The Best Ice Cream Maker Cookbook Ever Review

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(More customer reviews)This is approximately the twelfth ice cream book in my collection, so I'm only buying books that add information I don't already have. This one's a winner! In addition to a good selection of recipes for all sorts of normal and exotic flavors, this book includes: (1) recipes for toppings and swirls (fudge, caramel, fruit, etc.); (2) recipes with especially intense flavors (a quart or so of ice cream including a whole cup of peanut butter, for example); and (3) several approaches to the same flavor, so you could make vanilla frozen yogurt, vanilla ice milk, or several styles of vanilla ice cream (and then adapt those styles to other flavors).

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Choice is what it's all about: Choosing your favorite flavor, favorite topping or swirl-in, favorite frozen dessert. For no matter what kind of ice cream maker you own -- an inexpensive canister or a top-of-the-line electric freezer -- there's an extra special treat here for you.Exciting flavors include an assortment of vanillas of varying degrees of richness, several great chocolates, Butter Pecan, Sensational Strawberry, Peaches 'n' Cream, Utterly Peanut Butter and Double Ginger to mention only a sampling. For an extra flourish, there's a collection of ice creams with add-ons -- swirls and twirls, sauces and toppings. There is even an entire chapter of great reduced-fat light ice creams and nonfat frozen yogurts with names like Creamy Banana, Cappuccino, Date Rum and Maple Crunch.Many completely fat-free frozen delights are covered in the chapter called "Sorbets, Granitas and Other Ices." Enticing and refreshing, they come in flavors such as Kiwi-Lime, Mango Margarita, Spiced Rasberry and Strawberry Daquiri. And for showstopping, truly fabulous desserts, made completely in advance, turn to the last chapter, which contains ice cream cakes, pies and other frozen desserts.

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The Best Light Recipe Review

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(More customer reviews)This book isn't quite 4 stars, in my opinion, but alas, no fractions...
Let me start by saying I'm a HUGE fan of Cook's Illustrated. I subscribe to their magazines and their website, I watch their PBS show "America's Test Kitchen" and I own several of their books. What I love about CI is their scientific and educational approach to cooking and baking. They never throw a recipe at you and expect you to go at it blindly. All their recipes are prefaced with a detailed write-up of their test kitchen trials and tribulations...they painstakingly test every single recipe and they take you along for the ride. What you get in the process is not just a "recipe", but a deep understanding of why a recipe works, and with it a better understanding of cooking and/or baking in general. You will definitely improve your skills in the kitchen if you are exposed to CI.
With all that being said, it is no surprise that I eagerly anticipated the release of this book. It didn't take long, however, for my enthusiasm to wane. My biggest problem with this book is its one-dimensional approach to "lighten" recipes. By that I mean CI's main focus in this venture was on lowering fat and/or calories, but does not pay enough attention to other problem diet busters, like sugar and bad carbohydrates. I am not proposing that CI should have made this book "low carb", but a marriage of low fat/good carbohydrates would have been a more practical approach, especially given what we have learned about nutrition in the past few years. The inclusion of more whole grains would have been a much healthier approach. There are so many tasty whole grain alternatives these days to choose from, like brown basmati rice instead of white, or whole wheat pita bread in place of white. There are some recipes dedicated to healthy grains like quinoa and bulgur, but too many recipes with processed, nutrition-less grains. I am also disappointed with the limited attention on good, heart-healthy fats (eg/good mono-unsaturated fats like olive oil and canola oil in place of the less healthy vegetable oil). It seems their research on diet and nutrition was a bit short-sighted and old-fashioned.
Also, be aware that this is NOT a diet book. In CI's defense, I really don't think that was their intention. I think what they mainly set out to do is take many of our guilty favorites (like macaroni and cheese, chicken parmesan and cheesecake) and lighten them up without compromising too much of their flavor. They certainly accomplished that task. This does not mean, however, that you will lose weight eating them. While there are some recipes in the book that are inherently healthy and light, many of the dishes are still not considered "low calorie". Also, nutrition information does follow each recipe, which is nice, but they are very hard to apply since CI does not let you know what size each serving is.
As far as the recipes go, it is a well-rounded book that includes several appetizers/hors d'oeuvres, salads, soups and stews, vegetables, grains, pasta, poultry, meat, fish/shelfish, and a whole section dedicated to stir-fries. They also offer lightened up recipes of breads and desserts. There are definitely some winners here: like the "Tortilla Soup", the party dips, the "Chipotle Chicken Skewers", their Vinaigrette, "White Chicken Chili", "Chicken Parmesan" and even their "Scalloped Potatoes". I have also heard very good reviews of their "Chocolate Bundt Cake" and their "New York Cheesecake", though the cheesecake recipe is very time-consuming and tedious.
I have come across a mediocre dish or two, but for the most part, the recipes are worthy of the Cook's Illustrated name.
So if you are looking for a way to cut some fat and calories from your every day cooking, but still want to eat some tasty fare, then this is a great cookbook to have on your shelf. But if you want to lose weight, this book alone is not going to do it for you. Although I do admit that cutting fat is certainly a good start.
Hope this helped!


