Jamie's Kitchen [Hardcover]

Jamie Oliver (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 2003

amie's Kitchen-the television show-began as an experiment and turned into a phenomenon. It started when Jamie took in 15 unemployed, enthusiastic kids, trained them to be chefs, and helped them open a restaurant, Fifteen, that has become the hottest dining spot in London. When England's Channel 4 launched a tie-in series, more than four million people tuned in. The show premiers this fall in the U.S. Jamie's Kitchen-the book-is laid out as a cooking course and will inspire readers of all levels. Some of the cooking techniques included are making salads, cooking without heat, poaching and boiling, steaming, stewing and braising, roasting, grilling, and baking. In the process, Jamie shares one-of-a-kind, delicious recipes, such as prosciutto and pecorino, citrus-seared tuna with crispy noodles, herbs, and chili; smoked haddock risotto; and baked chocolate pudding. Jamie includes tips on how to take recipes in new directions and how to be an inspired grocery shopper-spotting what's good, what's in season, and what's a good value. Most important, Jamie encourages budding cooks to have confidence and a sense of independence, and to be master of the kitchen!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A confidence-inspiring charmer, Oliver constantly reminds us that cooking should be fun." -- Food & Wine

"An inspiring assortment of international recipes." -- Portland Oregonian

"Emphasis on fresh ingredients, flavor, and the real fun of cooking." -- The Washington Post

"The Naked Chef guides even the most hard-core culinary bumbler to gustatory brilliance" -- Vanity Fair

About the Author

Jamie Oliver grew up in his parents' country pub, the Cricketers in Clavering, where he started cooking at the age of eight, before studying at London's Westminster Catering College. He then went on to work with some of the top chefs in London. He is now running his new restaurant, Fifteen, in London. He has written for the Saturday Times and was food editor at GQ and Marie Claire magazines. He lives in London with his wife, Jools, and their daughter, Poppy Honey.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (October 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401300227
• ISBN-13: 978-1401300227
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > English, Scottish & Welsh

More About the Author

Jamie Oliver started cooking at his parents' pub, the Cricketers, in Clavering, Essex, at the age of eight, and has gone on to work with some of the world's top chefs. He founded Fifteen restaurant in London and the associated charity, Fifteen Foundation, which continues to train disadvantaged young people to become chefs. There are now three other Fifteen restaurants in the world: Cornwall, Amsterdam and Melbourne. Jamie has also launched a chain of high street restaurants in the UK called Jamie's Italian. In 2005 Jamie led a campaign to improve the quality of school dinners in the UK and, through the Feed Me Better movement, caused the government to substantially change its policy towards school food. Jamie continues to write for publications in the UK and around the world, including his own magazine, Jamie Magazine. He lives in London and Essex with his wife, Jools, and their daughters, Poppy, Daisy and Petal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skeptical but Surprised, July 6, 2004

By 

Jim Domanski (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jamie's Kitchen (Hardcover)

When I got the cookbook as a Christmas present I was a little skeptical. Okay maybe alot skeptical. The recipes looked a little too vague; not enough precise measurements; "add a glass of wine" (big glass? small glass? 'what's up with that?')Quite frankly, it made me nervous. Cookbooks aren't supposed to be like that.

But I gave the recipes a whirl and lo and behold, they turned out! The recipes were different yet familar. A nice twist on things (sorry, no pun intended). Jamie creates recipes with layers of flavor and texture; recipes with color and style. And what is more, they were relatively simple to make. I've received rave reviews from friends and family.

But the real surprise and joy was that Jamie's approximate portions and measurements allowed me to become more of my own chef, so to speak. I guess I always felt compelled to stick to the rigidity of a receipe. What I discovered is that I was more or less forced to I play with the amounts and I did not feel that I was somehow making a mistake when doing so. It was okay to toy with this ingredient or that. This gave me confidence to explore variations. In short, it made cooking even more fun.

This is how I think the great chefs really cook: they have a game plan but they have intuition, gut instinct. When you watch the great chefs on TV rarely do you see them haul out a measuring spoon or a cup. They go by eye, by experience and by gut. And I think this is what Jamie Oliver's book has done for the reader.

Buy it, experiment with it, have fun with it.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Satisfyingly Full Course Meal of a Book, July 12, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jamie's Kitchen (Hardcover)

Not being a television observer of cooking shows or even one who keeps up with 'celebrity chefs', JAMIE'S KITCHEN came as a fresh surprise as a book that just happens to have excellent, reproducible recipes for some fine dishes! Jamie Oliver deserves his fame, if this book is any indication. Young and spunky, with a real talent for witty explanations that keep a recipe book palatable (!), Oliver offers not only some well-chosen delicious treats not found in other cookbooks, outlined in the most easy to read and follow fashion, but he also pays attention to other details.

Like marketing, for example. In a very short space wholly free of pretension, Oliver supplies tips on how to buy foods, when to buy them, when to tell if the produce is the best (and tips on keeping the grocer informed as to the occasional lapse in quality control!), informing the reader that fresh fish should never smell fishy and should have clear eyes , smooth scales etc. Little bits of info like this make the reader bond with the chef, ready to accept his advice on preparing apparently simple yet unique and elegant fare.

There are so many cookbooks out on the shelves these days, but few match the quality of photography of the chef at work, the dishes prepared, the lightness of the written words, and the honest and informed commentary that this book does. Makes you want to read his other books - like getting to know a new friend better! Grady Harp, July 05

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and simply fabulous food, October 1, 2003

By 

Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jamie's Kitchen (Hardcover)

Jamie Oliver is quite rightly famous for liking his food unpretentious, fresh and delicious. he is quite quirky and funny as well, and this good humour shines through his recipes.

There are all sorts of delicious things in here, including a fabulous basic bread recipe that can be manipulated into all sorts of good things, but the beauty of the recipes are that they can all be whipped up in fairly short periods of time if friends and family drop in. There are the usual quick and easies, as well as a number of far more spectacular dishes.

If you have a reasonaly well stocked pantry and this cook book, who knows what miracles can happen in the kitchen. This is not just a book for people who love cooking, it is also for people who like the eating as well!