Customer Reviews

200 Best Lactose-Free Recipes: From Appetizers and Soups to Main Courses and Desserts

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The title of this book is entirely misleading. There are only a few recipes which have been adapted for people who are completely lactose intolerant like myself. Many contain cheese, with the excuse that it raises the calcium level of the food! That's hardly helpful. And there are a number of recipes for foods which never did contain lactose, such as broth. That recipe is in any cookbook you care to name and shouldn't be given space here. Such weaseling does bring her count to 200 recipes but if she were diligent she would have searched out or created recipes to substitute for ordinary foods containing lactose, such as fake cottage cheese. (That would be wonderful - it's an item I miss!) It's what an honest author would have done. But there is nothing diligent or creative about this book - it's a mishmash thrown together to make a quick and lazy buck. Only a few recipes are helpful to someone who knows how to cook, and beginners will find that too many of Main's recipes are going to give them symptoms, which will be frustrating. There's just too much trickery here - it's a complete waste of money. I have used the slightly older lactose-free cookbooks by Zukin and by Kidder and while I have minor quibbles with them, I still learned a lot about lactose intolerane and gained many recipes which continue to be useful. Don't be fooled by this newcomer - buy Zukin or Kidder!

In general, the recipes in this book have been fantastic. I've had particularly good luck with the breads/muffins and main dish recipes, and when I'm looking for a good recipe I find myself often looking here first. The author has used various calcium-rich foods including sesame seeds, green vegetables and calcium-enriched orange juice to offset the lack of dairy. A few recipes include lactose-free sour cream or aged cheese, but they are generally marked 'if tolerated' and 'optional'.

I bought this book when I was breastfeeding my son who had a milk protein allergy and it was a sanity saver - real (quick) recipes for real families.