"WEIGHT WATCHERS NEW COMPLETE COOKBOOK," Wiley Publishing, 416 pages, $29.95
The Fourth Edition of "Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook" (Wiley Publishing, $29.95) will inspire strong reactions from health-conscious kitchen warriors because, while the book surely isn't for everybody, those inclined to like the new cookbook may just fall in love with it.
The biggest difference between the new book and previous editions from the Weight Watchers canon is that all recipes now contain the PointsPlus values. (In November, Weight Watchers announced it was switching from its Points system to the new PointsPlus proprietary method for calibrating the relative weight-loss values of foods).
This feature alone likely makes "New Complete Cookbook" must-have material for all faithful followers of the Weight Watchers regimen.
Some of the cookbook's strong points are its intricate details about how to cook each recipe; the use of one, two or three pot icons to clearly convey every recipe's degree of difficulty (one pot for easy, three for difficult); a wide spectrum of ingredient complexity, running the gamut from basic to fancy; detailed nutritional content for every recipe; and simple but impactful "FYI" and "Healthy Extra" tips.
A brief test drive of the cookbook provided evidence that the taste factor of its recipes ranges from poor (Peanut Butter Cookies, page 396) to very good (Ginger-Spice Cookies, page 402). Some recipes, such as Whole Grain French Toast (page 36) and Classic Minestrone Soup (page 119) passed the taste test but also felt a bit superfluous because the recipes probably differ very little from the way you're already preparing French toast and minestrone soup in your kitchen, sans a bells-and-whistles cookbook.
This the cookbook includes a new section for slow-cooker fare, although the rather diminutive section contains fewer than 20 recipes.
Included with purchase of the cookbook is a certificate redeemable for a free one-year subscription (six issues) of Weight Watchers Magazine.
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