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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #224652 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 592 pages

Review
In addition to offering detailed information on nutrition and diet, this hefty volume provides valuable advice on purchasing and storing healthy foods, menu planning, and cooking techniques that reduce calories while still retaining flavor. From soups to desserts, recipes for 400 different dishes—each of which serves ten or more—are given, with complete nutritional information included for each. While there are plenty of choices when it comes to general books on nutrition and healthy cooking, this useful, information-packed book is highly recommended for academic libraries requiring a practical text for culinary arts programs or public libraries needing an expertly written resource for professional cooks.
—John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ; RED STAR REVIEW (Library Journal, April 1, 2008)

From the Back Cover

Techniques of Healthy Cooking is an indispensable kitchen 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 about ingredient options 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.

About the Author
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts. A network of more than 37,000 alumni in foodservice and hospitality has helped the CIA earn its reputation as the world's premier culinary college. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college's main campus in Hyde Park, New York, at the CIA's satellite campus in San Antonio, Texas, and at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California. Greystone also offers baking and pastry, advanced culinary arts, and wine certifications.

Customer Reviews

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).