Customer Reviews

Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy

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A big "Thank you" to Jules for writing this cookbook, and then for having the courage to give it a title that represents the content. As a physician who specializes in food allergies and intolerances I know that many, many people have reactions to multiple foods, and I see more every day. Gluten is getting all of the attention, but the other foods are just as important. There are very few cookbooks available to people with multiple food reactions. I was thrilled when I learned that Jules, an accomplished gluten free author, had broadened her scope and written this book.

I highly recommend "Free for All Cooking" to my patients and to anyone who has a reaction to dairy, gluten, eggs, soy and/or nuts. I do not think that you will be disappointed.

Dr. Stephen Wangen, Author of
Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance. and The Irritable Bowel Syndrome Solution: How It's Cured at the IBS Treatment Center

I really wanted to like this book! I can't have soy, dairy or eggs, so the idea of a book with substitutions to suit everyone's needs sounded great. But I made the lemon poppyseed muffins and they came out dense, chewy and really lacking lemon flavor. I've been using Cybele Pascal's cookbooks and hers seems to have a much better flour blend, and all the recipes are truly allergen-free. The baked goods in her books taste like regular bakery items, and my family never noticed a difference. But these are like the GF baking mixes from the store-gummy and heavy. Some of the main meal ideas sound good, but things like lentil soup and guacamole really are no-brainers when it comes to allergen-free cooking, so I didn't need more of the same recipes. Also, not all of the recipes can be modified for all the allergens. Some of the substitutions for dairy call for soy-based products. If your issue is just gluten and dairy OR eggs OR soy, you may have better luck. Great idea, but this one didn't really work for me.

I bought this book after buying Jules Gluten Free Flour and enjoying it. I am so glad I made this purchase!! This cookbook has so many wonderful recipes for items I never thought I would be able to make again. Cakes, Cookies, Mac n cheese, pie crust, pizza crust, lots of different types of bread. The list could go on and on. An excellent purchase.

If you enjoy gluten-free baking odds are you have at least heard of if not tried and loved Jules Gluten Free Flour and baking mixes. If you haven't heard of Jules gluten-free you might want to check out to learn more.

In addition to starting a successful gluten-free flour company, the founder of Jules Gluten Free, Jules E. Dowler Shepard is also a successful author. Her first two books "The First Year: Celiac disease and living Gluten-free", a reference guide for the newly diagnosed and "Nearly Normal Cooking for Gluten-Free Eating", a very popular cooking book were not only informative but enjoyable and easy to digest (pun intended). Jules has once again published another must have cook book. In her newest cookbook "Free for All Cooking", Jules takes on the fact that most people on a gf diet suffer from other food allergies and intolerance.

"Free for All Cooking" is filled with 150 easy and delicious gluten-free recipes that are also allergy-friendly. Along with the recipes, this cook book is filled with tips and information that everyone from the newly diagnosed to gluten-free baking pros will find useful. Part one of "Free for All Cooking" is dedicated to the essentials of gluten-free cooking. Included in this section are a basic guide to ingredients and an extremely helpful substitution guide.

Part two is packed with delicious recipes. Many of these recipes were created by Jules over the years for her loyal newsletter readers and other members of the gluten-free community who not only suffered from celiac disease or gluten intolerance but also had many other diet restrictions. This section includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner along with the much desired extras that can be enjoyed between or with many of these meals.

All the recipes included are not only gluten-free but also allergy friendly. The easy to follow substitute guide increases many of the dishes versatility and insures that much of this cookbooks recipes will fit most dietary requirements.

For more on "Free for All Cooking", including some of the great recipes you will find inside - read the full review from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) here:

This book sure looks to be covering all the bases. It starts out with lists, one of the most important, especially for newbies is the Foods To Avoid Like the Plague list. Okay I added the plague part. She goes on to give ideas for food replacements. I especially appreciated the several pages of egg replacers. She not only tells you what to use but how and which recipes they work best with.
I'm very impressed with the new flour recipe on page 8. I myself have many food allergies and this particular mix is one I can easily work with and around. Then she goes on to give recipes for soups and entrees as well. Okay so maybe that isn't rocket science but when you're new to all this and worried you might poison your kid it sure is a relief to just turn the page.
Also very helpful is that each recipe ends with a list of icons indicating at a glance what foods it is free of including whether or not it is vegan.
I myself am not new to the gluten free lifestyle but having so many food issues it is almost impossible for me to use a GF, vegan or any other kind of cookbook without going totally nuts with all the substitutions. These foods are expensive and time consuming. Wouldn't it have been great to have had this resource when I first started? You bet your boots!

There are tons of wonderful things to love about this book - the flour mix is excellent (I'm in love with buckwheat flour, and was thrilled to finally find a good mix that utilizes this under-appreciated gluten-free grain!) the recipes wonderful, the style is friendly but authoritative. ALL just wonderful and good enough reasons to suggest to all my fellow celiacs to get a copy.

