Customer Reviews

The Milk-Free Kitchen: Living Well Without Dairy Products

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a mother of a child who has recently been diagnosed with milk allergy, I found this book disappointing. Prior to it's purchase, I had spent a considerable amount of time in health food stores becoming familiar with all the substitutes there are for milk - such as rice "milk", soy products, etc.. None of these are used in this book. As the author admits, this book focuses on what a person can eat. Most of these receipes are food dishes that just about anyone who has cooked before would already know can be prepared without milk. For those not so obvious, the author only substitutes water in the place of milk. I could have just as easily look up these receipes in a regular cook book. What I really needed was something that helps me create dishes for my daughter that she loves, but that she can no longer have due to her allergy. What I found most helpful was the section on cheese and have since started giving my daughter goat cheese products to see if she can tolerate this.

To anyone in search of good milk-free receipes, I suggest writing to or going to the web site of those companies who make products to replace dairy, such as soy, rice, almond, and other multi-gran products. They have really saved me.

This book is not for vegetarians! It does contain recipes that call for meat, fish, and chicken. This book was written primarily for those who are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein (two separate allergies.) It contains helpful sections on how to shop for foods, reading ingredient listings to find "hidden" dairy additives, and how to request that your food be cooked properly in restaurants to avoid allergic reactions. The section on which processed foods are "safe" and which are not is rather outdated and no longer useful. Some of the foods she has listed as "safe" are not safe now, as manufacturers often change formulas and rarely make this known. I'd prefer to just see the list of additives that may contain dairy or dairy derivatives and maybe some examples of package listings showing how to look for these ingredients. The recipe section is creatively done - too many allergy cookbooks rely heavily on substitutions that result in the finished food having a strange texture or flavor. These recipes contain "real" foods. There aren't many better books out there for those with dairy allergies.

My son was diagnosed with severe milk allergies when he was three months old. Before that time everything I cooked was topped with cheese. Since then I've searched frantically for a recipe book for people who don't mind eating meat, can't afford the prices at our health food store, and like normal cooking. This book is a godsend. I use it on a daily basis for everything. Guests at our house don't even know I cook milk-free. The recipes are great, the cooking instructions are simple, and my kids (ages 7, 4, and 2) like the food, something that doesn't happen with most vegan cooking. I only wish the author would come out with a new edition; I'd buy it in a moment, and mail it to her to autograph!!!

I have used this book for many years since my son was diagnosed with both a milk and egg allergy. The recipes are generally uncomplicated and tend to use ingredients that are easily available.

The cake and cookie recipes are especially useful. I have used her recipes for golden cake and quick chocolate cake along with her frosting recipes for many birthday parties. The breakfast molasses cookies make terrific gingerbread men.

I work full time, I have 2 kids, I don't have time to make all sorts of substitutes and marinate stuff for hours. This is simple, easy to follow book with results that are really tastey. INCLUDING DESSERTS!!! The whole family ate these reciepes no questions asked! They didn't even know that they were eating dairy free until I told them a week later. I have yet to have one reciepe flop!!
Some of the manufactures of subst items she lists are A LITTLE outdated, but we all know to check labels and I still found her tips very useful. I had been adjusting to not eating at all when in doubt, with this book I am starting to explore more in milk free cooking because I have less doubts.

As for "Cooking Without Milk: Milk-Free and Lactose-Free Recipes" Light a match and just burn your cash..not worth the paper it's on. I mean...Do you really need a recipe for a peanut and butter sandwich?

My son is allergic to both dairy and soy. about 1/5th of all those with milk allergies are also allergic to soy. This book provides many recipes that do not rely heavily on milk substitutes and thus are a Godsend to thus of us who can't just add soy to make it work.

Although I was initially disappointed in my purchase, I have since then changed my mind and consider this book one of my absolute favorites.

My initial negative repsonse was due to the fact that I purchased it right after I found I had a dairy allergy. I was desperately seeking out recipes that would allow me to eat satisfying meals. This book does not have strong "meal" recipe content and I was disappointed.

Since then, I have come to appreciate the baking recipes quite a bit. Do I have to give up French toast? Pancakes? Birthday cakes? NO! I can even provide breads and coffee cakes to family functions and no one even knows they're dairy-free! I always get recipe-requests when I bake the peanut butter brownies.

The key to this cookbook is that it's for the type of person who has figured out how to balance their daily dietary needs and finds themselves in a position where they want to be decadent. Cakes, frostings, cookies, brownies, rolls, breads, you name it, it's in there.

I agree with the reviewer who said that this book was not helpful for those struggling with a milk allergy. I have a 2 1/2 year old who is casein and gluten intolerant and I was hoping for some ideas to fill in for the missing cheese and bread options for him. I can easily substitute other milks in a milk based recipes, what I was hoping for were some tried and true substitutes that might pique his interest. What I got were some of the same old recipes without milk in them...and this book is recommended by U of Fla. for people participating in their testing...we'll have to find them a better book to recommend...

I am glad I didn't buy this cookbook but rather checked it out of the library, as I must respectfully disagree with the others' glowing reviews. The book had some serious drawbacks for me that others might not consider drawbacks, however.

On the positive side, the book made virtually no use of soy products, not even soy milk, so those allergic to soy might find it helpful. There is also information about egg-free baked goods. For those looking for mainstream recipes (e.g., Beef Stroganoff), this book may be helpful. Ditto those cooking for two or three persons at a time; that is the size of most of the recipes. There are recipes for foods that are more difficult to make without milk, such as icing and fudge(!), that should be a boon for anyone.

However, as my sister is vegetarian, I found the absence of any meat-free main dishes a real problem. And there are five of us, so a two- or three-person recipe is annoying, to say the least. I also found the product information limited and dated.

My young son has severe milk allergies and nut and egg allergies as well. I always refer to this book first when trying to find new meals and desserts. Sure, you can just substitute oat or soy milk for regular milk in most standard receipies, but this book offers alternatives to using any type of "milk" product. The apple brown betty/crisp is great as is the eggless applesauce cake. I've also used it for meatloaf, ham and other receipies that would have nothing to do with milk but are easy and tasty.