But the recipes I have tried in this book have been really pretty good.
346032
Tried several gluten free recipes before getting this book and they all turned out so-so. But the recipes I have tried in this book have been really pretty good.
1829912
I'll state up front that I'm not much of a baker, though I am an avid and pretty competent cook.  However, I am trying to encourage my daughter's interest in cooking, and what better way to do so than by testing a book about chocolate cakes.  Of course, I'm very fond of chocolate myself, so the thought of testing out some cake recipes didn't cause me any real pain either.

There are lots of colorful photos in the book that provide mouth-watering examples of the recipes.  I do like some nice pictures in a cookbook, but they're not entirely important to me as I know they're styled and, therefore, not necessarily something that can be reproduced in real life.

One big downside to this book is the formatting.  It's small for a cookbook, so the print is also on the small side.  In addition to this, the directions are written in paragraph format, which makes it a bit hard to follow them when you're in the midst of baking.  It's also important to note that you really want to have the equipment the book describes in order to be entirely successful.  I only had two standard 9" round pans so, though the batter didn't overflow, my cake didn't come out the way it would have had I used high-sided pans.  However, I own the responsibility for this error as the author clearly states that the recipes are tailored toward specific types of pans.

I gave the chocolate ganache cake a whirl and was not entirely successful at it.  As I noted, I had the wrong kind of pans.  Also, even though my pans were non-stick and I buttered them thoroughly, as instructed, the cake stuck to the pan.  Because it was rather delicate, getting the cakes out of the pan was something of a disaster.  If I make the devil's food again, I plan on greasing the pan with shortening instead of butter.  Still, the cake tasted really good, even if it didn't look anything like one of the pictures.  My number one suggestion would be to buy high-quality chocolate as that will definitely influence the taste.  I used Ghirardelli and thought it worked very nicely.

Making the ganache was easier than I expected, though it was a bit time-consuming as far as the total time necessary for making and then pouring the ganache.  It also tasted good, though if I make it again, I will likely incorporate some of the optional ingredients (such as fruit pure) that the author suggests, as the combination of chocolate devil's food cake and chocolate ganache was a bit of chocolate overkill.  I know, I know, but it is possible--even for a chocoholic like me.

The bottom line is that if you're an avid and experienced baker, you will likely have great success with and love these recipes.  If you're more of an amateur like me, you might want to stick with something a little less ambitious.  I do plan on trying more of the recipes eventually, but for now I'm content to go back to my skillets.  I salute all your serious bakers out there.  It's both an art and a science.  Cooking is much more forgiving of errors.
539892
Have tried several of the recipes and there hasn't been a bad one in the bunch. I think this book will be one I will come back to over and over.
3451388
I tried one recipe, pretty good. Good selection of flavors.
3347224
Not exactly what I wanted, but it does have some good recipes.
2124641
The recipies are really good, and I like how all the portions are laid out ie: carbs, calories, sodium, etc.
1566908
I borrowed the book from the library 3 times and finally bought it a few weeks ago.  I've made several recipes and we've enjoyed them all.  This isn't gourmet, but it's tasty.  Some recipes are a little plainer than we like, but the authors encourage experimenting and using what you have,  so with a little extra seasoning they work well for us.  They give lots of tips for altering recipes, and some really good shopping tips.  Of the 15 or 20 recipe books I own, I've already made more from this one than any of the others.
2809133
I have been very pleased with this cookbook.  I do think that some of the recipes need a little jazzing up for my liking, but overall, we have enjoyed everything we have made, and have found the times and temps to hold true as well.

I also like the layout of the book, and the tips and additional recipes are good as well. (we just had their cornbread with our slow cooker chili this evening, and it was quite delish)

I have yet to find the perfect slow cooker cookbook, but this one really has a lot to offer!
4378462
I've had this book for quite sometime and there hasn't been a bad recipe that we have tried so far.  The recipes are reasonable to make and for the most part seem to be low in fat. If you like vegetables you're going to like this book, especially if you have a garden!
3511524
This book has some really good looking recipes. I've only tried one so far but it was a winner.
4611048
I am happy I got this cookbook, there have been several recipes that I've made multiple times already in the last two months.
3225386
I've tried almost half of the recipes in this book. They were all delicious and not too hard to cook.
4570174
Very easy to follow recipes, and they have all been tasty so far.
3881418
I enjoyed this book and the recipes. I can say that my family and I have tried and enjoyed them.
1540340
The food has been much tastier than I thought. The recipes aren't particularly difficult to make. I've lost about 13lbs.
4063401
I was looking for some recipes to add variety to the menu and to provide some new ideas for using vegetables.  Every recipe I've tried to so far has worked wonderfully.  The recipes are not too difficult, and the flavors have been really nice.  I would recommend this book to anyone.  I'm really happy with it.
1066618
I have made many recipes from this book and and all but one have turned out fantastic, the outlier was still fairly good.  I would recommend reading the recipe a couple of times before trying is because some of the steps might be a little strange or unorthodox.  Even when I have screwed up a step or two the recipe turns out really good.  My biggest complaint is the way the book is laid out, there are a number of smaller recipes that you don't see in the main table of contents that are really good but not easy to find unless you look in the index in the back of the book.