Cookbook Corner: Way to Cook

Everyone seems to make the same resolution every year: to lose weight. I am not a resolution maker, but it's always good to have a nice collection of healthy recipes at my ready. I saw Cooking Light's Way to Cook at Costco (for $17), it looked good, and I thew it in my cart.

I haven't cooked from this book yet, but I plan to soon.

What to expect: The book is divided up by technique (Way to Saute, Way to Broil, Way to Bake, etc.) and is filled with full color photos. The first part of the book provides a comprehensive overview of healthy cooking basics including ingredients, equipment, and techniques.

After the intro, each chapter is a different cooking technique, so all recipes that require broiling are stacked together. This is different than most cookbooks that divide recipes by main ingredient. Every recipe includes multiple, full color photos, so the book lives up to its promise of being a "complete visual guide to everyday cooking."

Best recipes: Here are a few that made it to the top of my "to try" list:

• Pork and Ancho Chili Tamales (pages 120-123)
• Chicken with Cider and Bacon Sauce (pages 146-148)
• Soft Shell Crab Sandwiches (pages 194-195)
• Quick Barbecue Flank Steak (pages 220-221)
• Duck with Pinot Noir and Cherry Sauce (pages 326-327)
  

Complaints: Because of the layout of this book, I think I'll need to rely on the index a lot to quickly find recipes. The book is heavy on photos and technique info, so it may be a little bit more of a beginner-friendly book than I need. Still, that's just a minor complaint. Another thing I am not crazy about is the dust cover. It slides around way too much and I'll probably end up pulling it off and recycling it. Oh well. (Disclosure: I'm not a fan of dust covers of any sort as a rule!)

Deliciousness scale: 3.5 spoons of yum out of 5.

Details:
This review is based on the 2009 edition, ISBN 0-8487-3292-8