Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Gluten Free Recipes in 30 Minutes Cookbook
{Misleading Title}

I will list the Pros and Cons:

Looking over the recipes you'll find many that can not be prepped and cooked in under 30 minutes. Since the title is Gluten-Free Recipes in 30 Minutes - one would think that half hour includes prep and serving time.



*Honey-Barbecue Wings actually has a 49 minute cook time and that doesn’t include the prep. You are meant to boil the wings for 9 minutes, drain then transfer to a baking sheet for 25 minutes more, then turning the wings and baking an additional 15 minutes.

*Same with the Spicy Buffalo Wings recipe. Total time, as above, equals 49 minutes and that doesn't include any prep time.

*The Three-Bean Chili may be prepped in under 30 minutes but it’s a slow cooker recipe and this takes 8 to 10 hours. It gives the option to use a Dutch oven or stockpot but this cook time is 3 hours.

*The Beef and Shallot Stew also takes hours to cook – 4 to 5 hours in a slow cooker and 2 hours in a stock pot.

*Spicy Turkey Chili is another slow cooker recipe (or you can opt to cook on the stove-top for 1 hour.)

*Almond Butter Frozen Yogurt takes over 3 hours after you prep and cook the required ingredients.

*Herb Roasted Chicken takes an hour and half.

*I was going to make the Maple-Lime Chicken but I realized I needed to marinate it for one hour. So I decided to plan and make it the following evening. Then I noticed the discrepancy in the description which mentions chicken breast and in the ingredient list which mentions chicken thighs.



The cooking time states to cook for 2 minutes each side in a pan and then bake for 15 minutes or until done. We all know thigh and breast meat cook for different times but I also know breast or thigh meat will not cook in 15 minutes. I abandoned trying this one.

I did try the Cinnamon-Raisin Baked Apples. The prep is certainly under 30 minutes but the bake time was not. The recipe calls for a bake time of 15 minutes or until they are very tender.

Well…….I baked the apples for 30 minutes and checked on them. Still not done. After 45 minutes we decided to eat the baked apples. We need a knife to cut through them. They were just OK so I won’t make them again.

apple

We added a dollop of Cool Whip and that was nice….but didn’t take away from the fact that these weren’t tender as expected.



Pros:

This book is divided up into chapters explaining how a gluten free diet works, the advantages and necessities for those with celiac disease and those who are wheat intolerant.

I liked the section explaining how to make your own gluten-free flours such as quinoa flour, almond flour and an all-purpose baking mix. I don't know if the recipes are accurate though as I had trouble with one recipe straight off. (See Baked Apple recipe above)

There are also conversion charts, a list of Gluten-free brands and resources at the end of the book.

There are many recipes which you can actually serve in under 30 minutes such as the soups, many of the appetizers and all salads. Mac and Cheese and many seafood recipes are also under 30 minutes. That is not the case with all recipes though.

I just felt that the title is misleading because you get the initial impression the meal is ready in 30 minutes. That is in the TITLE of the book.


Overall, you would be better served to check this out of the library first to see if it's for you before parting with your money.

I won this book from LibraryThing.


This is my eighth book in the Cookbook Countdown hosted at Kitchen Flavours.

CookYOURbooks

7 comments:

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  2. I agree that if a book says 30 minute meals, it should mean 30 minutes from the start to the time you sit down to eat!

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  4. Hi Tina,
    I wish that authors would give more attention when they titled their books. Titles are really important. Luckily you noticed those differences! Thanks for sharing this with CYB! Hope that you can find other wonderful recipes from this book that would be a favourite!
    Have a wonderful delicious week!

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