Jamie's Kitchen
by Jamie Oliver
List Price:
Our Price: $16.96
You Save: $22.99 (58%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.71 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jamie OliverEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10-08
ISBN: 1401300227
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: Hyperion
Book Reviews of Jamie's Kitchen
Book Review: A Culinary Inspiration
Summary: 5 Stars
It is difficult to evaluate this book without opinions' being colored by seeing Jamie Oliver's experiences in nurturing fifteen (15) young needful men and women to become professional cooks and, in the process, succeeding in creating London's most highly sought dining venue. I confess that this background makes it almost impossible for me to give the book less than five (5) stars, although I will cite some weaknesses in a generally very worthy book.`jamie's kitchen' is primarily a celebrity chef cookbook where the celebrity is a practicing chef like Mario Batali and Bobby Flay, however there is no distinct connection between the recipes in the book and Jamie's restaurant `15'. Rather, I've seen many dishes done on his Food Network show `Oliver's Twist' appearing in this book. There is also no systematic connection between the contents of the book and the Food Network special of the same name; however, there are some recipes and demonstrations of techniques, which appear in both. Note that unlike Jamie's various TV presentations, all units are in Imperial units (pounds and ounces and Fahrenheit and so on) however one does have to translate teaspoon from the term dessert spoon.
Overlaid on the typical celebrity chef content is a outline of a cooking course covering common cooking methods such as salads, `cooking without heat', poaching, boiling, steaming, en papillote, stewing, braising, frying (pan and deep), roasting (pot and pan), broiling, grilling, and baking (bread and pastry). As an outline and presentation of exemplars for major culinary methods, this book is very good; however, it should not be accepted as a complete cooking textbook. (I would not rule out a talented instructor's using this book as a supplementary text, but it is still not in the same league as excellent texts by Madeline Kamen, Anne Willen, or the Culinary Institute of America). Another clue that this is CANNOT be taken as a textbook is Jamie's aversion to exact measurements. A text could never be as imprecise. That said, I give high marks to the photographic demonstrations of several basic cooking techniques such as filleting a flatfish, making a basic bread dough, chopping and slicing, pasta making, and blanching tomatoes.
Thus, the primary value of the book lies with the quality of the recipes and the usefulness of the recipes to the buyer. I believe the overall quality of the recipes is very high, and, personally, I found the choice of recipes to be very, very good. There is the expected influence of Italian cuisine in many of the recipes; however, there are also distinctly oriental overtones in many of the recipes, especially in the salads. I was especially delighted to find a relatively simple recipe for Chinese steamed pork dumplings. The recipe for this dish presented by a Martha Stewart guest took three pages (I am not so naïve to believe that the results of the simple version will have all the virtues of the more truly ethnic recipe, but the point is that the simpler essay on a classic preparation will enhance your appreciation of the more complicated, more ethnicly accurate presentation.) The section on bread is basically an introduction to Italian breadmaking and an excellent introduction to breadmaking in general. The basic dough is simpler, for example, than many common white bread recipes with the added virtue of not requiring a stand mixer to obtain a decent result.
My take on celebrity chef cookbooks is that their primary object is to enhance one's enjoyment of cooking by breathing life into old recipes and presenting an interesting range of new options to the reader. A perfect example of this object for me was the description of poaching beef fillets in red wine. Up to now, cooking expensive beef in a water-based medium seemed to border on sinful. Jamie makes it all make sense at the cost of a decent bottle of red wine. This is also the perfect illustration of the fact that celebrity chef cookbooks are not about cheap or fast or easy. Jamie give the game away on `easy' when he demonstrates a technique which he confesses took him several days to master.
Jamie's talent reminds me of a description of Robin Williams. Translated from comedy to the culinary, I find Tyler Florence (for example) to be a very talented chef, but Jamie Oliver is a force of nature. His enthusiasm for the skillful preparation of good ingredients into masterful food is communicated as effectively from the printed page as it is from the TV screen. This communication is assisted by the excellent photography framed in the oversize dimensions of the volume.
