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Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook Paperback – October 11, 2016

by Albert Prodigy Johnson (Author), Kathy Iandoli (Author), Eddie Huang (Foreword)

37 customer reviews

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Meals are perhaps the most important aspect of prison life. They keep inmates alive, both physically and emotionally, as mess halls and common areas provide a level of social interaction in an otherwise lonely situation. Albert "Prodigy" Johnson served three and a half years in prison, and during that time his focus was on his health—an almost impossible feat behind bars, where many inmates often enter the prison system healthy, but leave with diabetes and hypertension. Commissary Kitchen provides a deeper perspective of what it's like to consume meals in prison. While recipes are provided, Prodigy and co-writer Kathy Iandoli also tell various anecdotes about situations in prison involving food. Meal prep in prison is very limited, so while this work appeals to anyone who has served time or is curious about prison life, it also speaks to those who prepare food with limited access to various cooking luxuries (such as college students in dorms). While the work is informational, above all it humanizes the prison experience in a way that has never been done before.

Albert "Prodigy" Johnson is a multi-platinum recording artist and member of the legendary hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. In 2006, Prodigy was arrested for gun possession and served a three-year prison term. In 2011, he released his first memoir, the critically-acclaimed My Infamous Life. Since then, Prodigy has continued to release both solo projects and albums through Mobb Deep, touring worldwide. When he isn't touring, Prodigy is traveling the United States, lecturing at venues like MIT about the prison system and offering insight on changing the quality of inmates' lives.

Kathy Iandoli is a critically-acclaimed journalist and author. Her work has appeared in publications such as Pitchfork, VICE, Maxim, Cosmopolitan, the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and many others.

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About the Author

Albert Prodigy Johnson: Albert “Prodigy” Johnson is a Multi-Platinum recording artist and member of the legendary Hip-Hop duo Mobb Deep. In 2006, Prodigy was arrested for gun possession and served a three-year prison term. In 2011, he released his first memoir, the critically acclaimed My Infamous Life. Since then, Prodigy has continued to release both solo projects and albums through Mobb Deep, touring worldwide. When he isn’t touring, Prodigy is traveling the United States, lecturing at venues like MIT about the prison system and offering insight on changing the quality of inmates’ lives. He is currently working on his follow-up memoir, The State Vs. Albert “Prodigy” Johnson.
Kathy Iandoli: Kathy Iandoli is a critically acclaimed journalist and author. Her work has appeared in publications such as Pitchfork, VICE, Maxim, Cosmopolitan, The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and many others. She is also a professor of Music Business at New Jersey City University in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Eddie Huang: Eddie Huang is the author of the NY Times Bestseller "Fresh Off the Boat". A sitcom based on the book, is airing on ABC. Huang is the host of Vice food show "Huang's World" and MTV’s "Snack-Off". Huang's new book, Double Cup Love, will be published in May 2016.

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Product details

Paperback: 118 pages
Publisher: Infamous Books (October 11, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0997146230
ISBN-13: 978-0997146233
Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,786 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #334 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Culinary
- #414 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Celebrities & TV Shows
- #675 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Entertaining & Holidays

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		38%
4 star		35%
3 star		11%
2 star		11%
1 star		5%

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Top Customer Reviews

Learn about the struggles of eating right in jail

ByAaron Hankinson October 1, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book gives you a glimpse into how Prodigy (from Mobb Deep) born with sickle cell anemia, was able to eat "healthy" in prison for 3 years.
The author states it in the intro, that it's not a cookbook.
Broken into 6 sections, you learn about food constraints in prison, tools of the trade, the basics meals, meals Prodigy would eat all the time, meals he would eat some of the time and finally, classic prison dishes.
You can recreate the dishes throughout the book, but using higher quality ingredients would mess things up.
To me, this book is an example of how resourceful people can be when they truly want to improve both mentally and physically when in prison.
If you want to rehabilitate prisoners, you need more nutritional food options served in prisons.
After seeing what is given to prisoners, I am highly motivated to remain a lawful citizen.
The photos of all of the meals are presented bold with tons of color.
The copy I received had a glossy raised graphic on the cover, feels like a coffee table book.
This is a nice gift for a hip hop fan, a foodie, or just anyone who wants to learn about how tough eating in jail can be.

