A case study in diet cookbook pitfalls
In The Best Light Recipe from Cooks Illustrated magazine, the editors of CI confronted one of the sketchier issues of writing books about low-fat cuisine -- the ugly fact that not every recipe can translate into lower-fat forms. They therefore abandoned a lot of their less practical plans -- there seemed to be no way to make a decent low fat pie crust, for example, so they gave up on it.

Well, Weight Watchers didn't. For the most part this worked out great for them -- there are a great many recipes in here that are perfectly acceptable conversions, and quite a few they simply did straight out and simply offered sufficent amounts of nutritional information that allowed decent portion control. A lot of recipes show less conversion and more smart recipe selection -- in other words, they went out of their way to find dishes that were inherently low fat to begin with, side-stepping a lot of difficult matters of trying to shoehorn something normally swamped in butter or olive oil into a low-fat cookbook. (I'm quite partial to their molasses rye bread recipe, by the way; it's a good quick rye bread that goes together easily in a bread machine.) But there's a few obvious clunkers that seem like they should have been left out. Their shrimp scampi recipe is my example for the purposes of the review -- rather than simply curb their use of olive oil, they made a sauce with chicken broth. In a seafood dish. The book isn't loaded to the gills with clunkers like this, but it's got a few things that really need to be watched for.

That said, this book is otherwise a remarkably good reminder that just because one might need to cut back on fat and carbs, one does not need to sacrifice tasty, well-rounded menus for birdseed or artery-clogging doses of meat that would make a Brazilian go veg. The dish selection is very wide-ranging and pretty hip, and if you bear in mind the above caveats it's actually pretty good as just a basic cookbook, if a little light compared with heavyweights like Joy of Cooking or The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Each recipe includes nutritional information and WW Points values, and with multiple editions now available you can choose between the flat-lay binder and a more shelf-friendly compact format. Obviously Weight Watchers would prefer that you use it in conjunction with their program, but it's still a very good book to keep around for any situation where you need to keep a close eye on your nutritional matters, whether it involves WW or not.

Excellent for Foodies
I am addicted to the kitchen, I love to eat and I love to cook. This book is challenging enough for me to be fulfilled on both those levels. For instance... The Tandoori Marinade recipe might be a bust for some people who don't keep cardamom, turmeric, or garam masala on hand. But for a foodie who maintains an herb garden and has personal contacts to the Spice Islands for free spices, this is a no brainer winner recipe.

Don't get me wrong, there are some great easy "standards" in this book. Biscuits, Chocolate cake and vinaigrette (my 15 year old made the Raita recipe for gosh sakes). We pigged out on an Indian food meal complete with Naan, for only 11 points. I appreciated that! And so did my husband.

Do you need some skills to own this book? My answer: probably. Do you need to plan ahead to make these recipes? My answer is YES!

WW New Complete Cookbook
Although I didn't pay attention to the shipping method (I cannot receive USPS where I work) I still managed to get the product as promised thanks to a friend who works right next door. AND I got it in a very timely manner. I will definitely use this seller again!!

A great book of healthy recipes
Whether or not you're doing Weight Watchers, whether or not you're even on a diet, this book is an excellent addition to any cook's library. The variety of recipes within is excellent, from elaborate to simple, for both carnivores and vegetarians, all prepared using healthy ingredients and methods.

From a purely practical standpoint, this is an easy cookbook to use. The pages are durable enough to withstand a bit of splatter and splash (why yes, I am a messy cook, thanks for asking!), and they are bound separately so that the book can be opened flat on the countertop to the page you want to see, or even removed completely to be put back later.

The book is nicely organized into categories so that if you have only a general idea of what you want or what's available in the fridge, you can find recipes that fit easily. Ingredients and instructions are laid out nicely on each page, with nutrition information if you need it. For those who are doing the Weight Watchers Flex plan, the Points value per serving for each recipe is also clearly marked. Basics such as pizza dough and pie crust are included, as well as more elaborate and complete meals.

Since I've gotten this cookbook, it's become my go-to source for ideas and good food. I've tried many recipes from it so far, ranging from Chicken Hash to Spinach and Cheese Quiche, and so far I have not been disappointed. If you're trying to eat healthy, there's lots of excellent and tasty choices here. If you're just looking for some inspiration, don't let the WW logo on the cover scare you off...there's lots of good stuff in here for everyone!

Off to get ready for dinner... tonight, Vegetable Fried Rice! Can't wait!

Great for Flex, weak for Core
I don't know why Weight Watchers doesn't have a Core-specific cookbook, but that's really disappointing. One of the reasons I'm interested in Weight Watchers in the first place is I don't know how to cook, and was hoping for good help in that department. The Core recipes are well marked and quick to find, but of the 500 recipies there are probably 200 that can be eaten on the Core plan max, if that many.