Customer Reviews

Firehouse Food: Cooking with San Francisco's Firefighters

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While visiting the Yountville fire station, we saw this book in the hands of a young, apron wearing firefighter responsible for the night's dinner. The kitchen smelled so good, we were sad that the Chief did not invite us to stay.

The recipes and accompaning photos are easy to make and you will love the unique take on old world recipes. But don't think the recipes are just your mother's old platters, the dishes have an edge that you would expect in San Francisco's finest and ecclectic restaurants.

Try the recipes and you will feel like you are in their "house". The firefighters' different backgrounds offer a diversity of flavors that is unusual for a themed cookbook. The pork mole, among others, is to die for! We HIGHLY recommend this book.

My brother-in-law contributed to this, and I've eaten a lot of his (fantastic) cooking, so I'm writing with a positive bias and a lot of trust in the tastes and textures based on his talents.

So far, I've tried the Beef Barley soup and the Junkyard Dog Champion Chili. Both recipes combine a tasty collection of ingredients, a somewhat long prep time, and delicious results.

There are a number of recipes in this book that sound very warm, hearty, and flavorful. The directions are quite clear - I'd summarize the attitude of the book as trying to make it clear how to get a few good dishes just right. I hope to make it through them all.

Given the quality of what you'll end up eating, and the portion of the sale price going to charity, it's a great buy.

San Francisco is a place that abounds with good food. The San Francisco Firehouse is no exception. The firefighters take pride in what's being served. Thx for sharing with this book. The green chile cheese and corn casserole is splendido. The San Diego Tribune reviewed it and sold me on buying it!

So far, I've tried five of the recipes and my family has loved all of meals! Even my mother-in-law said that the Chicken Tortilla Soup I made from the recipe in the book was the best soup she's ever eaten. The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to find at the supermarket. I can't wait until this weekend to try some more of the recipes! I'm looking forward to the sequel!

This is a really unique cookbook and it contains some terrific recipes as well as a glimpse of firehouse life. It's also beautifully produced with great photography, simple yet elegant design and excellent quality paper. There's a particularly good recipe and detailed description for making tamales.

As for it being "a couple of jakes out for a quick buck", a portion of the profits go to the Surviving Families Fund of San Francisco Firefighters Local 798. A good cause in this firefighter's opinion...

I bought this at a local book sale. I was really taken in by the great photos...all the dishes looked yummy. While, for the most part, the recipes are not original, I know that firefighters love to cook good food, so I had to try it. So far, two for two. The Carrot Banana Cake is TERRIFIC! The risotto is good, although I had to make some very minor adjustments. There is a broad assortment of dishes (asian, mexican, italian...). Overall, I think this is a great book to have.

My husband is a SF firefighter and tells me that these recipes get made on a regular basis. My husband is a great cook and enjoys cooking for his fellow firefighters. He also knows that if it's not good he's going to hear about it. When he first started with the department he used this book a lot knowing that the recipes had been tested in the firehouses and became classics. The men and women of SFFD know how to cook and love really good food. If you want to get a sense of what they eat in a real big city firehouse you can't go wrong with this book!

Great hearty foods that have perfect seasoning and with fresh ingrediants. So many of the mens cookbooks are open a can of this and add a can of that. Not so with this one.
Yet, the recipes are easy for those of us who are not in familar territory in the kitchen. This is a collection of the best of the best. You will be your own best customer and you can expect to be treated to accolades and requests of repeat performances.

Great firehouse recipes. My dad is an SFFD fireman and most of their recipes are done by memory so its great to have them written down for others to use. It was wonderful to also see old friends cooking. A great book for the fireman or cook in your family.

Who knew that this cookbook would have such great Chinese, Thai and Filipino recipes?
I was looking for a cookbook for easy ground meat recipes and this looked like it
would fit the bill. And hey, what do you know - some of SF's firefighters are women
too - not to mention Chief Joanne Hayes-White.
The diversity of cuisines was a welcome relief from the all tomato
and all pasta and all bread usual recipes of firehouses. So is the diversity of people.
Thank you San Francisco, for being the leader once again.