Product Description: Created by the experts at The Culinary Institute of America, Techniques of Healthy Cooking is an indispensable companion in today’s health-conscious world. Drawing on the latest dietary guidelines, it provides detailed information for cooks eager to introduce more flavorful, healthier choices to their menus. You will find advice on ingredients and serving sizes, guidance on developing recipes and menus, and more than 400 delicious recipes. Throughout, nearly 150 vibrant, all-new color photographs showcase finished dishes and illustrate the techniques, ingredients, and equipment of healthy cooking. Inspired by the information and recipes in the book, you will be able to create dishes that are not only exciting and great-tasting, but healthy at the same time.
Execellent resource for serious cooks This volume is targeted for the advanced home or professional chef that needs a readily accessible source of current information on nutrition, ingredients, and preparation. As such, it succeeds well with discussions of dietary content and balance and how those needs can be met with appropriate preparation techniques and portioning. The later part of the book is filled with "example" recipes, ones that can easily be prepared and serve to illustrate how the ideas of the discussion can be implemented in dishes that appeal to a wide audience. Many tables summarize useful reference information on topics including ingredients, cooking, storage, portioning, and conversions.
The sections on "health claims" are interesting for the consumer, and essential for the professional. It lights up a bit of the legal-ese behind what menus and packaging can and can't say, at least here in the US.
The recipes are generally reproducible by a home cook with a knowledge of cooking techniques and terminology, though are not a step-by-step as, for example, Cooks' Illustrated instructions. The dishes have been generally flavorful and enjoyable.
If you're looking for the latest fad in "health food" cooking, this isn't your book, as the Shraders point out.
"Techniques of Healthy Cooking" provides sound, well supported information on nutrition, ingredients, preparation, and portioning in a very accessible format, along with enough interesting recipes to make it a strong addition to culinary collection.
(4 stars instead of 5 only as its a little pricey compared to other cookbooks)
Recipes use unhealthy refined flour, rice and oil The written material encourages use of whole foods, including whole grains. However, many of the recipes use all purpose flour, sugar, and white rice. I expected to find recipes that used whole grain flours, whole grains, and honey rather than sugar.
I also expected recipes that ensured balanced portions of omega 3 fatty acids vs omega 6 fatty acids. There was no mention of the difference between farm raised and wild fish or between grain and grass finished beef.
A significant number of the recipes leave much to be desired for the healthy eater. If you are looking for a healthy cookbook, this is not a good choice.
lots of light tasty dishes I really like this book so far. I've made about 7 recipes from it and its quite nice learning recipes that taste really good and also don't make you really sleepy after eating them. I am going to buy one for my mom because she liked some of the recipes I made from it so much. I made the grilled red snapper with cilantro lime dressing, with tomato salsa/avocado slices/and grapefruit and it was really refreshing. I also made the spinach souffle -- the first souffle I've ever made and it turned out!
I like that it has all the calories listed for each recipe right next to the recipe.
Sometimes really specific instructions may be left out and you have to infer what you need to do. I only gave it 4 stars because this edition of the book has something weird with the page numbers in listed in the index. maybe they'll correct that in the next edition. (I have 2008).
It's not a guide for casual cooks Americans are seeking ways to avoid weight gain but want tasty food in the process, so successful chefs and foodservice pros need to adjust their techniques and methods to reflect this revised approach, and the newly updated guide to healthy cooking TECHNIQUES OF HEALTHY COOKING is one place to start. The latest information on ingredients, menu planning and more reviews all the basics, current dietary guidelines, recommendations, and more, teaching both the basics of healthy cooking and reflecting the latest research findings. It's not a guide for casual cooks, but for the college-level foodservice pro who will find over 150 food photos and step-by-step techniques discussions to be invaluable keys to healthy cooking from scratch.
Marvelous Recipes! Wonderful recipes: simple, delicious~healthy. Love any book from the professional series from the Culinary Institutes of America, and this one was no exception. My husband (the professional) and I have enjoyed every minute in the kitchen with this book in hand. Thank you CIA!
The Professional Chef, 8th Edition
Techniques of Healthy Cooking, Professional Edition