It would be fantastic, if they would have left IN the good stuff and left OUT the over-processed ingredients. I have an early 90's version of this book my mother gave me, and it has lots of great recipes, PRESSURE canning instructions in detail, and very few "packaged" mentions aside from some noodles and canned goods like beans. Since these are modern times and home cooking is on the rise, I thought this version would be more updated, less condensed-soup casseroles and more back-to-basics cooking. Boy was I wrong! Every recipe I have tried so far, while good, had to be converted from "packaged this", "canned this", and "purchased that". Why do they have to tell you to used packaged, purchased stuff? Is "packaged spinach" necessary? It is far cheaper if you buy it in a bunch without the plastic wrapper! It seemed to be PUSHING processed plastic wrapped stuff on the reader, instead of encouraging wholesome natural food. I had hoped to find updated rules on pressure canning, as my old edition had charts and details that were current on the topic 20 years ago, but no... they barely even mention pressure canning is possible! It skims over canning fruits, and mostly focuses on canning pectin jellies. I like the recipe ideas, and the converted Falafel recipe was heavenly, but the emphasis on processed food has turned me off from buying an update when this wears out. BH&G, I am VERY disappointed. I wasn't expecting a "whole food" cookbook, but I was at least expecting much less processed stuff. After all, I bought a Cookbook, a book on how to cook, not a Throw-a-bunch-of-bags-and-cans-together-and-heat-it-up book!
Before you think this reviewer is an old fashioned cranky grandma, let me tell you about me. I am a 26 year old wife and mother of 1, who lives in a city, grows herbs and salad on her patio, and had a mother who taught me how to cook at a young age. She didn't believe in processed junk either. I never ate hamburger helper until I tried it as an adult. We are on a budget, but we eat organic whole foods all the time thanks to my savvy shopping habits. I buy lots of produce when it's in season and super cheap, then freeze and can it to eat later in the year. It tastes way better and fresher than those BPA lined tin-can veggies. I am not opposed to things like storebought whole grain noodles, but I just like homemade better so I make my own. I had hoped this cookbook would reflect the growing trend for healthsome food and wholesome cooking. I didn't expect to get whole grain whole food recipes, but this was sadly disappointing. For the budding cook, this is a bad book to learn from. It sets a poor example as is. If you are experienced, you can convert these recipes to something healthy and get some use of it.
