America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants [Paperback]

Ron Douglas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 2009

Ron Douglas reveals the secret recipes from America’s restaurants— The Cheesecake Factory™, The Olive Garden™, P.F. Chang’s™, Red Lobster™, and many more—and shows readers how to make them at home for a fraction of the price.

The average American family eats out three or more times per week, which translates into hundreds of dollars spent on food each month. In these hard economic times, families simply can’t afford to keep paying these high prices. And Ron Douglas has spent the past five years of his life ensuring that we won’t have to. With the help of a test kitchen and more than 45,000 tasters, he uncovered the carefully guarded recipes of the most popular meals at restaurants across the country. With his easy-to-follow steps, families can now enjoy the meals they love most at a price they can actually afford.

KFC’s Famous Fried Chicken, Chili’s Southwest Chicken Chili, Olive Garden’s Breadsticks, and Cheesecake Factory’s Oreo Cheesecake are just a few of the many famous and delicious recipes included. And because each recipe has been tested by Ron’s incredible network of tens of thousands of testers, they are indistinguishable from the originals.

These best-kept secrets can save you thousands of dollars a year and will put delicious meals on the table that the whole family will enjoy.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron Douglas is a former finance director at JP Morgan and founder of the #1 copycat recipe website, RecipeSecrets.com. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Preface

This cookbook is a compilation of the most beloved restaurant dishes in America based on research and consumer surveys. These recipes generate billions of dollars for the restaurant industry every year. But while everyone enjoys eating out, there's nothing like a home-cooked meal made from scratch. Why not have the best of both worlds? With these "secret recipes," you can enjoy your favorite restaurant dishes at home and save money in the process!

To give you a little background, I grew up in a family of people with southern roots who loved to cook. As a kid, I used to be my grand-mother's "personal assistant," helping her at the grocery store and in the kitchen as we prepared dinner for the family. The best feeling came from the smiles on their faces and the quiet in the room as they enjoyed the meal.

It is no wonder that I'm a foodie today. But it wasn't until my wife challenged me to make KFC's famous fried chicken for her that I became hooked on the idea of recreating restaurant recipes that tasted just like the originals. The first place I went to research recipes was the Internet, which was a frustrating experience at the time. I found lots of recipes that were either incomplete or not even close to the originals. But I also discovered that there were thousands of people who were into "recipe cloning" and were searching the Internet every day for new secret recipes to try at home. Having been in ecommerce at the time, I thought it would be a great idea to set up a community Web site where these people could share their results and work together to create accurate clone recipes. The Secret Recipe Forum was launched and became the research hub and "virtual think tank" that inspired this cookbook. Today, RecipeSecrets.net has more than 70,000 recipe cloners and over 179,000 newsletter subscribers.

Each week, I would try to clone a new restaurant recipe and share the results with my members. Needless to say, I became a regular at many of the restaurants and was on a first-name basis with a lot of the servers.

Members of the Web site would also try the recipes and add their feedback and recommendations. As the Web site grew, it became more than just a hobby. Cooking experts and even professional chefs began getting involved with our recipe-cloning movement.

For many people, recreating restaurant recipes at home was not just a fun way to impress their family and dinner guests, it was also a great way to save money.

How Much Money Can You Save?

Studies show that nearly half of all U.S. adults are eating out each day. According to Nielsen Consumer Research:

The restaurant industry in the U.S. is projected to top $558 billion in food and drink sales in 2008, an average of over $1.5 billion a day. Approximately 133 million Americans are food-service patrons on any given day, making the average check size nearly $12 per person. This level of spending is a 13-fold increase in sales since 1970 and today accounts for about 4% of total U.S. GDP. There are nearly 950 thousand places to eat in the U.S., employing over 13 million people. Nearly one in five persons (18%) visits quick-serve restaurants ten or more times per month, and 19% visit sit-down restaurants six or more times per month.

Eating out is typically more expensive than preparing a home-cooked meal because restaurants have to price their food to pay high overhead expenses such as salaries to chefs, managers, and servers, and rent and advertising. By making these dishes at home, you can cut out all the excess costs and prepare each meal to your liking.

The table shows the potential savings per serving for a sampling of ten restaurant dishes featured in this cookbook.

Let's consider the following example of how much you can save over time (assuming an average restaurant bill of $25 and an average athome cost of $10) if you prepare these dishes at home instead of eating out three times per week:

Approximate savings per week = $45

Approximate savings per month = $180

Approximate savings per year = $2,160

Of course, preparing these dishes at home isn't a substitute for the restaurant dining experience, but for those looking to save a few bucks, it's well worth it.

A Healthier Alternative

If you need another reason for making these dishes at home, consider the fact that the foods many people eat when dining out are much higher in calories than foods prepared at home. And children in particular consume substantially more calories when eating a restaurant meal than when eating a meal at home.

The higher caloric density of restaurant food was much less of a factor for obesity when Americans ate out less. Today, though, with nearly half of all persons eating out each day, high-calorie restaurant meals are making much more of an impact.

