Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day

3.5/5 stars. Great recipes, many very simple, with gorgeous photos. The author includes tips on shopping "good and cheap" and also suggests basic necessary kitchen tools. One of the things I like best about this cookbook is that, among the basic recipes, the author also gives suggestions about how to make one standard recipe with many flavor varieties, such as the great list "things on toast." Even if you aren't looking to cook on a budget this cookbook will help you add variety to your meals. (Provided by publisher)

Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4 Per Day is a five-star read.

Not that there aren’t any decent recipes in this book; however, you won’t find any stellar recipes in this cookbook, no crème brûlée, no coq au vin, no Beef Wellington, no prosciutto-laced side dishes. So how is it a five-star read?

The cookbook began as author Leanne Brown‘s capstone project for her master’s degree from NYU. When she posted the PDF of it online, it went viral, with nearly 100,000 downloads within the first few weeks. The very purpose of creating a print version, Brown says, is to get the book into the hands of those who need it most — those on SNAP (a.k.a. food stamps) who must eat on $4 per day but who lack a computer. With a Kickstarter campaign, show more 9,000 paperback copies have been distributed for free. Non-profit organizations can get steep discounts so that they can give it away for free, as well.

Even if you never open the book, consider buying it as an investment in karma. At 99 cents for the Kindle format, it’s the right thing to do.

That said, there are quite a few recipes that are not only tasty but ultra-cheap. Homemade granola bars, Agua Fresca, French onion soup, kale Caesar salad, panzanella, quesadillas, Filipino Chicken Adobo, vegetable jambalaya, spicy pulled pork, and even Beef Stroganoff — all made for a pittance! This book is a godsend for anyone on a budget, be they a single mom in the city, a college kid, or someone still reeling from deindustrialization or the 2008 economic collapse.

Whether for budget cooking or charity, please, please buy this book! Highly recommended. show less

The math just doesn't work. Not for people on SNAP. Not $4 a day per person. I have read the recipes, came up with meal plans and there are too many missing pieces. Besides the food deserts in poor communities where it is costly and hard to find veggies and fruit and homemade bread (which is costly) and a bunch of other ingredients it is just too expensive. It doesn't differentiate between family structure. for example, if I have two teenage (growing) sons or daughters in a family of four and make four eggs that is not enough and as you put in more food and other meals it goes beyond. It also doesn't speak to the lack of equipment (most families I know on SNAP do not have food processors or immersion blenders) nor does it take into show more account the vast amount of time and money that poor people put into just getting through basic life it, i.e. the two bus connections and one train connection to go home or the lack of transportation in rural areas. Being poor is expensive and usually without food banks and other such services nearly impossible. HOWEVER, this cookbook is useful for many other populations that need and want to eat more cheaply. Good and Cheap is perfect for students, low-income families, anyone who wants to eat good, simple food. The photographs are well-placed and make it easy to see what the dish will look like when it is done. So kudos for providing information how to eat cheaply but my wish is that instead of acting as if it is doable to live with so little money we make a decision together that it is unethical to ask people to do so.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion. show less

I’ve gotta admit, I thought Workman was crazy. Two cookbooks, this one and Bring Your Lunch, in such a short time span? I mean...I just...OK the two are different, one is about good ways to bring your lunch with you as an adult, and this one is about making a meal for $4 or less. And why is the $4 significant? Because that’s what the US Government's SNAP program (formerly food stamps) says that the average person can eat off of in one meal. Think about that for a second...if you go out to eat your average meal at fast food probably cost about $8 to $10, drink included. And god knows that stuff isn’t healthy for you. What the heck can you do with $4? And how can you make it healthy?

Well that’s where this book comes in. The author show more Leanne Brown is not your typical chef. She has a master’s in food policy from NYU and examined problems like this, which led to this book. She wanted to know, and to show, that you could make good food for about $4 a meal. Food like: Broiled Tilapia with Lime, Spicy Pulled Pork, Green Chile and Cheddar Quesadillas, Vegetable Jambalaya, Beet and Chickpea Salad—even desserts like Coconut Chocolate Cookies and Peach Coffee Cake, and more. Each recipe shows how much it costs to make total, how much it is a serving, and how many servings you can get out of it. Ms. Brown shows not only how to cook simple, health, and cheap meals with a lot of flavor, but also how to fill up your pantry, maximizing ingredients and cooking methods, and make good food choices.

Whether you can afford to spend more than $4 a meal or not doesn’t matter. This book is one that belongs on everyone’s shelf. And I mean everyone’s. Ms. Brown shows how to make good, simple, healthy food that won’t break the bank. I give the book five out of five stars and highly recommend it.

ARC provided by NetGalley show less

Putting this one on my Christmas list. I've spent about a month trying recipes, and have enjoyed all of them. (I cut back significantly on a lot of the salt, though.) The ingredients are inexpensive (of course) but they also tend to be things I already have or buy on a regular basis anyway. I haven't had to run out to buy some fancy spice I'll never use again or a particular kind of bougie mushroom. The recipes are all just regular food put together in new-to-me ways, and, with tweaks for my personal tastes, are delicious.

Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown is my new favorite cookbook. I reviewed an advance copy and fell in love. The book is designed to help people learn out to eat better and healthier on $4 a day, which is about how much recipients of the SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) program receive. Good and cheap has beautiful color photos to go along with every recipe. The recipes are realistic and allow for splurging with a bit of planning in the budget. Brown recommends using all bits of the food purchased, including ideas for the left overs. I can't wait to try some of the recipes from this book!

This book should be given to every home cook, the earlier the better! Good and Cheap is a revelation! I was pleasantly surprised at the wealth of information presented so clearly and completely. Any level of cook would benefit from having this in their kitchen.

Inside is a abundance of useful tips and methods using a great variety of inexpensive, delicious ingredients. There are so many new recipes covering many styles of cooking that makes budget cooking fresh and exciting, for all ages and flavor preferences.

Besides fully formed meals, this book also includes core recipes which are not difficult, but are great money-savers, and better tasting than expensive store-bought items. Big batch cooking, pickling, and maximizing leftovers are show more covered. Simple ways to amp up the sophistication of basic ingredients are attractively illustrated.

This book is an invaluable reference tool that should be in every home cook's kitchen. It is hard not to include more exclamation marks when writing about this book.

**eARC netgalley** show less