Customer Reviews

The Naked Chef Takes Off

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

At 31, I've finally decided I need to learn to make more than cookies, and after seeing Jamie's Food TV show, I ordered both this and his first book (The Naked Chef). None of the recipes here are overly complex, and most of the ingredients are easily found at the local market. There are plenty of explanations as to why you need to take certain steps (as a beginner, this is very helpful), and the book is loaded with photographs. Oliver writes like he talks, which makes the book easy and fun to read (I love the Britishisms). I tried one recipe, which turned out very well, and I'm looking forward to trying others. One caveat - there are one or two recipes here that also are found in The Naked Chef, but these are "foundation" type recipes (bread, roast chicken) - so if you flip through the book at your local store and notice this, don't feel like you're paying for something you already own.

I've never written a review for any book before, but I had to for this one. I've had the best food of my life from the recipes in this book.
For example, I bought this book about 3 months ago, I eat pasta daily (literally) and for the past 3 months *every day* I've used Jamie's sauce on my pasta. Before that I used about 30 different store-bought flavors. The amazing part is how simple *and healthy* it is: Plum tomatoes, olives, olive oil, salt, and pepper - that's *it*. Cooked properly, it's perfect.
I also made a shrimp dish that was awesome. Forgot what it was called but it was some kind of crispy shrimp.
I hope he writes 100 more books.
His show can inspire the heck out of you too.

As I was reaching my 1000 words at the end of my review of Jamie Oliver's first book, `The Naked Chef', I had an epithany revealing that Oliver's writing is about an entire culinary lifestyle. While he professes simplicity with recipes which can be easily made at home, he does not sideline some seemingly daunting cooking tasks such as bread baking, pasta making, stock making and risotto dishes. Rather, he is enthusiasticly inviting us amateurs to enter unafraid into some of cooking's most satisfying challenges. In this what, his first two books go beyond the very useful Rachael Ray quick cooking techniques and they also go beyond the lineup of simple restaurant recipes presented in the superb River Café books from Rose Gray and Ruth Rodgers. Our Jamie writes and lives the kind of enthusiasm for tasty home cooking from English, Mediterranean, and Oriental flavors which other culinary luminaries simply act out with less than convincing enthusiasm. I am even more convinced that like Robin Williams, and unlike other TV culinary personalities, Oliver is a genuine force of nature in embodying a love of cooking and talking about cooking.

This book, `The Naked Chef Takes Off' is described as being directed at American readers; however, I see few differences in style between this and his first book. The major additions are chapters on growing herbs in the city, breakfast dishes, tapas and other snacks, bevvies (mixed drinks, bevereges for us Yanks), and stocks. These chapters have less value as thorough discussions of their subject than they do to spread Sir Jamie's enthusiasm to new subjects. As light as it is, his chapter on growing herbs was helpful in pointing out which ones do best outside. I would have saved myself a growing season of disappointment if I had known that basil does not do well outside in the sun, and parsley does. The breakfast dishes are mostly good English fare with an expert chef's special touch. The tapas chapter will not add much to your knowledge if you already have a book on the subject, but if these are new to you, you will be impressed by how simple a great many Mediterranean munchies recipes can be. The chapter on mixed drinks offers some interesting information on some classic Brit potables, but a Mr. Boston book of mixed drinks will be a better reference. The chapter on stocks should convince you that these can be easy. But, if you are a total newbie to stockmaking, please read an authoritative discussion in something like `The Joy of Cooking', a CIA text, or Judy Rodgers' `Zuni Café' book. It is easy if you do it right, but there are pitfalls if you are not careful.

The heart of this book simply expands the range of recipes we got from the first book with no hint of feeling that we are getting leftovers, as I often sense in second books from other culinary celebs like Ina Garten and Paula Deen. All of Oliver's recipes sparkle with the kind of freshness I got from the first book. He does expand his range of ingredients by bringing in Middle Eastern flavors and Oriental flavors with ingredients such as lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves. I always get a sinking feeling when I see Kaffir lime leaves in a recipe as even my favorite megamart has yet to carry these.

Like the River Café cookbooks, the stars of Oliver's books are the salads and pasta dishes. Being a simple tomato sauce and spaghetti eater for all my life, the pasta recipes in these books are a revelation for both their variety and simplicity. Why would anyone bother with a jar with Emeril or Paul Newman on the label when you can whip together a dressing with parsley, olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil in less time than it takes to retrieve that jar and check out it's expiration date. Second in line for me are Jamie's fish and shellfish dishes. As the variety of tastes at the fish counter greatly outweighs the tastes of beef, lamb, and pork, I love new fish recipes, and Jamie has them aplenty. Especially interesting is his take on Shephard's pie replacing the grass eater flesh with cod. Many of the dishes include Oriental flavors such as ginger and coconut milk. Some may go a bit too far, as not all of us live in London or New York City where there is a vendor of banana leafs just down the block. I am tickled to see Jamie use things like horseradish, as this is both a very familiar flavor which simply does not find itself into dishes outside central European Slavic and Yiddish cuisines.

