Jamie's Kitchen by Jamie Oliver Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Jamie's Kitchen
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: Beautiful pictures but beware of some recipes
Summary: 3 Stars
I received this book as a Christmas gift and was excited about getting it home and trying out the recipes. Some of the recipes turned out fabulous but some didn't as the measurements were just plain wrong. I even tried a couple of the recipes twice and even bought new kitchen scales only to have it fail every time. I think people think Jamie's lack of precise measurements are part of his charm and even liberating but unfortunately cooking doesn't always allow this much room for error. So Jamie, while you have the priveledge of being careless with your measurements and able to try recipes until you master them the rest of us poor saps that bought your book have to keep ruining dinner. I guess you can figure out that you should not reach for this book if you want to try something new for those dinner guests coming over.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: Can't MISS !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
A cook book that MUST read from 1st to last page !!!!!Book Review: Diverges from the formula
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was released last year in the UK and I got it as a present for Christmas. So I've had several months to digest this one!Fans of the telivision series "Jamies Kitchen" be warned, this is purely a cook book and not a guide to the series. For those who don't know, the TV series was a documentary on Jamie Oliver starting a restaurant with 15 youngsters who he trains to be chefs. While it was very entertaining, it was in no way a cookery program. Having said that, some of the recipes from the documentary do feature in the book - the pan fried Salman with vegetables being one example.
Fans of Jamie's previous books be warned also. This book marks a departure from the formula that has made Jamie Oliver a household name here. Jamie has gone up market! Gone are the "Toad in the hole" sytle recipes, and in are more recipes you would expect to see in a restaurant. Coupled with far more sumptuous photos, this may become an excellent coffee table piece for the less adventurous cook or a great source of inspiration for those with more daring!
Nice one Geezer!