Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success

Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
Average customer rating:

Lost In The Forest

Half of this advice is good...but which half?

Trunk rules!

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE ADVICE

Dangerous, Irresponsible Advice, Salted With a Few Gems

Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
Penelope Trunk
Manufacturer: Business Plus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business Life | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Guides | Job Hunting & Careers | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0446578649

Book Description

Are you taking long lunches? Ignoring sexual harassment? Do you keep your desk neat to the point of looking like you don't have enough to do? The answer to all three should be yes, if you want to succeed in your career on your own terms. Penelope Trunk, expert business advice columnist for the Boston Globe, gives anything but standard advice to help members of the X and Y generations succeed on their own terms in any industry. Trunk asserts that a take-charge attitude and thinking outside the box are the only ways to make it in today's job market. With 45 tips that will get you thinking bigger, acting bolder, and blazing trails you never thought possible, BRAZEN CAREERIST will forever change your career outlook.Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "Take everything you think you 'know' about career strategies, throw them away, and read this book because the rules have changed. 'Brazen,' 'counter-intuitive,' and 'radical' are the best three descriptions of Trunk's work. Life is too short to be stuck in a rat hole..." Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D, author of the New York Times Bestseller The No Asshole Rule"A delightful book, with some edgy advice that made me squirm a bit at times. I agreed with 90% of it, found myself arguing with the other 10%, and was completely engaged from start to finish." Paul D. Tieger, author of Do What You Are and CEO of SpeedReading People, LLC"Penelope Trunk brings considerable savvy and a fresh new perspective to the business of career success. Bold and sometimes unconventional, BRAZEN CAREERIST gives readers much to think about as well as concrete, practical suggestions that will help them know what they want, and know how to get it." Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time "BRAZEN CAREERIST has the street-smarts you need to make your career and life work for you from the start. Read it now, or you'll wish you had when you're 40!"

Customer Reviews:

Lost In The Forest.......2007-08-27

The narrative traditions of most ancient cultures centered around the task of bringing awareness to adolescents and young adults of the wild and unpredictable nature of the world around them. These stories were a major part of the social survival strategy of cultures much stronger than ours. Elders today, though, do not tell stories. The elders in our society seem now to be either lost themselves, preoccupied, or just disinterested. People are not born with cultural sextants, thus when the elders abrogate their traditional role, it's left to a younger group of pathfinders to help the young find their way in the forest. Penelope Trunk is one of those younger pathfinders and she seems to relish the role.
Her book, "Brazen Careerist," is written primarily for her peers and her younger Gen Y cousins. A primer, not a pocket guide, this book could have been titled `Zen and the Art of Career Maintenance.' Trunk adopts the voice of an older sister in the guise of a Buddhist teacher dropping kernels in advance of the thirty-five or so million twenty-somethings in the U.S., many of whom, Trunk believes, need a trail map, especially in the work place.
Her style is startlingly direct. From the first page she goes right at it. Her straightforward approach has been honed writing her blog, also entitled Brazen Careerist. From page one of the Introduction, Trunk is on to bold claims, declaring that young workers are "revolutionizing" corporate life with a work style and world view that sets them apart from every other generation. From the outset she establishes a dynamic tension between the prevailing, but weakening, mores and norms of corporate life, and the needs and wants of younger people on a quest.
It is this quest that interests her. And she leaves not doubt in the reader's mind where her sympathies lie. "Flailing" is how she describes the seemingly erratic and unpredictable behavior of her younger generational cousins, the Millennials. What Trunk calls `flailing,' many in business might call `immaturity' or `irresponsibility.' Not so says Trunk. Flailing is but the necessary and rational response of a generation that senses the eroding boundaries, if not the crumbling pillars, of old social models. Predictability in corporate life, if not in life generally, is a thing of the past. The key to success now? Embrace the world of e-lancers, freelancers, free agents and contingent agents of all types, in a festival of permanent indeterminacy that offers a kind of radical freedom unprecedented in history.
In the era of the Great Transformation Trunks sees:
-The end of gender based pay disparity
-The end of the glass ceiling
-The end of the grind
-The end of consulting
-The end of the stay-at-home parents
-The end of hierarchy
And we're still in the introduction.
Brazen Careerist is a semi-autobiographical book. For those who follow her blog, it is clear that Trunk is no stranger to solid social science research. But this is not a book grounded in the sciences. As a pathfinder, Trunk is drawing on her own life story, along with the life stories of friends and family. While I admire her nakedly revelatory voice, at times the sweep of her assertions seems out of balance with the evidence she presents. The evidence is out there, starting with one of my favorite works `The Future of Work,' and I know that Trunk knows the literature. When it comes to the Great Transformation, Trunk is a disciple with the zeal of a convert. I don't have any real quarrel with the broad argument in this book, I just think it's going to take a while before chaos theory rules the Board Room. Twenty-five years of organizational consulting, much of it in the U.S. auto industry, leaves me with a very healthy respect for the resiliency of "old" structures, systems, and practices that constitute a firm or an industry.
The strength of this book is its grounded and pragmatic approach to what I call the Millennial Paradox. This is a generation, the Millennials, that demands and relishes choice (freedom). But as the philosophers have been trying to tell us for centuries, freedom, the awakening of the self to its own consciousness and the self's awareness of its capacity for independent action in the world, can sometimes be hard to handle. For most of human history this wasn't such a big deal. The urge to survive was enough to keep our minds occupied and out of troubled psychic waters. And if we did start to feel a bit full of ourselves, culture was ready to step in and pretty much tell us how to live our lives. The existentialist Albert Camus sort of dealt with this question a while back and more or less took the Jack Nicholson point of view that most of us cannot handle the truth - the truth of our own freedom that is.
But, here come the Millennials, with more choices than any other generation in history and Trunk tells them `hey, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, embrace the chaos and celebrate by trying on identities like Imelda Marcus used to try on shoes.' And here's the Buddhist part, Trunk also tells them to breathe. Relax. You see that giant buffet out there called the economy? Try as much of it as you can before you order off the menu. The path Trunk cautions against is the path of settling for a bad job, a bad boss, or unsympathetic coworkers. When in doubt, move on!
Trunk is a consummate list maker. Here are some Trunkisms:
-Be a Sponge
-Uncertainty is a Good Gift with Bad Wrapping Paper
-Grad School will not Save You
-You're Stuck, Take and Adventure
-And there is a lot more like this.
Who should read this book? Most Gen Y'ers' and more than a few Gen X'ers' will find something helpful. Parents of same. Maybe every parent for that matter. Whether your Millennial son or daughter is off doing research in Africa, taking those summer courses that will "get them over the hump", still sitting on your sofa watching South Park, or off to Washington or Wall Street set on a promising career, you can learn something about your offspring and have a laugh or two in the process. You might even be a friendly resource helping the apple of your eye off the couch and into the work force.
Who will cringe at this book? Recruiters and HR managers looking at the retention numbers. For you, these Trunkisms are like arrows aimed at your career planning tools. Or maybe not. Perhaps by taking the few hours that it might take to move through the fast-paced text, you can garner some additional insights into the mind and mood of the Millennials. And while you're reading take some of Penelope's advice ... breathe.
_______________________________________________
A few other thoughts and questions:
First thought/question.
The number of self-help books of this type, and "Brazen Careerist" is one of the better ones out there, are primarily directed at the younger college grads, or soon to be college grads. But there are millions, perhaps as many as thirty-five million, young people today in our work force, or soon to enter our work force, or unlikely to ever enter our work force in any meaningful way, who would find most of the advice in this book irrelevant. This is not a criticism, but a statement of concern - a concern I known is shared by many - about the long term economic and employment prospects for the less well educated, or worse, the poorly educated young people in our society.
Educators and politicians can and will debate the efficacy of policies such as "No Child Left Behind," but the truth is millions of young people are being left behind and their great adventure will be to stay out of prison, the poor house, or both.
This is unacceptable. On both moral and practical grounds our society cannot endure indefinitely if the opportunity gap and the income gap continues to widen.
Comment/question no. 2.
This may be related to comment no. 1. This book and books like it are expressive of the hyper-individualism that marks this period of time. Again, this is not a criticism of this book per se, we all need our own road maps and personal survival guides, but I suspect that a book or books about our collective or common purpose, buttressed with lists of what we can do in our communities, would not get nearly as much attention. One of the ways we can avoid getting lost is by sometimes venturing into the forest together and sharing the compass.
Our interdependence has been well established both in science and in everyday life. But to speak of this interdependence is still seen as either a quaint and nostalgic reference to the past, or a naively idealistic wish for the future. Many Millennials have already begun to adjust their personal definitions of "success" to account for the fact that it is increasingly apparent that a definition of success must extend beyond the purely private solution. A growing number of Millennials, and others, are taking their "great adventures" working for the environment, working with the elderly and the poor, in short trying to make a difference in their own lives by making a difference is someone else's life. Call me old fashioned, but I'd like to add this to our definition of success.

