Originally published October 21 2005
Cookbooks fail to deliver substitute ingredients to readers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
With the variety of diets now in practice, it seems common sense that cookbook authors would begin including substitute ingredients in all their recipes, but this trend hasn't caught on yet, despite the efforts of Carol Fenster in Cooking Free.
Everyone seems to avoid one food or another.
Vegetarians and vegans are obvious avoiders, but plenty of others skip a wide variety of foods, from wheat to sugar to eggs to peanuts.
Whatever we skip - be it for allergies, sensitivities, ethical preferences or just general health concerns - we get good at learning workarounds, tricks for having the foods we want minus the ingredients we don't.
The cookbook industry has been slow to recognize this trend.
Though publishers regularly pump out stacks of books for every dietary variant (Kosher Italian vegetarian, anyone?), few seem to see the big picture.
Where are the books that give you good recipes and tell you how to substitute everything?
Take a chocolate-chip cookie recipe, for example.
Why not provide a basic recipe along with tips for replacing each ingredient with alternatives?
This approach makes sense for how people eat.
Diets and dietary preferences frequently change, sometimes suddenly.
Books that cover such territory aren't common.
Carol Fenster, author of the just-published Cooking Free (Avery, 2005, $18.95), has made a reasonable attempt.
Though the book is intended for those with food allergies and sensitivities, others will find it helpful.
Each of Fenster's 200 recipes includes suggested alternatives for gluten (contained in wheat flour), dairy, eggs and sugar.
Especially helpful is a lengthy appendix with charts to help you pick the best substitute.
For example, a chart dedicated to substitutions for wheat flour used as a thickener offers 12 alternatives, along with clear instructions on how to use them.
� In a food processor, pulse the cream cheese, cilantro, onion, salt and pepper.
� Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the chutney and red pepper flakes.
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