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Grill It, Braise It, Broil It by the American Heart Association
Everyone wants to try to eat healthy, right? Sure; why not? When I picked up this cookbook, I was hoping to find some new ways to add some healthy dishes to my cooking repertoire. I was especially intrigued by the emphasis on cooking methods, such as grilling, braising, broiling, poaching, and so on.
The food in American Heart Association Grill It, Braise It, Broil It: And 9 Other Easy Techniques for Making Healthy Meals is indeed healthy, but some of it is from a school of thought that I just can’t get behind. I don’t care for fat-free sour cream or reduced fat cheese, and when I try no-salt-added canned vegetables, I end up adding salt because they’re so flavorless. Personally, I’d rather skip the fake sour cream and the no-salt-added canned veggies. I prefer the approach in Marco Canora’s A Good Food Day: Reboot Your Health with Food That Tastes Great
, where robust spices and fresh, wholesome ingredients boost the flavor.
To be fair, there were actually quite a few dishes that didn’t include fat free sour cream or reduced fat cheese. But since the vast majority of dishes didn’t include a photo, it was hard to visualize an appetizing result. Perhaps the real issue with this cookbook was that there just weren’t enough photos. Out of 175 recipes, there were only a couple photos stuck in the middle like an afterthought, compared to the 164 recipes that didn’t have a photo.
I know that professional food photography is expensive and adds a lot to the cost of the cookbook. But for me, a cookbook isn’t coming home if the photos don’t make me hungry. And if there aren’t any photos, then most likely it isn’t coming home at all.
What makes you buy or not buy a cookbook?
Lauren @ Wicked Spatula
Totally agree on not siding with the American Heart Association on their “recommendations.” What happened to eating real, quality, whole foods? I also agree that a cookbook should have plenty of photos. I’m one of those people who want a photo with every recipe!
Katie
Me too. I get bored so easily with savory cookbooks that don’t have photos. It’s not as much of an issue for me with baking cookbooks, because in most cases I can picture the result pretty easily.
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oh man I need photos. Im such a visual person, its just how I connect with things. Sometimes I just buy books for the pics. (I sound like Im five, ha!)
Katie
Ha ha… I know exactly what you mean! 🙂
Christie
I am not sure I have read this post the way you intended it. Since my husband had a heart attack a few years ago, I have a different perspective on what is healthy. The most important thing I have learned is that everyone has different food needs. What is healthy for one is not necessarily healthy for someone else. Even heart patients have different food restrictions, for example my husband has no restriction on sodium where many heart patients do. We do not use fat-free anything, but I prefer to buy no salt added items so I can add my own and control the amount of sodium. While this cookbook may not fit your lifestyle, it will fit into a lot of heart patients medically prescribed diet restrictions. The medical evidence about heart conditions is changing and I expect the AHA will change their stance some what once that medical evidence is flushed out more. I would love to see things more tailored to an individual rather than blanket statement on what is healthy. Everyone’s body seems to deal with food differently. While this cookbook doesn’t fit your nutritional needs it may fit someone else’s nutritional needs prescribed by their doctor. It is perfectly fine that this cookbook isn’t right for you and that is what you were trying to say, speaking for yourself rather than someone with a medically prescribed diet.
Katie
Hi Christie,
I definitely intended this as a personal review. What’s healthy for me may not be healthy for someone else, and vice versa. For example, there are several people in my family with diabetes- some Type 1, some Type 2- and though this AHA cookbook is healthy, it may not be healthy for them because there might be too many carbs in some recipes. Or another “healthy” cookbook may have too much salt for someone who needs a low salt diet. I wouldn’t ever presume to speak for whether this cookbook was right for someone else, because (as you said) everyone’s body deals with food differently. I hope my review didn’t offend you, because I had no intention of judging anyone’s meal plans, only to say what would or wouldn’t work for me personally. Would you like to have this cookbook? If you think it might be useful to you or someone you know, I’d be happy to send it to you.
Lisa @ Low Carb Yum
Great review! Low fat has been proven not to be the healthiest way of eating as fat is necessary in a healthy diet. I also hate recipes that don’t include a photo! I think I would pass on this one.
Levan @ MyWifeMakes.com
AMAZING! I’d grill braise broil and FEED A NATION with these awesome recipes. Thanks so much for recommending this Katie!
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert
I definitely have to have photos. I can visualize from the recipe list, but seeing the styling and the appetizing photo is so important to me. Also, having so many cookbooks already it has to be special. I have to have a connection to the author.
Kaitie
I have to say I agree, a cookbook with out pictures is like reading a novel… don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading, but really I want to see what I’m making, I want it to make me hungry and think “I have to buy this”. The review you wrote was great though! 🙂