Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro [Paperback]

Joseph Carey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2006

What if you could look at any recipe and instantly grasp the technique involved in its cooking, the time it would take to prepare, and all the equipment needed? By demonstrating that all cooking breaks down into five simple procedures and by helping you master them, Chef on Fire enables you to look at any recipe and instantly grasp the technique involved, the time it would take to prepare, and all the equipment needed. Cutting through the inundation of information presented by many cookbooks, Chef Carey drives home one principle: there are only five things you can do to food with heat.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Carey (Creole Nouvelle), founder of the Memphis Culinary Academy, offers a far-reaching look at the craft of cooking. Although he provides a wealth of varied recipes from Thai Chicken Satay to Arroz con Pollo to Blanquette de Veau, he is careful to point out that this is not a recipe book. Instead, it's a handbook focusing on the five distinct cooking techniques: cooking with dry heat, boiling, cooking with fat, cooking with fat and liquid combined, and extraction. Carey contends that mastering these five techniques allows the cook to produce any savory dish perfectly. He provides step-by-step instructions on everything home cooks need to know to produce professional-quality dishes, from the classic mother sauces to clarifying consommé to grilling fish. Recipes range from the complex (Coquilles St. Jacques à la Parisienne) to the easy (Mashed Potatoes), and even include instructions for a three-hour Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, dressing, cornbread, cranberry sauce, pie, gravy, stock and haricots verts. Instructive illustrations and helpful tips are provided throughout. This book is an excellent addition to any cook's library. (Apr.)
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Review

Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro packs a lifetime of cooking experience into a 331-page book, all designed to help relative new-comers turn out food like a seasoned pro...even some of your most experience line cooks can learn plenty from this book. (Restaurant Hospitality )

Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro packs a lifetime of cooking experience into a 331-page book, all designed to help relative new-comers turn out food like a seasoned pro...even some of your most experience line cooks can learn plenty from this book. (Restaurant Hospitality )

Chef Joseph Carey has done it again! In his latest book, Chef on Fire, he combines careful attention to classic culinary techniques with his creative flair and acute sensory intelligence. He lets readers in on the ways that the classic methods of food preparation are the basis of fine cooking and shows beginners to seasoned cooks how to turn out food as good as any professional. This book reveals the chefs' secrets for creating exciting and flavorful dishes in the home kitchen. (Denis Kelly )

This is a rare creature: A technical book with a lively soul! Culinary school in print, with a charismatic teacher who has made a clever division of material, appealing to novice and seasoned cooks alike. Groundbreaking! (David Rosengarten )

Carey (Creole Nouvelle), founder of the Memphis Culinary Academy, offers a far-reaching look at the craft of cooking. Although he provides a wealth of varied recipes from Thai Chicken Satay to Arroz con Pollo to Blanquette de Veau, he is careful to point out that this is not a recipe book. Instead, it's a handbook focusing on the five distinct cooking techniques: cooking with dry heat, boiling, cooking with fat, cooking with fat and liquid combined, and extraction. Carey contends that mastering these five techniques allows the cook to produce any savory dish perfectly. He provides step-by-step instructions on everything home cooks need to know to produce professional-quality dishes, from the classic mother sauces to clarifying consommé to grilling fish. Recipes range from the complex (Coquilles St. Jacques à la Parisienne) to the easy (Mashed Potatoes), and even include instructions for a three-hour Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, dressing, cornbread, cranberry sauce, pie, gravy, stock and haricots verts. Instructive illustrations and helpful tips are provided throughout. This book is an excellent addition to any cook's library. (Publishers Weekly )

Carey (Creole Nouvelle), founder of the Memphis Culinary Academy, offers a far-reaching look at the craft of cooking. Although he provides a wealth of varied recipes from Thai Chicken Satay to Arroz con Pollo to Blanquette de Veau, he is careful to point out that this is not a recipe book. Instead, it's a handbook focusing on the five distinct cooking techniques: cooking with dry heat, boiling, cooking with fat, cooking with fat and liquid combined, and extraction. Carey contends that mastering these five techniques allows the cook to produce any savory dish perfectly. He provides step-by-step instructions on everything home cooks need to know to produce professional-quality dishes, from the classic mother sauces to clarifying consommé to grilling fish. Recipes range from the complex (Coquilles St. Jacques à la Parisienne) to the easy (Mashed Potatoes), and even include instructions for a three-hour Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey, dressing, cornbread, cranberry sauce, pie, gravy, stock and haricots verts. Instructive illustrations and helpful tips are provided throughout. This book is an excellent addition to any cook's library. (Publishers Weekly )