A University of Minnesota study found that children who never eat at quick-serve restaurants during the week average 1,952 calories per day, while those who average one or two visits per week average 2,192. Children who frequent quick-serve restaurants three or more times per week average 2,752 calories per day, over 40 percent more than those who never eat there. This level of consumption, combined with falling levels of physical activity among children, has helped to drive the doubling obesity rate seen for children in the past twenty years. And teens have seen a tripling of the rate over the same period.

With this cookbook, you can replicate your favorite restaurant recipes at home, and you have complete control over the serving sizes and the ingredients you use.

About America's Most Wanted Recipes

Each recipe in America's Most Wanted Recipes has been tested and tweaked to taste just like the original. Although I can claim to offer only "clones" of these famous dishes, I am confident that if you follow the instructions, you won't be able to tell the difference.

There are tips throughout the book in which I share my personal experience and suggestions for making these dishes as well as tips for saving money, saving time, and preparing healthier alternatives.

I encourage you to put the book to good use and make these famous dishes yourself. Once you've tried the recipes, you'll see what makes them so special and why I have so many satisfied customers.

I hope this cookbook brings enjoyment to you and your family and friends for years to come.

Ron Douglas

Copyright © 2009 by Verity Associates LLC

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (July 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 143914706X
• ISBN-13: 978-1439147061
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > U.S. Regional

More About the Author

Ron Douglas is a former finance director at JP Morgan and founder of the #1 copycat recipe website. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

275 of 287 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Update!, July 22, 2009

By 

Denise "Nisy" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants (Paperback)

Table of contents:

Applebee's:
-baby back ribs
-bacon green onion mashed potatoes
-chicken quesdilla grande
-crispy orange chicken skillet(good)
-fiesta lime chicken (this one taste good and I like this version better than Todd Wilbur)
-garlic mashed potatoes
-low fat grilled tilapia w/ mango salsa
-santa fe chicken
-spinach pizza
-tomato basil soup
-walnut blondie w/ maple butter sauce

Arby's:
-apple turnovers
-barbecue sauce

Arthur Treacher's:
-fried fish (didn't like at all)

Bahama Breeze:
-jamaican jerk grilled chicken wings (pretty good)

Baskin-Robbins:
-cheesecake ice cream

Benihana:
-hibachi steak
-japanese fried rice(Todd Wilbur is better, imo)

Bennigan's:
-broccoli bites
-honey mustard dressing
-hot dressing dressing
-linguine diablo
-onion soup(didn't like)

Boston Market:
-creamed spinach
-cucumber salad
-dill potato wedges
-macaroni & cheese
-meatloaf
-spicy rice
-squash casserole
-stuffing

Brooklyn Cafe:
-sun dried tomato seared scallops

Bullfish Grill:
-shrimp & cheese grits

California Pizza Kitchen:
-bbq chicken pizza (didn't like)
-chicken tequila fertuccine (good)

Carrabba's Italian Grill:
-italian butter (this recipe was a waste imo)
-meatballs

The Cheesecake Factory:
-avocado egg rolls (like T. Wilbur better)
-banana cream cheesecake
-cajun jambalaya pasta
-chicken fettuccine
-crab cakes
-oreo cheesecake(really good!)
-pumpkin cheesecake

Chi-Chi's:
-baked chicken chimichangas
-pork tenderlion w/ bourbon sauce
-salsa verde chicken kabobs
-steak & mushroom quesdillas

Chili's:
-baby back ribs
-beef fajitas
-chicken enchilada soup
-chocolate chip paradise pie (Todd Wilbur is way better)
-margarita grilled chicken (good)
-salsa
-southwestern chicken chili
-sounthwestern vegetable soup

Church's:
-fried chicken (horrible)

Cracker Barrel:
-baby limas
-banana pudding
-cherry chocolate cobbler(very good!)
-fried apples

Dairy Queen:
-heath blizzard
-ice cream
-onion rings

Denny's:
-country fried steak (not good)
-country gravy (not good)

Dollywood:
-dipped chocolate chip cookies

El Pollo Loco:
-beans
-pollo asada

Hard Rock Cafe:
-baked potato soup
-bbq beans
-bbq ribs
-homemade chicken noodle soup
-pulled pork
-shrimp fajitas

Hardee's:
-cinnamon "flake" biscuits

Hooter's:
-buffalo shrimp
-buffalo wings

Houston's:
-buttermilk garlic dressing
-spinach & artichoke dip (didn't like this version, once again T. Wilbur is better imo)

IHOP:
-banana nut pancakes
-colorado omelet
-cream of wheat pancakes
-pancakes
-swedish pancakes

Joe's Crab Shack:
-crab cakes(really good)
-etouffee
-rice pilaf
-seafood stuffed mushrooms
-seafood stuffing
-stuffed shrimp en brochette

Johnny Carino's:
-5 cheese chicken fettuccine

Junior's:
-famous no. 1 cheesecake (this is the same recipe in juniors cookbook, he just copied)

KFC:
-buttermilk biscuits
-honey barbecue wings
-original recipe fried chicken (not even close, sorry!)

