Jamie's Kitchen
by Jamie Oliver
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Book Reviews of Jamie's Kitchen
Book Review: Skeptical but Surprised
Summary: 5 Stars
When I got the cookbook as a Christmas present I was a little skeptical. Okay maybe alot skeptical. The recipes looked a little too vague; not enough precise measurements; "add a glass of wine" (big glass? small glass? 'what's up with that?')Quite frankly, it made me nervous. Cookbooks aren't supposed to be like that.But I gave the recipes a whirl and lo and behold, they turned out! The recipes were different yet familar. A nice twist on things (sorry, no pun intended). Jamie creates recipes with layers of flavor and texture; recipes with color and style. And what is more, they were relatively simple to make. I've received rave reviews from friends and family.
But the real surprise and joy was that Jamie's approximate portions and measurements allowed me to become more of my own chef, so to speak. I guess I always felt compelled to stick to the rigidity of a receipe. What I discovered is that I was more or less forced to I play with the amounts and I did not feel that I was somehow making a mistake when doing so. It was okay to toy with this ingredient or that. This gave me confidence to explore variations. In short, it made cooking even more fun.
This is how I think the great chefs really cook: they have a game plan but they have intuition, gut instinct. When you watch the great chefs on TV rarely do you see them haul out a measuring spoon or a cup. They go by eye, by experience and by gut. And I think this is what Jamie Oliver's book has done for the reader.
Buy it, experiment with it, have fun with it.
Book Review: A Satisfyingly Full Course Meal of a Book
Summary: 5 Stars
Not being a television observer of cooking shows or even one who keeps up with 'celebrity chefs', JAMIE'S KITCHEN came as a fresh surprise as a book that just happens to have excellent, reproducible recipes for some fine dishes! Jamie Oliver deserves his fame, if this book is any indication. Young and spunky, with a real talent for witty explanations that keep a recipe book palatable (!), Oliver offers not only some well-chosen delicious treats not found in other cookbooks, outlined in the most easy to read and follow fashion, but he also pays attention to other details.
Like marketing, for example. In a very short space wholly free of pretension, Oliver supplies tips on how to buy foods, when to buy them, when to tell if the produce is the best (and tips on keeping the grocer informed as to the occasional lapse in quality control!), informing the reader that fresh fish should never smell fishy and should have clear eyes , smooth scales etc. Little bits of info like this make the reader bond with the chef, ready to accept his advice on preparing apparently simple yet unique and elegant fare.
There are so many cookbooks out on the shelves these days, but few match the quality of photography of the chef at work, the dishes prepared, the lightness of the written words, and the honest and informed commentary that this book does. Makes you want to read his other books - like getting to know a new friend better! Grady Harp, July 05
Book Review: Beuatiful, but not practical
Summary: 4 Stars
Cooking should be fun, but it should also be doable. My impression of this cookbook is that it is designed primarily to be used as a coffee table book. It is full of beautiful color photos of both food presentations and steps in the production process. The book features approximately 100 recipes James has gleaned from his school/restaurant.
James includes recipes from the following areas: salads, cooking without heat, poaching, steaming, frying, roasting, broiling, grilling, and baking. The best part of this book is the first chapter, which covers insightful information on acquiring the basic essential tools and equipment to become a chef, and shopping tips. The recipes however, appear highly advanced and rather impractical for most amateur chefs. For example, his recipes generally require items such as: venison loin, juniper berries, chervil, crème fraiche, pancetta, tahina, sour gherkins, palm sugar, and squid, to name just a few of the exotic foods in these recipes. If you have access to these items, great.
The book is made of glossed paper, which holds up well to spills and working in a kitchen environment. Also, the pages hold open pretty well to facilitate following a recipe while your hands are busy. Overall, this book would make a beautiful coffee table book, but lacks the practicality for my taste and use.
Book Review: Jamie Oliver Knows What He's Talking About!
Summary: 5 Stars
I now have all of Jamie Oliver's books and DVDs. I am eagerly awaiting his book on Italy to be released. B. Marold says it best, so anything I say will be redundant. What I like (love really) about his cookbooks, including this one, is that all of the recipes are cook-able. The meat, fish, salad, and dessert recipes are simple, but incredibly tasty. I own numerous cookbooks, but few are as easy to manouver as Jame Oliver's. The photographs are wonderful and he is adorable. Perhaps he makes it look too easy, but it is once you read the recipe and get down to business in your kitchen. I love this cookbook. It has everything you need to cook and serve a delicious and healthy meal. I would also recommend both his DVDs. His energy is infectious. If you love London (and England) as I do, you get colorful glimpses of restaurants and markets in each episode. His friends are deightful. Especially Gennaro his Italian 'father' and mentor.
I wish I had recorded all of his earlier programs (The Naked Chef) when they were on the Food Network. These tapes are not available now. He deserves all of the success he has garnered for himself. Go out and buy this book and all his other books. And don't forget the DVDs.
Book Review: I love Jamie but not this cookbook
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver's television shows, books, and "easy peasy" approach to cooking/life. Naturally, then, I was thrilled to read at Amazon that Jamie published a cookbook to accompany "Jamie's Kitchen" (a televised and laudable effort to train young and unemployed Londoners in both the culinary arts and restaurant business).
Unfortunately, I was quite unexpectedly disappointed.
The failure, I think, lies with an expectation set by the cookbook's sub-title..."A Cooking Course for Everyone".
Jamie tells us up front that this isn't meant to be an overly technical culinary textbook, but I wondered if we couldn't have been enriched by a cooking term or technique more complex than "to boil".
At the other extreme, Jamie's recipes lack the inspired (refreshing and yet warmly hearty) attributes we've come to love, and seemed rather inaccessible to the sort of reader who may need or want a "cooking course".
Although I enjoyed the kitchen tools list and invitation to use fresh herbs, these are nothing new; overall, I was struck by the irony that this cookbook, having its genesis in Jamie's openhearted effort to help others, seems to lack just that...heart.