Half of this advice is good...but which half?.......2007-08-24

Marketing texts like to quote some famous person (the name varies) as saying, "I know my advertising works...but I don't know which half."

That's the challenge of Brazen Careerist. I love the concept: experienced career coaches and consultants know the old party line doesn't work and never did. Many of Trunk's off-beat suggestions actually make a lot of sense. But others should come with a warning label.

Take the networking for introverts chapter. Trunk suggests using email to blog, especially when congratulating someone who just got good press. Unfortunately, a busy person may respond politely but won't remember you -- and these emails tend to be more annoying than helpful. Parties? Unless you're really gifted and focused, you won't get much out of five-minute snatches of small talk.

Similarly, commenting on blogs and "helping others" must be undertaken with great care. One of my acquaintances likes to send me messages: "I hear you were looking for someone who can do this..." The problem is (a) she doesn't get what I need, so her recommendations miss the mark; (b) by the time she responds the need has been met; and (c) now I have to write a nice thank you note, acknowledging her efforts. Frankly, these offers to help are more of a nuisance than a networking ploy.

Trunk's dismissal of midlife crisis as driving a Porsche too fast (page 2) is a good example of cross-generation communication failure.

And I have a lot of question about happiness topping off at $40,000 a year. In today's New York, your entire take-home pay would go to a studio apartment! (In one of her blog entries, Trunk encourages us to avoid relocating to cities where we'll be lost among higher-earning residents. That's another story.)

Measures of happiness can be questioned, like any other assessments. Money can't buy happiness, but it saves a lot of misery. Try telling your child (or yourself) that you have to put your dog to sleep because you can't afford a $700 vet bill.

Sure, you spend more when you earn more. But you also have the option to save more. And when Trunk earned $200,000 a year, I doubt she secretly wished to go back to her bare bones budget, even though she was forced to spend big bucks to maintain her image.

But other chapters are gems, such as, "If you're stuck - take an adventure."

Trunk's own early career featured beach ball volleyball, which seemed a waste at the time. I'm not surprised she remembers this period of her life with fondness. When you're young it is important to experience success, fun and self-mastery. The exact form those qualities take is less important than the quality of your experience.

Chapter 7 says a cover letter is a piece of direct mail -- true. The resume advice is quite good, especially "Ditch the line about references on request" (p. 25).

The chapter on getting along with one's boss is good (though not really new to Gen X). I also liked the chapter on not working too hard (although I don't think you can avoid face time as easily as she suggests).

The chapter on using harassment to get what you want also is good but not really new. Sometimes you can get promoted but often you can get a quiet settlement that funds your new business or time off. I don't think the stigma is as strong as Trunk suggests. I know one female academic who filed three harassment complaints at three different universities, but never had trouble moving on to a new job.

And then there are chapters in the middle, like "Grad School Will Not Save You." True, grad school can become a time and money sink. You'll get greater payback from an MBA when you're younger. But I got my own graduate degrees when I was older than the norm, gaining opportunities that would not be open otherwise. Executive programs can lead to networking opportunities for mid-life career changers and I would think even more so for the Gen Xers.

Similarly, promotions are worth getting because they're markers -- evidence that you were well-regarded by your former employer. Small raises add up. You get the big raises (usually) when you change jobs.

