Customer Reviews

The Fat Duck Cookbook

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Heston has an (scientific) obsession for making the best tasting and best looking food possible. This obsession is likely to make him legendary.

This is a cookbook for a small minority of customers. You must have an interest in molecular gastronomy methods. You must have a budget that allows you to eat at expensive restaurants. You must like odd people that don't conform to all the norms of society.

Other reviewers have pointed out the recipes are extremely complicated. A lot of details are given, but you should be prepared to shell out a couple of thousands of dollars on (used) equipment before you can get started. The book has some pictures of the dishes, but could do with more descriptive pictures.

However, this is just not a glossy book to boost the ego of its author. I find the discussion around taste, chemistry and visuals relating to each recipe very interesting. You really get a look into Heston's thought process. I don't think Heston has used a ghost writer. I would imagine this can inspire both professional chefs as well as amateur cooks, if so inclined. One place to start experimenting might be with the whisky gums, which don't require any expensive equipment.

Heston's general approach is to perfect a dish. You can set out to do something similar given your budget constraint. If you don't have a professional vacuum sealer maybe try with cheap 100 dollar device, and see what happens. Or my might use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air of the bag. The only thing you need is time!

There is one other audience for this book and that is people interested in the creative process in general. The long biographical essay describes an obsessive person setting out to do something creative. It is written in a fascinating manner, if and only if you are interested in the creative process. Actually this section could serve as ispiration for some young people to follow their intuition rather than go for a very safe career. For this type of reader, I can also recommend Adria's "A day at Elbulli".

I would recommend this edition of the book. It is a normal hardcover edition. There is also a superexpensive big edition. I would not recommend that unless you want to have a thick tome to impress. The cheaper edition is hardcover too, so more than enough for most people.

UPDATE: Now when Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking is published, that should be your first serious book on the subject.

I don't really like to review books online, as so much of the review is subjective. I'll make an exception for the Fat Duck Cookbook. It's that good.

First off, the recipes are amazing... as they should be, since they are the exact recipes used in Blumethal's world-renowned restaurant. They are also elaborate. If you decide to make one, think of it as a quest rather than as a traditional recipe to be made in an afternoon - most of these will involve a good deal of searching for ingredients, a large amount prep time, and sometimes specific equipment ranging from just hard-to-find to hard-to-find AND really expensive.

Even if you don't make the recipes... even if this book didn't HAVE any recipes, it would still be great. The photos and art are nearly worth the asking price on their own. Huge, glossy, detailed pictures of some of the most intricate and intricately plated dishes I've ever seen. Enough beautiful abstract art to justify it as a coffee table book in this respect alone. Furthermore, each recipe is accompanied by an essay on the development of that recipe and thoughts on exactly what makes that recipe work, or why previous iterations of it did not work as well. You don't have to make the recipes to find this type of commentary useful.

Then there are the other two thirds of the book. One is somewhere between an autobiography and a treatise on the author's culinary formation and thought process. Sound dull? It isn't. In part because of how well it is written - relatable, brisk, to the point. Even more so because of Blumenthal's enormous insight into both the art and science of cooking. He explains his process in creating and perfecting his food using specific examples. He alludes to the science he uses whenever applicable - his explanations are neither dumbed down nor are they a single bit more complicated or hard to understand than need be.

I found myself using a highlighter while reading it to mark things I wanted to look up later.

And as though Blumenthal somehow knew about my highlighter, he included as the last third of the book an index of terms, descriptions of equipment and ingredients, and essays on the scientific aspects of cooking and eating. Essay topics range from emulsions to how taste and pleasure are related via the brain. Most of these essays are not by Blumenthal - they are written by scientists who have influenced Blumenthal and added to his understanding.

I should point out, I guess, that this book is probably not for most culinary novices. The pictures might go over well, but the rest will be like showing calculus to someone who's still learning to add. But for pros and dedicated amateurs, I don't think a cookbook gets much better. It's inspiring, beautiful, and informative. As much as it can teach about the science of cooking, it has just as much insight into the art of cooking - what associations, effects, textures, contexts, and flavors make a dish great. In this way, it is just as invaluable to the classical cook as the cutting edge one. It prompts you to look at a dish and wonder 'In a perfect world, what could make this even better?' And suggests that whatever the answer is, it may well be possible.