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Includes 300 flavoured, lower fat and reduced-calorie recipes. Each recipe lists calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, protein, fibre and sodium per serving.

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The Best Simple Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)As a "seasoned" cook, I've been down most of the cooking routes: from the French classics, to one-hour gourmet, to complex vegetarian, to severe, healthy cooking by the docs. Now, I lean to this cookbook's style: simple, tasty, fresh and light -- somewhere between poached quenelles and fried tofu. This is a good grouping of contemporary recipes with zip, often with international flair (oriental, Mexican, etc.). Some recipes are updated twists on old faves like Tuna Melt but with artichokes; BLT salad using mayo-smeared croutons; vegetarian chili with corn; Southwestern salmon cakes. Others take classics but ditch the complex and daunting preparation-- like switching paper-thin potato slices for a potato chip mix or skipping the fish-steaming by laying salmon atop the asparagus, or using rotisserie chicken for a flavorful- but quick-chicken soup. Some clever ideas that work! The book has some surprising ingredient combos like kielbasa with potato leek soup. I appreciate the explanatory notes on the thoughtful but concise hows and whys of the recipes, and am impressed with the recommendations of brand name grocery items that they have tested. It's instructive without being pedantic or fussy. For those of us who like to see the cook in action, there are selected photos of some of the techniques and I picked up a few new ones. This is the kind of cookbook you can actually USE everyday, without resorting to the dumbed-down or goofy ones, or those with exotic hard-to-find ingredients or lengthy preparation. It reflects how we cook these days, and I plan to use it often.

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Most quick-recipe collections promise a lot but deliver very little. Bland, uninspired dishes may be fast, but will you make them again? And clever gimmicks sound great, but in reality, they rarely make sense. The team at America's Test Kitchen has created more than 200 easy-to-make 30-minute recipes that guarantee impressive results with a minimum of effort. With our test kitchen know-how (and relentless testing) we found ways to make naturally fast dishes faster, and traditionally slow-cooked dinners a weeknight option. But one thing we never did was settle on shortcuts that shortchanged flavor. Some compromises simply aren't worth making. No matter the path taken, every recipe in this book is foolproof, full-flavores and fast. And they come with our promise to you: Recipes that work. Every time.

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Cooking Light: 5 Ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a lot of cookbooks with easy or quick in the title that I never use because either the recipes are not healthy or are not tasty or both. I use this Cooking Light cookbook EVERY week for at least 3 of my weeknight meals. Not only is everything easy to prepare, healthy, and tasty; it is easy to search through the book to pick my menus for the week before going to the grocery store. Everything is spelled out for you. I would use this book even if I had plenty of time during the week to cook.

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For busy home cooks, getting a meal on the table in 15 minutes or less, and with few ingredients, means more time with their family and less cost on their grocery bills. The Cooking Light 5-Ingredient 15-Minute Cookbook meets those needs and delivers-with big flavor and nutritious dishes. And instead of just giving you recipes, we're giving you meals-94 in all! Each meal features a main-dish recipe and either a short recipe to go with it or suggestions for commercial side items. Plus there's a photograph of every meal! Grocery Shopping SolutionsWith each meal plan, you get a grocery list of everything you need to complete the meal. Stock up on the ingredients from the Stress-Free Grocery List, and you can make one-third of the recipes in this book. No WorriesThe nutrient analysis with every recipe gives you values for calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, fiber, cholesterol, and sodium. You can use the exchange values to fit the recipes into your meal plan.All This with Only 5 Ingredients?You'll be surprised at all the recipes you can make using only 5 ingredients: Chicken Alfredo Pasta, Deep-Dish Pizza Casserole, Speedy Chicken Cacciatore, Teriyaki Roast Chicken, Barbecue Pork Chops ...just to name a few.Avoid the Rush HourWhen you have only 15 minutes to get dinner on the table, try these recipes: Cajun-Style Swordfish, Fresh Tomato Pizza, Ground Beef Stroganoff, Chili Bacon Burgers, Teriyaki-Ginger Pork Tenderloin, Zesty Fettuccine and Shrimp.Added ValueCreate 5 different desserts or salads from different combinations of the same 5 ingredients. Start with easy-to-make recipes in the Mix & Match chapter like Three-Bean Salad, Tex-Mex Salad, Strawberry Shortcakes, and Brownie Sundaes.Slow Down to Speed UpLearn how to let a slow cooker do the work for you. All with 5 ingredients or less, these recipes are worth coming home to: Chili Grande, Chicken Pepper Pot, Italian Pot Roast, Glazed Turkey.

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Easy Healthy Cooking With 4 Ingredients Review

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(More customer reviews)The books claims to have easy soup and stew recipes. It delivers just that. The index is well organized by the ingredients and cooking method and I like the variety of recipes. For example, I was looking for a black bean soup recipe. There are several listed depending on taste preferences. Also, there are recipes that use dry black beans and others use canned black beans. With 365 recipes there are sure to be plenty to please all preferences and palates. The recipes certainly aren't gourmet, but why would anybody expect that out of a book with the title "Easy Soups & Stews"?

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Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table Review

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(More customer reviews)For anyone who has dined at either of Suzanne Goin's Los Angeles restaurants (Lucques and A.O.C.) you know the standards for this book are as high as they can be. No detail is overlooked, and yet there is a lack of pretension and fussiness that is as refreshing as it is welcoming and comforting.
So it is with Sunday Suppers at Lucques. This truly is what a cookbook should be. The format of presenting complete three course menus, oriented wholly around what is fresh and available, is a brilliant stroke that has eliminated my usual frantic search through several books to find the right accompaniments. The menus are generally focused around a salad, followed by a fish or meat course and finishing with dessert, but you are given the freedom to mix and match as sounds appealing.
Along the way Goin provides great insight and straightforward advice. I can't tell you how long I've waited to have a cookbook that actually helps you learn how to cook - the advice on chopping onions is worth the price alone. For Goin the foundation of great cooking is great ingredients. It sounds much more obvious than it really is. Along with other advice including how to learn to season foods properly and to think like a chef while cooking, you will learn a great deal while making delicious meals.
The sections on the foods that are available in each season are incredibly helpful to anyone who has ever gone to a store or farmers market with a comprehensive list for a menu only to find that none of the ingredients on the list are available. By helping you understand and focus your cooking on the fresh and seasonal Goin helps you craft a dinner that is as mouthwatering as it reads.
The menus themselves make me wish I could quit my job and cook every night and somehow still pay the rent! This is great Mediterranean/California cooking that makes you believe that making great food is within your reach. Gather a few friends together (all the menus are for six) and tuck in for a night of delicious food, wine and conversation, exactly what a Sunday night should be. Very highly recommended.

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Cooking for Two: 2009,The Year's Best Recipes Cut Down to Size Review

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(More customer reviews)Great cookbook! I think this will be the new thing I give as a wedding/shower gift although all the kitchen product reviews make it a better engagement gift, to have it when you register! I have tried a few recipes so far out of this and have also read through many of them. I like how precise the directions are, although I will admit that being a less experienced cook I have had a couple messups (like not mincing onions small enough to cook in the time they suggest, or maybe my burner was too low?) but these were truly my own fault and could have been avoided. Either way, I learned! So far I have tried the Bi Bim Bop, Shrimp and Cheddar Grits (twice! yum!), Spaghetti with Parmesan, Breadcrumbs & Fried Egg as well as one side- the Garlicky Green Beans. All were good recipes that i would make again. They offer lots of clever short cuts, so many how-to's and I think the index by ingredient is genius for allowing you to plan a week's worth of foods using up certain ingredients (like cabbage, heavy cream, ricotta cheese) by seeing what else you can make with it. That may be a feature of other cookbooks but it was new to me. There are chapters that focus more on weeknight meals, where they try to make it quick and involve few dishes but I like that they also include more involved, labor-of-love recipes. One thing I am looking forward to trying is the 2 person lasagna made in a loaf pan, though there are lots of nice ideas like that. I also have the Best of America's Test Kitchen for 2009 and although it's great, I would have gotten just this book had I seen it first. (I'll will still use it for when I'm cooking for more people though!) Just started watching the show and subscribed to Cook's Illustrated, nothing like going overboard! But if it gets me to cook more I'll take it. Glad to hear in the Amazon video that it will be an annual cookbook!

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Frustrated by wasting food you just can't eat or ingredients you can't use up? Tired of trying to figure out how to scale down a recipe so it doesn't serve an army? For this innovative cookbook, the editors and cooks at America's Test Kitchen thought big but cooked small. We revamped our best recipes from the year to serve two. You'll find everything from simple weeknight fare to special occasion dinners to salads, soups, sides and desserts. Birthday cake for two? We've got you covered! A great gift for empty nesters, newlyweds, single people, young families (because new moms & dads are sick of eating mac-n-cheese) and more. Cooking for Two includes our guaranteed and much-loved equipment recommendations, Notes from the Test Kitchen feature, and ingredient ratings. The Smart Shopper's Guide in the front of the book instructs your grocery shopping and meal planning by helping you make the most of ingredients.

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500 Five-Ingredient Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens) Review

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(More customer reviews)Produced by the Better Homes and Gardens and tested through their test kitchens "500 Five Ingredient Recipes" is a wonderful collection of no fuss recipes. Don't make the mistake of thinking these are necessarily fast recipes. While some take only a few minutes to prepare others such as the "Easy Elegant Beef Roast" can take several hours to prepare. The purpose of the book is exactly as the title states - each recipe takes only five ingredients.
If you are tired of recipes that requires so many ingredients that the clean up time is longer than the preparation time then this is the book for you. No corners are cut on these recipes, they are absolutely delicious, just what you would expect from Better Homes and Gardens.
It contains the typical divisions for a cookbook - appetizers, beverages, salads, main dishes, sauces, sides, and desserts. In addition it has a section of recipes just for children and a section on meatless main dishes.
Make sure to try the Stuffed mushrooms in Phyllo or the German style beef roast. They are both excellent. Although I really liked the cookbook and it definitely has its place in the library of anyone who loves to cook, there are two things that I did not like. First, is that it is not spiral bound and so does not lie flat so you can reference while cooking (although I understand that they do have a spiral bound version available - definitely get the spiral bound if you can find it). Secondly, I found the cooking times to be deceptive. You should always read the instructions in detail if preparation time is an issue. For example, the "Easy Elegant Beef Roast" is listed with 15 minutes preparation time and one and three quarters of an hour roasting time. If you read the roasting instructions they state that one and three quarters to two and a quarter hour for medium rare and two and a quarter to two and three quarters of an hour for medium. The preparation time listed under the recipe name should not have the minimum time but either an average time or a time range such as "one and three quarters to two and three quarters of an hour depending on taste preference" or something similar. For this cookbook just keep in mind that the roasting, cooking, baking, etc. times are the minimum times.
Still, a highly recommended read and a real asset to any cookbook collection.

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VALUE! More than 500 tested recipes—250+ main dishes—all from a trusted brand and guaranteed to satisfy.
Popular, quick-to-fix recipes use up to five common, readily available ingredients.
Recipes for appetizers, beverages, salads, main dishes, sauces, sides, and desserts.
Special chapter features fun favorites just for kids.

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The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Heavy-Duty Revised Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoy the PBS series "America's Test Kitchen," so when I received this book as a Christmas gift last year I was very excited. Now, almost a year later, I have cooked my way through scores of the recipes in this cookbook and there is not a dud in the bunch. This book takes basic, American fare and boil it down to it's most essential (and flavorful parts), allowing you to cook tasty favorites. My only caveat is that is you are looking for quick meals, this may not be the best choice--many of the recipes are quite time consuming. However, if you only want one cookbook in your kitchen, this is the one!

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Repackaged to be easier to use and expanded to include a whole new chapter of healthy, light recipes, this revised edition of one of last fall's bestselling cookbooks remains the one and only basic cookbook you will ever need. Beautiful step-by-step photos illuminate every conceivable technique from chopping shallots and skinning salmon to cutting up a chicken and tying a roast. In fact, just about anything you want to do in the kitchen is explained in these pages in America's most popular test kitchen's approachable, no-nonsense voice. These recipes will keep you busy (and your friends and family happy) for years to come, since we've included hundreds of easy weeknight dishes (like Skillet Lasagna and One-Pot Chicken and Rice), company-worthy dinners (like Beef Burgundy, Roast Leg of Lamb, and Fresh Fruit Trifle), equipment ratings, shoppings tips, and more.

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Anheuser-Busch Cookbook: Great Food, Great Beer Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought a copy of this book as a quick present for my brother, who loves beer. After reading through it, I bought another copy for myself. I thought it would be filled with bar food or recipes that use beer in all recipes with little regard to taste. This is not the case. The recipes are excellent and most are easy to make. Sunset magazine has collaborated with Anheuser-Busch to create sophisticated recipes and beer recommendations for each. Everyone I made so far has been great, whether enjoyed with beer or not. This book is impressively comprehensive and covers everything from appetizers to desserts. Excellent cook book!

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For all you do ... this cookbook's for you! This robust new release raises a glass to that most iconic of American beverages: beer. And who better to come bearing gifts of great-tasting, beer-friendly recipes than Anheuser-Busch, America's foremost authority on beer? Great Food, Great Beer has tasty recipes on tap for grilling, one-pot specialties, and lots of other easy-to-prepare, crowd-pleasing foods. Beer connoisseurs are already saying "Cheers!" to the book's most compelling feature: the Brewmaster in the Kitchen. Created by Anheuser-Busch experts, "Brewmaster" icons appear throughout, denoting the recommended type of beer--a hoppy lager, an amber ale, or a full-bodied stout, for instance--that best complements each recipe. There's never been a more complete pairing guide than Great Food, Great Beer, and there's never been a more perfect gift for the beer lover in your life. Features
Tasty, beer-friendly recipes that focus on grilling, roasting, and one-pot wonders, each accompanied by full-color photography
Menus for celebratory gatherings including Tailgates & Picnics, Ski-Country Retreats, Clambakes on the Beach, plus a special Beer-Tasting Menu
Brewmaster in the Kitchen, a specially-created icon system for pairing beer with food
Glossary of beer terms, A Cook's Guide to Beer, so every cook feels like a pro
Traditional recipe index as well as an index by type of beer
Includes a foreword by August A. Busch IV, Vice President and Group Executive of the Company

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Taste of Home Cookbook, 3rd Edition: Best Loved Classics and All-New FavoritesBonus Chapter: 30 Minute Light Recipes Review

