I had this book on my wishlist for almost a year and received it for Christmas. I sat down on Christmas evening and eagerly paged through the book. What a disappointment. Most of the recipes did absolutely nothing for me. Most of the recipes were time consuming and tedious. Yes, it's nice to look at, but I want to taste, not look, and this book totally put me off to trying many of the recipes. I was very disappointed. If you want truly decadent chocolate desserts, I highly recommend Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. These recipes were specifically written for the home kitchen and are truly inspiring and decadent. It doesn't get any better than Chocolate Desserts. Don't waste your time/money on this book unless you want showpieces rather than decadent desserts.

I can't imagine how anyone could call this book a waste of money! When I read through and tried the recipes in Cocolat, I was pleasantly surprised. When I received this cookbook, I was in Heaven--I couldn't put it down! I've tried several recipes from this book and, being a typical home baker, I had no problems with any of them. Yes, a few of them may take more time than others, but if you want quick and easy, go to Betty Crocker...

Each recipe was clearly and concisely presented. The few recipes that need special ingredients are the most intriguing! Who doesn't want to try something new and different? In fact, the author recommends Nutella if you don't have or want to deal with hazelnuts!

The Chocolate Macaroons were a treat one would die for. If you love chocolate, and I mean GOOD chocolate, you can't pass up this book. Because Cocolat contains many other recipes besides chocolate recipes, I much preferred Chocolate Desserts for its chocolate intensity and inspiring recipes.

Having read literally hundreds of diet and nutrition books, this is truly the very worst book I have ever read. Mr. Giglio contradicts himself too many times to count throughout the book. By the end of the book, I was left scratching my head and throwing up my hands--it is the most confusing program and comes down to this: eat the right foods (obviously the fruits, veggies, LEAN meats, FAT FREE foods (which he then warns you about because they are filled with sugar), and whole grains). No kidding!!! I had to pay money to read what I already knew.

This program claims that the reason ALL other diets fail is because they take a one-size-fits-all approach, and there are 3 different types of metabolisms that should be considered. Then he goes on to say that over 70% of us fit into the FAT and PROTEIN plan (i.e. Atkins, the usual low carb, no sugar diet, which he claims doesn't work in an earlier chapter). Most others who fit into the other two plans probably don't have weight problems anyway!

We won't even talk about the different ways you have to eat for the next 12 weeks. The foods you are allowed to eat change each week to keep your metabolism confused, I mean burning. I can't see many people who have lives sticking with this plan. Save your money and lose weight the wise way: don't eat too many processed and/or packaged foods, eat enough protein, and exercise. It works like a charm every time, we just don't want to admit it (we want that magic bullet). Go to fitday.com and log your calories and activities--you'll have much more success doing this than following these insane diets...

First let me say that I own many, many low-carb cookbooks, and this one is THE best I have ever read! Not only does it offer 500, yes, 500 recipes that are easy, fabulous and low carb, but the introduction and ingredient chapters were SPECTACULAR! The introduction was warm, witty and informative. I typically skim through the beginning chapters and get right to the recipes, but I couldn't put this one down! So many questions that I had were answered in the Low Carb Specialty Foods chapter, not to mention the Polyols chapter and the Where to Find Low-Carb Specialty Products chapter (she doesn't like paying through the nose for this stuff, either)!

The Ingredients You Need to Know About section was the absolute best--necessary and unique information about eggs, fats/oils, flour substitutes (what the heck are guar and xanthan gums, anyway--she answers that, too!), sweeteners (wow, I can have molasses!), vegetables (and I can have carrots, too!), and oh so much more. Her first recipe is addictive enough to eat every day (Heroin Wings)! I wish I could say that I've made all the recipes, but I'm so busy trying out the recipes from the first chapter, I haven't even looked at the other chapters yet, but believe me, I know they'll be outstanding.

This author is down-to-earth, funny and charming. I can relate to her so well. She stresses over and over again to listen to your body and let that be your guide regardless of whether the food is low-carb. This works so well for me. The BEST book you will ever purchase on low-carbing and low-carb recipes. DON'T MISS THIS ONE!

I have made several of the recipes in this book and I'm not impressed so far. The cheesecakes were not great--they were quite dry and tasteless (the baking time was probably overstated). The chocolate silk pie was awful--the bitterness of the chocolate could not be tamed by the artificial sweetener. I tried Splenda in one and a liquid sweetener in another, and both tasted bitter and disgustingly sweet at the same time. The usual dessert recipes are in there (I'm getting tired of seeing chocolate mousse with the usual cream, cocoa and vanilla). I am giving this book a 3, however, because I haven't tried the first or main course recipes yet, so that may be a saving grace for the book.