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The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You've Got to Cook Something Great
With nearly 200 recipes, The Chopped Cookbook teaches you how to combine pantry staples to make exciting meals so that the question "what's for dinner?" never stumps you again.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2014
118 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 24, 2017
I’d never heard of the Food Channel’s Chopped program. (OK, so I live in a cave! I’m too busy reading books to have time for TV. Don’t be a hater!) But you don’t have to be familiar with the show to love The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You’ve Got to Cook Something Great , which completely lives up to its name.
The Chopped Cookbook has accomplished something I thought impossible: Every recipe is a winner. Every single one! Food Network staff have created lovely, offbeat recipes, many of which can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes — everything from super-speedy Orecchiette with Garlic, Capers and Bread Crumbs to aromatic Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Herbed Nuts to offbeat Philly-Style Garlicky Greens and Egg Sandwich to novel Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan Sour Cream and Toasted Bread to scrumptious Mini Chocolate-Strawberry Cheesecakes. The authors frequently advise how to substitute ingredients so that salad recipes can be turned into soup, one vegetable can be substituted for another, vinegar can be substituted for wine, toasted sesame oil can be substituted for Parmesan cheese. That enables a cook to either make do with what’s on hand or flip the flavors for variety. And the bargain-basement price of $2.99 is just one more thing to love.
The Chopped Cookbook has accomplished something I thought impossible: Every recipe is a winner. Every single one! Food Network staff have created lovely, offbeat recipes, many of which can be thrown together in less than 30 minutes — everything from super-speedy Orecchiette with Garlic, Capers and Bread Crumbs to aromatic Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Herbed Nuts to offbeat Philly-Style Garlicky Greens and Egg Sandwich to novel Blistered Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan Sour Cream and Toasted Bread to scrumptious Mini Chocolate-Strawberry Cheesecakes. The authors frequently advise how to substitute ingredients so that salad recipes can be turned into soup, one vegetable can be substituted for another, vinegar can be substituted for wine, toasted sesame oil can be substituted for Parmesan cheese. That enables a cook to either make do with what’s on hand or flip the flavors for variety. And the bargain-basement price of $2.99 is just one more thing to love.
August 14, 2014
Chopped is one of my favorite Food TV Shows out there. It always mesmerized me how the chefs could create something astonishing from just one basket filled with random ingredients. The Chopped Cookbook is just as amazing as the show. Filled with beautiful illustrations and variety of recipes, this is one cookbook to have in your kitchen.
It also includes different sections which are extremely helpful. For example, The Chopped Pantry has a list of different ingredients and spices that chefs mostly use and are listed under categories. Baking Basics - Flour, Baking Powder, etc. I think one of my favorite things is the graphs that explain what goes with what. I'm one of those people who constantly has to buy something at the grocery store just for a recipe so this will be extremely useful to me. Absolutely love it!
It also includes different sections which are extremely helpful. For example, The Chopped Pantry has a list of different ingredients and spices that chefs mostly use and are listed under categories. Baking Basics - Flour, Baking Powder, etc. I think one of my favorite things is the graphs that explain what goes with what. I'm one of those people who constantly has to buy something at the grocery store just for a recipe so this will be extremely useful to me. Absolutely love it!
July 5, 2014
I'm a huge Chopped fan! It's one of my go-to cooking shows and I love seeing what the chefs are able to create with the baskets. So, when I saw that there was a Chopped cookbook, I was all in!
This is a beautifully produced book - all of the photos are really great, very well designed graphics, and the overall graphic design of the cookbook is fantastic.
I think the books is well designed with a focus on using what you have available to create amazing dishes (which is really the focus of Chopped)! And I think this is a great cookbook for those with very little cooking experience and those that are more advanced since this is much more than just a bunch of recipes. There is a big focus on tips and ways to use what you might have on hand to make outstanding meals. Each section of the cookbook outlines new ways to use what you have! Which I think is why this cookbook is so successful!
Some of my favorite things about this cookbook include -
1. the plethora of tips throughout the book - some from our favorite Chopped judges and others just to outline a specific use for something or a cool tip to try!
2.Sections such as Play with your Pasta which outline ways to make a number of pasta sauces or Have Fun with your Frittata which demonstrates interesting combos to make yummy frittatas! Another favorite was Ten Fun Pan Sauces!
3. There is an entire section on cooking vegetables with lots of different options and flavor combinations. I often struggle with finding new and interesting ways to make veggies for our family so I love this section since it's so useful!
4. As I am trying to include more grains in our family meals, I love that there is a whole section on cooking grains. I know that will come in handy.
I have very few complaints about this cookbook but I'll share what did come to mind ...
1. I wish there was a photo for EVERY recipe in the book. I find that so helpful when I'm flipping through and trying to find something that strikes my interest. There are recipes here that I'd love to see a photo of before I decide if I want to make it.
2. I didn't see the nutritional information for any of the recipes which would have been a nice addition.
All in all, I'm really impressed by this cookbook and can't wait to get into the kitchen and cook! If you are a fan of the Chopped TV show, I definitely think you'll enjoy this cookbook. But, if you aren't, you may well still enjoy this one! It's a new favorite of mine and I highly recommend it!