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(More customer reviews)This "All NEW Edition" is a new collection , but they do not seem to be too much different than many previously published recipes. There are `best loved classics and a section with 150/30 minute healthy recipes. Most of the recipes seem to be familiar or slightly reworked versions. It is much like the other ring bound books of Taste of Home, which is not bad, as long as you are not expecting completely different.
There are keys for the recipes, such as grill, light, serves 2. There are several recipes per page, very easy to read, and some have pictures. Some hints are given like the different grades of canned tuna. Prep time, serving size, nutritional information is given. There are two clear plastic page protectors which can be used in front of the page you are using so that there are no food stains.
Diagrams are included for some techniques, such as cracking and cleaning, clams, oysters, lobsters, braiding filled bread, creating a lattice pie crust.
Included are:30 minute entrees, kitchen basics, appetizers and beverages, beef and veal, soups, sandwiches, pork, lamb, poultry, seafood, eggs and cheese, pasta and sauces, grains and beans, vegetables, fruit, salads and salad dressing, condiments, quick breads, yeast breads, pies and tarts, cakes, desserts, cookies and bars, candies.
My rings very quickly started catching the pages as I turned them, so it is easy to tear if you are trying to leaf through quickly.
It is a good book for beginners or those who would like a lot of very useful good recipes for everyday cooking or even those dedicated fans of Taste of Home.


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The ideal reference cookbook for both beginner and seasoned cooks, The Taste of Home Cookbook, New 3rd Edition contains more than 1,500 recipes-300 classics and 1,200 all-new favorites. Of the new recipes, 155 are 30-minute light entrees featured in the bonus chapter, perfect for the healthy cook. As always, The Taste of Home Cookbook, New 3rd Edition continues to help readers make their cooking experience a breeze with:
All-new design with 1,200 new recipes. 440 of these recipes take only 30 minutes to make, and 420 of these recipes are light for the health-conscious cook.
A total of more than 1,500+ fabulous recipes and variations, all made from easy-to-find, everyday ingredients, all shared by trusted home cooks just like you
More than 1,300+ full-color photos to showcase finished dishes and illustrate techniques
Nutrition facts to quickly identify the recipes that meet your family's dietary needs
Prep and cook times for each recipe
Hundreds of tips, techniques, and how-to's from Taste of Home readers and the experts on our Test Kitchen staff
Storage charts, buying tips and cooking charts
24 Chapters with easy-to-follow references and indexes. In addition to the alphabetical listing on the back of each chapter divider tab, there is a master alphabetical index at the end of the book. Plus, a comprehensive index organized by major ingredients, cooking techniques, food categories and recipe tips.
Other special features, including the handy five-ring binder, which lays flat on your counter; two splash guards to keep your book's pages clean and safe from splatters and tabbed dividers for quick reference.
Our guarantee that absolutely every recipe will work! Taste of Home Test Kitchen home economists have tested each recipe so that it will turn out perfectly in your own kitchen-every single time you make it!

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The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible: 150 Fabulous Fondant Designs with Easy-to-Follow Charts and Photographs Review

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(More customer reviews)I really love this book! I took a chance when I bought this book and it has never let me down. It has the easiest designs to follow especially if I am in need of any quick fondant motif ideas. I would highly recommend this book. I am a home baker and I think the instructions in this book are easy to understand. I hope the author comes up with another book like this.

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150 tempting designs with no-fail instructions.

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible presents 150 foolproof motifs to create that special cake for any occasion, from simple and fun to elegant and elaborate. Using easy-to-follow instructions and illustrated templates, the book takes the home baker through all the steps: from making the right amount of fondant or marzipan, to choosing and sizing a design and transferring it to the cake.

The book includes icing and fondant recipes, seasonal designs, patterns and borders, 3-D models, marzipan fruits and figures, and sugar flowers. Features include:

188-page design directory
Large full-color photograph of the finished motif
Black-line template size guides
Dough gauge showing how much fondant to make
At-a-glance color listing in recipes
Flat, low-relief, three-dimensional and piped motifs
Tips on application
Mixing and matching motifs
Designs graded for difficulty.

