Customer Reviews

Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I am cooking for my family I generally go right on the food network and print out or save recipes from Anne Burrell. I have made as many as 3 a week to try out and others are in my back pocket for something to make in a pinch. Her pasta and dough recipes are really great and quick to do. I received this book yesterday and in a house of picky eaters I could not find one recipe that I didn't like. There are different sections of the book and is laid out very different then any other cookbook I own. She has designed it so that you can do all your prep work along with the recipe and then start cooking right away. There are helpful notes and alternatives if you want to use a different protein or vegetable. If you have watched her shows or made any of her recipes this is a must have book for you. I think anyone that is a fan of hers will agree when I say that this is the best cookbook by far that I own. It also has pictures as well so you can see what it should look like or if your family is like mine the visual and ingredients can tell me whether they will eat it or not. Great Book Must Buy!!!

We watch her show all the time. Some of the recipes included are ones from her show (that we tried and liked alot). The recipes are simple, easy to prepare and most important taste good. Looking forward to cooking my way thru this book. Way to go Anne!!

I love Anne Burrell - her recipes are awesome and I love how she makes you WANT to cook something spectacular. I was so excited to get her book since I normally download her recipes from Foodnetwork, but I was so disappointed in the editing errors that I found in the book. I guess I could have overlooked these errors , but then I came across the dealbreaker: I have made the Sweet Potato and Apple Hash for a dinner party in the past, and everyone loved it, so I decided to make it for Thanksgiving, following the recipe in her book. While making it, it didn't seem right since I could not remember having used chicken broth, and didn't I have to roast the sweet potato??? I also didn't remember the maple syrup. Hmmmm. I double checked on the internet AND the taped version of her show which I kept (that's how much I love this dish), and alas, it is a totally different recipe! Mistake, or just a different version? If it's a different version, it should have been named something different, or a notation should have been included somewhere on the page. In any case, I like the version that I originially fell in love with when I watched her make it on her show (Secrets of a Restaurant Chef). The one in her book ended up tasting good (all the flavors were there), but it was mushy... a totally different dish. Makes me wonder how many other recipes have crticial errors in them as well..... Sorry Anne, I have to return your book. I don't have time to be double-checking the recipes to make sure they're correct - that's what your editor is for! Still love your show, but in the future, I'll just download your recipes from the internet. - Mrs. Garcia

I watch the Food Network probably waaaay too much. I have my favorites and watch them like I am back in school and studying like I expect a final. Anne Burrell is my favorite. She is clear and rather than talking down to her audience, she takes them with her. She makes being a chef, something that seems attainable for the rest of us. The book is written so well, I felt as if she were talking to me. She is clearly in love with Italian food, so much that I think she should add an 'i' to her last name. The recipes are very straight forward and her tips very easy but really good. The way she does her recipes is different but very elegant. She starts with a chefy sounding "mise en place" which just means have everything ready before you start cooking. This may sound like a lot of work but if everything you need is ready and waiting for you, it helps you to enjoy the cooking part. Her pasta recipes are simple but they taste GREAT. I pre-ordered the book and I'm glad I did. This book is worth every penny. I can't wait for her next book, show or whatever. She obviously loves what she does and it is contagious.

Chef Anne is my favorite Food Network personality, hands down. In fact, it was her infectious personality that got me watching Food Network to begin with. I'm not a huge fan of cooking, so I never bothered watching any cooking shows (I only have the Food Network channel because it came with my cable package!) until one day I accidentally stumbled across an episode of Worst Cooks in America. It was Chef Robert Irvine (having the body of a Greek god!) who caught my attention and got me to stop on that channel.....but it was Chef Anne's energy and general bubbliness that kept me there. I loved how she interacted with the cooks she was in charge of teaching and tried to pass her love of all things culinary on to them. I found myself rearranging my schedule so I could watch the show again the following week. And so I was hooked.

That being said, I do not buy cookbooks sight unseen, and this one is no exception. I can follow most recipes and end up with a pretty decent result, but that doesn't mean I want to spend 2 hours preparing a meal that will take my family 20 minutes to eat. I don't necessarily *mind* cooking, but I don't necessarily *like* to cook either. If I am with somebody who prefers to do the cooking, I will enthusiastically hand the reigns over and let them cook. And I never, ever, EVER cook for just myself. That is, to me, the biggest waste of my own time. Sooooo, when my husband found out that Chef Anne was going to be releasing a cookbook, he asked me if he could pre-order it for me. My response to him? "No thanks!"