NOTE: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. However, my feelings about this book are 100% genuine, regardless of receiving it for review.
This is a beautifully produced book - all of the photos are really great, very well designed graphics, and the overall graphic design of the cookbook is fantastic.
I think the books is well designed with a focus on using what you have available to create amazing dishes (which is really the focus of Chopped)! And I think this is a great cookbook for those with very little cooking experience and those that are more advanced since this is much more than just a bunch of recipes. There is a big focus on tips and ways to use what you might have on hand to make outstanding meals. Each section of the cookbook outlines new ways to use what you have! Which I think is why this cookbook is so successful!
Some of my favorite things about this cookbook include -
1. the plethora of tips throughout the book - some from our favorite Chopped judges and others just to outline a specific use for something or a cool tip to try!
2.Sections such as Play with your Pasta which outline ways to make a number of pasta sauces or Have Fun with your Frittata which demonstrates interesting combos to make yummy frittatas! Another favorite was Ten Fun Pan Sauces!
3. There is an entire section on cooking vegetables with lots of different options and flavor combinations. I often struggle with finding new and interesting ways to make veggies for our family so I love this section since it's so useful!
4. As I am trying to include more grains in our family meals, I love that there is a whole section on cooking grains. I know that will come in handy.
I have very few complaints about this cookbook but I'll share what did come to mind ...
1. I wish there was a photo for EVERY recipe in the book. I find that so helpful when I'm flipping through and trying to find something that strikes my interest. There are recipes here that I'd love to see a photo of before I decide if I want to make it.
2. I didn't see the nutritional information for any of the recipes which would have been a nice addition.
All in all, I'm really impressed by this cookbook and can't wait to get into the kitchen and cook! If you are a fan of the Chopped TV show, I definitely think you'll enjoy this cookbook. But, if you aren't, you may well still enjoy this one! It's a new favorite of mine and I highly recommend it!
NOTE: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. However, my feelings about this book are 100% genuine, regardless of receiving it for review.
October 29, 2014
I found this book at the library today. While I LOVE the show (and I cook like that a LOT), I kind of rolled my eyes, since the whole idea of the show is to take a handful of unrelated ingredients and throw together something new and interesting. Having a cookbook with it all laid out for you seemed counterintuitive, but I decided to check it out, anyway. I'm very glad I did!
Loads of ideas, a lot of creative, interesting recipes, and they encourage you to take the base recipe and play with it. Add this instead of that, try these instead of those, and have fun with your food! I recommend this book for anyone who has stood staring into the fridge thinking, "what the heck do I do with this stuff?"
Loads of ideas, a lot of creative, interesting recipes, and they encourage you to take the base recipe and play with it. Add this instead of that, try these instead of those, and have fun with your food! I recommend this book for anyone who has stood staring into the fridge thinking, "what the heck do I do with this stuff?"
January 12, 2018
It's that time of year where I don't want to leave the house once I'm home because it's cold outside. And dark. Dark and cold. Please don't make me go to the store to pick up one ingredient for dinner!
This book will show you what staples to have on hand in the kitchen and what to do with them when breakfast-for-dinner gets old.
This book will show you what staples to have on hand in the kitchen and what to do with them when breakfast-for-dinner gets old.
January 7, 2021
This was a beautiful book and I loved the sidebars with insights from different judges. My favorite parts were spreads that explained how to mix and match different ingredients, the purpose of certain ingredients in a dish, and what can be substituted and what can’t. Having more of that kind of information and fewer actual recipes would have been more in line with the spirit of Chopped, but I still really enjoyed this book and was definitely inspired to create some new dishes!
November 5, 2024
Creative ideas. I wouldn’t say with whatcha got because a lot of this is just not my jam to stock but I will ;)
July 10, 2014
It is really no surprise that this is a great resource for recipes, as in the land of the cookbook, Food Network is king. However, I was really surprised by how well-arranged and useful this book is overall.
Instead of just being some of the random, crazy-fast recipes that came from the chopped kitchen hastily thrown into a book, you will find really good organisation as well as useful tips for how to buy vegetables and choose meat sources that work well for your dishes.
This book covers the basics, dinner meals and such, but also covers easy to prep desserts, drinks, salads and a lot of recipes that could be used as appetisers and party foods.
There are also a lot of dressing ideas and information on how to choose the right grains for texture and flavour. This is a beautiful book, hardcover with excellent binding and heavy pages, so it would make an ideal gift for the cook in your life.
There are many full-colour photos that give you a preview of what the completed recipes will look like. The tilapia tacos are awesome, by the way.
Recipes from this book can be easily adapted to your own personal taste preferences and there are quite a few that could be easily converted to vegan.
One more thing that impressed me, there are a lot of recipes that don't require odd ingredients that most of us don't have. I can easily find most of this stuff in my pantry or crisper, so not a lot of running back and forth to the shops required.
I definitely recommend this book to those who love to cook and try new recipes, but don't have a lot of time to prepare.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Instead of just being some of the random, crazy-fast recipes that came from the chopped kitchen hastily thrown into a book, you will find really good organisation as well as useful tips for how to buy vegetables and choose meat sources that work well for your dishes.
This book covers the basics, dinner meals and such, but also covers easy to prep desserts, drinks, salads and a lot of recipes that could be used as appetisers and party foods.
