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The Feed Zone Cookbook by Skratch Labs

7
£17.95

VERDICT:

7
10
Useful book full of good healthy recipes to improve performance
Weight: 
900g

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There seem to be cookbooks for everything today, from the most niche food allergies to bizarre diets. One genre that we have not seen that much of is cycling specific recipe books. Step forward Skratch Labs with the Feed Zone Cookbook.

The book itself is 315 pages of cycling and health specific recipes from Biju Thomas and Dr. Allen Lim, both cyclists and chefs. There is an in depth explanation of who they are at the end of the book, where Biju Thomas explains how he has cooked for some of the world's most famous cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, a controversial figure to include in any cycling related product.

There is a foreword from Levi Leipheimer from the RadioShack team and Timmy Duggan from Liquigas Cannondale (the book was published in 2011 thus the old name).

It is divided into different meals, breakfast portables, ápres, dinner, dessert and basics. This makes it easy to find food for specific needs, but I feel that they have really missed a trick by not including pre-race, pre-training or week long plans for training camps and the like.

The recipes themselves are all simple to make and tasty, but they clearly have not amended the book for the UK market, as much of the phrasing can be confusing. I had no idea that molasses was treacle and I still don't know what Texas Toast is.

This phrasing should not take away from the recipes though, which as I mentioned, are all simple and quick to make whilst also tasting great.

Most of the ingredients are easy to source, in fact the hardest thing for me to find was quinoa, which says more about the quality of my local supermarkets rather than the complexity of the products.

Each recipe includes a useful breakdown of energy, fat, sodium, carbs, fibre and protein of the meal and at the end of the book there is a more detailed breakdown of all the foods within the book in a large table. This is useful for those who want to mix and match while staying healthy.

The end of the book also has a section that includes the basics of cooking some of the simpler things in the book, such as quinoa, romesco and various coleslaws, among many other foods.

The introduction to the book is also useful, with in depth look at much of the science behind eating right when cycling. It also includes the basics around creating the best drinks whilst you are out on the bike and even the science behind many of the ingredients that you find in some of the recipes later in the book.

In terms of the health or performance benefits, I can't give specific numbers. I felt good afterwards, but as a cyclist I try to eat healthily all the time, so the specifics of these recipes is hard to gauge.

Overall the book is useful for those looking to eat well and increase their performance on the bike. I was impressed with the simplicity and tastiness of many of the dishes. I think that more could have been done in terms of particular specific event preparations and if it is going to be truly successful in the UK they need to make sure it has UK phrasing to make it easier to find ingredients.

Oh, and it turns out Texas Toast is just really thickly sliced bread.

Verdict

Useful book, full of good healthy recipes to improve performance

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Skratch Labs The Feed Zone Cookbook

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"If you train like a pro, why not eat like one? Skratch Labs The Feed Zone Cookbook enables you to do just this. A book packed with easy to follow, healthy and nutritious recipes, the cookbook will provide lots of tasty endurance boosting meals."

I would say that the meals are tasty (dependant on your prowess in the kitchen) and relatively easy to make. In terms of endurance boosting, I can't give any specific claims, but I didn't feel close to a bonk after making one of their

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Includes in depth foreword on the science behind many of the recipes as well as many nutritional values.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Hardback with well bound pages and built in bookmark.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Easy to make healthy recipes that taste good, what more do you need?

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

£18 for a 313 page recipe book with in depth analysis and nutritional info seems like a fairly good deal.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well, good endurance boosting meals that are simple to make. Nutritional information is also good for those who count their intake.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The simplicity and tastiness of many of the recipes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

American phrasing throughout means extra research is needed to find some products.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 27  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

 

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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14 comments

Avatar
Richard D | 8 years ago
0 likes

Got the companion book, Feed Zone Portables. Powered my 180km Audax today with a handful of their two-bite beef & sweet potato pasties. Lovely.

Avatar
shay cycles | 8 years ago
0 likes

Looks a tad heavy, do they do a carbon cover version?

 3

Avatar
farrell replied to shay cycles | 8 years ago
0 likes
shay cycles wrote:

Looks a tad heavy, do they do a carbon cover version?

 3

Drillium.

Or holepunchium rather.

Avatar
doc_davo | 8 years ago
0 likes

how does the book get 7 out of 10 when you rate it 10,8 and 8 in your assessment criteria? Surely it gets and 8 as a minimum

To be honest, alot of using measuring cups (volumetric) make cooking and baking so much easier than measuring by weight - especially on the go, and measuring cups can be bought for about £1-2 in for a set in most supermarkets.

Also it's a cook book - why would you expect it to have week long plans for training camps? there are plent of recipes for pre training and racing in their so again I'm confused to the criticism to the book.

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Saint Mikie 41 | 8 years ago
0 likes

We have both books and I would recommend them. Have sorted out my ride diet no end  4

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Iamnot Wiggins | 8 years ago
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"I had no idea that molasses was treacle and I still don't know what Texas Toast is."

Assume you know what Google is though, right?

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Colin Peyresourde | 8 years ago
0 likes

I've had this book for ages (so am confused why it has only been reviewed now) and it is full of really great, tasty healthy recipes.

There are some name/measurement conversion issues (what is an American 'cup'? Rucola, Zucchini and other things - but you can always use the internet (right?!?).

For those of you interested Dr Allan Lim is the sports scientist that worked with Floyd Landis. If you've ever read 'Cycle of Lies' you'll remember him as having the rather comical episodes where he noted Landis' improvement to only find out that he had been self-doping, and the time he has to re-infuse the blood bag he had taken out because the old one had gone wrong…..another book worth getting for sure.

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Mayhem SWE | 8 years ago
0 likes

Since it's a US edition I assume all measurements are in imperial units? That'd make it a pain to follow the recipes for those of us accustomed to metric...

Avatar
ped replied to Mayhem SWE | 8 years ago
0 likes
Mayhem SWE wrote:

Since it's a US edition I assume all measurements are in imperial units? That'd make it a pain to follow the recipes for those of us accustomed to metric...

Lots of 'cup' measurements IIRC, so no real issues on that front.

Avatar
LarryDavidJr replied to ped | 8 years ago
0 likes
ped wrote:
Mayhem SWE wrote:

Since it's a US edition I assume all measurements are in imperial units? That'd make it a pain to follow the recipes for those of us accustomed to metric...

Lots of 'cup' measurements IIRC, so no real issues on that front.

US sizes of the same name are not always the same size, cup being one of them  1

Also they sometimes use volume where we would use weight or vice-versa.

It's all convertable though.

Source: A septic wife who struggles often with this inconsistency!

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ragtag replied to Mayhem SWE | 8 years ago
0 likes

Just get some cup measures. The book is really good. I have both.

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Simon Walker | 8 years ago
0 likes

Nearly bought this book in my local cycle shop (DC Cycles Ulverston, Cumbria, England] this week. After reading this review I think I will.

They also had the Feed Zone Portables book too.

I have been steadily moving back to real food from bars and gels as I find it more uplifting when your feeling depleted on a longer ride.  38

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Kadinkski | 8 years ago
0 likes

Lance Armstrong! Why doesn't he just go away. Seeking publicity. Ruined somebody's life or something. Sociopath. Grrrr. Grrr. Etc.

Does look like a good book though, might pop in to Waterstones and check it out.

Avatar
ped | 8 years ago
0 likes

It's near-companion book Feed Zone Portables is a good one too, although nothing I've ever made from it every turns out looking like the book's photos.

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