Charlie Palmer's Practical Guide to the New American Kitchen is the first entirely waterproof, durable, and stain-resistant cookbook. Since 1988, when he opened New York City's Aureole, Palmer has set the standard for excellence in New American cuisine. Now he brings his expertise to a cooking manual for casual cooks full of inspiring recipes and essential information, including 135 entrée, appetizer, and dessert recipes; which cookware, kitchen tools, and knives to buy for your kitchen; essential ingredients; how to plan menus and mix and match courses; and wine recommendations for each menu. AUTHOR BIO: Charlie Palmer is one of the most highly regarded chefs in America today. He has combined his creative cooking spirit with his flair for business to establish an impressive roster of restaurants across the country, including Aureole and Métrazur in New York City; Aureole at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas; Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C. and at The Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas; Dry Creek Kitchen in Sonoma, CA; and Kitchen 22 in New York City.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Let me preface this by saying that I cook in a very small New York apartment kitchen and a cookbook takes up my oh so valuable counter space. Therefore, it is inevitable that any cookbook I use will end up covered in whatever I am cooking. My friend bought me this book knowing my predicament and I can truly say that it is a godsend. I simply wipe the pages and it is as good as new!
Physical practicality aside, this cookbook is fun to read with really delicous recipes. The book begins with Chef Palmer's personal recommendations for necessary kitchen equipment and then launches into recipes for all occasions and all skills. My husband, an amatuer cook at best, was even able to tackle some of the more challenging recipes with great success. You must try the Carmelized Pear Salad or the Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary Gnocci. Easy to make and truly delicious.
Overall, a great cookbook in brilliant packaging! A must-have for every kitchen!
Physical practicality aside, this cookbook is fun to read with really delicous recipes. The book begins with Chef Palmer's personal recommendations for necessary kitchen equipment and then launches into recipes for all occasions and all skills. My husband, an amatuer cook at best, was even able to tackle some of the more challenging recipes with great success. You must try the Carmelized Pear Salad or the Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Rosemary Gnocci. Easy to make and truly delicious.
Overall, a great cookbook in brilliant packaging! A must-have for every kitchen!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautifully designed cookbook filled with mouth-watering recipes
January 12, 2010
Format:Paperback
If you like cookbooks for their mouth-watering pictures as much as for their recipes, then this one is for you. On one side of the page is the recipe (135 of them in total), and on the other is a full-sized photograph of the prepared dish.
The recipes themselves are short and easy to follow, and it's a joy to flip through the book and choose a dish that catches your fancy. Palmer is a classically trained French chef, so many of the recipes come from a French/European culinary tradition. There is a lot of variety to the dishes here and recipes for every occasion, from formal home entertaining to lazy meals for oneself. Palmer also attempts some Asian-inspired dishes that I didn't feel were very impressive. For example, his shrimp tempura batter calls for cornstarch and all-purpose flour, accompanied by a sweet chili dipping sauce. It looks like Chinese or Thai fried shrimp, not tempura. In another recipe for duck, his ponzu calls for red pepper flakes, cayeenne pepper, whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, dark sesame oil, and ginger. Traditional ponzu does not have any of these. Two key ingredients are rice vinegar and katsuobushi, which this recipe does not mention.
Still, this book is very good, and there's a lot to like, from fish, to different kinds of roasted meats, to desserts, to soups. The book is very pliable and lies flat on the table for easy reading. It is made of a special kind of coated paper that is water and stain resistant. Water beads up on the pages and can be wiped away. I am not willing to splatter food on it intentionally to test out the stain resistance claim, but it is safe to say that this book is designed with practicality and durability in mind.
4.5/5
The recipes themselves are short and easy to follow, and it's a joy to flip through the book and choose a dish that catches your fancy. Palmer is a classically trained French chef, so many of the recipes come from a French/European culinary tradition. There is a lot of variety to the dishes here and recipes for every occasion, from formal home entertaining to lazy meals for oneself. Palmer also attempts some Asian-inspired dishes that I didn't feel were very impressive. For example, his shrimp tempura batter calls for cornstarch and all-purpose flour, accompanied by a sweet chili dipping sauce. It looks like Chinese or Thai fried shrimp, not tempura. In another recipe for duck, his ponzu calls for red pepper flakes, cayeenne pepper, whole black peppercorns, cumin seeds, dark sesame oil, and ginger. Traditional ponzu does not have any of these. Two key ingredients are rice vinegar and katsuobushi, which this recipe does not mention.
Still, this book is very good, and there's a lot to like, from fish, to different kinds of roasted meats, to desserts, to soups. The book is very pliable and lies flat on the table for easy reading. It is made of a special kind of coated paper that is water and stain resistant. Water beads up on the pages and can be wiped away. I am not willing to splatter food on it intentionally to test out the stain resistance claim, but it is safe to say that this book is designed with practicality and durability in mind.
