BOOK REVIEW
THE KELLOGG'S COOKBOOK:
200 CLASSIC RECIPES FOR TODAY'S KITCHEN
Kellogg Kitchens - Edited by Judith
Choate
(Bulfinch Press - 2006)
Kellogg's, the makers of All-Bran, Cornflakes, Special K,
Rice Krispies and many other familiar brands have always
known that the uses for their ready-to-eat breakfast
cereals extended far beyond a mere bowl of milk.
In the 1920's Kellogg's set up one of the first food
company test kitchens to help in the development and
standardization of recipes which were printed on their
cereal boxes.
Kellogg recipes that utilized their cereal brands as
ingredients came from a variety of sources:
Kellogg's home economists, consumers, editors of magazines
and newspapers, grocers and sales reps. One could find
the recipes on the product packaging, in magazine
advertisements and in free recipe booklets.
If you're a home cook who has collected some of these
recipes over the years, you most likely have numerous clippings
and booklets that you refer back to when you're ready to
cook.
With the publication of The Kellogg's Cookbook: 200
Classic Recipes for Today's Kitchen, a cook book written to
celebrate the company's 100th anniversary, Kellogg's just
might assist you in reducing some of that clutter.
This a nice hardcover book (no dust
jacket) with 254 colorful pages of double-spaced text that
is easy on the eyes. If you're using the cookbook in
your kitchen prep area, the cover can be easily wiped with a damp cloth
with no harm done.
Besides recipe chapters that are arranged in logical
categories such as Breakfast, Appetizers and Snacks all the
way down to Toppings and Stuffings, the book offers up some
other great information worth mentioning.
There are six pages devoted to the Kellogg Company
history, an interesting chronicle of events describing their
early beginnings up to the present day. More bits of
history are found in the captions of small vintage
illustrations scattered throughout the book's pages.
There are three pages that discuss cooking with Kellogg's
cereals with hints and tips on obtaining the best results,
some basic uses for the cereal in cooking and even how to
reduce calories, fat and cholesterol in some of the recipes.
One useful tip is shown below. The large variety of Kellogg's cereals available
today present almost unlimited possibilities:
"Most KELLOGG'S ready-to-eat cereals make
delicious crusts for refrigerated or frozen desserts.
Bring a mixture of 1/3 cup butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/8
teaspoon ground spice and/or freshly grated orange or lemon
zest to a boil, then add 1 cup of finely crushed cereal
crumbs. Press the mixture into a 9-inch square baking
dish or a 9-inch pie plate. Chill thoroughly before
filling with puddings or frozen ices, creams, or yogurts.
Freeze or refrigerate until ready to serve, garnished with
fresh fruits."
The illustrations are a nice part of this book. Did
you know that over the years several well-known artists
created the artwork used in many of the Kellogg's
advertisements and on product packages? Norman Rockwell
(Kellogg Kids), Vernon Grant (Snap, Crackle and Pop
characters), Andrew Loomis (Shredded Krumbles Boy Scout ad)
and J. C. Leyendecker (early images of children on Kellogg's Corn
Flakes) all did work for Kellogg at one time or another.
Each chapter heading page contains an attractive montage
of
vintage Kellogg's illustrations. These pages alone are
bright, colorful and
fun.
Many of the recipes are illustrated with contemporary
food photographs done by Ben Fink, whose work also graces
the pages of many celebrity cookbooks.
The 200 recipes are a mixture of both new and old. You will find old friends such as Rice Krispies Treats,
All-Bran Muffins, Original Crispix Mix, Tangy Meatballs, Tony the Tiger
Cookies, Kellogg's Corn Flakes Pie Crust, Bran Cherry Bread
and Chocolate Scotcheroos.
This is not a cookbook that you will only use for one
recipe. If you regularly have Kellogg's cereal on your
pantry shelves, you'll be able to find plenty of other
entrees, side dishes coffeecakes, breads and desserts to
prepare.
Crisp Orange-Baked Chicken, Turkey-Spinach Salad,
Deep-Dish Chicken Pie, Meat 'n' Tater Pie, and Stuffed
Potatoes can be accompanied by All-Bran Corn Bread with
Bacon, Cheese Wafers, Double Apple Bread (made with
Kellogg's Apple Jacks).
A tiny sampling of the Dessert recipes include Cocoa
Krispies, Frozen Peanut Butter Pie, a Rustic Rhubarb Tart
with Vanilla Almond Crust, Frosted Lemon Bars and Whole
Wheat Apple Bars.
Although the majority of the recipes use Kellogg's cereal
as an ingredient, there are a few others that utilize other
Kellogg products. Morningstar Farms products show up
in several places: Breakfast Quesadillas, Meatless
Sausage-Spinach Quiche, Barbecued Corn Dogs and
Crumble-Potato Wontons. Kellogg's Stuffing Mix and
CHEEZ-IT Crackers also make an appearance in a few of the
recipes.
If there's any downside to this cookbook, it's minor.
Nutritional information for the recipes is provided;
however, this information is located in the rear of the book
in a separate chapter, making it necessary to flip to the
rear of the book to find the nutrition facts on any
particular recipe. This format might be a plus,
though, to those who wish to scan quickly for the fat
content or calorie count of all the recipes at once.
This is a useful cookbook and very well done.
Get your own copy of this book:
The Kellogg's Cookbook
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