Review: Too many starches, too little fresh ingredients
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 5, 2012
While this book has a few good recipes for easy, low cost meals, many of the recipes are simply basic recipes that would fit into any cookbook. I was disappointed to not find any really creative ways to make beans, rice, pasta and potatoes into something transcending basic casserole glop.  People with a limited budget shouldn't be encouraged to build meals around canned meats, canned pasta sauces,etc.  The author's advise to stock up on 98 cent cans of chicken which work out to about $4.00 per pound is ridiculous for someone on a poverty footing.  She should have been teaching how to cook a whole chicken (cheap) and make several meals from it, utilizing every last drop of meat and broth and having only clean bones left over. After all, the basic ingredients are always less expensive than a prepare product.  Flour, salt, shortening and baking powder are cheaper than biscuit mix and can also be used for pie dough, cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc.  So this book is okay if you have zero idea about cooking but really has nothing to do with how to strip your food budget to the very bone.