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on September 21, 2015
This book is a monster. At almost 7 pounds and nearly a thousand pages, you can bet that it is comprehensive. Like most cookbooks today, it begins with a background of the author, who is an MIT grad turned culinary scientist. He goes on to discuss gear and technique as well as recommendations for essentials- all pretty standard so far. Though I do appreciate that he adds a premium and budget pick for each gear recommendation.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt then launches into a nine-part collection of recipes. Each one is well-documented with technique and experimentation as the author discusses how and why he made the recipes the way he did. There are some things which go contrary to cooking norms (flip your steak often, and searing does not lock in juice), but there are explanations for the methods behinds the madness. I appreciate that this book not only has full-color photos and in-depth articles accompanying each recipe, but it really builds on fundamentals of cooking. Even if you never bother to make a recipe from this book verbatim, it will greatly increase your cooking skills from practical knowledge of physics, chemistry, taste, and technique. Many recipes build on one another, and the flow of the book is very good. There is a lack of baked of goods and desserts in this book, but I'm not sure that there would be room for them!
Overall, this book is on par with other amazing at-home cookbooks such as Modernist Cuisine at Home. I especially enjoy his sections on eggs, steaks, chilis, and fried chicken. There are several vegetarian recipes, but many are meat-based (surprising for someone who does a month-long blog annually about living vegan).
I would highly suggest this book. I look forward to cooking and expirementing my way through it.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt then launches into a nine-part collection of recipes. Each one is well-documented with technique and experimentation as the author discusses how and why he made the recipes the way he did. There are some things which go contrary to cooking norms (flip your steak often, and searing does not lock in juice), but there are explanations for the methods behinds the madness. I appreciate that this book not only has full-color photos and in-depth articles accompanying each recipe, but it really builds on fundamentals of cooking. Even if you never bother to make a recipe from this book verbatim, it will greatly increase your cooking skills from practical knowledge of physics, chemistry, taste, and technique. Many recipes build on one another, and the flow of the book is very good. There is a lack of baked of goods and desserts in this book, but I'm not sure that there would be room for them!
Overall, this book is on par with other amazing at-home cookbooks such as Modernist Cuisine at Home. I especially enjoy his sections on eggs, steaks, chilis, and fried chicken. There are several vegetarian recipes, but many are meat-based (surprising for someone who does a month-long blog annually about living vegan).
I would highly suggest this book. I look forward to cooking and expirementing my way through it.
on September 22, 2015
I've been reading Kenji's column since it started, and have learned so much and made so many of his recipes. So, I know they work. I know his recipes are excellent and that he's someone you can trust implicitly to have a great version of a dish.
And this book is great, and beautiful, full of photos, his great sense of humor, and excellent instructions.
The thing is, I was slightly disappointed that it is very much more of an all-American, sort of new, scientific, Joy of Cooking. Some of my favorite articles from Serious Eats involve Kenji's Asian, Mexican, and vegetarian/vegan recipes. Now he did include some of his vegan work, and his wonderful chile verde is in here, but there are no stir-fries, no tacos, and his absolutely stellar kale salad with crispy chickpeas was passed in favor of two others which are excellent, but really, that salad is AMAZING. Or his black bean burger, which is the absolute best black bean burger on the planet. But whatever, that's not the point. I was just hoping to see more of that type of food, whereas this book is targeted towards beginners (not to say that experienced cooks can't get value out of this book, because it's full of great info) or more specifically, towards people who haven't been reading his column all this time.
Having said all that, I have to review the book on its own merits and how could I possibly give such a stellar tome anything but 5 stars?! There is no fault to be found with the information provided or how engaging it is to read. Even the quality of the book, with lovely binding meant to last and meant to make the book truly a workhorse that doesn't just look pretty sitting on a coffee table is worth commending!
I'll just have to wait for future books to cover the things I miss from this book. Though in the meanwhile, there are already recipes I've got bookmarked to try out, like his puttanesca, pot roast, oven fries, THAT MEATLOAF, not to mention his excellent egg salad, which I've previously made from the site…
I'm so glad to be able to pay Kenji back in some form for the years of free content on Serious Eats and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in cooking and improving their skills, in particular beginner cooks.
But really, go check out his column on Serious Eats, too. ;) His pie dough, chocolate chip cookies, fish tacos, crispy chicken with white beans and chile verde, chop suey, fried avocado tacos, and his vegan experience (CRISPY TOFU) recipes (AND MORE) are all remarkable!
And this book is great, and beautiful, full of photos, his great sense of humor, and excellent instructions.