The Cake Decorator's Motif Bible is wiro-bound for easy lay-flat use. It provides innovative inspiration with complete and truly fail-safe instructions for unforgettable results every time.
(20080301)

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The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook: A New, Healthier Way to Cook Everything from America's Most Trusted Test Kitchen Review

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(More customer reviews)First, full disclosure and caveats for this review:
I am writing this on August 23, 2010, as a member of the Amazon Vine Program. The book I received, prior to the scheduled October 2010 publication date, is an "Advance Uncorrected Proof." The final book will be hardcover, ring bound, with color throughout. The proof copy I am reviewing is a paperback, 520 pages, black and white throughout. Everything I have seen indicates that this is going to be a five-star book upon its official release, but to preserve the integrity of this review, I need to be clear on the actual book I reviewed. It has nothing to do with the quality of the content, only the "draft" level of pre-publication presentation. I love it "as is" but I know the color version will be a real stunner.
The format of the book will be familiar to fans of "America's Test Kitchen" and their publication "Cook's Illustrated." You'll see the same sidebars on cooking utensils and "taste tests" of items such as canned tomatoes. These are extremely valuable as they point you in the right direction for successful execution of the recipes.
The book is HUGE (520 pages in the proof copy, final book may differ). It runs the gamut from appetizers through desserts, all kinds of meat, vegetarian dishes, breads...it is an excellent "general" cookbook but it is far from general in its range and depth. There are forays into ethnic cuisines, including a great, lengthy tutorial on making a classic cheese pizza. The first 16 pages of the book cover the basics of healthy cooking. It is then broken down into the following chapters:
Healthy Start (breakfast), Appetizers and Healthy Snacks, Salads, Soups, Stews And Chilis, Vegetables, Rice, Grains, and Beans, Pasta, Fish And Shellfish, Poultry, Meat, Vegetarian Entrees, Stir-Fries And Curries, Griling, Pizza And Tarts, Whole Grain Rolls And Loaves, Quick Breads, Cookies And Bars, Cakes, Fruit Desserts And More, and Kid Friendly, concluding with four pages of equivalent and conversion charts.
The tips and tricks (such as preparing brown rice in the oven, rather than the stovetop) help you succeed with items that may have been too daunting in the past (I hate cooking brown rice on the stovetop...it never comes out right). You also get variations: brown rice with parmesan / lemon / herbs, with onions / roasted red peppers, or with peas / feta / mint.
If you thumb through the book, you won't get past more than a couple of pages before something catches your eye. I can't imagine the amount of planning that goes into a book like this...it's packed with a lifetime's worth of things for you to try and enjoy in your own kitchen. If you like "Cook's Illustrated," you will love this book.

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Featuring 800 Kitchen-Tested Recipes for More Healthful Eating Every Day of the Week PLUS Full Nutritionals for every recipe Plus Recipe Makeovers of Everyone s Family Favorites, Hundreds of Step-by-Step Photographs, and Opinionated Ingredient and Equipment Ratings A groundbreaking addition to our best-selling ringbound cookbook series, this all-purpose cookbook delivers 800 foolproof recipes for healthier everyday fare from breakfast dishes and appetizers to pasta, meat, chicken, kid-friendly favorites, desserts, and more. With this comprehensive cookbook in your kitchen, eating well will no longer be a chore. Here we offer up all-American, homestyle recipes that won t leave you hungry from multigrain pancakes, lowfat spaghetti and meatballs, Tex-Mex meatloaf, skillet pizzas, hearty beef and vegetable stew, and creamy lowfat spinach lasagna to rich-tasting scalloped potatoes, fudgy brownies, rustic apple tart, carrot cake, and lots of simple fruit desserts. Here you ll also find naturally lean recipes like our Spa Chicken and Lemony Steamed Spa Fish as well as healthy vegetable and grain classics and an entire chapter of vegetarian main dishes. Cook from this volume and you ll learn tips and techniques that will forever alter the way you cook. Banish fried foods but still serve crispy chicken fingers, eggplant Parmesan, and oven-fried fish with our simple tricks (we toast the bread crumbs for that fried flavor). And learn to incorporate more vegetables and whole grains into all sorts of everyday dishes with easy recipes such as Hearty Ten Vegetable Stew, Chicken Baked in Foil with Fennel, Carrots, and Orange, Stuffed Acorn Squash with Barley, Multigrain Pizza Dough,Fusilli with Kale and White Beans, and Barley Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash. And while we kept our eye on the bottom-line nutritionals, we also focused on using healthy ingredients too, so while some recipes might be a little higher in fat and calories, that is because they use nutritionally valuable foods like salmon, avocados, nuts, and seeds (and more). We also relied on many lower-fat ingredients here and we tell you which ones really measure up from ricotta and cream cheese to cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream. Which one you choose and when you use it can make a big difference in your final dish. With this book in hand, home cooks everywhere will be able to make simple changes in how they shop, eat, and cook changes that will deliver a big payoff to their family s health.