There are also a lot of dressing ideas and information on how to choose the right grains for texture and flavour. This is a beautiful book, hardcover with excellent binding and heavy pages, so it would make an ideal gift for the cook in your life.
There are many full-colour photos that give you a preview of what the completed recipes will look like. The tilapia tacos are awesome, by the way.
Recipes from this book can be easily adapted to your own personal taste preferences and there are quite a few that could be easily converted to vegan.
One more thing that impressed me, there are a lot of recipes that don't require odd ingredients that most of us don't have. I can easily find most of this stuff in my pantry or crisper, so not a lot of running back and forth to the shops required.
I definitely recommend this book to those who love to cook and try new recipes, but don't have a lot of time to prepare.
This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 9, 2015
Going to try a few of these recipes soon.
August 1, 2020
https://openbooksociety.com/article/t...
The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You’ve Got to Cook Something Great
By Food Network Kitchens
ISBN13: 9780770435004
Author’s Website: foodnetwork.com/food-network-kitchens...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Never again let the question, “What’s for dinner?” stump you. The Chopped Cookbook features secrets for combining pantry staples to make exciting meals.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
Review:
I have been binging on the Food Network for the past little while and thinking, why can’t I make some of these dishes? How do they come up with the dishes they do from the ingredients in their baskets? Well lo and behold – while perusing cookbooks and much to my delight – I came upon The Chopped Cookbook. What could be better than a cookbook from one of the shows that I watch all the time?
During these interesting times (the Pandemic of 2020), I needed some new material to bring to the dining room table. The instructions seemed easy to follow and (at least the three recipes I have tried to date) incorporated items that were already in my kitchen.
The illustrations are beautiful, though I would have liked a picture for each recipe (I like to know what it is supposed to look like :). I quite enjoyed that there were a variety of recipes, from main meat dishes and breakfast fair to vegetables to finger foods and desserts. There were also suggestions from time to time by some of the Chopped judges.
An easy to follow recipe book, with great illustrations and only requiring (for the most part) ingredients one would have on hand in their pantry and refrigerator already. A new staple in my cookbook collection that has been used and approved by everyone (even the kids!).
The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You’ve Got to Cook Something Great
By Food Network Kitchens
ISBN13: 9780770435004
Author’s Website: foodnetwork.com/food-network-kitchens...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
Summary:
Never again let the question, “What’s for dinner?” stump you. The Chopped Cookbook features secrets for combining pantry staples to make exciting meals.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
Review:
I have been binging on the Food Network for the past little while and thinking, why can’t I make some of these dishes? How do they come up with the dishes they do from the ingredients in their baskets? Well lo and behold – while perusing cookbooks and much to my delight – I came upon The Chopped Cookbook. What could be better than a cookbook from one of the shows that I watch all the time?
During these interesting times (the Pandemic of 2020), I needed some new material to bring to the dining room table. The instructions seemed easy to follow and (at least the three recipes I have tried to date) incorporated items that were already in my kitchen.
The illustrations are beautiful, though I would have liked a picture for each recipe (I like to know what it is supposed to look like :). I quite enjoyed that there were a variety of recipes, from main meat dishes and breakfast fair to vegetables to finger foods and desserts. There were also suggestions from time to time by some of the Chopped judges.
An easy to follow recipe book, with great illustrations and only requiring (for the most part) ingredients one would have on hand in their pantry and refrigerator already. A new staple in my cookbook collection that has been used and approved by everyone (even the kids!).
April 30, 2019
I had never seen the show before i read this, And from the description I thought it would be a book about how to use whatever you had in your house to cook a decent meal. As it turned out it was specific recipes using bizarre ingredients that you would never have on hand.
I thought it was going to be about technique but it is Recipes for dishes created on the show. If anyone else is out of the loop as I am, on the show they get a basket that contains four unusual ingredients And they get 20 minutes to think of something to make with them and make that.
You might surmise that a recipe that you give a lot of thought to and then go buy the ingredients you need for it might turn out better. And this is pretty much true.
If any of you have ideas about books that use the technique of making something nicer than average out of what you have around the house link me in.
I thought it was going to be about technique but it is Recipes for dishes created on the show. If anyone else is out of the loop as I am, on the show they get a basket that contains four unusual ingredients And they get 20 minutes to think of something to make with them and make that.
You might surmise that a recipe that you give a lot of thought to and then go buy the ingredients you need for it might turn out better. And this is pretty much true.
If any of you have ideas about books that use the technique of making something nicer than average out of what you have around the house link me in.
January 22, 2018
It says on the cover: "Use what you've got to cook something great"...but every recipe calls for something that I can't imagine the average person having on hand: harissa, heart of palm, Asian fish sauce, cannellini beans... That said, the cookbook is very nicely laid-out and the photos and recipes look delicious.
December 17, 2019
I enjoyed this cookbook for several reasons. One, it deals with common ingredients but combines them in unusual ways, producing new tastes. Two you will not find these recipes anywhere else, they are novel and creative.
December 16, 2017
Really enjoyed this mix of very practical and more advanced/creative recipes. Plus great tips & info scattered throughout.