My goodness what a wonderful cookbook. Ok, so few will be making the recipes in here, but the Fat Duck isn't rated 2nd in the world because you can make the food at home. You will learn so many interesting things. Nitro green tea and lime mousse will make perfect sense after you read his thought process. It's great to be able to look into the mind of a genius for only $35. I love the Alinea cookbook but this is much better. I almost wish I would have splurged and bought the big version.

This book is absolutely gorgeous. It has amazing photos and is ubermodern and innovative. It is all molecular gastronomy cuisine and the measurements are in grams and use ingredients like "leather essence" and fructose and lots of liquid nitrogen. I recommend it as a coffee table book or a gift for someone who loves complex cooking and food.

...but not, really, a "cook book" as the recipes (lab protocols?) are extremely complex and require ingredients and equipment not likely to be stocked in your local grocery store. That being said, it's a book I'm glad I own.

The first third, at least, isn't a cook book at all--it's an autobiographical history of developing as a molecular-gastronomical chef. The writing is engaging and speaks with a clear personality; you get the sense that you'd really enjoy sitting down for a chat with the chef/author. The second section is recipes, including extremely entertaining back-stories for how they were developed, from the genesis idea to the trials and tribulations of execution. I laughed out loud reading the recipe for the oysters when he described creating a soundtrack (loaded on an ipod chip which was then inserted into a conch shell) to accompany the dish, as well as the "ocean scent" perfume that was developed by a master perfumer and smeared on fan blades to waft the scent of the sea over diners. And I haven't reached the third section, so I can't comment on that at all.

I am an avid home cook who regularly prepares multi-course, plated dinners for my friends and consequently have a neighborhood reputation for excess in the kitchen. I think the stories in this book might put my dabbling into perspective for my non-foodie friends.

The only thing I would have liked more of, since this is a book about inspiration more than instruction, would be more actual photos of the finished dishes. Many times there are only sketches or images the evoke the sense of the dish, but not the actuality. But all-in-all it's a beautiful book that you'll be happy to own.

There is no question that the first edition of Heston Blumenthal's book is an amazing creation; I would go to the point of calling it a work of art given its glorious design, originality and extraordinary photography. I bought the original very expensive version and was so impressed that I returned the next day to buy a copy for a friend, a distinguished chef.

Considering the significant reduction in price from the original release, this reissue represents excellent value. It must be noted however that the quality of the photographic reproduction, while good in itself, does not have the clarity and color definition found in the original. Additionaly the format size is somewhat smaller and the paper quality above average rather than exceptional. I realise that the first issue was very pricey, but my investment has delivered great dividends in enjoying its decadent luxury in private contemplation and impressing as well as sharing it with friends. In acquiring the cheaper edition it will still be possible to marvel at the extraordinarily complicated recipes, interesting text and beautiful photography. But if you can, try save your pennies and buy the original. I guarantee you won't regret the extravagance

I bought this book a few weeks ago and just recently got the time to actually read it. I think this is important to whether or not people will enjoy this book -- it is much more than a collection of recipes, but a fairly comprehensive history of Chef Blumenthal and The Fat Duck. Also, you must be at least somewhat interested in the type of cuisine expressed here (it seems that all of the 1-star reviewers didn't know what they were getting themselves into, and so did not enjoy the book). I enjoyed this immensely, and have read it almost cover-to-cover.

Do I expect to recreate these recipes at home? Of course not. And, unless you have an immersion circulator, dry ice, liquid nitrogen, et al in your home kitchen, neither should you. What this book is great for is following his train of thought to see just how he created the dish, and then using his concepts and recipes as imaginative springboards to take your thinking out of the "box" that many find comforting, but some -- like Blumenthal -- find claustrophobic.

If my copy was lost or damaged, I would buy it again. But would I buy it for a friend? Maybe. It entirely depends on the person, whether they will enjoy it or find it superfluous.

A brilliant effort from all the contributors, it is masterfully done and a piece of art. It gives us some insight into what we take so for granted, "eating". It is not for "home cooks" and "recipe collectors".
I am sure in the next century Heston will be credited for such an effort.

I love this book. There are so many simple ideas on how to cook something easier or better. It opens up the imagination and gets me motivated to be better at cooking. Ice cream with dry ice! Stock in the pressure cooker! I just would not have thought about it. So interesting.

Maybe we do not appreciate physical tangible books as much as we should, but this is one that reminds us. The contents are magnificent and stimulating. The layout and printing is well-done, and the heft and format of the book make it a treasure.

Good as a gift, or as a keep.