Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes [Paperback]

Todd Wilbur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2000

Dozens of fabulous new fat-conscious recipes are here from the master of top secret kitchen concoctions.

Todd Wilbur, the irrepressible restaurant recipe knockoff artist, is back. Thanks to Wilbur's latest Top Secret mission--to re-create some of America's most popular food products without the fat--readers can now feast guilt-free on their favorite snacks. The easy-to-follow recipes, along with Wilbur's patented blueprint illustrations, are guaranteed to produce healthier homemade treats that taste identical to the real thing--like Nabisco(r) Reduced-Fat Oreo(r) Cookies or Entenmann's Light(r) Low-Fat Cinnamon Rolls. Wilbur also tackles some familiar restaurant delights, including Bennigan's(r) Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, McDonald's(r) Arch Deluxe(r) and Egg McMuffin(r), and Wendy's(r) Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita(r)--concocting them all at a fraction of the calories and at a fraction of the cost. Once again, the intrepid Todd Wilbur goes where no food writer has gone before--and proves that when it comes to providing recipes for food that diners really want to eat, he is the peoples' choice.

Praise for Todd Wilbur
"The mission: Decode the secret recipes for America's favorite junk foods. Equipment: Standard kitchen appliances. Goal: Leak the results to a ravenous public." --USA Today

"There's something almost magically compelling about the idea of making such foods at home . . . The allure is undeniable . . . Stuffed with tidbits and lore you're unlikely to find anywhere else." --Boston Herald

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Is there an audience for Todd Wilbur's Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes, a collection of fat-reduced and make-it-yourself formulas for the likes of Screaming Yellow Zonkers? Judging from the success of Wilbur's previous cookbooks, which also provide favorite food-product recipes, the answer is you bet. This book is for those times when a chocolatey Oreo or gooey Entenmann's cinnamon roll--made at home--is just what the doctor ordered. The 75 or so recipes are divided into two sections: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipe Clones, which provides formulas for duplicating already low-fat foods such as Nabisco Honey Maid Grahams and Gardenburgers, and Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes Conversions, recipes for reduced-fat renderings of normally fatty foods like Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwich and McDonald's Egg McMuffin. These recipes reduce fat calories by half or more. The formulas produce food that is at least as credible as its ancestors and sometimes better. Readers should know, however, that many of the recipes require low-fat or ersatz food items, such as egg substitute, and that food coloring is sometimes called for. (Those Oreos require brown paste coloring to achieve their familiar hue.) Wilbur is fascinated by the ups and downs of the companies whose products he gives recipes for, and many of their head notes yield information such as, "In 1996, Nabisco built up its growing line of Snackwell's... with the introduction of low-fat snack bars...." This back-story is actually more interesting than not. With droll blueprint-style drawings of the foods, nutrition facts for each recipe, and various preparation tips, the book brings readers interested in reproducing their favorite store-bought foods very close to the "real thing." --Arthur Boehm

About the Author

Todd Wilbur is the author of Top Secret Recipes, More Top Secret Recipes, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes, and Top Secret Recipes Lite!, all of which are among Plume's most popular titles. The recipes in each book are the product of research, creative engineering, and obsession.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume (June 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452281490
• ISBN-13: 978-0452281493
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Self-proclaimed food hacker and host of CMT's "Top Secret Recipe," Todd Wilbur is the author of a series of unique cookbooks which reveal simple secret recipes for creating home versions of America's most popular brand-name foods. With over 4.5 million Top Secret Recipes books in print, Todd designs each recipe through careful research, trial-and-error, creative reverse-engineering, and obsession. Readers will not only be fascinated with the backstories and impressed with the accuracy of the formulas, but will also find that they can save money when recreating these signature dishes at home and will enjoy the ability to now customize their favorite foods to suit specific diets and health concerns.

Todd has appeared on numerous talk shows in the 24 years he has been cloning famous foods, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz, Today Show, Live! with Regis & Kathie Lee, Good Morning America, Fox News, Rachael Ray, Maury, and The Food Network. Season 1 of "Top Secret Recipe" debuted on CMT in October, 2011. When not taste-testing recipes on himself, his wife, his friends, and TV talk show hosts, Todd is busy teaching his 3-year-old daughter how to identify herbs in a sauce at their home in Las Vegas, NV.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars control what goes into your food - and it still tastes great, June 12, 2000

By 

"divangeline" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes (Paperback)

the best thing about this book (aside from the fact that the recipes taste just like the real thing) is that YOU control what goes into the food, not someone in a (perhaps) dirty restaraunt kitchen, or in a factory where they infuse food with chemicals and preservatives. all of your favorite recipes are in here - low fat AND yummy. i recommend it to anyone who dines out a lot but wants to cut back on their food bills (or their waistlines!)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars glad there is a low fat version, April 14, 2003

By 

T. Reinhardt "olivia lee" (east coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes (Paperback)

the top secret recipe concept is great. I like that I can *clone* my favorite recipes at home...for much less cost. The traditional top secret recipes are not usually low fat. The prime consideration is taste. While this is a good thing, it makes it hard to incorporate them into a diet program.

With this version it is possible. In general I find the top secret recipes a bit heavy on ingredients... which can be a bit of a pain during prep and also the cost of expanding your panty. But to be able to make some favorites at home, at a fraction of the cost and now...low fat. Its a great alternative!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is One of the Best Recipe Books Available Anywhere, November 3, 2002

By 

"youngagain" (Magnolia, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes (Paperback)

As editor of Low-Fat-Recipes.com, I can affirm this is the best cook book you can imagine for the junk food addict. Not only will you reduce the calories but it will fatten your pocketbook as you duplicate for pennies what costs dollars in these fast food restaurants. Read and enjoy and watch the pounds drop away while enjoying the foods you have been addicted to consuming.