The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook: Revolutionary Techniques. Groundbreaking Recipes.

I have been baking and cooking GF for our adult daughter, who was diagnosed within the last year with a rather painful autoimmune disorder termed ankylosing spondylitis. She preferred to approach her nutrition proactively, rather than go the route of only taking medication (which can have serious side effects). Going gluten free for her has been a true God-send because her symptoms became less painful and she has been improved tremendously. When I saw this book, I ordered it immediately and I am so glad that I did.I am very impressed with the gluten free flour blend recipe, which lends itself wonderfully within recipes in the book as well as with other gf recipes that I have created, and with those that I had obtained via internet, etc. I felt that the recipes would have been highly tested by ATK, and thus my time, energy, and cost of ingredients would be well invested.Thus far I have made only one recipe that I did not like at all: the crusted pork chops were not satisfying, and IF I should try them again, I will be adding spices to the coating blend. But there are more enjoyable ways to prepare pork chops, so I won't be repeating this recipe.The Tamale Pie recipe was incredibly good, but be aware that I adjusted left out the jalapeño pepper (much too "hot" for our palate). I substituted about 2 tsps of canned chipotle instead, and for the cheese I used sliced pepperjack. I placed the cheese on TOP of the cornmeal "crust" towards the end of baking time. And I used a blend of ground chicken and ground 93% lean beef. It can be made entirely with ground chicken (as well as ground turkey, but I don't especially like this meat). It was very tasty and satisfying. You can adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.The Pizza Dough recipe was not as nice as another that I've made with the King Arthur Flour GF flour blend recipe that is offered on their website.The Chocolate Cookies recipe is AMAZING! EVERYONE enjoyed those. Make them and you will be a convert!The Banana Bread recipe is also a keeper. I used muffin tins though so I could package-and-freeze them.Be aware that you can adjust the sugar in recipes, reducing a bit (for example: 2/3 instead of 3/4 cup) or using a combo of sugar and Truvia. Make it yourself and save the crazy prices for commercial blends. I also make my own brown sugar. Try that and you will never again buy commercial brown sugars, and won't be caught "short" as long as you have molasses and sugar in your pantry. I buy organic coconut palm sugar and raw organic sugar.The Chicken Pot Pie is a keeper as well. I substitute 2 TBS of the butter with 2 TBS Smart Balance. I leave out the carrots because I don't like the "sweetness" that they impart. In place of the heavy cream, I use Fat Free Half 'n Half. A real time saver: Plan to make an oven stuffer and then use the already cooked and flavorful chicken in place of what I consider is the most tedious of steps for cooking the listed 1 1/2 lbs of chicken meat. Personal preference: I add 2 cloves of diced garlic to the sautéed ingredients of onion, etc. TIME SAVER TIP: I use my mini processor to make sure the onion and garlic are finely chopped (again personal preference and a good step when feeding picky grandsons). I also add freshly ground black pepper and half a can of chick peas (rinsed and drained). The peas had calcium.The Crispy Chicken Fingers needed help: Added lemon pepper, garlic powder and poultry seasoning to the store bought GF bread crumbs. You can also make GF bread and then make your own bread crumbs. We do not buy commercial GF bread; I make all baked goods myself. GF Panko is another yummy alternative. I buy certain ingredients on Senior Citizen Discount Day at our local Mrs. Green's, such as the GF bread crumbs, the panko, organic parsley/cilantro, and De Boles GF non-cook lasagna pasta. They don't carry the brand recommended by the authors of the cookbook. Our daughter enjoys the veggie lasagna that I prepare for her. I portion out the leftovers and package them for the freezer, giving her a meal that she can count on when arriving late from a meeting.The Lasagna Recipe can be adjusted to your personal taste and nutritional needs. For example, I use only PART SKIM ricotta and mozzarella. I also add 1% cottage cheese (pulse in food processor along with the ricotta) and nickel-sized "dots" of low fat cream cheese. Yummy! And again, Half 'n Half in place of the heavy cream. You can create your own favorite sauce (as long as you don't use anything that contains gluten).Basically, you can still add favorite spices and herbs wherever you want in any given recipe, if you feel comfortable with your cooking skills. I've been baking and cooking for 44 years, so I am very comfortable with making adjustments. You have to be able to enjoy eating the completed recipes as well as being watchful of dietetic needs (my husband has type 2 diabetes and we both have to monitor our cholesterol levels). And there are copious colorful photographs of each recipe! My one "problem" with the book is the text size, but I have eye issues.I am trying out the homemade pasta recipe this week. I've tried another recipe from another source, and it is great but so much work. I'll see how this book's recipe