June 8, 2018
Loved the brownie recipe!
November 24, 2019
Neat tricks, good ideas, and Chopped advice. I feel like I’m on Chopped every dinner time (‘What’s for dinner?!!’) and have just as picky judges eating my food. I’ll take any help I can get...
January 13, 2020
Test kitchen does it again.
For the cook who likes to experiment. Lots n lots of ideas. Many of them quick. I especially liked the section if the pantry.
For the cook who likes to experiment. Lots n lots of ideas. Many of them quick. I especially liked the section if the pantry.
July 21, 2021
This was just a cookbook and not really anything to do with the show......
January 24, 2022
Nice idea of using ingredients one can easily keep on hand, no crazy stuff here.
October 24, 2023
An interesting concept, though not really very much like chopped. It was nice to look through, but the recipes didn't stand out to me.
January 1, 2024
Too chaotic of a layout to be able to use.
December 11, 2024
Meh. The best part was q&a with the judges..
August 7, 2025
I found a few delicious recipes
June 23, 2017
Also not a keeper for me. Also lacking pics for every recipe.
For those that don't know the show, Chopped in a single-episode cooking competition where contestants are given a number of discordant ingredients that must be combined into a single dish - for example, broccoli, maple syrup and octopus. As you can imagine, the resulting recipes can get a little strange. So this is a good cookbook for people who get bored easily.
The schtick here is to do a culinary cross - bringing Mexican flavors to spaghetti and meatballs; combining spinach artichoke dip with mac and cheese; shepherd's pie as a stew with potato dumplings; Black Forest dessert pizza. I took some notes. (Not for that last thing, though. I can do better than that.)
For those that don't know the show, Chopped in a single-episode cooking competition where contestants are given a number of discordant ingredients that must be combined into a single dish - for example, broccoli, maple syrup and octopus. As you can imagine, the resulting recipes can get a little strange. So this is a good cookbook for people who get bored easily.
The schtick here is to do a culinary cross - bringing Mexican flavors to spaghetti and meatballs; combining spinach artichoke dip with mac and cheese; shepherd's pie as a stew with potato dumplings; Black Forest dessert pizza. I took some notes. (Not for that last thing, though. I can do better than that.)
August 14, 2016
Not long ago a friend convinced me to watch the Food Network show, Chopped. In case you aren’t familiar, the idea is that four chefs compete through three rounds–appetizer, entree, and dessert–using four ‘mystery ingredients’ in each round to create quick, creative, delicious, good-looking food. The idea of making do with what you have is compelling. As the subtitle shows: The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You’ve Got to Cook Something Great aims to teach us to do something a little bit similar. Thus, when I had the opportunity to review the cookbook, I just had to give it a shot.
The divisions in the cookbook aim to teach you multiple ways to prepare single main ingredients. For instance, there are entire chapters for pasta, eggs, chicken, ground meats, salads, fish, and grains. There’s a short dessert chapter as well, and one for quick ways to prepare vegetables of all kinds. There are also a few charts spread throughout, such as a master recipe for salad dressing accompanied by an entire chart full of specific dressings. The chart is broken up into vinaigrettes vs. creamy dressings and includes things like a bacon-citrus vinaigrette, a spicy Asian vinaigrette, a buttermilk-herb dressing, and a blue cheese dressing, for a total of 17. There are also a few pages that give a four-ingredient ‘market basket’ selection and then show three quick separate recipes you can make from the ingredients. It’s a great way to show by example.
I find the recipes to be very appealing. The ground meats chapter includes such delights as Cajun spiced burgers, pork and egg stir-fry with broccoli, pork barbecue meatball sandwiches, meat and collards pizza, and Turkish chicken tacos. In this chapter you’ll also find a page providing three easy ways to jazz up meatloaf. The “flash in the pan” chapter includes a page for making pot roast more interesting. Much like the market basket pages these include three different quick-and-easy recipes, and again they’re perfect for demonstrating what you can do to turn a handful of ingredients into something new and delicious.
The chapter on vegetables is one of my favorites; each vegetable comes with three simple recipes (again), each of which is based on just a few main ingredients. There’s a cauliflower and cannellini bean mash. There’s a Moroccan carrot salad that has a surprisingly nuanced flavor, and refrigerated leftovers lasted much better than I expected. The only recipe that didn’t come out well was the salt-roasted beets with horseradish sour cream. The salt-roasting left the beets inedibly salty, but the sour cream sauce was so good that next time I’d just roast the beets normally and serve with that sauce, so it only half-counts as a failed recipe.
I particularly enjoy the dessert chapter. In the spirit of the Chopped kitchen make-do-with-what-you-have attitude, we made the thin lemon pancakes with sweetened sour cream and blueberries with cherries instead, and it was lovely. We made the warm salted caramel banana pudding as stated, but then we made it again with blueberries. I didn’t expect that to work, but it turns out that it does as long as you only cook the blueberries in the caramel long enough to make them dark and plump, but not long enough to make them burst (maybe 30 seconds or so).
Another wonderful resource is the list of useful ingredients to keep on hand that’s found in the front of the book. Normally I don’t get much out of these, but the secret here is how they’re organized. Need a touch of savory flavor in your dish, but not sure what to use? There’s a list of salty and savory additives to cover you. Other lists include tanginess, crunch, acidity, and richness. It’s a great way to help you balance your flavors.
