The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

... this should be the one. The annual collections are great (and after using this for a while you'll probably wind up subscribing to the magazine and buying the annual collections, too), but they're definitely frustrating to search through.This, as the title states, is a "complete" (ie general purpose) cookbook. It's organized by categories, making it easy to browse through and look for something appealing--as you certainly will with such a wide variety of recipes! According to the introduction, it contains the "top 10%" of the 10,000 recipes that the magazine published since its launch in 1987. The book is well-illustrated in color, with lots of helpful step-by-step technique photos. Info boxes every few pages offer additional information on ingredients, equipment, tips and techniques, etc. Organization, typeface, and layout are as important to me in a cookbook as content, and I think this really scores on those counts, as well. Unlike so many cookbooks, it also boasts a well-laid-out, practical index (albeit with a few frustrating quirks, like listing Baba Ghanouj as "Ghanouj, Baba"). It took me just a minute to glance through and confirm that many of my favorite CL recipes are included.I got 5 Star Recipes as a gift, but I really don't use it. I don't agree with a lot of their "5 Star" choices, and it's really limited in scope. Quite a few of those recipes are repeated in this volume. For just a few dollars more, this would have made a MUCH better gift!

I'm a college student who bought this book eight months ago when I decided to lay off the fast food and get healthy. I've done a lot of cooking for special occasions and such but had never cooked on a daily basis. The recipes in this book are very easy to follow with step-by-step illustrations for the harder stuff. The book includes all of the nutrition facts you could want for every recipe from saturated fat to the amount of fiber in each serving. There are also estimated prep times and cook times which are wonderful when you are flipping through to find a quick recipe on those busy days. There is also a very helpful substitution list in the back of the book. I can't count how many recipes I've tried, but every one of them has been delicious...even my boyfriend loves them. Since January I have learned to cook all kinds of wonderful, low calorie foods and have lost 20 pounds in the process. This is one cookbook I will always hang on to.

First off, this is a greatest hits collection. The book has over a thousand recipes culled from thirteen years of the magazine. That's a pretty nice place to start. Then, unlike the annual books, this is an organized book so all of the desserts are together and such. But why buy this instead of "Five Star Recipes" (the "best of" book released a couple of years ago)? For starters, this book has at least five times as many recipes. Also, FSR is mostly pretty fancy stuff - great for entertaining but more complicated than most of us want for every day. This book has enough room for both the showy and everyday standards. For example, it has about six versions of meatloaf alone.But the part I wasn't expecting and found most wonderful are all of the sidebars filled with wisdom on the basics. For example, there's a nice section on tricks for boiling eggs that teaches you how to avoid getting the green rim around the yoke.Bottom-line: This is a winning cookbook. Veteran cooks will find good recipes and still learn new tricks. I'm also thinking that it has great potential as a bridal shower/college graduation gift.

If you want to indulge and cook up Stuffed Chicken Parmesan or Shrimp Scampi..you can without all the fat and calories. This new cookbook really should have a picture up, the cake on the cover and the lavender color in the background will invite you to open this book. What you will find is: 1,000 recipes Nutritional analyses and healthy makeovers of your favorite foods Step-by-Step how-to photos Tips and time-savers from Cooking Light editors 528 pages of inspiration This is a collection of the best recipes. They are also healthy and there are plenty of color photos so you can see how the recipes will turn out. ~The Rebecca Review

I am a big fan of the magazine 'Cooking Light.' I love the articles, but sometimes find the recipes too daunting for a week night - either too much time or too many ingredients. This cookbook is not like that. This cookbook is aimed at being the one-stop shop for all of your cooking needs. Whether it's the Thanksgiving turkey or weeknight fajitas on the table in a half hour, it's all in there. (There are in fact multiple fajita recipes!)The reecipes are designed so that a minimal amount of ingredients delivers the most flavor in the simplest fashion. This book has all of the most requested, best recipes from Cooking Light including the award-winning Italian Cream Cake.This book is logically formatted by food topics -- cakes, cookies, meatless entrees, poultry, sauces, etc...with numerous simple menu suggestions (and I mean really simple, do-able in under an hour).If you are someone that is looking for a top-notch healthy cook book, then this book could be for you.I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!All of the recipes have excellent written instructions that make every recipe a success every time.