While the book is less than perfect, few of the blemishes warrant a pass on this volume if you are looking for the rewards that such celebrity chef cookbooks have to offer. A major consideration in buying this book is it's cost. Luckily, I am certain that the book will be available at a discount from practically any outlet. The concern about the cost is inflated by the fact that the size of the book hides the fact that more than a few large pages are taken up by photographs of people, mostly Jamie, in artsy poses against gritty backdrops. These enhance the coffee table character of the book. A little game one may try is to find the picture of Jamie which contains a picture of Jamie and Jools. Very droll. The positive aspect of the photography has already been noted above. Not every culinary book with full color photos of food does as well as this one in using them to complement the words in the recipes. This is a must for Jamie Oliver fans.
Summary of Jamie's Kitchen
amie's Kitchen-the television show-began as an experiment and turned into a phenomenon. It started when Jamie took in 15 unemployed, enthusiastic kids, trained them to be chefs, and helped them open a restaurant, Fifteen, that has become the hottest dining spot in London. When England's Channel 4 launched a tie-in series, more than four million people tuned in. The show premiers this fall in the U.S. Jamie's Kitchen-the book-is laid out as a cooking course and will inspire readers of all levels. Some of the cooking techniques included are making salads, cooking without heat, poaching and boiling, steaming, stewing and braising, roasting, grilling, and baking. In the process, Jamie shares one-of-a-kind, delicious recipes, such as prosciutto and pecorino, citrus-seared tuna with crispy noodles, herbs, and chili; smoked haddock risotto; and baked chocolate pudding. Jamie includes tips on how to take recipes in new directions and how to be an inspired grocery shopper-spotting what's good, what's in season, and what's a good value. Most important, Jamie encourages budding cooks to have confidence and a sense of independence, and to be master of the kitchen!Culinary Arts & Techniques Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Culinary Arts & Techniques Books
Semi-Homemade Money-Saving Slow-Cooking: 128 Quick-to-Cook Mealsby Sandra Lee
Wiley; Published: 2009-10-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.93
Price in other shops:
New Classic Family Dinnersby Mark Peel
Wiley; Published: 2009-09-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Garde Manger, Study Guide: The Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchenby The Culinary Institute of America
Wiley; Published: 2008-01-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $13.13
Price in other shops:
Haley's Hintsby Graham Haley, Rosemary Haley
NAL Trade; Published: 2004-01-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops:
Cooking Essentials for the New Professional ChefVan Nostrand Reinhold; Published: 1996-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $69.00
The Bride and Groom's First Cookbookby Abigail Kirsch
Doubleday; Published: 1996-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.75
Price in other shops:
Anheuser-Busch Cookbook: Great Food, Great Beerby Editors of Sunset Books
Oxmoor House; Published: 2007-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heartby Alice Waters
Clarkson Potter; Published: 2010-04-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.98
Price in other shops:
Betty Crocker's New Choices For Two (Betty Crocker Home Library)by Betty Crocker Editors
Betty Crocker; Published: 1995-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.62
Price in other shops:
Discovering Foodby Helen Kowtaluk
Bennett & Mcknight Pub Co; Published: 1982-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $20.29
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Mealsby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2009-10-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.42
Price in other shops:
The Naked Chef Takes Offby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2001-09-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.67
Price in other shops:
Jamie's America: Easy Twists on Great American Classics, and Moreby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2010-10-05; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.91
Price in other shops:
Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cookby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2007-10-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.91
Price in other shops:
Happy Days with the Naked Chefby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2002-10-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.69
Price in other shops:
The Naked Chefby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2000-10-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.50
Price in other shops:
Jamie's Italyby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2006-10-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.50
Price in other shops:
Jamie's Dinners: The Essential Family Cookbookby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2004-11-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.95
Price in other shops:
Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Lifeby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2008-09-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.68
Price in other shops:
Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fastby Jamie Oliver
Hyperion; Published: 2011-10-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.48
Price in other shops: