Every weekend, I review a cookbook in an attempt to lend some guidance in a field that has become overrun. These days everyone is writing cookbooks and it is incredibly upsetting to buy a dud and have it sit on your shelf for years – staring at you, mocking your poor judgment.
It’s very rare that a publisher send me a copy of a cookbook unsolicited, but it does occasionally happen. I don’t mind it, especially if the book is good. I try to only review books that I think would be generally useful for my readership (you guys) or I may occasionally review a book that is very popular that I don’t like.
I was kind of shocked when “Cook Yourself Thin” showed up on my doorstep. I definitely didn’t ask for it and on first glance I must admit that I judged it as a standard diet book. While it was sitting on my table, collecting dust, a few ladies (including my girlfriend) picked it up. Clearly the cover was effective. At the end of the day they convinced me that it was worth really diving into and reviewing.
This was the very first line in the book, which was also the very first line I read:
“Cook Yourself Thin is for normal women, just like you.”
I almost stopped reading for obvious reasons. But, being the dedicated reviewer that I am, I trekked on.
Prejudice. Ok. So I will admit that I pre-judged this book. But, in my own defense, I did so because it was very clearly marketed to not me. I’m not really sure why the writers decided to market this book only to females, but that is definitely the audience. After reading it though, I must say that the only flaw in this book is that it specifically targets only 50% of the world.
Philosophy. The writers of this book, three qualified chefs, spend the first 50-somethings pages (over 20% of the book) discussing their philosophy behind eating. Honestly, their philosophy is spot on. It’s unfortunate that no guy would ever read this book because most guys could benefit from the contents of these pages.
They start off by giving a quick quiz on what kind of eater you are. I took the quiz and I was none of their options, but I was a combination of a few different ones and that is okay I think. The idea is that you understand your current eating habits before you try to change them. They have a lot of very helpful lists that give tips on things that might sabotage any positive steps you are taking (store-bought salads, granola bars, veggie burgers, etc.) These items can be filled with calories if you choose the wrong brand.
Quick Calorie Guide. This is a pretty cool few pages, that if I were trying to actively lose weight I might copy and hang where I could see them. Basically, it lists a few hundred common foods and the basic calorie content in those foods. Did you know that cherries have twice as many calories as raspberries? One ounce of egg noodles (who eats one ounce?) has 109 calories in it. The list goes on…
The Good Stuff. They also have a few pages of items they recommend you always have on hand. They can provide a lot of flavor with just a few calories. Not surprisingly, there are a lot of spices on the list. Also, things like popcorn, sunflower seeds, anchovies (yes!), bacon (yes!), and something called a meringue nest which I’ve never heard of.
Inventive Recipes. Ok. So I’ve made it through the philosophy and I’m on to the recipes. Frankly, I found the recipes to be decently creative. They spent a lot of time working on ways to make popular recipes trim a few hundred calories but are still delicious. Now I have only made one of the recipes from this book so I can’t speak to all of them, but in general I like what I see.
My problem with some diet books is that they are so focused on cutting calories that they forget taste. And if people are eating things that taste bad, then they are going to associate tasting bad with being healthy. Luckily, tasting good and being healthy are not mutually exclusive.
Some of my favorites:
- Portobello Mushroom Benedict with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. A really inventive take on the classic. I love hollandaise and am always skeptical of benedict dishes without it, but this looks pretty good.
- Pasta Bake with Sausage, Broccoli, and Beans. One of their more calorie laden dishes per serving which is probably why I like it.
- Spring Rolls with Lemongrass Dipping Sauce and Cucumber. Nice and fresh spring time dish.
In total, there are 75 recipes and they all look pretty solid.
The Sweetness. I usually have a problem with dessert sections in diet books because if I want dessert, I want the real deal. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but when I do, I want it to be good. So I would probably pass on some of their alternatives like their red velvet cupcakes. I would rather have the real deal with real icing. But they do have some good stuff like a roasted peach that looks very tasty and low cal.
I must say that I actually liked most of the things in this book even though they appeared to be actively trying to get me not to even open its pages. I think I would recommend it for anyone was trying to diet and failing at it. That said, if I ever recommended it to a guy, I would warn him of the chick-factor in the book and also make sure he has a good place to hide it during game nights.
I also recently learned from Dan that these ladies apparently have a cooking show now of the same name. I haven’t seen it, but I’m also assuming it is marketed directly to not me.
YES! I have to defend myself here. I LOVE awful cooking shows!!! I like to watch train wrecks. Take home chef – terribly awesome. at home with the neely’s? I cant look away! have you guys seen the one where 3 dudes cook a meal and a chick chooses which one to date based on the food? wow. I even watch sandra lee. those tablescapes? come on! how can you NOT watch??? this was a particularly bad one and I was loving it. they have the same exact stichk(is that how you spell it?) as someone I absolutely love on fit TV – Devin Alexander. they take peoples favorite foods, and re-make them. then they show the calories and fat head to head with the original version, and their dish. the only difference is Devin Alexander is a likable person who you can really relate to and is a joy watching. these 3 chef ladies on cook yourself thin are intense and in your face. they all are dressed up in this wacky fashion getup(I guess to show all the ladies you can be stylish while cooking?)as they condescend the fatty they are trying to help with rediculous cooking tips. kind of harsh? sorry im hungover on sunday morning. seriously though – watch Devin Alexander. i think i have a secret crush on her. don’t tell Mandi. here is her website http://www.devinalexander.com/
This would not be the cookbook I would select were I to be the 1,000th commenter!
I have to admit, I hate diet recipe books because healthy eating has nothing to do with 100 calories here and there. It also really irritates me that they market to women when men have just as many diet-related health problems. I find that men respond perfectly well to health messages as long as science is involved and taste is not sacrificed. It’s weird to me that so few people are using that angle.
But I will admit I’m a bit impressed that you were not (entirely) put off by this book. Honestly though I don’t think I could bring myself to buy something like this while Mark Bittman is still working his magic.
Kudos to you for making it through to do the review!
I love watching the show. Although the three chefs all have their own quirks and can be a bit annoying at times (who can’t?), it’s interesting to watch them change people’s attitudes about “dieting.” You can cook a meal and enjoy it and not have to worry if you’ll have a muffin top in a month. Of course… I’m the market for it, so they lured me right in.
Thanks for a really well-done review. I appreciate that you give bot the good and the bad about Cook Yourself Thin. It certainly has its limitations, but to me, anything that gets people thinking about the quality of what they put into their bodies is a good thing.
Unfortunately, the masses prefer to be entertained than educated, so if the gals at the CYT show help even just a few people swap out bad foods for good, then I’m on board.
Cheers!
[...] & Rice Soup Stuffed Shells January 14, 2010 Back in June, a friend reviewed Cook Yourself Thin and made it sound decently interesting. Jump forward a few months and I’ve finally found [...]