Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide
My rating:
didn't like it it was ok liked it really liked it it was amazing
add to my books

Cook This, Not That!: Kitchen Survival Guide

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96  ·  rating details  ·  297 ratings  ·  53 reviews

Did you know the average dinner from a chain restaurant costs nearly $35 a person and contains more than 1,200 calories? That’s hard on your wallet and your waistline, and few people understand this better than the authors of Eat This, Not That! After years of helping consumers navigate America’s daunting culinary landscape – and literally thousands of weight-loss suc...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published December 29th 2009 by Rodale Books
more details... edit details
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 470)
filter  |  sort: default (?)  |  rating details
C
C rated it 3 of 5 stars
Informative, handy little book. I like the charts of ingredients for stews, stir fries, sandwiches, dips, and the gentle nudge in the right direction with snacks and food choices.

What I really appreciate about his books that while they're quite "loud" and colorful, they're not overly preachy or overbearing. It's not so much "this will kill you" but a more diplomatic poke in the right direction: "maybe you'd rather have this 300 calorie fajita rather than th...more
Steven Peterson
There are a variety of books in this series ("Eat This, Not That" is the key term in several titles). This volume suggests cooking one dish rather than having something else less healthy for one.

One cool example. . . . Whip up a grilled chicken and pineapple sandwich. The recipe includes the ingredients needed and the steps needed to make this sandwich. The entry shows how much per serving this costs ($2.64) as well as calories (400), fat content (11 grams of fat, 6 of wh...more
Chad Warner
This Eat This, Not That! book is full of healthier, cheaper alternatives to popular restaurant meals that you can make at home. It’s packed with mouthwatering illustrated recipes, each containing a nutritional lesson or tip. I wasn’t so interested in the recipes themselves, but I liked the nutritional advice they contained, and there are plenty of pages of dietary charts, graphics, and recommendations.

It’s not a nutrition textbook, but it does contain concise explanations of the scienc...more
Andrea
LOVE these books! The only think that prevents me from giving it a 5 is that sometimes I get annoyed with the nutrition information. For instance why do some dished have fat and others only calories. Maybe if you were just doing something for fun you would worry so much about details like that, but for a book to go the extra mile and dig up that information! Also, with the alarming rate of pre-diabetes and diabetes why not also look at sugar when discussing the nutritional facts. I think if your...more
Jessica
Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars
Shelves: non-fiction
This is a masterful book full of some of the best cooking/health advice I have read. It makes cooking and being healthy so easy. There are tons of recipes that are about 350 calories, taste great, and take only 30 minutes. Plus, he has really great tips on each page for quick meals or ways to make your meal into different leftovers.

But I'll admit that my favorite part is the way he actually teaches someone like me to cook. I've always "hated" my friends and family who can jus...more
Amy
Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars
I love recipes and I love making healthier versions of popular dishes. (Anything to eat better and be leaner and meaner!) But I have to admit the best part of this book is that of the 100+ examples of what *not* to eat, my husband and I only had eaten about 3 of them. So, that was reassuring. Still though, the best part of the book are the "matrices" that provide options for all sorts of meals (stir fries, Crock Pot, kabobs, smoothies, etc.) and really lay out how easy it is to make he...more
February Four
The edge this has over most cookbooks: calorie counts per serving. They have appetizers, entrees, desserts, sides, all in one book, and they have some amazing matrices that take the guesswork out of combining foods. I got this from the library, started reading through it, and just decided that I will buy it. As a cook who is still figuring out my way around the American kitchen (cooking in Asia was so much easier) and my American husband's tastes (we disagree on a lot of foods), this book is ...more
Kristen
Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: food, nonfiction, own
These guides are for a very specific audience -- people who regularly eat chain food and do not cook. If you're already a health-oriented home cook, the book will be useless and probably outrageous, but you don't need the help either.

If you're trying to wean yourself (or someone else) off of chain food in a gradual, sustainable way, this is a great start because it's healthy, inexpensive variations on standard menu items. Crucially, the recipes are also fast and easy for a novice. ...more
Melody
Melody rated it 3 of 5 stars
I learned some things from this fun little book. Lushly illustrated, full of what I think of as "sound bites" even though they are text. Lots of delicious-looking recipes and plenty of interesting facts. Truth compels me to point out some inconsistencies- where one recipe states categorically "you wouldn't want high fructose corn syrup in your breakfast, would you?" another calls for a two liter bottle of Dr. Pepper.

Still, a fun book.
Scottsdale Public Library
I have to admit, out of all the books in this series, this one is my favorite. The other "Eat this, not that" books simply replace really high calorie junk food with fewer calorie junk food. What I do like about this book though, is it approaches the weight loss solution sensibly. Cooking at home as opposed to eating fast food is a much better way and this book will help you cut several calories doing so.