Definitely more than just a recipe book, [Chef on Fire] it packs a remarkable amount of information into a food reference volume that may just change the way you look at cooking. (Wine Lovers' Page )

Definitely more than just a recipe book, [Chef on Fire] it packs a remarkable amount of information into a food reference volume that may just change the way you look at cooking. (Wine Lovers' Page )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing; 1st Taylor Trade Pub. Ed edition (March 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589793064
• ISBN-13: 978-1589793064
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Curriculum Vitae

Chef Joseph Carey was born in New Orleans. His palate was developed at a tender age by two maiden aunts who treated him to meals in The Crescent City's finest restaurants. He travels frequently to New Orleans to keep abreast of the latest chefs and cooking trends.
Carey grew up working in his stepfather's bakery. He attended Louisiana State University and Indiana University, obtaining a bachelor's degree in English literature from the latter. He served as a combat photographer/correspondent in Vietnam.
From 1971 through 1983 Chef Carey worked as an executive chef, general manager and restaurant owner in the San Francisco Bay area. He was executive chef at a high-volume hotel in Berkeley. He was night chef at the original Scott's on Lombard Street. He was executive chef at the critically acclaimed Caracole in San Francisco. He opened and was executive chef at Mudd's, in San Ramon, where he featured California Nouvelle cuisine. After a stint as executive chef at The Tides in Sausalito, Carey went on to open, as executive chef, two Crogan's Bar and Grill's in the East Bay, one in Walnut Creek and one in the Montclair District of Oakland.
In 1984, Chef Carey established the Memphis Culinary Academy. Four times yearly, he taught his ten-week course to students who wished to become professional chefs. Approximately 1,200 graduates of his personally developed academic program are working throughout the South as chefs, sous chefs, and kitchen managers. Many are currently working as executive chefs throughout the south and southwest. Some have gone into institutional food service and have become food service managers in corporate kitchens and hospitals. Several have appeared on the Food Network.
Chef Carey also established three distinguished Memphis restaurants: Cafe Meridien, the King Cotton Cafe, and 25 Belvedere. Cafe Meridien was included in Mariani's Coast to Coast Dining Guide.
The Memphis chapter of the American Culinary Federation twice elected Chef Carey as president of its local, and once as vice president.
Chef Carey was one of the first 25 individuals to pass the International Association of Cooking Professionals examination for Certified Culinary Professional under the auspices of the International Association of Cooking Professionals. Carey was also Memphis' first Certified Executive Chef, a credential issued by the American Culinary Federation.
Such food giants as Nestles, Kraft and Alliant Foods have contracted for his services for demonstrations at major food shows, and Chef Carey was consultant for the opening gala for 1,500 at the Memphis "Wonders" series Rameses Exhibit in Memphis, a major cultural event in the city. He has cooked for both the Irish and Egyptian ambassadors to the United States. Additionally, he has done events for large corporations such as GMC.

For several years Chef Carey did the annual SuperChef series for the Simon Malls. He did both demonstrations and participated in Ready-Set-Cook events.

In addition to his cooking talents, he is sought after for other culinary expertise: Chef Carey designed the kitchen for The Brushmark, the restaurant in the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, and he designed the teaching kitchen at the Shelby County Correction Center, where he also developed a program to teach culinary arts to inmates. For six years, Carey and his staff of professional chefs taught classic culinary arts classes at the Shelby County Correction center in this kitchen. Over 900 inmates successfully completed his class, and approximately 500 of those graduates have gone on to work in professional food service as productive citizens upon release.

