Customer Reviews

Top Secret Recipes: Creating Kitchen Clones of America's Favorite Brand-Name Foods (Penguin Viking Plume General Books)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I love cookbooks so when this came out on the market, I thought "Sure, I'll bite," but I didn't except any of the recipes to taste like the real thing. That was before I made the Chick-Fil-a and the Wendy's Frosty. These 2 recipes were really great and became favorites in my household. The next couple of recipes I tried, LJS Battered Fish and KFC Original weren't as dead on as the other two were, but they were tasty dishes nonetheless. I haven't tried every recipe in the book so I can't say what the ratio is to real versus Top Secret, but I did enjoy this book enough to buy the rest of the set.

I collect cookbooks. I have everything from THE JOY OF COOKING, THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK and everything in between. This is a gem! The recipes in this book don't always taste like the product they are modeled on, but they come very close.

The KFC cole slaw recipe is great. But here's a hint. Mix up a double batch of the dressing and put it in a squeeze bottle. Then run how much every cabbage and carrots you want for the slaw needed and add the how much of the dressing you like.

It is a great book, and while I haven't (and won't) tried them all -lets face it, if I want a Big Mac, I'll go to McDonalds- I have ordered the other books in he series.

This book is a great way to create some pretty close "secret recipes." I have enjoyed many of the recipes and the history lessons. There is to much emphasis on how to stack the condiments on a burger the correct way for my tastes, but my kids have enjoyed not buying out to see how close that we can come to "the real thing." This has has saved money and added some quality family time. Laure'

I have all of the Top secret cookbooks.These are the recipes I would highly recommend: Tony Roma's ribs,(on this one it is more the technique than the recipe, I took the time to cook the Barbeque sauce but it wasn't worth the effort, so bottled is fine) Red Lobster Broiled lobster( My husband can cook it better than the restaurant!!), Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Shoney's Low-Fat Chicken Fried Steak with white gravy, (this one is a family favorite!).The Olive Garden salad and Fettucine Alfredo are also great. I love to try new recipes and collect cookbooks, these are some of my favorite books.

This book takes recipes from all over the country - Drinks like Snapple Ice Tea, candy bars, McDonald's sandwiches, KFC, and so many others (for a list, are spelled out easily and simply.

Imagine eating a Quarter Pounder in just 10 minutes for pennies! Make your favorite foods for cheaper and have more fun doing it! I have all the books in Mr. Wilbur's series and they are fantastic!

I bought this book out of intrigue to find out the secret sauce behind famous recipes. While there are a few select recipes where the secret sauce is let out, there are dozens of others where the recipes are plain oversimplifications and superficial replicas. What should be an exciting book is mostly common sense.

The book was frustrating because the clone recipes produced average mimics at best. Detail is replaced by simplicity as most recipes seem embarassingly easy and unrefined, lacking the clarity that makes a famous fast food recipe truly unique. I didn't buy this book to be told that a Quarter Pounder with Cheese recipe requires 1/4 lb ground beef and a Kraft cheese slice. Each recipe comes with pointless engineering diagrams showing the assembly, with notes showing the reader to place the cooked hamburger patty in between the top and bottom of the bun.

The book does contain some interesting fast food history with each recipe. However, 95% of the recipes are common sense that could have been derived by the most casual of cooks. For a book that appeared to have a lot of promise, it hasn't turned my hamburgers into Big Macs or my milkshakes into Blizzards.

I am always looking for something differnent to cook. I get tired of meatloaf and pasta. This book is great on those days when I have that adventurous feeling. The Planet Hollywood Chicken strips (breaded in captin crunch) were great. Some other receipies came very close not exact, but very close.

This book is a absolute must have for those of you that love to experiment in the kitchen. Its totally exciting to create these cloned treats, but more so to see if any one can tell the difference. I've tried Mrs.Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies,Hostess Twinkies, the Twix bars,and the Snickers bars. They taste the same as their original siblings. But what makes this book really great is the short historys of the recipes. It so interesting to read how they came about!

Do you want your family to help in the kitchen? Ever have something in a resturant and say to yourself that it would be better only if....? The entire series of books is a must have in any kitchen. They are easy to follow and flavorful. My husband and 2 teen boys now love to cook.

I don't have this book, but I have checked it out of the library often (when it is not out!). It is so much fun making it and then tasting it, finding it tastes exactly like the real thing! I am serious!!