I had to. I simply HAD to know what recipes were in Top Secret Recipes Unlocked
I honestly think that the quote from USA today, within the covers of this book, best describes it:
“The mission: Decode the secret recipes for America’s favorite junk foods. Equipment: Standard kitchen appliances. Goal: Leak the recipes to a ravenous public.”
That’s pretty much it. Todd Wilbur gets his kicks in recreating recipes from people’s favorite restaurants so that they can learn to make the same items at home – and hopefully make them taste just as good or even better! You almost feel naughty by perusing this book – like you are holding stolen items. Perhaps if he had shared the recipe for Chick fil A’s Chicken Sandwich I would have felt more guilty, but as it is, the only two Chick fil A recipes in here are for their Honey Roasted BBQ sauce and their carrot raisin salad. Frankly, I didn’t care about the carrot salad. I wanted the goodness of the fried (or is it?) sandwich.
The plus side of this book is that Wilbur went all out for some of my favorite Starbucks creations so I won’t be complaining for too long! He even managed their Classic Coffee Cake and the Cranberry Bliss Bar.
And now you know my two restaurant weaknesses.
Wilbur covers a lot of ground in this recipe book, tasting and sampling his way from McDonalds to Panera Bread. He has unlocked the secrets of a good many recipes, making it simpler, easier and more economical for you to cheat your way along in the comfort of your own kitchen, delighting family and friend alike.
Top Secret Recipes Unlocked
Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.
Oooh, I just have to ask– are Red Lobster’s cheesy biscuits in there? I don’t eat hardly any seafood, but I’d eat at RL any time just to get basket after basket of those biscuits!
This sounds like fun, Carrie- hope you’re enjoying your coffee cake. 🙂
I checked and no, that recipe is not there.
However, I do identify with wanting to eat some place just for the bread. 😉
I used to work at Chick-fil-A when I was in high school, and I’ve probably eaten enough chicken sandwiches to last me a lifetime…that’s how good they are. I would love to find this book somewhere for the carrot and raisin salad one day…it’s one of my favorite things on the menu! :o)
Oooh, anything from Carrabba’s? Specifically their Sirloin Marsala? Please say yes! This one sounds terrific. I love copycat type recipes!
Holly – he hit a lot of restaurants but not Carrabba’s!
Last night we made The Soup Nazi’s Cream of Sweet Potato soup. We’d never had anything like it before and enjoyed it a lot!
Another random sampling of restaurants included – Arby’s, Boston Market, Carl’s Jr., Chipolte Mexican Grill, Dunkin Donuts, Jason’s Deli, Mrs. Fields, Orange Julius, Panera Bread, Ragu pasta sauces, Subway, Taco Bell and Weight Watchers (Smart One Banana Muffins).
Christy – I will leave you to your carrot salad! 😉
Thanks for a great Blog!
Keep up the good work!
Keith
oh wow I have to have this product. I’ve always wanted to know the stuff they don’t tell us about the food in restaurants. Thanks for the review