It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life [Hardcover]

Michael Schlow (Author), Mario Batali (Foreword), Michael Schlow (Author), Mario Batali (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 2005

This unique cookbook will be used again and again for its inspirational stories, informative sidebars, helpful tricks, and most of all, for its broad range of never-fail recipes that are easy to follow and always special. It’s About Time contains more than 150 meticulously tested recipes that range broadly from 30-minute meals and summer barbeques to elegant entertaining. There’s even a chapter on spending an entire day in the kitchen – a bottle of wine, music on the stereo – engaging in some much-needed “culinary therapy.” It’s About Time honors the traditions and social importance of food and eating while recognizing the realities of life today. Visually stunning and indispensably useful, it breaks the cookbook mold in ways that are exciting and refreshing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The reference to time in this work's title has multiple meanings for Schlow, executive chef of Boston's Radius. The author divides his book into eight "times," or moods: Chapter Two, for example, is titled "Time to Get the Family Together," while Chapter Seven, "Time to Look Like a Pro," teaches readers how to pull off dishes that look as if they require far more time to prepare than they actually do (e.g., Tomato Confit). The foods benefit from Schlow's substantial experience in both French and Italian cooking, although the range of cuisines he covers is wide, as the chapter on barbecue attests. Schlow is invested in handing over the reins in the kitchen to readers, not basking in his own glory (he was a James Beard Award winner in his first year of eligibility), so a fair number of the recipes knowingly cater to cooks who are not CIA-trained. Schlow also uses "time" quite specifically; he advocates slow cooking for certain dishes. Slow Roasted Salmon with Cabbage, Bacon and Dill, for example, is cooked in a 250-degree oven. Not all of Schlow's recipes pertain to his subtitle; his Hamachi Tartare with Warm Scallion Compote and Caviar hardly seems like an "everyday life" kind of concoction, but his jazzy, engaging humor may encourage curious readers to attempt his more difficult creations. (Apr. 19)
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Review

Amazon Editors' Pick - Top 10 Cookbooks for 2005

"The recipes we tried in the test kitchen are every bit as good as they sound. . . . If you think you don't have time to cook, trying Schlow's techniques might prove revelatory, and provide you with some terrific dining as well."
— Chicago Tribune

"Michael Schlow is one of those rare professionals who can think like a home cook. . . . His hearty family food will bring me back to his book often."
— New York Times Book Review

"A thoroughly engaging and useful cookbook that shows home cooks how easy great food can be. Schlow stresses the importance of planning ahead and using good ingredients. He offers tools and tricks, a boatload of foolproof recipes, funny stories and inspiring ideas."
– Fine Cooking Magazine

"This big, beautiful book ranges from quick meals to elegant dinners, mixed with mini essays on the importance of family dinners and socializing at the table."
– USA Today

"Chef Michael Schlow has written the perfect cookbook . . . Like Schlow's lauded cooking at Radius in Boston, this book is distinctively and deliciously his own."
– Santé Magazine

"One of the warmest and most lovely cookbooks recently published."
– Metro

“It’s About Time and I agree; this is Michael Schlow’s time. I have been an enthusiastic aficionado of Michael’s cooking for close to 20 years. From the Hamptons, to New York City, and to Boston, I will follow Michael wherever he goes. His understanding of the fundamentals of great cuisine have consistently delighted my palate.”
—Billy Joel

“In IT’S ABOUT TIME, Michael Schlow has created a very personal cookbook with original ideas well formulated for the home cook. The result is a serious book that is also fun.”
—Jacques Pépin

“Most of us would like to eat well, but feel we just don’t have enough time. We assume that because we’re so busy, then we have to grab something on the fly. This book sets out not only to teach you how to cook and eat well when you’re on the go, it also works in reverse for when your soul is crying out for a little bit of culinary therapy. . . . The chapters in this book are meant to be a guide or source of inspiration for whatever you’re in need of today. I know it’s impossible to dedicate the same amount of time, every single day, to the meal period. I’m guessing you need some variety, you need some flexibility, and of course you need me to understand that you are busy most (but not all) of the time.”
– Michael Schlow (from the introduction)

“Time is so often the most important factor in determining what one cooks, nay, even whether one cooks at all. Time is equal for all: no one has enough of it, and while there is constant pressure to get by with less, we all need to remember to make more. . . . Time is why people will buy this book. It is the reason they will find themselves cooking not only from it, but with it, through it, and because of it.”
– Mario Batali (from the foreword)

“Michael Schlow is my favorite chef and this book is just like he is – warm, funny, real, and brilliant in the kitchen.”
– Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Steerforth (April 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586420879
• ISBN-13: 978-1586420871
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.9 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The simple delightful cookbook of the year, May 22, 2005

By 

JFB (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life (Hardcover)

I am not an experienced cook. But I have purchased many cookbooks and shared others with family and friends. It's About Time is at the very top of my list. It is really a book. Chef Schlow has managed to write a story that you want to finish reading, and at the same time make it a cookbook. To me a cookbook is a book that teaches you to cook and allows you to cook the receipes. That is exactly what Chef Schlow does while telling you a family story. The pictures are beautiful, but at the same time informative. I have tried several of the recipies and were able to plate them just as shown (well maybe not exactly) but at least very close to what I see. The pictures give you the added incentive to make the recipe. The recipes work. That is what is so amazing about the book. Also, although Chef Schlow provides professional advise to his readers, he also really teaches the beginner how to cook the recipe and maybe more important he teaches you how to "cook" not only his recipes, but also in a general sense. After reading this book you will have a far greater comprehension of product, technique and style that will improve your general ability to cook. Or at least that is what I found to be true. This is the best cookbook of the year. One other thing, the size is perfect. It is not a coffee table size book, but it is a little bigger than an ordinary reading book. The size allows you to keep the book in your book case, but a the same time gives you that little added size while using it. Five stars and thank you to Chef Schlow.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's About Time For A Cookbook Like This!, May 20, 2005

By 

Cookbook Collector (Newton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life (Hardcover)

This is my favorite cookbook for several reasons....it's well written and funny, the recipes are clear and easy to follow and the pictures are gorgeous -check out the photo of the Schlow burger. I've made several of the recipes and Schlow has transformed my approach to cooking to slow roasting. Truthfully the best tasting salmon recipe and the key is to turn the oven down. This book is a must for any cook.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to dinner!, May 20, 2005

By 

L. Ward "cookbook lover" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life (Hardcover)

I am an avid home cook and have an extensive cookbook collection. I bought Chef Schlow's book about 2 weeks ago and have been cooking from it nightly. I am incredibly impressed with it's recipes, menus, cocktails and techniques. Everything I have made has turned out beautifully even the more intricate Radius section was made easy! It's about time speaks not only to those that can cook but also the beginner, my husband tried it last night and WOW (he usually burns toast)! I am looking forward to many more wonderful meals.