Dave Lieberman

Ok folks, are the high ratings because he's on TV? Your reviews actually say some fairly negative stuff about the book.

Here's the deal. I didn't know he was a TV cook when I picked this up at the library because I don't have a TV. Once I opened it, though, it was obvious. More pictures of him than of the food, I swear. And I really don't think people need a recipe to tell them to layer berries, yogurt, and granola for a parfait - they've already seen that at MacDonald's, ferpeetsake. Veggie skewers on the grill is billed as dramatic and new, and pears poached in wine as exciting. A recipe for Pineapple upside-down cake is on the can of pineapples.

No. Don't waste your time with this superficial glamor. There are many many other ways to better learn beginning cooking skills. And once you have any experience at all, you can get books that focus on your interests, such as Vegetarian, or Thrifty, or For Entertaining. Or better yet, go the websites for the foods you like. I personally love www.kraftfoods.com. Pillsbury, Krusteaz, Splenda, Dole... everyone has recipes online.… (altro)

I really enjoyed this book! It was informative, smart, to the point, and witty. It was surprising the way you can put to use some of the foods: avocado's subbed for butter and beets in dessert. There was a food that I have never heard of: Quinoa. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that I liked 7 out of the 10 foods. As a picky eater, I was a bit worried. That means it should not be difficult to make them part of my daily diet. The list of staple ingredients were just a bonus to make your life healthier. My recommendation would be if you like books that explain why they picked certain foods then this book is a must have!… (altro)