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It's been a really long time since I've been graded for my work; the last grade I received came somewhere around my final day of college in 1985. But now, my all-time favorite magazine, Entertainment Weekly - which I read from cover to cover every week - reviewed my new book in a beautiful 2-page spread, and at the end I got a grade. Just as with every movie, TV show, or book that I'm revved about, once I picked up the issue I jumped right to the end of the review to check out the report card and was stoked at what I saw: Book reviewer Jennifer Reese gave Top Secret Recipes Unlocked a solid B.

So, of course I went back to the beginning to read the review and saw that Jennifer and her crew put Top Secret Recipes Unlocked to the test. I like that. They cooked several items from the book to determine if the clone recipes I created matched up with the original brand-name stuff:

"Although Wilbur promises the reader clones of brand-name food, in the recipes we tested here, he failed to deliver a single decent facsimile. This was simultaneously funny and kind of sad."

Alright, I know. This may look like I'm getting slammed, but you have to keep reading:

"His problem isn't that the recipes he's devised aren't good enough, it's that they're too good. It appears to be all but impossible to make anything at home that is as expensive, stale, and artificialtasting as what you can buy."

I'm actually not surprised. When I'm duplicating certain foods, such as package goods that were made many days or weeks ago, the finished product is usually going to taste better simply because it's fresher.

I design all my recipes to include common ingredients. I don't incorporate the same commercial preservatives, artificial flavors, thickeners, sweeteners, and colorings you might find in the most popular brand-name munchables, so there will often be a slight difference in appearance, taste and texture. My hope is that when you cook from my books, you won't mind these small variations if you still produce an amazing culinary clone filled with wholesome ingredients that you've personally picked and measured.

Regardless of what super-special secret ingredients a food manufacturer may use to make a top-selling product, nothing will compare to the passion and enthusiasm you add to every serving of anything you make for your loved ones. This is the secret ingredient that no one else can clone, and that's why your copycat creations will always be unique and a little bit better.

So, thank you again Entertainment Weekly for the awesome review. I probably worked harder on this book than on any class in college, so your good grade is a super sweet sight.

Top Secret Recipes Unlocked Todd Wilbur cooking cook book