We fully intend to continue making use of the Chopped cookbook long after we’ve reviewed it, which is the mark of a truly good cookbook. I found it inspiring with regard to the ‘use what you’ve got’ mantra, which kind of surprised me. The folks who put together the cookbook clearly cared about more than cashing in on the show’s name.
NOTE: Free review book provided by Blogging for Books.
For a review that includes photos from my cooking, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/07/r...
The divisions in the cookbook aim to teach you multiple ways to prepare single main ingredients. For instance, there are entire chapters for pasta, eggs, chicken, ground meats, salads, fish, and grains. There’s a short dessert chapter as well, and one for quick ways to prepare vegetables of all kinds. There are also a few charts spread throughout, such as a master recipe for salad dressing accompanied by an entire chart full of specific dressings. The chart is broken up into vinaigrettes vs. creamy dressings and includes things like a bacon-citrus vinaigrette, a spicy Asian vinaigrette, a buttermilk-herb dressing, and a blue cheese dressing, for a total of 17. There are also a few pages that give a four-ingredient ‘market basket’ selection and then show three quick separate recipes you can make from the ingredients. It’s a great way to show by example.
I find the recipes to be very appealing. The ground meats chapter includes such delights as Cajun spiced burgers, pork and egg stir-fry with broccoli, pork barbecue meatball sandwiches, meat and collards pizza, and Turkish chicken tacos. In this chapter you’ll also find a page providing three easy ways to jazz up meatloaf. The “flash in the pan” chapter includes a page for making pot roast more interesting. Much like the market basket pages these include three different quick-and-easy recipes, and again they’re perfect for demonstrating what you can do to turn a handful of ingredients into something new and delicious.
The chapter on vegetables is one of my favorites; each vegetable comes with three simple recipes (again), each of which is based on just a few main ingredients. There’s a cauliflower and cannellini bean mash. There’s a Moroccan carrot salad that has a surprisingly nuanced flavor, and refrigerated leftovers lasted much better than I expected. The only recipe that didn’t come out well was the salt-roasted beets with horseradish sour cream. The salt-roasting left the beets inedibly salty, but the sour cream sauce was so good that next time I’d just roast the beets normally and serve with that sauce, so it only half-counts as a failed recipe.
I particularly enjoy the dessert chapter. In the spirit of the Chopped kitchen make-do-with-what-you-have attitude, we made the thin lemon pancakes with sweetened sour cream and blueberries with cherries instead, and it was lovely. We made the warm salted caramel banana pudding as stated, but then we made it again with blueberries. I didn’t expect that to work, but it turns out that it does as long as you only cook the blueberries in the caramel long enough to make them dark and plump, but not long enough to make them burst (maybe 30 seconds or so).
Another wonderful resource is the list of useful ingredients to keep on hand that’s found in the front of the book. Normally I don’t get much out of these, but the secret here is how they’re organized. Need a touch of savory flavor in your dish, but not sure what to use? There’s a list of salty and savory additives to cover you. Other lists include tanginess, crunch, acidity, and richness. It’s a great way to help you balance your flavors.
We fully intend to continue making use of the Chopped cookbook long after we’ve reviewed it, which is the mark of a truly good cookbook. I found it inspiring with regard to the ‘use what you’ve got’ mantra, which kind of surprised me. The folks who put together the cookbook clearly cared about more than cashing in on the show’s name.
NOTE: Free review book provided by Blogging for Books.
For a review that includes photos from my cooking, visit my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2014/07/r...
August 8, 2020
https://openbooksociety.com/article/t...
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
I have been binging on the Food Network for the past little while and thinking, why can’t I make some of these dishes? How do they come up with the dishes they do from the ingredients in their baskets? Well lo and behold – while perusing cookbooks and much to my delight – I came upon The Chopped Cookbook. What could be better than a cookbook from one of the shows that I watch all the time?
During these interesting times (the Pandemic of 2020), I needed some new material to bring to the dining room table. The instructions seemed easy to follow and (at least the three recipes I have tried to date) incorporated items that were already in my kitchen.
The illustrations are beautiful, though I would have liked a picture for each recipe (I like to know what it is supposed to look like :). I quite enjoyed that there were a variety of recipes, from main meat dishes and breakfast fair to vegetables to finger foods and desserts. There were also suggestions from time to time by some of the Chopped judges.
An easy to follow recipe book, with great illustrations and only requiring (for the most part) ingredients one would have on hand in their pantry and refrigerator already. A new staple in my cookbook collection that has been used and approved by everyone (even the kids!).
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra
I have been binging on the Food Network for the past little while and thinking, why can’t I make some of these dishes? How do they come up with the dishes they do from the ingredients in their baskets? Well lo and behold – while perusing cookbooks and much to my delight – I came upon The Chopped Cookbook. What could be better than a cookbook from one of the shows that I watch all the time?
During these interesting times (the Pandemic of 2020), I needed some new material to bring to the dining room table. The instructions seemed easy to follow and (at least the three recipes I have tried to date) incorporated items that were already in my kitchen.
