Can You Take the Heat? The WWF Is Cooking! [Paperback]

Jim "J.R." Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2002

Only the World Wrestling Federation could cook up something this good!Start the day right with Stone Cold's Texas Toast...
Kick back for lunch with J.R.'s Baked French Onion Soup...
Get ready to eat till you burst, because Tasty Trish-Kebabs are for dinner...
And don't forget to make room for The Rock's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Want to know what's in The Rock's Famous Rock Bottom Pancakes? What Chyna eats to make her the Ninth Wonder of the World? What dishes can make even Stone Cold Steve Austin smile? If you think you can handle it, you too can eat like a World Wrestling Federation Superstar.

In this hardcore cookbook, the Superstars of the World Wrestling Federation serve up their favorite meals ... with a whole lot of "Attitude." And to make it even better, each mouthwatering recipe is introduced by good ol' J.R., who offers the behind-the-scenes "dish" on each meal and the wrestlers who love it, peppering the book with plenty of down-home Federation flavor. The beloved cookbook of wrestling fans, Can You Take the Heat? dishes up delicious, stick-to-your-ribs meals that will satisfy even the biggest appetites.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Can You Take the Heat? offers something seldom found in a celebrity cookbook: a WWF-style announcement for each recipe. This is important, both to give the book the raucous flavor so crucial to the entertaining identity of the World Wrestling Federation, and to introduce some of its worthy names that might be unfamiliar to the culinary world. The announcer, Jim "J.R." Ross, gives the personal background of each dish. Thus, Sgt. Slaughter is represented both by the specifics of his Mess Hall Dip (the secret is the 12 ounces of sour cream, "or more if desired") and by Ross's reminiscence about the night he and Sarge shared an $8 room in Baton Rouge and Sarge introduced Ross to a local restaurant's best menu item, Sweet and Sour Chicken. "After a sake or two, Sarge could damn near balance an entire egg roll on his chin!" Sarge orders you to enjoy his dip, and regrets that if he were to yield to the impulse to share with you his secret recipe for Slaughter Steak, he'd be forced "to use the Slaughter Cannon and the Cobra Clutch on you."

Though lots of the entries exist to be silly--you can live without Mick Foley's Knuckle Sandwich recipe--the book isn't just a gag. You really can make J.R.'s Slobberknocker Pork Chops and Stone Cold Steve Austin's "Stomp a Mud Hole in Your Steaks and Ribs" Simmering Sauce. Do try this at home, folks! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Jim "J.R." Ross has been involved in the sports-entertainment business for more than twenty-five years. In addition to being the "voice" of the World Wrestling Federation, he currently serves as senior vice president of talent relations and wrestling administration. The proud father of two daughters, he lives in Norwalk, Connecticut, with his wife, Jan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (May 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060987618
• ISBN-13: 978-0060987619
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,633 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These Recipes Are That D@mn Good, November 6, 2000

By 

Chad Spivak (North Miami Beach, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?: The WWF Is Cooking! (Hardcover)

Yes, Triple H himself would have to agree with that statement. Okay, so I am a fan of the WWF, and I was going to buy the book anyway, but I love to cook as well. This book was a really nice surprise.

Jim Ross looks like he likes to eat, so why wouldn't his cookbook be excellent. Not only is is loaded with lots of good photographs, but the recipes are dynamite. So far, I have made the Rock's chocolate chip cookies, and the APA's beer bread (man, was that tasty). I really enjoyed the little descriptions written by Jim Ross for each one as well. Some of them are quite funny.

All in all, this recipe book seems to be a real winner, but then again, anything related with Vince McMahon and the WWF seems to be gold, at least as of late. This cook book would be a nice addition to any at-home chef's collection, and would easily make a nice conversation piece at your next party.

P.S. - I can't wait to try the Big Boss Man's "Pepper Steak." Just don't invite Al Snow over for dinner!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simple, down-home favorites, October 26, 2000

By 

John Cochrane (Alpharetta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?: The WWF Is Cooking! (Hardcover)

Many of these receipes won't offer startling culinary revelations, but they are good American staples nonetheless. The photos of WWF superstars and the lead-in paragraphs to each recipe will please any wrestling fan. A few of the items aren't quite so common: ceveche, cabbage balls, pico de gallo. As with the recent WWF autobiographies, it's a fast read, has an eye-candy format, but also contains enough meaty entries to make your mouth water and your stomach growl. A great read for any wrestling fan, could be a good way to interest a teen in cooking. Highly recommended, and a great value.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunner!, November 14, 2000

By 

"alight" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?: The WWF Is Cooking! (Hardcover)

I've been steadily working my way through the recipes in this book for the last few weeks--a different treat to go with every WWF RAW show. Frankly, I'm surprised at how good most of the recipes are; I expected this cookbook to just be another way for the WWF to make a cheap extra buck off wrestling's current popularity. Down-home treats like meatloaf and chicken fried steak share equal time with unexpected delights like merlot sorbet and breakfast quiche, so there's lots to choose from for all palates. The Tex-Mex recipes are at least as spicy as the titles would lead you to believe--Stone Cold's simmering sauce is more likely to stomp a mudhole in your tastebuds than in your steak. Ingredients tend to go for convenience over taste, so bottled gravy, packaged mixes, canned soup, and jello are frequently listed; a few recipes do focus of fresh veggies, rice, and low-fat cooking methods. It's obvious the editors had fun matching recipes with wrestlers; you gotta love Edge and his party meatballs(awesome!), but it's hard to believe Vince would actually be caught dead eating the cool-whip concoction known as "Millionaire Pie".

The flavor text that introduces each recipe is the real treat for wresting fans--background information on road agents, old time greats, and mid-card guys living it up in the Ohio valley is great fun to read, and with JR's personal writing style, it's like you're catching up with old friends. The combination of wrestling history, great photos of the stars, and pretty simple recipes make this a great first cookbook for young fans, while WWF collectors will love a new addition to the ubiquitous action figures and t-shirts.