The chapter on meats introduces several recipes for carpaccio of beef which, by the very nature of this Italian technique is very fast and very flavorful. While the classic carpaccio is as uncooked as a sashimi or a tartare, Sir Jamie gives us recipes which put a touch of sear on the meat, just enough to please the American who likes their beef bloody, but not raw. Add the recipe for the roasted fillet of beef wrapped in prosciutto and we have several recipes for high class entertaining. While chuck and oxtails and flank steak may be great economy dishes, you don't want to serve these to your boss or a prospective client. And, you can drop the fact that these dishes were served to Tony Blair, or near enough to fib.

I am a great fan of Jamie Oliver and I become a greater fan of his cooking with each of his books I review. Like so many other recipes based on natural, elemental ingredients, Jamie's recipes require a fair amount of kitchen experience, so follow his instructions very carefully. He doesn't leave anything out, but he doesn't give many warnings of pitfalls either.

Very highly recommended for both simplicity and variety of dishes.

The best cooking book I own. This book is a well thought out masterpeice of culinary delights. I own a number of cook books but it seems like this one has really hit a home run. I really enjoyed the little things that this book offers to readers.

Shopping - if you follow his list of must have ingredients you can probally stock you kitchen for under a $100 if you shop wisely. E.G. Bulk stores vs kitchen spice lane at the super market. I went out and picked up all of the different ingredients that he had suggested. This makes succesive recipies much easier to whip up.

Deciphering what he means - I loved the writing style of the book. A very laid back and freindly style that makes you laugh. I had a bit of difficulty in determining what 10 glugs of olive oil was... i am used to strict recipies that say 1 cup of some thing. He also used 2 handfuls, etc...

Great tasting - my guests loved the meal ... it was a joy to eat and to make !

I reccomend this book to any one out there who isn't nervous with a more evolved cooking stlye. I have made a number of recipies and i find it changing the way i go about cooking, less measure more feel.

I hope you enjoy this book and the recipies half as much as i do!

If you're looking for a book to teach you how to cook, check out the Betty Crocker series. If, however, you already know the basics of how to cook, you will love to try out the recipes in The Naked Chef Takes Off. With both Asian fusion and noveau Italian recipes, Jamie Oliver can help anyone create a truly memorable meal that will make you look like a genius in the kitchen. The book is also full of the unique expressions and sense of humor that have made The Naked Chef TV program so popular. Overall, I would highly recommend The Naked Chef Takes Off!

I happened onto the TV show and loved it. The book doesn't dissapoint. Jaime's great slang and character come shining through along with the easy-to-follow recipies that have WOW'd my dinner guests.

The only thing that would make this book even more 'wicked' would be if a chip was added to each page that would play audio of Jaime giving you suggestions or cheering you on while making the dish! I find myself reading the recipies aloud imitating Jaime's wonderful accent.

Its a great book for someone that is intimidated by seemingly fancy dishes - Jaime breaks them down and makes them so 'easy peasy' that it really builds your confidence to improvise and try other things.

Dont pass this one up !! Cheers!

This guy will convince you that you can do any recipe you want, He inspires you to cook. I've never done one of his recipes with the same ingrediants twice and rarely fully follow his own seasonings but he gives a great base to start with and experiment.
Alot of other chef's dont like him but what can you say when the people who eat his recipes love it. all five books are worth buying

I'll admit I am biased. I love Jamie's approach to cooking and I rarely miss his shows on TV. "The Naked Chef" and "Oliver's Twist" show him in his own kitchen cooking for real friends. This book captures that spirit. He has a relaxed attitude in the kitchen, which to me should be the only one to have. This is after all supposed to be fun. His recipes here are a continuation to the previous book (The Naked Chef) and so far I have not been dissapointed with any of them. Some which sound too simple to be interesting turn out to be fantastic crowd pleasers such as the tagliatelle with spicy sausage and wild mushrooms. His approach and ingredients usually tend toward Italian--it's no secret that this is his favorite style--but there are plenty of other influences from Indian to Asian to just plain hearty pub food. There are some great roasts and some fantastic seafood ideas here as well as some really nice bread recipes. If you want an easy to follow, unpretensious cookbook that is just as much fun to read as it is to use, get this book.

I thought that this was going to be a repetition of "The Naked Chef" and that Jamie was going to use the same formula in his new book. I was wrong. Not only did he improve the book but also dedicated his book to his wife--I bet Jamie was at the doghouse for not dedicating his first book to his wife or mentioning her... Anyhow, the recipes are very easy to follow and to reproduce in the privacy of your house. The only but that I have is that some of the ingredients are not readily available. However, all I can say is buy the book and let the cooking speaks for itself.

If you're a big Naked Chef fan, beware that this is the same book as "Return of the Naked Chef" available through the UK site. (I thought the cover photo looked familiar...)

If you're new to the Naked Chef through the Food TV show, this cookbook has the same easy-peasy approach as Jamie prepares on TV. Lots of good photos and appetite stimulators in this book.