 "Honest Defence From A Former Vegetarian" | 2009-10-19 |
| - Reviewed By utterflybay |
I am not entirely sure I can quantify my love for this book, and most of Dana's cookbooks... You see, when I first went low-carb (2004), I wasn't just coming from a diet full of starch and sugar, I was coming from a vegetarian diet. Not just any vegetarian diet, mind you - this was one I truly thought was healthy! I wasn't a "chips and soda" vegetarian by any means... but being from a family predisposed to blood sugar problems, such reliance on beans, corn, grains and pastas - no matter how natural - made me fat. I went vegetarian in the first place because I was convinced that it was the ONLY way to be healthy and thin... and that's true for some people, but not for me!
So, inspired by my mother's success with it, I decided to go low-carb... but I had been a vegetarian for so long that I had no idea how to make the simplest meat recipes! I've been seeing so many complaints here about how "basic" and "obvious" some of the recipes are, but I will personally step up and say that I actually NEEDED to know the basics of how to boil shrimp, how to correctly pan-fry a steak - not so much the concept, but the details. Sure, anyone can toss a steak in a skillet and turn up the heat, but these recipes are more than that for someone like me. The subtle guidelines for how long to wait, what types of steaks and chops fare well with certain cooking methods, basically, all of the things that "normal" cookbooks teach meat eaters, they were useful to me. I would walk into the meat section and have little clue which cuts were for roasting, which for braising and so on.
I can't forget the flavour combinations offered in some of these "basic" recipes, either! I'd always liked eating meat, but having never really cooked it myself before going low-carb, I didn't have the creativity to come up with winning flavour combinations. Sometimes, it isn't even a matter of confidence or knowledge, it's a matter of needing an idea. I tend to need springboards here and there, and so I appreciate the simple things.
On to my actual review - this book has done so much for me, from teaching me how to cook meat dishes (I love the Lemon-Pepper Chicken and Gravy!) to saving me from low-carb boredom (the Perfect Protein Pancakes don't require any weird specialty items, and they are delicious) to keeping me from cheating on the holidays (the Pumpkin Cheesecake is gorgeous) to appeasing friends and family who don't count carbs (Cauliflower-Olive Salad is a big hit) to eventually building up my kitchen confidence enough to where I don't rely on recipes to shake some seasonings onto a steak or chop.
Dana's tone is very witty, matter-of-fact and down-to-earth. She does her absolute best to explain anything that might be questionable. I never felt lost, even as a total novice in the kitchen, because the instructions were always very clear. This isn't to say I've followed every single recipe to the letter - I have substituted all over the place, and with great results. My one criticism of these recipes is that I tend to use far less Splenda in the non-baking recipes, and wonder what sort of sweet teeth are being catered to, but that's hardly a complaint.
One more "issue" I keep seeing in some of these reviews is the inconsistency in some of the recipes, or admission to not trying a particular ingredient. It states very clearly in the book that many of these recipes were contributed by friends of Dana's, as well as readers of her e-zine. She also states very clearly that she sometimes farmed out the recipe testing. So, maybe that doesn't happen very often in most cookbooks, but it's nothing the author is hiding from us.
So... in conclusion, I have practically lived by the recipes in this book for the last five years (I slightly prefer 15-Minute Low Carb Recipes) and I am healthier, happier, more confident in the kitchen, knowledgeable of all sorts of specialty products and cuts of meat... and not so fat anymore. Thank you, Dana Carpender and friends! |
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 "Not crazy about this book" | 2009-07-27 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1FF2KROA1D87 |
I'm new to the whole low carb thing but I enjoy the food immensely and feel great due to the changes I've made. But this book doesn't make it easy to locate the carb count for recipes, there are no photos of recipes, some ingredients are hard to find and questionable selections.
The author writes about new low carb products early in the book. One such item is breakfast cereal. The author goes on to say they've never tried it but within the book is included at least one recipe that calls for the cereal. Apparently the author didn't bother to eat all foods or recipes in their own book.
The author questions the safety of using soy flour but doesn't offer any info regarding the hesitation. Some articles on the internet claim soy is dangerous, info is provided only after you register for a, b and c. And another states that soy makes you gay. The info is absurd, bizarre and unsubstantiated by any credible organization. The fact that Soy's been used since before the written language, I'll stick with it until I get warnings from legitimate credible organizations.
But the author does suggest using soy powder instead found at various health food stores. Soy powder (many supposed health powders) are not regulated by the FDA and certain brands have been recalled and or warned by the FDA for including other ingredient that have been scientifically identified as dangerous.
The mentioned inconsistencies and others are why I won't be purchasing any more of this author's books. I'd prefer to use as much fresh local foods as possible and not run out to purchase ingredients because they are the latest buzz word on the internet. I was expecting a cook book not someone's unconfirmed interpretation of health foods.
I'll stick with "Stella" books (cookies, cakes, faux pasta, faux potato salad, great protein enriched recipes, etc and delicious).....
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| "!" | 2009-06-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2TTB5W7K7CAE2 |
| Great book with lots of good ideas and recipes. Only problem is that you will have to shop at a health food store for some of the ingredients, but its worth it if you are doing the low carb thing. Unique low carb recipes that I haven't seen anywhere else. Even some faux baked goods like bread and muffins. So far, so good! |
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 "Some good, some not-so-good." | 2009-05-22 |
| - Reviewed By xterminalx |
Dana Carpender, 500 Low-Carb Recipes (Fair Winds, 2002)
Not a bad little collection, with some interesting recipes and a few ideas you might not have seen before, but I may have not quite understood the definition of "recipe". I realize you can apply it to any written procedure for cooking, but I'm thinking more of the popular version of the word, and it strikes me that a recipe containing two ingredients (a steak and some butter) and one step (fry the steak) doesn't quite reach the mark. I mean, doesn't everyone know they can toss a steak in a pan with some butter and fry it? And don't you think that those who don't probably won't be in the market for a cookbook? Filler, in other words, and not the kind you roll into a freshly-pounded pork loin. Still, there's enough substance here to make it worth checking out of the library and seeing if you want to add it to the permanent collection. ***
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 "Not really that good at all." | 2009-05-17 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2IKBRA9AYE42Y |
Frankly, if you release a book that says "500 low carb recipes," you expect something more creative than a series of obviously now-carb things (meat and salad? Mein gott!) and completely impossible-to-make recipes.
I'm sorry, but I don't live somewhere where you can casually walk into a store and find yourself some vanilla whey protein/special protein mix that is required for 90% of the desserts in this book.
Just get a real cookbook and substitute flour for soy flour/bake mix and sugar for splenda. |
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| "Best cookbook I have ever owned" | 2009-04-30 |
| - Reviewed By User: AQPFC28KAZY1S |
| I have been low carb for about a year and finally ran out of ways to make a low carb meal (I also wanted a simple carb count without doing it myself for those days when time is not a friend). I received this book for Christmas and immediately started cooking. I loved the food as well as the fact the recipes are easy to follow and have a range of cook times from: takes a while - done in no time at all. She has a fun way of titling her dishes and I enjoy the stories on where she came up with them. While the titles are strange the food is not. I am not pretentious and either was this food. It was classics made low carb. My family also loves the meals I cook even though none of them are low carb eaters. I have made the bake goods and brought them to work and people love them, they can't even tell they are low carb until I tell them. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys to cook. I have used this book more than any other cookbook I have owned and enjoyed the food the most also. |
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