4.5/5
5.0 out of 5 stars
Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water | or It is Hard to Believe this Cookbook Caused Such Controversy
February 3, 2013
By Leisa
Format:Paperback
I bought my book for a fraction of the cost, but had I paid full price, I would have been equally happy. This book is equal based practical advice on technique, kitchen equipment must haves, pantry staples as well as a pragmatic approach to confronting any recipe (controversial or not) (first 50 pages) and several chapters tackling Appetizers, Cathartic Cooking, The Lazy Gourmand, Home Dates, Holiday's and Buffets, Formal Home Cooking, Breakfast for Dinner and Desserts. There are 5-8 selections under each that provide a full complement of main + sides.
So Fennel and Pork Belly are controversial in the Amazon review section? Well, the Braised Pork Belly does not have any fennel in it--but the pulled pork barbecue does. Oh, to be sure, there are recipes in this book that I would likely never make. However, there are several recipes that present an lovely mosaic of colors and textures that surely will delight your dinner guests--and I plan to tackle them.
What would I make if not the Braised Pork Belly (with fennel conspicuously absent)? How about Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Creamy Mascarpone Polenta? Surely nothing controversial here, and it seems to flirt with the divine in terms of easy of both acquiring the handful of ingredients, and the inspired pairing.
But maybe the Balsamic-Marinated Hanger Steak? Hmmmm let me see...that recipe has controversial ingredients such as thyme, shallots and garlic. If these things offend, run from this book. The Prime Rib Roast offers other opportunities to offend as it has juniper berries as an ingredient and sassily pairs with Honey-Caramelized Turnips and Mustard Greens.
And if those things don't turn you away, surely the Guinness-Braised Short Ribs will (with Orange-Secented Tomatoe Compote with just 3 ingredients and Grain Mustard Mashed Potatoes, with just 4 ingredients).
If you want a book that will (1) bolster your skills and confidence as a home chef; (2) provide you with some inspiration sans fuss; (3) remind you that good food needn't be complicated but founded on fresh ingredients, solid techniques and well-thought out pairings; then get this book.
I will surely NOT be making slow-roasted beets--I hate beets not matter how they are prepared--not even the way that YOU prepare that you will be so sure will convert me. Nevertheless, throwing the book out for one offensive recipe is akin throwing the baby out with the bath water. No sensible person would do such.
However, in the spirit of being sensible, this is not an all-round cookbook on cakes, pies, cookies, roasts, appetizers, etc... ordinary cooking that every home cook needs to master. Rather, this is book is levels above that--and for us home chefs looking for inspiration, books such as these fit the bill. I guarantee that there will be at least 4 meals in this book that if you were to make them you would find them easy to make and that your dinner guests will be surprised and delighted....and isn't that what our goal is?
So Fennel and Pork Belly are controversial in the Amazon review section? Well, the Braised Pork Belly does not have any fennel in it--but the pulled pork barbecue does. Oh, to be sure, there are recipes in this book that I would likely never make. However, there are several recipes that present an lovely mosaic of colors and textures that surely will delight your dinner guests--and I plan to tackle them.
What would I make if not the Braised Pork Belly (with fennel conspicuously absent)? How about Bacon Wrapped Scallops with Creamy Mascarpone Polenta? Surely nothing controversial here, and it seems to flirt with the divine in terms of easy of both acquiring the handful of ingredients, and the inspired pairing.
But maybe the Balsamic-Marinated Hanger Steak? Hmmmm let me see...that recipe has controversial ingredients such as thyme, shallots and garlic. If these things offend, run from this book. The Prime Rib Roast offers other opportunities to offend as it has juniper berries as an ingredient and sassily pairs with Honey-Caramelized Turnips and Mustard Greens.
And if those things don't turn you away, surely the Guinness-Braised Short Ribs will (with Orange-Secented Tomatoe Compote with just 3 ingredients and Grain Mustard Mashed Potatoes, with just 4 ingredients).
If you want a book that will (1) bolster your skills and confidence as a home chef; (2) provide you with some inspiration sans fuss; (3) remind you that good food needn't be complicated but founded on fresh ingredients, solid techniques and well-thought out pairings; then get this book.
I will surely NOT be making slow-roasted beets--I hate beets not matter how they are prepared--not even the way that YOU prepare that you will be so sure will convert me. Nevertheless, throwing the book out for one offensive recipe is akin throwing the baby out with the bath water. No sensible person would do such.
However, in the spirit of being sensible, this is not an all-round cookbook on cakes, pies, cookies, roasts, appetizers, etc... ordinary cooking that every home cook needs to master. Rather, this is book is levels above that--and for us home chefs looking for inspiration, books such as these fit the bill. I guarantee that there will be at least 4 meals in this book that if you were to make them you would find them easy to make and that your dinner guests will be surprised and delighted....and isn't that what our goal is?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practically out of this world
This book is excellent. Great, creative menus that range from quick to complex, but all are very, very tasty. The "Orechiette Risotto" one of my all time favs. Read more
Published on February 3, 2008 by ChrisR
5.0 out of 5 stars
Charlie Palmer. Thats all you really need to know
To the reviewer who commented on fennel and pork belly, all I can say is, go to one of Charlie Palmer's restaurants and then judge him. Read more
Published on January 27, 2007 by Jeffrey Schwartz
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your time
Unless you like to eat things that nobody really eats, don't buy this book. I saw this dude on the Today show and thought his book would be a great gift for my wife, but man, was... Read more
Published on January 9, 2007 by Ron Land
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