Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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.

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!

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.

Unlike the other 60 or so cookbooks I have in my kitchen that are compilations of recipes based on seasons, type of cusine or course, this book is a highly entertaining read that I have turned to repeatedly for a good laugh on a down day. Who couldn't relate to certain stories such as the first hangover after dad has drunk you under the table! As a "somewhat above average home cook", I was intimidated initially to try recipes provided by a master chef, but the step by step instructions, notes on how things should look and even notes on nuances "don't forget to wear your pot holders, the pan will be hot!" allowed me to walk through several more complicated recipes with stunning results! I would definately recommend this book and have bought copies for friends to enjoy!

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!

i loved it - the stories and pictures along with the recipes are great and the recipes are not your normal average ones - its GREAT!

Robert is one of my fav celeb chefs! Love to hear him bark out orders to David or one of the two Georges...although my family says that I am now starting to take after him when asking for assistance in the kitchen...oh well...the book is interesting & would recommend it as a fun read, but not as a cook book.

I love Robert Irvine. His recipes have great stories behind them, and they're easy to follow. The best thing about it, his cooking isn't just one style. I now know the secret to great Tiki Masala.

I really enjoyed this book. Robert is not just a fantastic cook but a wonderful person as well! The book is well written and you can't wait to read his stories and the corresponding recipes that accompany the stories. I encourage anyone reading this book to try and make some of the recipes. The wild mushroom soup is incredible and I can't wait to serve it to my friends at my next dinner party. Do yourself a favor and check it out! There's bound to be something in here that you will want to make and enjoy!