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America's Test Kitchen Light & Healthy: The Year's Best Recipes Lightened Up Review

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(More customer reviews)Light & Healthy 2011 offers a fine compendium of the year's best recipes - lightened up and tested for this collection. From a 1960s popular, originally-calorie-laden Chicken Cordon Bleu to Spicy Spaghetti Pie, this is packed with dishes that are old favorites modified for modern times. Extensive descriptions on why they have been altered and how they work make for an outstanding collection suitable for any general lending library.

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Slurp: Drinks and Light Fare, All Day, All Night Review

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(More customer reviews)The best thing about this book is the stunning photography. It starts out with some basics talking about the various types of barware and garnishes. The book is then divided by the time of day. It gives recipe for non-alcoholic and alcoholic breakfast drinks and a couple of recipes of what would go with them food wise. It then goes on to cover lunch and dinner. The recipes are simple. There are a few recipes that I thought I might try. As far as a drink book goes, you get a lot more in an actual bar book. If all you want is just a sampling of drinks this book would be good for you.

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Sip, savor, and satisfy your thirst for cool cocktails, silky smoothies, classic coffee drinks, tantalizing teas, and much more with Slurp.A visual and gastronomic delight, this vivid and colorful cookbook presents both alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks in detail, along with recipes for tasty appetizer pairings and tips on entertaining, as well as hangover remedies for "the day after."More than 100 recipes--from morning smoothies and energy drinks to afternoon thirst quenchers, evening cocktails, and aperitifs--are presented by the time of day they would best be served. Breakfast: a Mimosa paired with Yogurt Muesli and Pears Afternoon: Watermelon, Lime, and Lemongrass Juice with Chicken and Grapefruit Salad and Yogurt Dressing Evening: a Flirtini alongside Scampi with Coriander and LimeIn addition to delicious drinks and mouthwatering morsels, Slurp features tips for creating a well-stocked bar, hosting a successful party, and making clever garnishes, like colorful ice cubes and homemade edible shot glasses made from cucumbers.

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Popcorn (Green Light Readers Level 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)The book is excellent for 3 & 4 year olds. There is only afew words on each page, and the pictures are full of color andexpression!

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Hot Chocolate: 50 Heavenly Cups of Comfort (50 Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Fantastic chocolate recipes! Some recipes are just right to drink in the morning instead of coffee. Others are richer and desserty.
The pictures are beautiful. The writing style is fun. This is a great gift book. Just be sure you get one for yourself too.
I loved the copy I bought so much that I am buying this book for everyone for Christmas to give with a coffee mug and a great quality chocolate bar. On the card I am going to say, something nutty like "for my sweet or hot friend" (as appropriate)


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Hot chocolate is not just for kids anymore.The gourmet chocolate market is growing, and Americans are swapping their cocoa mix for real hot chocolate. Made from high-quality bar chocolate instead of a sugary powder, it is the ultimate indulgence. Hot chocolate is featured on the menus of trendy coffeehouses and upscale restaurants everywhere, and with Hot Chocolate anyone can make this gourmet beverage at home.Featuring stylish 4-color design and beautiful photos, this is the perfect gift for any chocolate lover.

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