Customer Reviews

Family Food: A New Approach to Cooking (Penguin Cookery Library)

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I think that Family Food could be the most brilliant food books ever. If you think that this was written for kids then you miss the plot. I am a professional chef but I found this How to fry an egg and the like brilliant, let's face it a perfectly fried egg is like the perfect cup of tea. Seemingly easy but where do you find it on a consistant basis.
This book is very thought provoking because at it's essence it is about attention to detail, and doing very simple things in an orderly way.
The Japanese made a whole ritual out of making tea because tea can only be done one way.
This is not a childrens book, this is about the absolute Zen of cooking.

Mike Dolan

Molecular Gastronomy chef Heston Blumenthal is one of my favourite cooks. The ambition to learn children more about quality cooking should be applauded, but unfortuantely it fails to convince me. While his own kids, probably brought up on caviar and foi gras are as ambitious and daring as father Heston, other kids main problem is that they don't even dare to try unrecognisable food. The other problem I have, is the design. The recepies are often fantastic but the lay out in the book is founded on cliché photography and put together with unispired typography . Familiy food lack the playfulness of, say, Nigella Lawson when she cooks with her kids.

When I purchased this book, I had read an article on Mr. Blumenthal revolutionary approach to food preparation. I was disappointed with this book since it does not offer any insight in said approach as he practises in his restaurant The Fat Duck. His approach is most intriguing so I would like to read about his philosophy on food. His book Family Food is valid for a parent who, being a beginner cook, wants to get his kids interested in food preparation, but it offers very little to anyone who has been cooking for a long time and knows the basics such as how to cook lentils or make a basic couscous, etc... I would have liked to read about some of the intriguing combinations by Mr Blumenthal such as white chocolate and caviar...