Bottom Line: I recommend reading Brazen Careerists to challenge all your assumptions about the workplace. But unless you know you're a savvy corporate power player, do some reality testing before implementing anything that might be risky.

Trunk rules!.......2007-08-16

I actually HATE self-help books: too many, too much waste of paper and heavy on egotistical b.s. by crappy writers. I LIKE this one and your boss might not. I don't totally agree with it all, but we want a book to turn us on to new directions: this did.

BRAZEN?CAREERIST is short and sweet and to-the-point on so many life points (disguised as personal business plans) that it is an honest to God joy to recommend for everybody. In fact, I've given my copy to my boss just a few minutes ago: it can teach old dogs new tricks from brevity to smarter resumes to relationship support.

TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE ADVICE.......2007-08-09

This book is just a mish-mosh of Ms. Trunk's weekly column on yahoo, where she spews some of the most insane "advice" I have ever seen. For example, she recently advised her readers NOT to report sexual harrassment because it would look bad on the person being harrassed! In another column, she advised moving back home with the folks to save money. I don't think this is something most parents would welcome. She's also recently advised female workers that it's okay to "show some skin" at work; to not give priority to work projects that won't matter 5 years from now (hmmm...I don't think any boss would take well to an employee saying "Sorry boss, this won't matter in 5 years so I'm going to pass on it"), and other such dribble. Her message is always "appearance matters more than substance".

Ms. Trunk touts herself as a career "expert" but if you read her bio, there is nothing that gives her these qualifications. She worked for a handful of companies, all of which went bankrupt or otherwise folded (even the company she founded is out of business); she was a professional volley ball player (not sure how that enhances her as an "expert"); and for a while she modeled advertisements on her chest. And we're supposed to take her seriously????

I'm not even sure she has a college degree (nothing is mentioned in her bio, which leads me to believe she only has a high school education), and she certainly doesn't have any advanced degrees, nor has she published any serious studies on careers/career-related issues (everything is pretty much her opinion, rarely backed up by serious data). I don't even consider her 10 years as a marketing exec to be anything of substance. How can you possibly be an "expert" by remaining in one field for your entire worklife?

There are much better career-advice books out there than Ms. Trunk's. Look for those written by people who run exec search firms/job placement firms/employment agencies/HR depts/etc, and/or who hold advanced degrees in Organizational/Industrial Psychology and study these issues for a living. In other words, people who actually work on a daily basis with real companies and real employees and who understand the needs, requirements, limits, and expectations of both.

Dangerous, Irresponsible Advice, Salted With a Few Gems.......2007-07-31

Gen-Yers beware. This book may tell you what you want to hear, but it's not telling you what you need to know.

I'm not one of the Baby Boomers that Trunk so often chides in this book - I'm a Gen-Xer. And I will tell you that about half of what is in this book (long lunches, wearing headphones, vacation time faits accomplis) is stuff that I would fire you for doing twice.

I am not some doofus from a dying generation that doesn't comprehend changes in office culture. I'm from the generation that's employing your generation. There are a few tidbits of good advice here: don't worry about people stealing your ideas; learn to take criticism well and act on it; leave your ego out of things. But much of the other advice is a prescription for career suicide.

Perhaps Ms. Trunk is correct that office etiquette will change in 10 or 20 years. But unless you plan on not eating, wearing nice clothes or driving a new car in the years before those changes take hold, you're going to have to play the game as it's played *right now*. And outside of a few select hi-tech and software companies, that game is not the one Ms. Trunk describes. Not by a long stretch.

Think about this for a second: of all the "how-to book" authors out there, maybe one or two a year make serious money writing. If Ms. Trunk's theory of careerism worked, wouldn't she be out in the business world using it, instead of selling you books about it for an eighth of the money?

Average customer rating:

Old story line with exciting new twists.
Captivating!!

The Brazen Rule
Steven Burgauer
Manufacturer: Writer's Showcase Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Medical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595005454

Book Description

"Burgauer's The Brazen Rule is tightly plotted, has excellent characters, and shows basic human nature as it is, a thirst for power."
Â—Philip Jose Farmer, three-time Hugo award winner

Customer Reviews:

Old story line with exciting new twists........1998-11-13

The book was actually quite good. I did not expect it to take half of the book to get to the virus, but the first half was interesting. The had very exciting points and sometimes I had trouble putting the book down. I had thought by the summary that it was about a virus that could attack certain people. In actuality, it is about a virus that is used to attack certain people. Would recommend it to a friend.

Captivating!!.......1996-08-14

"Burgauer's "THE BRAZEN RULE" is tightly plotted, has excellent characters, and shows basic himan nature as it is, a thirst for power. ***Philip Jose Farmer--three time Hugo award winner

Brazen democrats indicate assembly in need of extreme reform makeover.: An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal

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Brazen democrats indicate assembly in need of extreme reform makeover.: An article from: Los Angeles Business Journal
Debra J. Saunders
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Los Angeles Business Journal, published by Thomson Gale on October 17, 2005. The length of the article is 687 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Brazen democrats indicate assembly in need of extreme reform makeover.
Author: Debra J. Saunders
Publication: Los Angeles Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 17, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 27 Issue: 42 Page: 55(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook: 300 Delicious, Healthy Meals That You Can Toss in Your Crockery and Prepare in a Snap (Everything Series)
Average customer rating:

Terrible Dinner Experience

Good beginner slow cooker recipes

Not a "Dummy" or an "Idiot" -- I Just Needed a New Cookbook

Finally--good slow cooker food

Horrid recipes!!

The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook: 300 Delicious, Healthy Meals That You Can Toss in Your Crockery and Prepare in a Snap (Everything Series)
Margaret Kaeter
Manufacturer: Adams Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Betty Crocker's Easy Slow Cooker Dinners: Delicious Dinners the Whole Family Will Love (Betty Crocker)

ASIN: 158062667X

Book Description

Come home to a fully-cooked meal-without spending the day in the kitchen!

In this fast-paced day and age, who has time to prepare healthy gourmet meals? In a world where there are never enough hours in a day, The Everything® Slow Cooker Cookbook gives you the alternative you need to avoid spending hours in the kitchen.

Featuring hundreds of nutritious recipes, such as portabello-stuffed artichokes and chicken cacciatore, The Everything® Slow Cooker Cookbook makes preparing delicious, healthy meals in a slow cooker easier than ever before. In this comprehensive, all-purpose cookbook, you'll find simple instructions, prep time, and the amount of personal attention needed for each recipe to use your slow cooker to its fullest potential-and save you time in the kitchen.

Featuring:

-Vegetarian fare

-Main course fillers

-Breads

-Soups

-Potluck favorites

-Tasty desserts

-Solutions for cooking on the go

Whether you want a quick, easy, and healthy meal for one or to prepare an elaborate feast for guests, The Everything® Slow Cooker Cookbook provides recipes that can satisfy any appetite.

Customer Reviews:

Terrible Dinner Experience.......2006-12-29

I am an experienced cook and was eager to try a recipie from this book that I received as a Christmans gift. I prepared the "Savory Garlic Chicken Stew" exactly as directed on page 92.

What a terrible and tasteless dish. It was more of a soup than a stew, there was no taste of garlic, and even the chicken was bad. It made its way to the disposal!

I hope other recipes in the book are better...but I will probably use the book to start my New Year's eve fire. At least it would be good for something.

Good beginner slow cooker recipes.......2006-11-02

This is a good all-purpose cookbook to get you started enjoying your slow cooker. To address some of the criticisms:

Yes, some of the recipies are mild. But I think that's a strength because it allows me to adjust the spices and seasonings to fit my family's preferences and easily make a dish my own.

No, slow cooking does not have to be over-cooked mush. Like any appliance, there is some trial and error in learning what temperatures and cooking times maximize your cooker's performance. I plug my slow cooker into an electrical outlet timer (since mine hasn't digital controls) to assure that it doesn't cook too long. This also allows me to start cooking mid-day when I'm away at work. It should go without saying that this kind of delayed cooking is not appropriate for eggs or raw meat due to food safety concerns.

Baking recipes are best suited for very large, cafeteria-style slow cookers. Slow cookers do an excellent job baking, but I wouldn't adise it beyond a fun experiment or if your oven was out of commission.

Give it a try - I've enjoyed this cookbook and found it a good foundational resource for slow cooking.

Not a "Dummy" or an "Idiot" -- I Just Needed a New Cookbook.......2006-10-29

I researched the available newer slow cooker cookbooks for a week or two before going to a "brick & mortar" chain bookstore this weekend to buy one. I've used a Crock-Pot for over 20 years, but just recently upgraded to a larger oval slow cooker, and needed a more recent cookbook with recipes which could be made in a larger slow cooker without adjusting ingredient quantities. I browsed through all of the slow cooker cookbooks at the bookstore, and ended up buying this one. Why?
1) Price -- This is one of the least expensive of the full-size-with-lots-of-recipes slow cooker cookbooks.
2) Recipe Format -- Very clear & easy to read layout, with important information like slow cooker size and attention required in boldface type on the same corner of every page.
3) Recipe Variety -- 300 recipes (usually 1 per page), and in many categories which I hadn't thought of in connection with crockpot cooking before. (I think I will still bake bread in my bread machine and cookies in my oven, though.)
Have not actually cooked anything from this yet, which is why it hasn't earned a fifth star from me (so far). "Bland/church supper"-type recipes (as mentioned in some of the other reviews) aren't a turnoff for me, as I don't mind going beyond the recipe to adjust seasonings, and I do actually bring hot dishes to church potlucks occasionally. Looking forward to trying some of these recipes out.

Finally--good slow cooker food.......2004-10-18

I love the concept of a slow cooker. I love the idea of being able to dump some ingredients in, leave it all day, and come back to a tender, delicious meal. But somehow it almost never seems to work out that way.

We've tried all sorts of slow cooker recipes over the years; almost every one comes out tasting very bland. Or the flavors get jammed together and you lose the subtlety and richness you'd get out of a "normal" recipe. Or the recipe author solved the lack of flavor by finding a strong ingredient or two and pouring them on, producing a dish with a very unbalanced taste. Finally we stumbled across "The Everything Slow Cooker Cookbook," and we found recipes we actually liked.

The book provides an unusual variety of recipes, for a slow cooker cookbook at least. There isn't as much as a regular cookbook, but then most slow cooker recipes out there are variations on stew or pot roast, so I'll take what I can get. There's a serious limit on what you can do with this kind of cooking appliance so you can't really expect the variety of a generic cookbook.

The author provides information on how slow cookers affect the flavors of things like spices and aromatic vegetables (this makes it much easier to adjust recipes to your taste). She also gives information on converting regular recipes to the slow cooker. These pieces of information alone make this book valuable.

She also has a good sense of flavor, in my opinion. I've always thought I *should* like baked beans, based on the ingredients, but I couldn't find a version that appealed to me. I've made the two versions from this cookbook and they were both delightful! We've made other things as well, including soups and a rice pudding, and all of them came out quite well. My only issue with them is that some of them didn't store well at all, which can be a pain when you're making an entire crock-pot's worth of food. Also, the author sometimes drastically underestimates the number of servings, I think (but better that than over-estimating...).

For the life of me I can't figure out why the author converted things like cookie recipes to the slow cooker, but oh well. These recipes don't take up that much space. Other than the storage issues we've really enjoyed this cookbook. The flavors are very good, the recipes are straightforward, the information is comprehensive, and the variety and number of recipes is extensive. If you want the convenience of a slow cooker but don't like typical slow cooker recipes, this is a very good cookbook to try.

Horrid recipes!!.......2004-02-21

I'm a great cook, but I got a slow cooker thinking it'll help me on days when I don't have time to fuss with too much cooking, and so I got this book as well (without reading the other reviews).
I've tried one of the recipes; it's horrid, plain tasting and not at all appetizing looking either. I'm afraid to try the other recipes from this book and wasting the ingredients. I actually get better tasting & free recipes online for my slow cooker now.

Average customer rating:

;My Crockery Bible
Very useful book for healthier slow cooking
Nice addition to a slow cooker library.
Healthy Crockery Cookery
Not bad - but not what I hoped for.