Chef Anne is absolutely amazing in the kitchen and she can do things that I could never even hope to achieve in the very best of all my culinary dreams. So, upon hearing that she was releasing a cookbook, I mistakenly assumed that it would be aimed at people with a relatively advanced level of kitchen prowess, which I certainly do NOT have. And I never thought twice about declining his offer to buy me the book. No, her book will be too complicated for me, she is too professional to write a cookbook aimed at cooks like me. Hmmm, did I learn nothing from that entire season of Worst Cooks in America?

Yesterday I found myself having extra time to kill, so I wandered over to the bookstore to grab a coffee and do some general browsing for an hour. There was a big table right there in the middle of the floor with a dozen or so New Releases on it, and Chef Anne's book was there. I had completely forgotten it was released! So, having so much time to kill and having so much respect for Anne as a chef, I grabbed a copy and sat down to begin my time-killing hour. I read every single recipe and most of her little comments and was pleasantly surprised to see that these were recipes that even *I* could pull off! These were elegant, sophisticated looking recipes that absolutely, positively did NOT require an elegant, sophisticated talent to create. I was *so* excited and enthusiastically left the bookstore with Chef Anne's book under my arm and a desire to go home and cook some of her stuffed mushrooms, which I did. And they were outstanding!

I adore Chef Anne for several reasons. First of all, her talent is undeniable. I desperately want her to win the Next Iron Chef competition, but I won't get started on that in this review. Second of all, Chef Anne empowers me. Not only does she make me WANT to cook, but she makes me feel like I actually CAN cook, and that I can cook WELL. She has altered my indifferent attitude towards cooking and made me excited to try new recipes and to believe in my ability to turn out a delicious meal. I will be forever grateful to her for that.

Thank you Chef Anne! You inspire me.

As a former cookbook editor/writer/recipe tester-this is the book I wish I had written. Great advice well-presented plus delicious recipes that are easy to make.

I enjoy watching Anne on tv and mentioned to someone recently that I think I have learned more cooking tricks and techniques watching her than any other cooking show that I watch. Her book does not disappoint. She has the same "tips" written that she shares on her shows. Many of the recipes that I have seen her cook on tv are included in the book which I was very happy about as I don't have to look up and print. It's funny, I deleted her shows that I had watched and saved on my dvr since I received the book. No need to go back and watch again since I received the book. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Good luck Anne on your Iron Chef competition!

Anne Burrell is, of course, a true Chef Rock Star. Her cookbook has been long awaited and she did not disappoint. Her recipes are AMAZING and like her FOOD NETWORK TV show, Chef Anne teaches you how to really cook. BIG MEAT BABY!!! This cookbook rocks and I can't wait to cook all of the recipes. As for the first reviewer that claims that this cookbook is mostly seafood, do not believe it. Of the 125 recipes only 15 or so are seafood. WOOPTY DO! If you love to cook BUY THIS COOKBOOK and buy one for the people in your life that love to cook as well. THANK YOU CHEF ANNE for being a great teacher and giving us the chance to cook like a rock star!

Chef Burrell is my favorite chef on the Food Channel. I think she can outcook any of the chefs on the channel, past or present. I pre-ordered her cookbook long before it became available. So when I got the book, I read through it right away and found many of her older recipes in there, but not the more recent ones, such as her stuffed braised veal breast with spinach and mushrooms, etc. Her recipes are easy to follow. There is always something extra delicious in her food, which really make her a rock star. This cookbook is well written, with great photos of most recipes, and chef Burrell's earthy and spunky personality shows through which makes it entertaining to read. I hope she writes another cookbook soon and include her more recent recipes. And I hope she wins the Iron Chef competition which began on the Food Channel last night.

Anne Burrell isn't for everyone, but her food most definitely is.

As a supplement to Anne's "Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" show on Food Network, this book is amazing and worth a 5 star rating, but after trying many of her recipes from the show, and several form the cookbook, I have to say that the show recipes are better than the ones she has in the book. The range of generally italian inspired recipes presented is great, from tapas style appetizers, through to heavier entrees, side dishes, and even desserts (Anne does desserts? Who knew!) the book does present some great recipes ... just don't be disappointed if you find the ones online are a little more interesting (Anne's Pot Roast recipe is amazing - Google it ;).

I feel like this book is the support act, rather than the rock star it should be - definitely worth the money, but not solid enough to headline the show.