The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders [Paperback]

J. Randy Wilson (Author), M.D. Mark A. Piper D.M.D M.D. (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2003

When a medical condition forced his wife to eat only soft foods, the author developed 200 recipes that were soft, nutritious, and delicious. Containing recipes for soups, main dishes, vegetables, and desserts, this unique cookbook will help non-chewers fully enjoy their meals.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hunter House; 2 edition (August 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897934008
• ISBN-13: 978-0897934008
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No help at all!, May 26, 2007

By 

Walter McLendon "Tying Instructor" (Lufkin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders (Paperback)

Both of my parents have Alzheimer's disease. Dad can't chew meat or normally cooked vegetables and Mom can't swallow very well. I already do more than this book suggests in preparing their daily meals. Grinding and cutting food into small pieces just does not cut it. I have to puree meat and some other items, otherwise I just cook things to death to soften them enough for Dad. My wife rejected this book on her first reading. She said "The recipes are not for elderly folks who eat regular food. It's like someone on a cooking show made up these recipes." My parents were raised on farms and gardened all of their life so I cook food that they know and will eat. They will not touch most of the stuff from this book.

I appreciate the author's effort to provide nutritional food and list the analysis on each recipe. Elderly people need energy and solid food to make their day. I think he missed the boat on this book. I can say that I did not get one good idea from this book and wasted my money.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars If you love canned, condensed soup....., July 17, 2008

By 

Elisabeth the Great - See all my reviews

This review is from: The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders (Paperback)

....then this is the book for you. If not, you'll be just as disappointed as I was. I really can't imagine who the audience is for this book--perhaps people who normally don't cook at all, have never owned a cookbook, and are averse to eating fresh, real, whole food.

The soup chapter has some good options but nothing that you wouldn't find in any recent cookbook (acorn squash soup, leek and potato, curried pumpkin, etc.). And some of the desserts and beverages look passable (though if I wanted to make desserts with instant pudding mix, I wouldn't need a cookbook to do it).

But really, those of us with TMJ or other jaw problems are probably mostly looking for entree ideas and here the book really is uninspired. Fully 23 of the entree recipes call for canned, condensed soup (usually the "cream of" variety--as in chicken, celery, mushroom, etc.) and then there are just some truly strange combinations. A "baked chicken salad" with a crumbled potato chip "crust" and topping? No thanks. Seafood casserole with canned (!) shrimp and salmon, 1 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise, topped with stuffing mix? Ugh. A casserole with cooked shrimp and cream of mushroom soup? Think I'll pass.

[I forgot to mention that at least seven of the vegetable recipes also call for canned soup. Poor little vegetables!]

I appreciate what the author is trying to do here, and perhaps someone who finds himself suddenly needing to cook for an elderly relative used to eating 50s-style dinners heavy on the dairy (sour cream, cream cheese, and evaporated milk are favorites), canned, and frozen food would find this useful. But even if you like this style of cuisine, it's easy enough to go to your trusty old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and look up the recipe for tuna noodle casserole.

I'm returning this one, along with the Weihofen "Easy to Swallow" book which was disappointing for similar reasons. Save your money and look through traditional cookbooks (or online) for soups, casseroles and other soft food recipes.

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcases 200 soft and tasty recipes for casseroles, soups, entrees, side dishes, beverages, and deserts, August 9, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft Diet Recipes for People with Chewing, Swallowing, and Dry Mouth Disorders (Paperback)

I-Can't-Chew Cookbook: Delicious Soft-Diet Recipes For People With Chewing, Swallowing And Dry-Mouth Disorder by J. Randy Wilson is a unique, one-of-a-kind cookbook that is an invaluable addition to the kitchen cookbook collection of any family chef who must prepare meals for anyone suffering from problems arising from a chewing disorder such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, stroke, ALS, Alzheimer's, AIDS, lupus, recovering from head or neck surgery, or mouth/throat cancer surgery. Randy Wilson drew upon his love of cooking and his array of culinary skills when his wife was diagnosed with TMJ and needed surgery. Her doctor indicated that she would have to subsist on soft foods for six months. Randy took on the challenge of developing soft, nutritious, and appealing recipes for his wife and their family. The result is his I-Can't-Chew Cookbook which is neither a liquid diet book nor a blender cookbook, but instead showcases 200 soft and tasty recipes for casseroles, soups, entrees, side dishes, beverages, and deserts. Of special interest are the opening chapters on nutrition and tips for getting the most out of meals, including enhancing the dining experience and adapting foods for a soft-food diet when dealing with problems of wallowing and/or chewing. Enhanced with an informative Foreword by oral surgeon Mark A. Piper, I-Can't-Chew Cookbook should be considered as a "must" for anyone wanting nutritious, delicious, consumable dishes for the chewing and/or swallowing impaired.