Carey taught several very popular culinary classes based upon regional cuisines through the University of Memphis Continuing Education Department each semester and he also developed and taught Heart Healthy classes for the University of Tennessee. He regularly judges cooking contests.

A local newspaper, The Germantown News, had him on staff as a columnist, and on occasion Chef Carey wrote special features for the local Scripp's Howard newspaper, The Commercial Appeal.

He did three local television series: the local ABC affiliate, WHBQ (Channel 13 at the time), hired him for an evening news spot called A Taste of Memphis; for three years, he was a regular with his cooking tips on the noon news on the local CBS affiliate, WREG (Channel 3); and for many years, Chef Carey did a half hour show on local Cablevision called The American Epicure. He has been interviewed on television in singular appearances, as well.

When national celebrities came to Memphis for appearances, Chef Carey was regularly consulted for recommendations for personal chefs for them. Additionally, he has provided graduates of his school to be personal chefs, on a more permanent basis, for Ron Terry, President and CEO of the First Tennessee Bank and Dixie Carter and Annie Potts of the television show Designing Women.

Chef Carey has written two cookbooks. The first, Creole Nouvelle: Contemporary Creole Cookery was published to quite positive reviews in 2004. With Chef Carey in the book are five of New Orleans' best chefs. In addition to Chef Carey's recipes, recipes from Bayona, Herbsaint, Peristyle and Lilette are included. The second, Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro, a culinary technique volume, was published in April of 2006 and also very well received.

Carey relocated to Oregon in 2007. He currently lives in Yamhill County, in the heart of wine country. He is writing novels and teaching the occasional cooking class in Portland.

Carey's interests include reading, writing, history, food, and computers. He has two sons, 25 and 32. He is addicted to reading and wine drinking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid cookbook with good instruction and varied recipes., September 9, 2006

By 

I. Seligman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro (Paperback)

I'm impressed by a chef that quotes Gautama Siddharta, lists an individual portioned coulibiac recipe, a chile rellenos recipe, tells how to pipe Duchess potatoes, and informs that potatoes are sold in 50 lb cartons with "count size" from 40 to 120 potatoes in a carton. It gets better when he salts (bitter) purple eggplant, then further instructs to put a weight on top to remove excess water (these steps are not needed for smaller or non bitter eggplants-I don't salt my eggplants, and no happy eater has been the wiser). He double-fries french fries for tastier crispier results. He sautes often with unsalted butter, albeit clarified, for taste.

He puts grilled or sauted meats over a puree of garlic potatoes, to soak up juices...He correctly assigns the origins of Caesar Salad and Cobb Salads...he mentions polyphenol oxidase, the enzyme that causes unsightly browning of cut fruits and vegetables. Yes this is an experienced chef with a touch of food science, a la Harold McGee, painlessly dispensed as useful hints.

He suggests sauteing in heavy, stainless steel lined copper or aluminum pans, for fast heat transfer and optimal control.He premixes salt with ground black or white pepper, to speed up salt and peppering when put in a shaker or "dredge".

He gentlemanly names and compliments his chef-mentors, (whereas other bitter cookbook writers such as Susur Lee, backstab those who helped, and can not defend themselves in print).

This is a good general book for beginner to intermediate cooks, with lots of hints that do not appear in many recipes.

Some drawbacks follow, minor at that, such that in a creme caramel recipe he instructs inserting a toothpick to check doneness, assuming a cook knows what to look for, without telling what to expect.

I saute not with his clarified unsalted butter or his expensive extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), but often prefer a mix of unsalted butter with vegetable oil, or less expensive olive oil, as the heating destroys the delicate flavor of EVOO. There's a better "butter taste" when using nonclarified unsalted butter, when mixed with a corn, safflower or other oil.

There's no mention of the crunchier panko bread crumbs in recipes as a possibility. He doesn't mention brining, in a salt and sugar solution, for a juicier and tastier chicken or turkey, though he does put chicken to be fried in buttermilk bath, a good alternative. I prefer somewhat lumpy mashed potatoes with butter first added, then milk and some cream. He prefers smooth and lump free potatoes, with milk added before only 2 tablespoons of butter for six potatoes, making a soggier less creamy tasting and less distinctive mashed potato. There's no right way, you just may get more compliments with certain ways....and more calories too, so you be the judge of taste vs calories.

