Customer Reviews

Totally Dairy-Free Cooking

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3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am allergic to milk and am always on the lookout for new cookbooks. I spent some time looking through this one in a kitchen store recently and decided not to buy, mainly because of the use of non-dairy cheese in many recipes. Yes, these cheeses are good for the lactose-intolerant, but they are not good for anyone allergic to milk. All of the good ones contain casein, a protein in milk that is often the cause of allergic reaction. There are truly milk-free cheeses out there, but they do not tend to melt well, and, therefore, often can't be used successfully in cooking.

I'm disappointed that someone who writes a book like this would title it "Totally Dairy-free" when it's not. "Non-dairy" or "Lactose-free" would be more appropriate.

That said, it was a nicely presented book and had some recipes that looked really good.

I am a loyal fan of Josie's Restaurant & Juice Bar in NYC. I was very excited to buy the owner/chef's new cookbook. I gave the book out as my holiday gift this year & everyone loved it.

The book is filled with terrific recipes that are easy to follow. Some of my favorites are the steamed yukon potato & broccoli dumplings with roasted tomato truffle coulis (the coulis is amazing & you will want to serve it with everything). I served the chicken, brown rice & black bean burritos last night for company and it was a huge hit. Not to mention, the dairy free sundae I made with soy caramel sauce.

I was not an avid dairy-free eater, but after reading Lanza's book, I have decided to cut out most of the cheese and milk that I eat. Instead, I have found that vanilla soy milk and soy cheese are really good and much better for you.

I think that anyone who buys this book will be very happy and will want to share the recipes with all of their friends & family.

I asked for this book after seeing it on Amazon and was sorely disappointed when I got it. As we say in Texas, all hat, no cattle. I am allergic to casein and can't eat half the stuff in it. It looks great, but the title is *totally* misleading. I've gotten more mileage out of Beth Kidder's "Milk-Free Kitchen" and a nutritionist's "Lactose-Free Cooking." If it were truthfully titled, I probably would have been more favorably impressed.

I became interested in Louis Lanza after reading Marilu Henner's "Total Health Makover" book. I tried his restaurant, Josie's, on my next trip to NYC, and have made it a stop on every trip since. I expected a high-priced, exclusive establishment, but, instead, found it to be a very moderate, reasonable, and friendly place with just plain good, healthy food. This recipe book is great for home use -- the recipes are tasty but not too gourmet, and the instructions are easy to follow. I follow a non-dairy, meatless diet (fish is okay), so there are some meat recipes I do not use, but there are still plenty of recipes for me. The desserts are yummy, and I have made his healthy cookies for many tofu-phobes who were amazed at the taste. I have done the same with, and also particularly love, the pasta with vodka "cream" sauce -- wonderful for non-dairy types like me, who may feel frustrated when you crave those cream sauces on regular restaurant menus. You'll find plenty to enjoy with this book...even if you're not into dairyless eating, give yourself a chance with these flavorful, healthier recipes.

I began living the Total Health Makover way just over a year ago. This is a plan for healthy eating and living based on book written by Marilu Henner. Because of this I already have a kitchen stocked with many of the ingredients needed for this cookbook. Examples are, mirin, soy margarines, milks, and cheeses, balsamic vinegar, and lots of spices. So, when I read through the recipies in this book I have almost all the ingredients on hand. That makes it easy for me but if someone is eating what I would call the "unhealthy - dairy - red meat" way you will have to do some pantry upgrades. The book is not vegitarian. There are great recipies for seafood and poultry. That said, I love this book. The recipies are for the most part simple, wonderful, and very flavorful. Mostly made with lots of spices and soy products but not really exotic ingredients that would be hard to find. I just sit and read through the book and I want to cook everything at once. I used to hate to cook but now I love preparing fresh whole food meals for my family. My boys like it because they are still eating "normal" food like macaroni and "cheese", quesadillas, and chicken. The book also calls for natural sweetners instead of sugar. So may vegitarian cookbooks will call for weird ingredients and to much sugar. If you want to prepare hearty, flavorful food that any down to earth family will love GET THIS BOOK.

The author doesn't realize that lactose free and dairy free are NOT synonomous. A lot of the recipes include soy cheese which has milk proteins in it. A lot of the recipes have a lot of soy in them - miso, tofu, etc. I'm not a fan of soy and my son is allergic to milk protein, so this book was useless. It also is very fancy, restaurant recipes; so I wouldn't probably make them anyway.

It might not be fair to review a cookbook without cooking a broad selection of recipes, but here's my limited experience with Totally Dairy Free Cooking. I made the dairy-free pumpkin pie, skipping the egg whites, for a vegan thanksgiving. That came out OK, but I would have appreciated some guidance like "vegans can skip the egg whites, and the resulting pie will be...".

I then tried to make the caramel sauce which the author claimed fooled TV host Rosie O'Donnell on her show. First of all, it did not thicken and the recipe did not give any guidance as to how this transformation might occur, or a fallback plan (I am not a novice cook). Second of all, I don't know about Rosie, but my product had a strong soy taste. It would be nice to see another go-to dairy substitute other than soy. A newly dairy-free person can get mighty sick of soy. Based on my experience with the caramel sauce, I decided not to bother with the "dairy free whipped cream", another soy fiesta.

Finally, it would be *really* helpful to group the recipes according to what dietary restrictions they comply with. People are dairy-free for all sorts of reasons. Some of the recipes in the book are vegan, some are not. Some could be dairy kosher, some not.

The important thing to remember about this cookbook is that it comes from a popular restaurant in New York City.

What that means for the rest of us is that the recipes are not everyday fare. Even the basic dishes contain trendy ingredients: for example, the baked macaroni and cheese contains garlic and shallots! Now, I love garlic and shallots, but even I wouldn't put them in my mac 'n cheese. As a result, this book has sat on the shelf for nearly a year while I refer to Zukin's and Kidder's books for waffles, French toast, beef stroganoff, and other pedestrian foods that are normally loaded with milk.

However, Lanza's book is worth owning. Every kitchen needs a few cookbooks that are more for inspiration than everyday use. And every cook needs a few dishes in her repertoire to wow party guests with -- which is exactly what I plan to use this cookbook for. Some lobster, mango, avocado and asparagus spring rolls wouldn't be worth the trouble for my dinner table, but they might be perfect for a party that I'm throwing.

I bought this book almost 2 years ago, and I cannot get enough of Louis' recipes!!! It is so obvious, to me, that each one took a lot of time and tasting in development!! Every time I want to knock someone's socks off with a dairy free recipe, I make something from this cookbook. Louis Lanza is truly a genius!!!

Last week I tried the Pumpkin seed, Basil, and Miso Pesto for the first time...UNBELIEVABLE!!!

I have had this cookbook for awhile. Unlike most cookbooks - these recipes have been tested very carefully. There isn't a bad recipe in the book. You will be amazed at how excellent everyting tastes. I am a recent dairy-free convert. And I can honestly say this book has made the transition for me very easy because the food tastes so great. You will not miss dairy after you try these recipes.