goes.Do try the Polenta recipes. We thoroughly enjoy serving chicken cacciatore over polenta. Quite a taste treat, and a welcomed alternative to noodles or rice.As for the information that ATK offers within the book: ATK includes the rhyme and reason for each of their choices, and included in the book is information on how to use King Arthur Flour company's commercially available GF flour (sold in some markets such as Whole Foods and on the KAF website), and Bob's Red Mill gf flour (available on Amazon, health food stores, and most supermarkets). I have never tried these, as I prefer to use my homemade flour blends that work well with respective recipes.The advice on which brands to use is a nice feature as well. Also included: Evaluating Commercial Flour Blends, Measuring Ingredient Substitions, what to include in your Gluten Free Pantry, ratings on Sandwich Breads, GF Pastas, the various Grains and How To Cook them. FYI: Bob's Red Mill brown rice flour as well as the white rice flour are quite finely ground, thus not lending a gritty taste. I buy organic whenever possible, especially rice flours due to arsenic in most soils. California brown rice (and Canadian) has much lower incidence of arsenic when compared to the rices grown in soils down south within the USA. Look up and read about prior farming practices and how they impact on the arsenic and other levels within our food chain. Rather enlightening! I've also used King Arthur Brown Rice Flour, which is quite fine, but you have to factor in shipping costs (I generally buy from them when they offer reduced or free ship events). Nuts.com is another good source. Glutensolutions.com charges S/H fee but the prices on Authentic Foods brand of gf flours are really good--- much lower than other sources! Check these sites out and determine what is good for you.OK, I've written enough. I just hope that you have found this review useful. I have been enjoying the book, and value it as a great addition to my collection of specialized cookbooks. I hope your experiences are equally enjoyable! Bon appetite! ¡Buen provecho!

I've been a subscriber to Cooks Illustrated for years now. I've always adjusted their recipes containing gluten for my Celiac husband, and avoiding their baking recipes has been disappointing. So I was thrilled to see this cookbook in my Amazon suggestions.I've so far flipped through many recipes and reviewed the recipe for sandwich bread and pizza crust, and am looking forward to trying both out this weekend. What I love about this book is the science and testing for each recipe is recorded with the recipe so you know why certain ingredients are added or omitted. Then if you want to adjust a bit you can do so with the knowledge of why a recipe is built the way it is.The big bonus in this book: there is a recipe for a gluten free flour mix, but weights and measurements for two other popular store bought flour mixes are provided for each recipe. If you've ever tried to buy ingredients for a gluten free flour mix in a regular grocery store you know it can be tough to find some, but easier to find pre-packaged mixes, so this is a huge bonus.The only drawback I can see is for someone who is not a more seasoned cook/doesn't enjoy cooking, some of the recipes are advanced. The directions are always easy to follow, but the outcome can vary depending on your take on the directions. For instance, instructions are provided on how to measure flour for the gluten free flour mix. Part of the instructions include tapping or lightly packing the flour as you scoop it into the measuring cup. My tap vs my husband's tap are completely different levels of pressure, and would result in slightly different flour mixes which could vary a recipe enough to be noticeable. Luckily weights are included, which is the best way to measure baking ingredients, but there are other directions included that could be taken differently.Really looking forward to trying many of the recipes in this book! If you have a gluten intolerance and love to cook, this is a must buy book! Or if you're fed up with the yucky pre-packaged gluten free foods, give some of the recipes in this book a try.UPDATE: The sandwich bread recipe in this book makes THE BEST gluten free sandwich bread I've ever had. I don't have to eat gluten free, so I know what real sandwich bread taste like, and this is pretty darn close in taste. It's right on the money with texture, not gritty or dry at all, and only a bit denser with a nice, crisp crust. Plus its a really easy recipe. Most of the ingredients are easy to find even at your local supermarket. The powdered psyllium husk was the hardest to locate. Check your grocers health supplements aisle, or stop by a vitamin shop. It's used as a laxative. I ate two pieces of this bread on the same night and didn't have any issues, so don't worry about accidental laxative effects. Also, the only 4.5" x 8.5" loaf pan I had is glass, and that worked great.UPDATE 2: I continue to try recipes in this book and haven't had a bad one yet. I haven't delved heavily into the baking section other than making several loaves of the sandwich bread (which is still amazing), but I did try the arepas recipe which was great. The Almost Hands-Free Risotto can be found in back issues of Cooks Illustrated and likely in their other cook books, and is fantastic as always.