But what REALLY sets it apart and knocks the ball out of the park comes in the chapter before a single recipe (Well. Okay. The flour mix recipe is first, but beyond that) in the section entitled "Ingredients and Substitutions". LOTS of allergy-based cookbooks will rattle off lists of substitution options for eggs and dairy. Sometimes they will give you more than a dozen "If you can have this, you could use that" at the beginning of the books - what makes this book so brilliant? Once she gives you the list (for example) of 12 different Egg options... she outlines which option works best in what type of recipe... and WHY. And, as you progress through the book, each recipe gives you multiple options. This is something that has made me crazy in so many other cookbooks. Yes - you CAN substitute applesauce for eggs in some recipes... but it's likely a better option in say brownies than in piecrust! She also gives substitutes for items a lot of folks overlook - as well as how to make correct swaps for texture as well as taste. Can't have nutty but still want that nutty texture? Grind seeds or even corn chips. Want the nutty background taste? She goes beyond just seed butters and talks about using flaxmeal or even maple syrup. For just the substitution information this cookbook would be a homerun - but the recipes are really great too. There is a wonderful variety in this book, and it's one I'll be reaching for first for years.

(One last thing to add - I really REALLY do love the flour mix that she provides in this cookbook, but after some tweaking, I found two items that take it completely over the top. I mix up triple batches at a time and keep this on hand at all times - and when I make the triple batch, I add 2 heaping Tbsp of unflavored gelatin and 2 heaped tsp of citric acid. Sounds weird, but those two ingredients and her flour mix mean I'm able to make CHEWY old fashioned egg noodles just like my grandmother's again.)

I bought this cookbook to get me started on my GF diet. I find the tips and substitutions something that I am constantly using in my cooking. Fast and easy to read recipes. All the substitutions can be found at my local grocery store! Since I cannot have eggs or dairy along with being gf, this cookbook gives me a multitude array of substitutions. I keep it in my book stand on my kitchen counter always.

Free For All Cooking is like an amazing "choose your own adventure" cookbook. You know those childhood books where you could pick to go to page x or page y for the next portion of the story, and whichever way you chose would take you to a different, but equally entertaining conclusion? Think of this method, but in recipe form, and you will understand the style of this cookbook.

For beginners, you can follow the story straight through, making the recipes to a "T," as there is always a core recipe. But, if there is a sub you must make for a particular food allergy, the author has you covered. You can easily follow one of her recommendations; the entire book is gluten-free, but she includes a myriad of dairy-free and egg-free options throughout. Then, for those who like a little adventure and are more comfortable with experimentation, she gives you so, so many options with the "choose this or that" approach. Sub this flour for that one, try this egg substitute instead, toss in these add-ins or those ones, or both!

I'm fairly new to gluten-free cooking and baking, and still bake with gluten sometimes too, but this cookbook method helped me to open my mind and not be so afraid to experiment with the different flours and even juggle egg replacers. She reminded me that recipes can be forgiving, and that changing things up may even create a new favorite.

As for the recipes themselves, I went straight for the Nut Butter Cookies recipe first, as I'm a cookie addict. They were awesome, and so easy to adapt for what I had on hand. I also made the Sweet Potato Biscuits. These were trickier to get right since I live at high altitude (egg-free, gluten-free, and moisture are always hard for me to get right), but I've been working with that recipe to perfect it for high altitude as it really is such a good base and delicious concept.

Since this is a gluten-free cookbook, there are of course many, many baked good recipes, including Buttermilk Biscuits, Pizza Dough, Whole Grain Sandwich Bread, Scones, Danish Pastries, English Muffins, Pop-Tarts, Crusty French Baguette, Challah, and the list goes on. In addition to the Pizza Dough, I've marked the Flour Tortillas, Potato Gnocchi, and Coconut Rice to make as soon as possible.

Whether you are new to free-from cooking and baking, or simply want to get more creative, I can't recommend this cookbook enough.

I can't say enough positive things about this cookbook!! I've tried about a dozen recipes in this book and have not been disappointed with any of them. If you suffer from dairy or other additional food intolerances/allergies this is the cookbook for you. Many of the recipes are similar in texture, flavor etc. of wheat counterparts that unless you tell them, no one will know this recipe is lacking the gluten!!

I would definately recommend this to anyone who has to eat gluten free!!

HI there...My husband made the GF Mac n' Cheese (Nov. 1) from Jules' new cookbook (FREE For All Cooking) and it was AWESOME, YUMMY, and TASTY...can't wait to make it AGAIN. We even used Jules pasta from her website, too! Also, her GF Flour is great too!
I've been diagnosed with Celiac and Lactose for little over a year and was having a bit of time finding some good books and recipes. The pictures in the book look delicous and my next adventure will be making her Gramma's Pie Crust. I can't wait!! I'm so very happy that I purchased this book! Thank YOU Jules...and your team!
Well wishes and Happy Holidays to All...Warm wishes...TAlves, Milford, MA