For making a Cassoulet, he does not tell how long to boil and soak the beans, or say what is the desired consistency of the beans for the best taste and results. He bakes the cassoulet only one hour at 425 degrees, rather than several hours at a lower heat and slower rate, to better mix the flavors. Most savvy chefs cook a soup or stew, refrigerate it overnight to let the taste get fuller and richer, then cook it again the next day, as stews and soups taste generally better the second day.

Many of the recipes are reasonable shortcuts of longer ones, that may or may not taste quite as you may have tasted in other homes or restaurants. That's fine for this sort of book...if you want you can "Google" similar recipes from the internet, open other cookbooks, and see how others fix them, and adapt your own recipe. Better you cook a good recipe, than be intimidated and avoid a lengthier recipe until you are at that stage of cooking comfort. I use any recipes as just a rough guide, and not something carved in stone. (Don't improvise in baking recipes, unless you have some baking experience, as the results may be disheartening).

The awkward quirky index is only listed by broad headings such as Breads, Dessert, Main Course, Salads, Sides, etc., and not alphabetically as in most books by the name of the dish, or with a section listing by main ingredients. If you want Oysters Rockefeller, it won't be listed under "Appetizers", you must mindread, and look under "Main Course". Want to make "french fries"? They are not listed as "French Fries", or silly "Freedom Fries". Chef Carey is a bit fancy here, and lists them as "Pommes Frites Allumettes". You get the picture. Good luck.

This book would have been much better if checked over by a professional cook or cookbook writer as proofreader, to catch these and other errors, such as noting , on the first page, his favorite text, the distinguished Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire" to have a mere "over 500" recipes, instead of over 5 thousand recipes.

The black and white quickly hand drawn illustrations are few, feeble and generally useless. A shame when a few color or even B&W pages of finished dishes could really sell a recipe, or in this case, the book. So many of my beginning to intermediate cookng friends thrive on color or well done B&W pictures, as suggestions on beautiful plating appearances,and choose cookbooks with some photos as a major criteria.

My praise is overall solid for this book, my criticisms few and really mild, in perspective. Overall, I take off one star, and give 4 stars for a cook-friendly book I recommend buying, with lots of practical advice.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A technique-oriented book covering boiling, cooking with dry heat, and more, August 18, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro (Paperback)

If you could take any recipe and break it down into five easy steps, you'd be able to master different procedures, and CHEF ON FIRE: THE FIVE TECHNIQUES FOR USING HEAT LIKE A PRO does just this, presenting a technique-oriented book covering boiling, cooking with dry heat, and more. Recipes are couched within the method rather than being profiled as a reason for learning the method, putting the emphasis on learning techniques rather than recipes alone. And it's the techniques which will lead to 'making' the good cook.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant approach for the home cook, May 18, 2008

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro (Paperback)

Chef Joseph Carey is the author of Creole Nouvelle: Contemporary Creole Cookery, a New Orleans native and graduate of Indiana University. He was an executive chef in San Francisco for 16 years, lived in Memphis, where he opened several restaurants and owned and operated the Memphis Culinary Academy, and now lives and works in Oregon.

Carey's Chef on Fire: The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro is at heart not a recipe book although it contains a couple of hundred of them. Instead, Chef Carey teaches five basic methods, introducing a simple yet brilliant concept. He promises that if one masters these five fundamental methods, any home cook can become an expert.

Carey brings his considerable teaching skills to bear on the five methods of applying heat to food:

* Cooking with dry heat (Roasting, grilling and baking)
* Cooking with wet heat (Boiling, simmering, poaching)
* Cooking with fat (Frying, sautéeing)
* Cooking with fat and liquid combined (Braising)
* Extraction (Stocks, sauces and soups)

Carey describes each method in detail and in clear and sometimes poetic language. He illustrates each method with numerous stories from his career and with recipes that any home cook can master. The dishes are eclectic and the book carries an enormous amount of information that may well change your approach to cooking.


Robert C. Ross 2008