Menus") provides such an in-depth artisan instruction on vinegar making using little oak casks and such that it frankly scared me away! That is why I say that Michael Chiarello's material in these volume is very accessible, practical and useful, oh, and a bit fun as well!

There are some very excellent recipes here as well, although if you want a recipe goldmine, go to his "NapaStyle" website (an unbelievably rich recipe resource!), or, buy his other cookbooks, all of which are among my favorites in my rather huge cookbook collection. Didn't rate this book a 5 (although I was tempted) only because I felt that he could have dug just a tad deeper in a few areas (herbal vinegars, for instance, but what he does provide works!) and I am not so sure that overall the info/contents are as well organized as they could be. That said....it is worth the buy!

A good addition to a large cookbook library.......2006-11-06

If you have many cookbooks, you are probably looking for unusual things, and this fits the bill. The price is reasonable, and you'll find at least a few infused recipes you like. If you've ever seen Chiarello's show "Easy Entertaining" on Food Network you know that he really uses his own recipes to add layers of flavor and subtle hints to his dishes. I recommend this book, but only if you're seriously into cooking.

Today's Herbal Kitchen: How to Cook & Design With Herbs Through the Seasons

Average customer rating:

Grow your own herbs! This book is a must have!

Today's Herbal Kitchen: How to Cook & Design With Herbs Through the Seasons
Mary Gunderson
Manufacturer: Wimmer Cookbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Seasonal | Special Occasions | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1879958287

Book Description

Through the years, herbs have sustained their place in the ever-changing American kitchen. And now more than ever, health-conscious cooks delight in flavoring foods with herbs to replace added fat and sodium.

This book enlightens today's cook, explaining herb history, offering craft ideas, and sharing recipes through a seasonal approach.

Customer Reviews:

Grow your own herbs! This book is a must have!.......2000-07-13

I've been growing my own herbs for a couple of years now, but didn't own a good cookbook on how to use them. "Today's Herbal Kitchen" solved my dilemma. The recipes are categorized by season so I always have the correct herbs to use along with appropriate dishes to serve. I highly recommend it.

Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook With Herbs, Spices, and Other Flavorings

Average customer rating:

A wonderful guide for both novice and experienced cooks.
Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook with herbs, Spices and Other Fl

Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook With Herbs, Spices, and Other Flavorings
Alice Arndt
Manufacturer: Haworth Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Herbs, Spices & Condiments | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Food Counters | Diets & Weight Loss | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1560220317

Amazon.com

Seasoning Savvy is the reference book every cook needs--a comprehensive and clearly written compendium of everything worth knowing about ingredients for flavoring food. Packed into a mere 265 pages (18 of which are black-and-white photos), Alice Arndt, a food historian, teacher, and writer, presents 87 individual items, 36 seasoning blends, plus other flavorings, like vinegars, salt, and sugar.

Each entry--from Ajowan, an Indian spice with pungent, thyme-like flavor that is also known as bishop's weed, omam, or netch azmud (botanical name Trachyspermum ammi), to Woodruff, the herb that gives German May wine its grassy and vanilla notes, and from Advieh, an Iranian spice mix, to Quatre Épices, the variable combination used to spice French pâtés--is ample without being esoteric. These entries describe how an herb or spice looks and tastes (Winter Savory is like a peppery, pungent thyme while Summer Savory is milder) and how the item is used in its native tradition. Arndt then suggests other possibilities. Hence savory, or sariette, flavors French goat cheese but would be good in a three-bean salad, and it reduces the odor of cabbage during cooking. She also recommends substitutions, suggesting that oregano can replace cilantro, and vanilla extract might replace Kewra Water, a floral Indian flavoring, when necessary.

Because the taste of food is affected by more than the aromatic compounds added by spices and herbs, Arndt explains how heat, cold, and other variables influence our perceptions of flavor. In sum, she makes Seasoning Savvy a user-friendly reference book that cooks of all levels, from beginners to professionals, will value. --Dana Jacobi

Book Description

A unique work dealing in-depth with flavor and flavorings!With the increasing popularity of regional and ethnic cuisines, cooks frequently encounter recipes calling for unfamiliar seasonings. Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook with Herbs, Spices, and Other Flavorings serves as a guide to identifying, locating, selecting, storing and using these exotic ingredients. Well-established flavorings are not neglected as Seasoning Savvy also brings new insights into cooking with these old favorites. No other book supplies so much information about so many herbs and spices as Seasoning Savvy.

This book discusses over 100 herbs, spices, flavorings, and blends in detail, describing their origins and how to select, store, and use them-and what the reader might substitute if a seasoning is unavailable. You will also discover the flavor role of foods such as almonds, citrus fruits, and coconuts. Not a cookbook, Seasoning Savvy is a powerful compliment for every recipe and will help you get the most out of the seasonings you use to flavor your food. Within Seasoning Savvy you will explore:

- how to select and use the right seasonings for a recipe and how to tell if a spice is fresh - drying, freezing, toasting, chopping, measuring, and storing herbs and spices - culinary practices in the use of flavorings from chocolate and vanilla to amchur and mastic - flavor combinations including both well-known and exotic blends, flavored oils and vinegars, compound butters and seasoned salts - how to reduce the intensity of some seasonings such as garlic and chili peppers - an examination of the nature of taste of flavor along with a history of spice usage in the US - brewing teas and tisanes - savvy culinary tips, such as polishing a copper a bowl with lemon juice and salt, or storing a lump of asafetida in the spice cupboard to discourage insects

Seasoning Savvy's tips and techniques will help you bring out the flavor in your food, and teach you how to use seasonings to achieve the tastes you like. With this vital book, you will transform your cooking from satisfactory to sensational!

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful guide for both novice and experienced cooks........2000-06-05

Seasoning Savvy is a wonderful guide to cooking with herbs and seasonings that goes beyond the usual recipe collection, discussing over 100 herbs, spices and flavorings from the history of their cultivation and use to how readers can make wise substitutions. No recipes in the usual sense; but plenty of lore on how to use herbs and spices wisely.

Seasoning Savvy: How to Cook with herbs, Spices and Other Fl.......2000-04-26

A useful reference book for those who are fascinated with cooking with spices. While the table of contents may seem like many spices are not listed, the thorough index listings cross reference to the alternative names. Individual descriptions of herbs give all the names, list substitutions, characteristics and the types of food suggested for each herb or spice. Interesting suggestions will encourage a cook to try new food/spice combinations.

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