A Healthy Approach to Cooking
The cookbook I received has a different title on the cover. Instead of "Easy Cookbook for Healthy, Wholesome Recipes", the title on mine reads "How to Cook Healthier: An Easy Cookbook for Balanced Living". Other than the title, the cover is exactly the same and I assume the contents is as well. I will proceed under that assumption.<br /><br />My wife and I have been trying to get into a healthier lifestyle, and she wants to prepare healthier meals - lower sodium, lower sugar, higher protein, etc. This is one of the titles we have selected to work towards that goal, and so far she and I are both pleased with it. This is a different kind of cookbook than I usually see, and it is a refreshing approach to cooking.<br /><br />The first ~60 pages deal with cooking concepts rather than recipes or health information which is not at all what I was expecting. The author presents several different concepts with a few example recipes to demonstrate the concept being presented. I think this is the first book that I've seen that has a page dedicated to the art of boiling water... In addition to cooking with water, there are sections of cooking in pans, cooking in the oven, and cooking on the grill. These are not exhaustive (for example, the section on cooking in water avoids sous vide) so do not expect a comprehensive cooking course here, but the idea is to get back to the essential skills and techniques to be successful in the kitchen.<br /><br />There are several chapters of recipes as well, and these are broken down into more traditional chapters, such as breakfast foods and desserts.<br /><br />There is a subtle but important feature about this book that is important to note. The author avoids refined sugars and wheat flours, sticking to more natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup and flour substitutes like almond flour. This can be assumed from the title, but it's a selling point that probably should be made more obvious.<br /><br />This is an interesting book. It reads like a basic cooking class, though the intent is to present more of a cooking reset in the kitchen, followed up with healthy recipes. I like it and am looking forward to working with this book more.