Mission: Cook!: My Life, My Recipes, and Making the Impossible Easy [Hardcover]

Robert Irvine (Author), Brian O'Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 18, 2007

Robert Irvine has led a one–of–a–kind life. He joined the merchant marine as a teenager, and would go on to become a cook in the Royal Navy where he happened to befriend a man named Prince Charles. Since then, Chef Robert has gone on to cook for presidents, prime ministers, royalty and celebrities.

It's been a remarkable life and career, ranging from cooking on the beaches of Yemen for thousands of refugees to making a seven–course meal for First Lady Laura Bush and her friends on an aircraft carrier.

Trained by the best European chefs, Robert also shares his cooking philosophy, his best recipes and tips on how to add that special twist to any dish.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As the host of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible, chef Irvine routinely pulls off last-minute feats of Herculean culinary might, assembling multi-course meals for large groups in out-of-the-way locations with few resources. Devoted viewers may be surprised to learn that this isn't new for the British chef, who relates other close calls in this combination cookbook-memoir. Alongside tales of his time in the Navy (where he prepared a last-minute meal for 2,000 refugees) and Hollywood (a lavish post-Oscar celebration makes a nail-biting yarn), recipes for impressive dishes like Black Angus Beef Tartare with Toasted Brioche and Fried Quail Egg, Roasted Duck with White Bean Ragout, Truffle Oil and Shaved Parmesan Cheese and simple but flavorful Grilled Winter Vegetables with Pesto Dressing give readers plenty to think about and salivate over. Unfortunately, alternating from storyteller to cooking coach proves awkward, and his advice-"let the food in front of you speak to you and inspire you"-can be of little utility. Still, his enthusiasm is genuine and infectious, and Irvine the storyteller keeps things interesting with tales of his education, the Royal family and the kitchen at Donald Trump's Taj Mahal. Best consumed in small bites, Irvine's war stories will delight foodies, but his recipes may be too daunting for novices.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

The host and co-creator of Food Network's Dinner: Impossible and the author of Mission: Cook!, Robert Irvine has been featured on NBC, CBS, CNN, and the Discovery Channel.

Brian O'Reilly executive-produced and co-created Dinner: Impossible. He is a television producer, screenwriter, and the coauthor of Mission: Cook!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; First Edition edition (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061237892
• ISBN-13: 978-0061237898
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cooking on the Edge! October 3, 2007

By rodboomboom HALL OF FAMEVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Irvine's FoodNetwork Program "Dinner Impossible" is a favorite. It shows forth in this book, interspersed stories about his life and development as a chef alongside recipes that demonstrate usually what the stories have been going on about. Both very fascinating and involved.

Most of these are not for the typical home chef, but rather the adventurous like Irvine. For those with the energy and determination it will take in technique and time to prepare and some ingredients that are not all that easy to obtain or work with, it will be rewarding.

Most all the recipes have nice feature of detailed instructions along with equipment required and tips on techniques or ingredients. Some e.g. Duck Breast Stuffed with Apples and Chestnuts and Roasted in Bacon have excellent gameplan outline with estimated times also, which is so nice and useful. This recipe is wildly good!

I enjoy the challenge and uniqueness of this recipe collection and look forward to trying many more of these recipes, e.g. Tea-Smoked Chicken with Chilled Sour Brussels Spouts; Colossal Crab, Apple, and Fennel Salad with Chive Oil; Pear Apple Crumb Pie; Tuna Poached in Olive Oil over Shrimp and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes; Creole Red Snapper with Farmhouse Grits and Red Pepper Coulis.

The stories are a hoot, especially the one of Guppy in Jamaica and the scotch bonnet episode. Excellent color photos of plated food. Good reading and good cooking for the daring and adventurous.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book Even if you Don't Cook! November 20, 2007

By Rick

Format:Hardcover

Okay, I don't cook anything more challenging than the occasional omelette, and I'm not a big Food Network junkie, either. But when I ran across this Robert Irvine guy on Dinner: Impossible!, I just couldn't figure out how some huge body-builder guy ever got into the cooking business in the first place, let alone ended up on this TV show where he runs around the world doing these crazy challenges. Also, he always seems to be pretty darn polite on the show, even when he is freaking out. I wanted to know more about this guy, so I read his book.