The illustrations are beautiful, though I would have liked a picture for each recipe (I like to know what it is supposed to look like :). I quite enjoyed that there were a variety of recipes, from main meat dishes and breakfast fair to vegetables to finger foods and desserts. There were also suggestions from time to time by some of the Chopped judges.
An easy to follow recipe book, with great illustrations and only requiring (for the most part) ingredients one would have on hand in their pantry and refrigerator already. A new staple in my cookbook collection that has been used and approved by everyone (even the kids!).
July 27, 2014
Wow, The Food Network did an extremely fabulous job on this cookbook! I got it in the mail, when I opened it and turned a few pages, I told my husband, “Look at this! The pictures seem The CHOPPED Cookbook from the Food Network!
Use What You've Got to Cook Something Great
Written by Food Network Kitchen
almost 3D! Don’t they make you hungry or excited to cook just by looking at them?” The pictures are fabulous. Being an avid fan of The Food Networks show “Chopped” I had no idea how they would put together a cookbook but when I had the opportunity to review the book I of course said, “Yes send it to me please!”
The cookbook is based on what a homemaker should have in their pantry on a regular basis and they give you a list. They work off that list, and they also tell you options for say, the acid ingredient in a recipe can be cider vinegar, lemon, balsamic vinegar, …..I’m going off my memory, but they do give you options of what you can swap out. They give several types of sauces that you can make for vegetables or pasta, etc., and how to easily make them. You have choices and you can follow recipes for quick dinners for your family with what you have in your pantry or refrigerator.
This cookbook also has commentary from the judges I’ve come to feel as If I know and love them. They tell what their off the beaten path secret ingredient is that they like to keep in their pantry. What their favorite ingredient is to use in recipes. What their go to recipes or meals are that they like to put together on the fly. It’s very interesting to see their input in the book. The book makes everything simple, exciting and even propels you to get out, stock up your shelves, and start cooking! "I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."
:
Synopsis
Never again let the question, “What's for dinner?” stump you. The Chopped Cookbook features secrets for combining pantry staples to make exciting meals.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
About the Authors:
Food Network Kitchen
FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN is the culinary engine behind the television shows, website, Food Network Magazine, entwines airport and stadium restaurants, a line of Kohl’s products, and more. Comprised of chefs, stylists, recipe developers, researchers, and all-around food nerds, the Food Network Kitchens team carefully selects every ingredient in the baskets for the hit show Chopped, ensuring that each combination, no matter how wacky, has many delicious potential outcomes
Use What You've Got to Cook Something Great
Written by Food Network Kitchen
almost 3D! Don’t they make you hungry or excited to cook just by looking at them?” The pictures are fabulous. Being an avid fan of The Food Networks show “Chopped” I had no idea how they would put together a cookbook but when I had the opportunity to review the book I of course said, “Yes send it to me please!”
The cookbook is based on what a homemaker should have in their pantry on a regular basis and they give you a list. They work off that list, and they also tell you options for say, the acid ingredient in a recipe can be cider vinegar, lemon, balsamic vinegar, …..I’m going off my memory, but they do give you options of what you can swap out. They give several types of sauces that you can make for vegetables or pasta, etc., and how to easily make them. You have choices and you can follow recipes for quick dinners for your family with what you have in your pantry or refrigerator.
This cookbook also has commentary from the judges I’ve come to feel as If I know and love them. They tell what their off the beaten path secret ingredient is that they like to keep in their pantry. What their favorite ingredient is to use in recipes. What their go to recipes or meals are that they like to put together on the fly. It’s very interesting to see their input in the book. The book makes everything simple, exciting and even propels you to get out, stock up your shelves, and start cooking! "I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review."
:
Synopsis
Never again let the question, “What's for dinner?” stump you. The Chopped Cookbook features secrets for combining pantry staples to make exciting meals.
If you’ve ever looked into your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many tasty possibilities, so, too, do the contents of your refrigerator. By showing you how to spin your favorite ingredients into 188 fun, doable, and delicious recipes—including go-to guides for making salad dressings and pan sauces, four-ingredient market baskets that can go in many tasty directions, and ideas for ways to reinvent pasta dinners—the culinary masterminds at Food Network set you up for mealtime victory every night.
About the Authors:
Food Network Kitchen
FOOD NETWORK KITCHEN is the culinary engine behind the television shows, website, Food Network Magazine, entwines airport and stadium restaurants, a line of Kohl’s products, and more. Comprised of chefs, stylists, recipe developers, researchers, and all-around food nerds, the Food Network Kitchens team carefully selects every ingredient in the baskets for the hit show Chopped, ensuring that each combination, no matter how wacky, has many delicious potential outcomes
May 19, 2014
I give The Chopped Cookbook two thumbs up! It's a really pretty cookbook (ya'll know I love cookbooks with big, beautiful photos) and it does exactly what it says it will do: it gives you recipes that won't require you to go out and purchase a billion ingredients. You should already have a majority of the ingredients on hand in your pantry.
Confession: I've never seen a single episode of Chopped! I am familiar with the set-up on the show though. A couple of chefs are given access to a well-stocked "pantry" and then are given a surprise "market basket" with 4-5 fresh ingredients in it. They must use all the ingredients in the market basket in creation of a delicious meal. I believe sometimes the market basket could be really odd in it's combination of ingredients, such as fish and strawberries in there together. Now that I've read the cookbook and enjoyed it, I might try to watch an episode of the show!