Colleen G.
Melanie
Being a fan of the "Eat This, Not That" books, I knew I had to read this when I came across it. This is essentially a cookbook which provides healthy alternatives to popular restaurant faves. I also enjoy the different "matrices" provided for grilling, stir-fry, pasta dishes, etc. I have 3 or 4 recipes that really caught my eye that I will be trying in the near future. My favorite thing about the series in general is that it has encouraged me to find a better or healthier...more
Natalie
I really liked this book. It gives you pictures(which is a must for me in any great cookbook), and even gives you an alternative way to cut even more calories from the recipe they provide. I recently used their recipe for chicken parmesan, and although it took me took longer to cook than what the book said, it came out quite nicely, and will use that recipe in the future. Will definitely reccommend for anyone looking for easy low-calorie dishes. :)
Lynn
Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars
I really like (almost) all the recipes from this book (one was so, so). The reasons I won't give it 5 stars are 1) some of the ingredients are either hard to find or expensive, and 2) if you have to feed teen boys who don't need to watch their weight and eat a lot, the serving sizes are too small. The recipes would have to be doubled. Otherwise, it's a great cookbook.
Katherine
Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: cookbooks
Wonderful ideas for making more nutritional choices in stocking the kitchen. Great recipes, beautiful pictures, plenty of information all in an easy to use book. The chapters start with breakfast and end with desserts and drinks. Wonderful chapter on setting up the kitchen and some great charts on choosing the best oils, meats, carbs and dairy.
Dani
Dani rated it 4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for: people who get bored reading diet books
Shelves: cookbooks-read
Unlike many other books that focus on nutrition, I actually enjoyed reading this book. It is written in the same slightly irreverent style as Mens' Health, the magazine that birthed the book series. With its dynamic layout and easy-to-swallow tidbits of information, this and all the other books in the This, Not That series entice even my children to pick them up and read about healthy eating.
Melissa Lee-tammeus
Love love love this book. It has Dr. Pepper ribs in it - how could I not? The apple turnovers were a hit and so were the fish tacos in this family. A great book with nutritious options that don't make you feel like you are actually eating healthy. Great pictures to go along with the recipes too.
Suzanne Kittrell
Another entry in these guys Kitchen Survival Guide. The second one I have read and is very good. These books are entertaining, full of useful information and, with this book, has a lot of good recipes. I bought this one to add to my kitchen cookbook library, I liked it that much.
Ellen Brandt
I bought this at the Ft. Myers airport and read it during the plane ride home. It's actually quite an entertaining read (full of humor and interesting facts). I will avoid rating it until I have actually tried putting the tips and recipes into action.
Michael Rizzo
Excellent tasting easy to prepare recipe's as well as advice to improve your kitchen skills. I loved that there is not only a calorie breakdown but a cost per serving. Shrink your waistline while growing your wallet what's not to like!
Patriciapayton
We have been using recipes out of this all week. It is a great, practical guide for making restaurant meals at home. Except they have less calories and less fat. Plus it is easy enough for my husband to follow too.
Jennifer Patrick
I love how they compared to a restraunt offering of similar dishes and told you not only how many calories you saved but how much money as well. If that is not incentive for eating in I dont' know what is!
Rae
Rae rated it 3 of 5 stars
Shelves: food-issues
A visually pleasurable little cookbook with less caloric and fatty alternatives to popular restaurant entrees. I enjoy reading the many books in this series, but this is the only one I have actually purchased.
Louise
I've loved the Eat This, Not That series so far. Some of the recipes in Cook This, Not That seemed like boring no-brainers, but I did get a lot of new & healthy ideas! I love that each recipe included nutritional info, comparisons to restaurant & fast foods, and possible subs/upgrades. Definitely worth a look for anyone interested in keeping health-related New Year resolutions.
Alison
Alison rated it 5 of 5 stars
This is a great little cookbook. I have really enjoyed most of the recipes I have tried. I love the pancakes, the pot roast, the pot stickers.. lot of others. I use it most every week.
Lauren
Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars
Shelves: 2010, non-fiction, food
I really liked the simple format and easy to follow chart information. Most of the contents weren't new to me, but I picked up a few tidbits and I really look forward to sampling some of the recipes.
Foxytocin
A wonderful excuse to stay home and cook instead of going out to eat. Beautiful recipes....several are just exotic enough to seem refreshing, but not so exotic that they're intimidating.
Linda
Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars
This is a great cookbook.
The recipes are easy and low calorie. They all look delicious, there are pictures for all the recipes along with nutritional information.
Terra
Terra rated it 3 of 5 stars
I loved the earlier books, but there weren't many recipes in this book that I would take the time to cook. As always, the grids and side info were great.
Melissa
LOVE this book! So handy! Delicious and easy to conquer recipes. My favorite part is where they compare the restaurant versions to the book versions. Wow!
Heather S. W.
after I have done one of the recipes, I'll furthor review it, but for the most part like all there other books, I found this one very helpful!
« previous 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 15 16
topics  posts  views  last activity   
Incorrect Name 2 14 Jan 03, 2010 08:28pm  

Readers Also Enjoyed

Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds—or More! Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide Eat This Not That! for Kids: Raise a Lean, Health, Happy Child! The Abs Diet: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Stomach and Keep You Lean for Life ABS Diet for Women

Share This Book

Your website
Pin It