Healthy Crockery Cookery
Mable Hoffman
Manufacturer: HP Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

The perfect solution for our fast-paced, health-conscious times. The 150 all-new recipes here slow-cook in the classic crockpot-to create low-fat, low-calorie, high-flavor meals the whole family will love.

Customer Reviews:

;My Crockery Bible.......2007-05-13

Love her crockery books. I made a Scandivian Pot Roast last night with little or no effort. It was delicious. I have enjoyed many recipes from this book and would recomend it to everyone.

Very useful book for healthier slow cooking.......2006-04-27

For my fellow foodies that are thinking, "you have got to be kidding" please keep reading and keep an open mind. Even though my favorite cookbook is "The Professional Chef" by the CIA, I still use this one to assist me in determining timing and liquid proportions for making dinners without hovering around the kitchen.

If are a busy mom that wants to put a healthy meal on the table every night this book will become an indispensable addition to your library. The recipes were devised using standard supermarket ingredients but you can easily doctor them up if you wish, I do. Each recipe gives a nutritional breakdown including calories, carbohydrates, protein, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

The recipe section is divided as follows:
1. Soups and Chili
2. Chicken
3. Turkey
4. Beef
5. Pork and Lamb
6. Wraps and Sandwiches
7. Beans and Grains
8. Vegetables
9. Desserts and Accompaniments

The most surprising recipe in this book for me was for a roasted chicken with rosemary and garlic, in the slow cooker. I must admit that I was dubious that this would work. However, it works fine, the chicken browns and cooking doesn't heat up the kitchen. If you want the chicken browner, slide it under the broiler for a few minutes before serving. This method works so well that once I taught it to a friend of mine she no longer buys the supermarket rotisserie chickens that she used to rely on.

The author has a nice method in this book that uses foil packet and vegetables that has come in very handy for me. After preparing one of the author's recipes I have used the method to make a lot of the dishes that I would have previously made in the oven in parchment.

There are a couple of nice factors that result from using a slow cooker that I find to be preferable to using the standard stove or oven methods:
1. you don't have to be home to cook.
2. you don't heat up your kitchen in the summer.
3. you can cook without adding extra fat making the meal healthier.
4. you don't release gas into your home (assuming you have a gas cook top and/or oven) increasing the indoor air pollution in your home.

If you want healthy meals for your family, and are not that familiar with the ins and outs of slow cooking, you will find this to be a useful book.

Nice addition to a slow cooker library........2005-01-25

I've enjoyed all the recipes I've made from this cookbook so far. One nice thing about this cookbook is that it has lots of recipes for wraps, which you won't find in most slow-cooker cookbooks.

In response to some of the other reviews, I don't think this book is particularly "gourmet". I've always been able to find all the ingredients and most are not really that exotic.

The book avoids the typical "add a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup" for the most part, which is a nice change. Some of the recipes call for a thickener when it really should be optional; I prefer broth-y sauces to gravies. Omitting this step will save even more calories.

Overall, these are not extremely low in calories and fat, but you shouldn't need to eat big portions of them to feel satisfied, either.

Healthy Crockery Cookery.......2003-05-08

Most of the recipes had long lists of ingredients. The recipes didn't sounded enticing. I love cookbooks but I returned this one!

Not bad - but not what I hoped for........2002-10-28

I have only been "crocking" for a few years so I'm certainly still learning about what tastes good and what works etc.. I was hoping for more photos to go with the recipes, and more every day recipes, but did not really find those things. This is a good book for someone who has A LOT of different ingredients on hand. More of a gourmet cookbook and it just didn't suit my needs as a busy working single mom.

The book would be perfect for more sophiticated cooks who want to plan a snazzy romantic meal for two or an all adult dinner party.

Healthy Crockery Cookery
Average customer rating:
Healthy Crockery Cookery
Mable Hoffman
Manufacturer: HP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1568657730

Product Description

By the New York Times Bestselling Author of Crockery Cookery

Average customer rating:

Healthy Crockery Cookery
Mable Hoffman
Manufacturer: HP Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OHAW5C

Average customer rating:

Healthy Crockery Cookery 8c
Mable Hoffman
Manufacturer: HP Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1557882932

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