So far I've tried three recipes out of the cookbook: Moroccan Carrot Salad, Roasted Corn and Chickpea Salad, and Mocha Brownies. All three turned out fantastic! And they all got thumbs up from my slightly picky-eater hubby! In fact, he said I should make the Roasted Corn Salad as often as possible. That one was probably my favorite too. It's got roasted corn, roasted chickpeas, halved grape tomatoes, and chopped scallions all tossed in a dijon vinaigrette. YUM. The brownies were fantastic too, but they are so rich . I can only eat half of one in a sitting! I can eat a small bowl full of the corn salad in one sitting. :)
Something that makes this cookbook a bit unique is that there are variations given to nearly every recipe. This goes along with the whole "use what you've got" subtitle. So the recipe on the page might call for ground beef, but there's a little "chef's note" at the end that tells you how to mix it up and adjust the seasoning if you use ground turkey or ground chicken instead. There are also two big two-page spread tables in the book that gives cooks a general idea of how to mix things for best results without being specific in the ingredients. One is for salad dressings and it tells you what type of base to mix with which kinds of herbs to serve on which kinds of salads.
Personally, I loved how this cookbook explained variances and substitutions. The Food Network cooks' explanations just really "clicked" for me, and I now feel more confident making my own substitutions in recipes. I think this cookbook could potentially save me and my family some money!
Confession: I've never seen a single episode of Chopped! I am familiar with the set-up on the show though. A couple of chefs are given access to a well-stocked "pantry" and then are given a surprise "market basket" with 4-5 fresh ingredients in it. They must use all the ingredients in the market basket in creation of a delicious meal. I believe sometimes the market basket could be really odd in it's combination of ingredients, such as fish and strawberries in there together. Now that I've read the cookbook and enjoyed it, I might try to watch an episode of the show!
So far I've tried three recipes out of the cookbook: Moroccan Carrot Salad, Roasted Corn and Chickpea Salad, and Mocha Brownies. All three turned out fantastic! And they all got thumbs up from my slightly picky-eater hubby! In fact, he said I should make the Roasted Corn Salad as often as possible. That one was probably my favorite too. It's got roasted corn, roasted chickpeas, halved grape tomatoes, and chopped scallions all tossed in a dijon vinaigrette. YUM. The brownies were fantastic too, but they are so rich . I can only eat half of one in a sitting! I can eat a small bowl full of the corn salad in one sitting. :)
Something that makes this cookbook a bit unique is that there are variations given to nearly every recipe. This goes along with the whole "use what you've got" subtitle. So the recipe on the page might call for ground beef, but there's a little "chef's note" at the end that tells you how to mix it up and adjust the seasoning if you use ground turkey or ground chicken instead. There are also two big two-page spread tables in the book that gives cooks a general idea of how to mix things for best results without being specific in the ingredients. One is for salad dressings and it tells you what type of base to mix with which kinds of herbs to serve on which kinds of salads.
Personally, I loved how this cookbook explained variances and substitutions. The Food Network cooks' explanations just really "clicked" for me, and I now feel more confident making my own substitutions in recipes. I think this cookbook could potentially save me and my family some money!
July 3, 2014
When my husband and I first started cooking together, I was amazed at his ability to take common, seemingly unrelated pantry ingredients and turn them into a meal. It's a method he learned growing up in a house where he cooked a few dinners a week. Food Network's spin on that method is the show Chopped, where contestants open a basket of mystery ingredients and are tasked with making an edible appetizer, main dish or dessert out of them. It's addicting.
Which is why when I found out Food Network was offering a Chopped cookbook, I pretty much freaked out. Because there are nights when I look in the pantry and I'm sure I don't have enough stuff to make something tasty. Now, I have no excuse.
(And even though I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review, I believe this cookbook is worth every penny you might pay for it.)
The Chopped Cookbook is everything I've ever wanted in a cookbook: Tantalizing pictures, creative ideas and doable recipes. And did I mention flexibility? Most cookbooks want you to follow their instructions to a T. This cookbook emphasizes flexibility based on a basic knowledge of how foods work together. It gives you the building blocks and says, "Go, create."
As of writing this post, I've paged through the entire book and tried two recipes from it. The first was Marinated Tilapia Tacos. I lacked some of the ingredients but improvised a bit and still turned out a tasty meal. Even the kids ate it! The second was Quick Skillet Kielbasa Pork and Beans, which again, I lacked some of the ingredients but was able to improvise. And it was good! (Seriously, my husband rarely raves when I experiment and both of these dishes gained his approval.)
The instructions are easy to follow and some recipes look more complicated than others, but there are 188 recipes in this book and I want to try them all.
A few of my favorite features:
The pantry list at the beginning. It gives you a foundation on which to build. Many of the recipes assume that you have some basics on hand. But again, the emphasis is on flexibility. No points lost if you don't buy everything on the list.
The theme. "Use what you've got to cook something great." It's a confidence builder and ought to be a theme for life in general.