11 comment 24 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

but it was pretty eye opening to me

ByJ. Reeveon October 16, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I thought this was going to be a straight cookbook, but it was pretty eye opening to me. Prodigy from Mobb Deep and Kathy Iandoli have woven a lot of his stories from his time at Rikers into something that offers recipes, yes, but also shows a little more about how terrible the prison food experience really is. It's a cliche, we all know prison food is bad like airplane food is bad. But this makes you think more deeply about holiday meals missed, the times of day when food is served (stopping at 4pm, what do you do if you're hungry after that?), the fact that you can't get fresh or raw food in prison, and the fact that prison food could have anything from ground glass to pubic hair in it. It goes way beyond "prison food tastes bad," and Prodigy and Ms. Iandoli really highlight that bit of humanity that prisoners are denied. But, it's not that serious. The chapter titles are hilarious, and there is a camaraderie that grew from Prodigy's group of prison cooks. This is pretty awesome, I hope it picks up more steam. I kind of want to see it as a movie.

0Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Entertaining

ByM. Linderon October 13, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Fun recipes to try and interesting prison stories by one of my favorite rappers of all time. Really had a good time reading it.

0Comment 4 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Fire read

ByAmazon Customeron November 13, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A very creative way to shed light on one of the many overlooked problems with the prison system. Will be trying some of these recipes.

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Easy read

Bypeter mcgaheyon October 24, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a chef I like to see any aspect to cooking even the worst of the worst situations. Well with the 6 bucks I paid for it

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Eating better in prison

ByKurt G. SchumacherVINE VOICEon March 24, 2017

Format: PaperbackVine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase

If you know someone who is incarcerated, you've undoubtedly heard a lot about what prisons provide as "food". "Commissary Kitchen" thankfully does not go into great detail on this. Instead, it talks about how to make more healthful and flavorful meals with the resources that may available to inmates. Each prison system has different rules, so the recipes in the book may not apply to all situations.

Johnson also provides anecdotes about prison life that are amusing and entertaining, while underscoring the difficulties of prison life. He speaks in his language which tends to be coarse and vulgar, but then so is the prison environment. If you don't like swearing, you probably won't appreciate this book.

This is a short book, but it may be useful to inmates, or help those who know them to better understand their situation.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Five Stars

ByAmazon Customeron November 14, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Super dope book first day I got I got it signed that night by Prodigy himself!!!!

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Four Stars

ByMazeon January 29, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Something different. Enjoyable read.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

All the recipes are pretty much crap, but I got it for the novelty.

All the recipes are pretty much crap, but I got it for the novelty.Read more

Published 17 days ago by Kat Kotrla

Not sold on the story or recipes. A fluff piece.

This is neither a cookbook, nor a memoir.
First, the "recipes", while entertaining to learn, are really just the same few ingredients thrown together.Read more

Published 18 days ago by Steve K

Meals for the pokey

This cookbook was something different and a novelty. It was interesting to look through and to read the accompanying stories in it.Read more

Published 20 days ago by OlyNomad

An interesting book from a storytelling point of view, but not as a cookbook

Don't purchase this book as a cookbook, purchase it more for the storytelling. Everything in the book, as far as meals go, is more like a window into what a convict in a prison...Read more

Published 22 days ago by Storm the Penguin

A glimpse of prison life?

This is an interesting book to page through. Not really a cookbook, but it does talk mainly about food and some recipes.Read more

Published 24 days ago by Roy

Not what I expected but well worth the time

The recipes are easy and also realistic from the situation that they come from. Being on a health-related diet, I can't eat most of the recipes, but I appreciate them nonetheless.Read more

Published 28 days ago by sanoe.net

IF THEY ONLY LEFT OUT THE FOUL LANGUAGE IT WOULD BE WORTH PURCHASING AND KEEPING.

Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook Paperback is a good size cookbook, with interesting recipes and facts, great pictures.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Kym McNabney

Interesting Cookbook

This cookbook is based around items you can get in prison. Several recipes look really appetizing if you don't find yourself that way.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Ryan

Love this cookbook and the stories that are told throughout

Love this cookbook and the stories that are told throughout. My husband used to work in a prison and I was always amazed by his descriptions of the hook up meals that the inmates...Read more

Published 1 month ago by Marley's Mommy

Coffee-table-worthy, esp. if you read Vice, like the book section at Urban Outfitters, or a fan of documentaries

The recipes aren't really to be replicated; It's the STORIES that are pure gold - descriptive insights; funny anecdotes, clever and creative "hacks" like those made with...Read more

Published 1 month ago by nycgirl

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