What a surprise and a revelation! The guy's story reads like a cross between James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. Very, very cool. (Dare I say "cooler than the TV show"?) I don't know how much Robert really wrote (Brian O'Reilly is mentioned in the credits, too), but it is my opinion that anyone who enjoys quality FICTION in the British tradition would enjoy this book as much as any fan of the TV show. The writing is top-notch, and Robert's stories are very entertaining. I don't cook, so I haven't tried any of the recipes, but this book made me think that maybe even a guy like me should spend a little more time at the stove!

Actually, reading this book made me wish there was a companion book that went into more of the basic "how-to", and included more of the cool recipes. Robert is a gentleman as well as a "guy's guy", and I look forward to his futher adventures.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining...Easy to follow recipes...Great Read! September 26, 2007

By C. J. Gifford

Format:Hardcover

Of the hundreds of books I've bought on Amazon.com, "Mission:Cook!" by Robert Irvine, with Brian O'Reilly, is among the most enjoyable and informative. Robert shows the same "This can be done" attitude in print, as he does in video and he does it with grace and humor. Whether you want to be entertained or simply add to your recipe collection, this book is a must! Buy it!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book January 3, 2008

By Jenni Robinson

Format:Hardcover

Chef Robert Irvine is a truly passionate chef. Recently he came to my school (The Culinary Institute of America) for a discussion of the book. His passion, love and knowledge of everything food and cooking radiates from him the minute he starts talking. It's so obvious he loves what he does. His enthusiasm is contagious.
I was lucky enough to take a moment to speak to both Chef Robert Irvine and Mr. O'Reilly and they were both a delight to talk to. If you don't want the book for the recipes, get it for the amazing life Robert has led. He is truly an amazing chef with an amazing life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the cookbook that changed my life. December 29, 2010

By Mary Bonatz

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Have you ever read a cookbook from cover to cover? Neither had I, until I found this one. I read every word, from the introduction to the index, and I couldn't put it down! Not only does it describe some of the most amazing adventures and amusing anecdotes of Chef Irvine's life, it sets forth the "philosophy of cuisine" that has caused him to excel, and to become the brilliant, celebrated Master Chef that he is today. Some of the recipes in this book could easily be made by a beginning cook, but I think the majority of the recipes are better suited to passionate, and at least somewhat experienced, home cooks. Don't get me wrong, I've never spent a day in culinary school, and I've been able to follow and execute each of the 30-or-so recipes I've tried in this book, but it is not a quick-and-easy, semi-homemade, 5-ingredient fix type of cookbook. It is a book for people who seriously want to cook and eat well, and let me tell you, since I found this book, I have been cooking better, and my family has been eating well. Since I purchased this book, many people have told me that I should cook professionally. My husband has often said things like, "I would pay $15 for a bowl of this soup in the finest restaurant, and it wouldn't be half as good as yours." I have been getting compliments that would boost my culinary ego, if I could take any credit for the dishes, but really, I am not a talented chef, I am just following the clear directions of a talented chef. The recipes in "Mission: Cook" are the best recipes I have found anywhere, ever, period. The "Blackened Tenderloin of Beef with Roasted Sweet Corn and Potato Hash and a Merlot Reduction," for instance, sounds intimidating, but is perfectly doable, and is to die for! Tell me your guests wouldn't be impressed with that one.... The "Chicken Roulade with Prosciutto, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffing" has become one of my signature dishes, a family favorite, that I can easily produce on an average Sunday. The soups are simply inspired: the Chicken Mushroom Barley, Provencal Vegetable, and Summer Tomato soups are culinary delights that I can't make often enough. I actually daydream about them! Chef Irvine works wonders with proteins (you must try the "Short Ribs Braised with Mushrooms, Pearl Onions and Bacon"), but his vegetarian dishes are nothing short of spectacular. The "Roasted Vegetable Crepes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce" may very well be the best and most comforting meal I have ever eaten. If you love food, buy this book. It changed my life, and I bet it will change yours too, if you read Chef Irvine's stories, take his advice to heart, and, above all, try his recipes! Read more ›