Luby's Cafeteria:
-spaghetti salad

Macaroni Grill:
-chocolate cake w/ fudge sauce
-focaccia
-insalata florentine
-pasta gamberetti e pinoli
-reese's peanut butter cake
-sesame shrimp
-shrimp portofino

Olive Garden:
-angel hair & 3 onion soup
-beef fillets in balsamice sauce
-bread sticks
-brushetta al pomodoro
-chicken crostina(good)
-chicken san marco
-chocolate lasagna
-fettuccune alfredo
-fettuccine assorito
-5 cheese lasagna
-fried mozzarella
-lemon cream cake
-oven roasted potatoes
-pasta e fagioli
-pizza bianco
-pork filettino
-salad dressing
-sangria
-tiramisu
-tuscan tea
-zuppa toscana

Outback Steakhouse:
-cyclone pasta
-honey wheat bushman bread
-key lime pie
-marinated steak
-walkabout soup

Panda Express:
-orange flavored chicken

Panera Bread:
-asian sesame chicked salad
-broccoli cheese soup

Pat's King Of Steaks:
-philly cheesesteak

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery:
-pancakes

P.F.Changs:
-chicken lettuce wrap
-chicken w/ black bean sauce

Pizza Hut:
-cavatini

Planet Hollywood:
-cap n' crunch chicken (this was very good!)

Popeye's:
-cajun rice
-dirty rice

Rainforest Cafe:
-blue mountain grilled chicken sandwich
-crab cakes
-safari sauce

Red Lobster:
-batter fried shrimp
-casear dressing
-cajun shrimp linguine
-cheddar biscuits (sorry, Todd Wilbur is better)
-clam chowder
-deep fried catfish
-dungeness crab bisque
-fried chicken tenders
-grouper siciliano
-hush puppies
-lobster fondue
-shrimp diablo
-south beach seafood paella
-trout veracruz

Roadhouse Grill:
-roast beef & mashed potatoes

Ruby Tuesday:
-chicken quesdillas
-shrimp pasta parmesan(good)
-sonoran chicken pasta
-super salad bar pasta

Ruth Chris's Steak House:
-barbecued shrimp

Shoney's:
-marinated mushrooms
-pot roast
-tomato florentine soup

The Soup Nazi:
-crab bisque
-cream of sweet potato soup
-indian mulligatawny soup
-mexican chicken chili'

Starbucks:
-chocolate fudge squares w/ mocha glaze
-ginger bread n loaf

Subway:
-sweet onion sauce

Taco Bell:
-beef chalupa supreme
-burrito supreme(same recipe as Todd Wilbur)
-enchirito
-mexican pizza

T.G.I. Friday's:
-baked potato skins
-broccoli cheese soup
-honey mustard dressing
-jack daniels dipping sauce
-orange cream
-shrimp mainara
-sizzling chicken & cheese

Union Pacific:
-apple pancakes
-grilled white pekin duck breast

I don't feel this is a bad book. I didn't appreciate that he copied the recipe from Junior's cookbook. Besides that, the book is only $[...] and it will pay for itself within two meals and you will enjoy it. :)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mistakes!!!, October 31, 2010

By 

Elaine Ayers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants (Paperback)

I'm actually trying these recipes, and of 2 in progress, there are serious erros in each. Starbucks Gingerbread Loaf calls for "8 tablespoons(1/2 stick) butter". So which is it? 8 tablespoons(1 stick) or maybe it really means 1/2 stick,and it should be 4 tablespoons? (Seems to really be the 8 tablespoons). Baking time calls for 40-50 minutes; it took 60 minutes (my oven is reliable)Luckily, I'm a seasoned enough cook that I could reason these errors out.
Speaking of seasoned... I also have The Soup Natzi's Mexican Chicken Chilli on cooking. The recipe doesn't include one ounce of seasoning. No salt, no pepper, no chilli powder. Nothing. I'll make something up,but it's guaranteed that it won't be a clone of the original.
Oh, and I really bought this book for the Red Lobster cheese biscuit recipe. I've seen the version in this book many times. Much to my dissapointment, there's nothing new or different in this recipe.
This book gets 2 stars instead of 1, because the loaf and the 'chilli' (well, so far it's more chicken soup than chilli) both smell really great.
If you're a new cook, I'd advise you to stay away from this book. You'd get really bummed out when after all your hard work, the investment of all the ingredients and following a new recipe exactly, you end up with a end result that's not what you're expecting - and deserve!

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hold the cayenne, September 9, 2009

By 

Peg B (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: America's Most Wanted Recipes: Delicious Recipes from Your Family's Favorite Restaurants (Paperback)

I have now made a few recipes from this book and would caution others: use your common sense when cooking these recipes. For instance, the author recommends 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in the mushroom tomato topping for Applebees's spinach pizza. I LOVE spicy food, but this could kill someone. The orange glazed chicken has twice as much sugar in the glaze as needed. It is cloying. Most of you out there will adjust other things I am sure. My advice: go with care.