The variety. Scattered throughout the book are "go-to guides" for pan sauces, salad dressings and grains. This is where the creativity and versatility come in.
It's been a long time since I was this excited about cooking.
Which is why when I found out Food Network was offering a Chopped cookbook, I pretty much freaked out. Because there are nights when I look in the pantry and I'm sure I don't have enough stuff to make something tasty. Now, I have no excuse.
(And even though I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review, I believe this cookbook is worth every penny you might pay for it.)
The Chopped Cookbook is everything I've ever wanted in a cookbook: Tantalizing pictures, creative ideas and doable recipes. And did I mention flexibility? Most cookbooks want you to follow their instructions to a T. This cookbook emphasizes flexibility based on a basic knowledge of how foods work together. It gives you the building blocks and says, "Go, create."
As of writing this post, I've paged through the entire book and tried two recipes from it. The first was Marinated Tilapia Tacos. I lacked some of the ingredients but improvised a bit and still turned out a tasty meal. Even the kids ate it! The second was Quick Skillet Kielbasa Pork and Beans, which again, I lacked some of the ingredients but was able to improvise. And it was good! (Seriously, my husband rarely raves when I experiment and both of these dishes gained his approval.)
The instructions are easy to follow and some recipes look more complicated than others, but there are 188 recipes in this book and I want to try them all.
A few of my favorite features:
The pantry list at the beginning. It gives you a foundation on which to build. Many of the recipes assume that you have some basics on hand. But again, the emphasis is on flexibility. No points lost if you don't buy everything on the list.
The theme. "Use what you've got to cook something great." It's a confidence builder and ought to be a theme for life in general.
The variety. Scattered throughout the book are "go-to guides" for pan sauces, salad dressings and grains. This is where the creativity and versatility come in.
It's been a long time since I was this excited about cooking.
June 4, 2014
I like most everything by the Food Network. Their magazines are cool to flip through and get ideas, many of their programs are fun to watch. Chopped is one of the programs I enjoy watching, just to watch their ideas of what to make from a basket of odds and ends. So when the opportunity arose to get this book, I took it.
It arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s a nice hardcover book, you can tell money was not skimped on it. The graphics on the inside and the layout is very clean. The back of the book describes the contents as “If you’ve ever looked in your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many appetizing possibilities, so, too do the contents of your refrigerator.”
The parts I liked about the book were the Chopped Pantry and the explanation on what goes with what, and how if you wanted to substitute certain ingredients for something you might have on hand instead. Such as if you don’t have greek yogurt on hand, but love sour cream, then this book encourages you to do just that. Make the substitution for what you as the foodie prefers to eat.
Of the recipes I’m most likely to try out, that would be pasta sauces (quick & easy marinara) and the mocha brownies with coffee and cinnamon. Not much I realize, but some of the recipes I’m sure would be quite delicious, they just were not calling out to my type of food. One would have to go beyond your comfort zone and try something totally different. Something out of the basket, per se. They are more involved than I want to spend on an unknown recipe.
Samples of some of the recipes are: Stuffed Peppers with Wheat Berries, Connecticut-Cajun shrimp rolls, Philly-style garlicky greens and egg sandwich.
I think for me, the pictures of the food just didn’t sell me. I wish it did. It may have prompted me to try a dish I totally wouldn’t have tried before. The food pictures just didn’t have the rich, clean feel that I expected from this book. Perhaps if the fonts and the style of the book had been different, then the photographs would have not disappointed me quite so much. At this point, I’d probably stick with the brownies and marinara sauce. They seemed easier and less involved.
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/23234...
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/225...
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
It arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s a nice hardcover book, you can tell money was not skimped on it. The graphics on the inside and the layout is very clean. The back of the book describes the contents as “If you’ve ever looked in your fridge, hoping for inspiration to strike, let The Chopped Cookbook help you shake up weeknight dinners. Just as each basket on Chopped has many appetizing possibilities, so, too do the contents of your refrigerator.”
The parts I liked about the book were the Chopped Pantry and the explanation on what goes with what, and how if you wanted to substitute certain ingredients for something you might have on hand instead. Such as if you don’t have greek yogurt on hand, but love sour cream, then this book encourages you to do just that. Make the substitution for what you as the foodie prefers to eat.
Of the recipes I’m most likely to try out, that would be pasta sauces (quick & easy marinara) and the mocha brownies with coffee and cinnamon. Not much I realize, but some of the recipes I’m sure would be quite delicious, they just were not calling out to my type of food. One would have to go beyond your comfort zone and try something totally different. Something out of the basket, per se. They are more involved than I want to spend on an unknown recipe.
Samples of some of the recipes are: Stuffed Peppers with Wheat Berries, Connecticut-Cajun shrimp rolls, Philly-style garlicky greens and egg sandwich.
I think for me, the pictures of the food just didn’t sell me. I wish it did. It may have prompted me to try a dish I totally wouldn’t have tried before. The food pictures just didn’t have the rich, clean feel that I expected from this book. Perhaps if the fonts and the style of the book had been different, then the photographs would have not disappointed me quite so much. At this point, I’d probably stick with the brownies and marinara sauce. They seemed easier and less involved.
http://www.randomhouse.com/book/23234...
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/225...
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.
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