Todd Wilbur - Even More Top Secret Recipes: More Amazing Kitchen Clones of Americas Favorite Brand-Name Foods

Table of Contents

ACCLAIM FOR TODD WILBURS TOP SECRET RECIPES SERIES

Theres something almost magically compelling about the idea of making such foods at home...The allure is undeniable, and [the books are] stuffed with tidbits and lore youre unlikely to find anywhere else.

Boston Herald

The mission: Decode the secret recipes for Americas favorite junk foods. Equipment: Standard kitchen appliances. Goal: Leak the results to a ravenous public.

USA Today

This is the cookbook to satisfy all your cravings.

Juli Huss, author of The Faux Gourmet

TODD WILBUR is the author of Top Secret Recipes , More Top Secret Recipes , Top Secret Restaurant Recipes , Top Secret Recipes Lite! , Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes , and Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits, & Shakes (all available from Plume). When not taste-testing recipes on himself, his friends, or TV talk-show hosts, Todd lives in Las Vegas.

The trademarked brand-names used in this book should not, in any way, be considered an endorsement of this book, or any of the recipes in this book, by the trademark holders.This book was not prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by any of the owners of the trademarks or brand names referred to in this book. The author acknowledges that all of the recipes have been created and kitchen-tested independently of any food manufacturers mentioned here. Terms mentioned that are known or believed to be trademarks or service marks have been indicated as such. See the section on Trademarks.

PLUME

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A.

Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL England

Penguin Books Australia Ltd, Ringwood,Victoria, Australia

Penguin Books Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue,Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2

Penguin Books (N.Z.) Ltd, 182-190 Wairau Road, Auckland 10, New Zealand

Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England

First published by Plume, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc.

First Printing (Special Sales Edition), February 2002

Copyright Todd Wilbur, 2002

All rights reserved

To the best of the authors knowledge, the information regarding company backgrounds and product histories is true and accurate. Any misrepresentation of factual material is completely unintentional.

REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA

CIP data is available.

eISBN : 978-1-101-10018-9

Set in Gill Sans Light

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE AT QUANTITY DISCOUNTS WHEN USED TO PROMOTE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES. FOR INFORMATION PLEASE WRITE TO PREMIUM MARKETING DIVISION, PENGUIN PUTNAM INC., 375 HUDSON STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10014.

http://us.penguingroup.com

To Howard Stern and his radio show for hanging out with me in the kitchen every morning.

INTRODUCTION

When a popular, ex-NBA basketball player was recently in Las Vegas, he was having a wild night at the roulette table. Tens of thousands of dollars had changed hands and he was getting mighty hungry. Recognizing this, the pit boss insisted on setting up a complimentary spread of food for the athlete and his entourage. The casino was braced to serve anything and everything the wealthy players desired. A dining room was set up; waiters and chefs stood by anxiously awaiting the order. Would the fancy feast include piles of imported Russian beluga caviar? Broiled fresh Maine lobster? Roquefort-encrusted corn-fed filet mignon? What does a large hungry man and his large hungry friends order when money isnt an issue? To the casinos delight the request was a simple one: It required only one person to make a quick trip to a drive-thru window just off the strip. Within twenty minutes the private dining room featured a fabulous spread of hot, juicy Fatburgers with cheese, thick milkshakes, and french fries.The hungry gamblers were in hamburger hog heaven.

I know that feeling well. Although Ive never been comped for more than the $5.99 buffet while gambling in Las Vegas, I do know what its like to crave that special sinful something, when nothing else matters. You lock on hard to the thought of a particular favorite foodone of your edible guilty pleasuresknowing for certain that you just wont be as deeply satisfied by anything else. When craving a drippy Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, a plateful of Peking duckas good as Peking duck is at the right momentisnt going to do the job. Sure, when its all over your stomachs full just the same, but the road you mowed getting there wasnt the most delicious route.

When it comes to winning over a persistent palate, second-string selections score a hollow victory. A cheesy hamburger, a gooey caramel-and-peanut-coated candy bar, a soft chocolate chip cookie flanked by a tall, cold glass of milk; these are lifes simple pleasures, simply fulfilled. These drool-inducing delights call out to us in the middle of a tedious project at work, or in the sixth hour of a long holiday road trip, or while stranded on an island for six weeks with fifteen strangers and a bag full of rice. These are the foods that are notoriously ready when you are, when nothing else will do; they are dependably made and consistently good.These are the foods that this book is all about.

For ten years now Ive been sharing my secret recipes for clone cuisine, both here in these Top Secret Recipes books and on the Web site at TopSecretRecipes.com . Ive cloned recipes for drinks and for appetizers and entrees from well-known restaurant chains across the country, such as Chilis, T.G.I. Fridays, and Apple-bees. Ive even created lite clone recipes for favorite sweet-tooth munchables such as Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls and Olive Garden Tiramisu. But the books that started it all, Top Secret Recipes and More Top Secret Recipes , are the books that this one follows up. Those books feature clone recipes for the delicious delicacies from fast food chains, and for candy bars, and cookies and snack cakes. Im talking about clones for the Big Mac, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Snickers, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Twinkies, and Oreo Cookies. Some call it convenience food. Some call it junk food. Its the food that spontaneous cravings are made of. I call it all delicious.

Whatever you call it, these are the most popular brand-name foods in the world. And its now time to journey back to the roots of Top Secret Recipes for even more clones of the famous convenience food we all hate to love and love to eat.

Even more than clones of drinks or duplicates of food from full-service restaurant chains, the stuff in this book amazes your diners when they know you made it in your kitchen. Its this food, thats manufactured by machines or finished by fast-food assembly lines, that can be the hardest for me to reproduce as homemade recipes. Yet, when the formula has finally been cracked, these products yield the most rewarding results. Perhaps its the sense that these foods arent supposed to be made at home that makes the experience so enjoyableafter all, these are the foods that manufacturers most often claim as secret formulas.

Youll find a clone recipe in this book for KFC Extra Tasty Crispy Chicken, plus a recipe for re-creating McDonalds French Fries.And Ive included a long-overdue technique for making your own version of Auntie Annes Pretzels at home. Youll also learn how to make your own Baby Ruth candy bars, and Taco Bell tacos from the ground up. Heinz Ketchup has finally been tackled, along with clones for Boston Market Meatloaf, KFC Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, and even those Fatburgers enjoyed at the gamblers banquet in Las Vegas. This book holds more than 85 new clone recipes for all types of convenience food, presented with easy instructions, simple ingredients, and a chunk or two of food lore. Its the biggest collection of convenience food recipes yet, and this cookbook should hold several favorites for everyone. Whether youre a beginning cook or a seasoned chef, be prepared to amaze your diners with these kitchen copies.

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