The thing is, I was slightly disappointed that it is very much more of an all-American, sort of new, scientific, Joy of Cooking. Some of my favorite articles from Serious Eats involve Kenji's Asian, Mexican, and vegetarian/vegan recipes. Now he did include some of his vegan work, and his wonderful chile verde is in here, but there are no stir-fries, no tacos, and his absolutely stellar kale salad with crispy chickpeas was passed in favor of two others which are excellent, but really, that salad is AMAZING. Or his black bean burger, which is the absolute best black bean burger on the planet. But whatever, that's not the point. I was just hoping to see more of that type of food, whereas this book is targeted towards beginners (not to say that experienced cooks can't get value out of this book, because it's full of great info) or more specifically, towards people who haven't been reading his column all this time.
Having said all that, I have to review the book on its own merits and how could I possibly give such a stellar tome anything but 5 stars?! There is no fault to be found with the information provided or how engaging it is to read. Even the quality of the book, with lovely binding meant to last and meant to make the book truly a workhorse that doesn't just look pretty sitting on a coffee table is worth commending!
I'll just have to wait for future books to cover the things I miss from this book. Though in the meanwhile, there are already recipes I've got bookmarked to try out, like his puttanesca, pot roast, oven fries, THAT MEATLOAF, not to mention his excellent egg salad, which I've previously made from the site…
I'm so glad to be able to pay Kenji back in some form for the years of free content on Serious Eats and I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in cooking and improving their skills, in particular beginner cooks.
But really, go check out his column on Serious Eats, too. ;) His pie dough, chocolate chip cookies, fish tacos, crispy chicken with white beans and chile verde, chop suey, fried avocado tacos, and his vegan experience (CRISPY TOFU) recipes (AND MORE) are all remarkable!
on September 23, 2015
I LOVE TO COOK, like everyday! I also own tons of cookbooks, but it's been years since I've actually purchased one myself. Usually I get them as gifts and after quickly glossing over them they go straight to the shelves with my other cookbooks. I've noticed that the ones I tend to use more than the others are the reference type cookbooks such as The Food Lab.
Ever since I stumbled upon Kenji's recipe for The Best Koean Fried Chicken online I was hooked! It was truly the best dang Korean fried chicken I ever made. So when I learned that he was coming out with his fist cookbook, I placed an order for two of them. The other copy will be a gift to a lucky cousin in Hawaii. I received them a couple of days ago and so far I've tried 2 recipes: The Thin Crispy Fries and Ultra-Crisp Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder. As you can tell, I love all things crispy and crunchy. Who knew all that science behind french fries? I never would have guessed that boiling them first in vinegar is the key as far as holding their shape and getting rid of the excess starch so they don't turn too dark. They were perfect. They held their shape when I served them with lomo saltado for dinner last night. When I explained this particular technique to my husband, he who never cooks, he actually understood the science behind it (in Kenji's words) and appreciated it even more. Now he wants to read it too. Shocking!
Today I made the insanely good Ultra-Crisp Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder and no butts about it, it was freaking amazing! Such a simple recipe with just salt & pepper. I've never been able to achieve that type of perfectly crispy porky skin in the oven without it burning first and today was the day : ) I will be making this like A LOT! I ended up with the best roasted pork bahn mi with cilantro/garlic/lime/jalapeno mayo, pickled cukes & red onions, butter lettuce & tomatoes. Now I will also need to up my workout since I'm obviously going to be indulging. OMG this is just day 2!
Thanks Kenji (I think).
Ever since I stumbled upon Kenji's recipe for The Best Koean Fried Chicken online I was hooked! It was truly the best dang Korean fried chicken I ever made. So when I learned that he was coming out with his fist cookbook, I placed an order for two of them. The other copy will be a gift to a lucky cousin in Hawaii. I received them a couple of days ago and so far I've tried 2 recipes: The Thin Crispy Fries and Ultra-Crisp Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder. As you can tell, I love all things crispy and crunchy. Who knew all that science behind french fries? I never would have guessed that boiling them first in vinegar is the key as far as holding their shape and getting rid of the excess starch so they don't turn too dark. They were perfect. They held their shape when I served them with lomo saltado for dinner last night. When I explained this particular technique to my husband, he who never cooks, he actually understood the science behind it (in Kenji's words) and appreciated it even more. Now he wants to read it too. Shocking!
Today I made the insanely good Ultra-Crisp Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder and no butts about it, it was freaking amazing! Such a simple recipe with just salt & pepper. I've never been able to achieve that type of perfectly crispy porky skin in the oven without it burning first and today was the day : ) I will be making this like A LOT! I ended up with the best roasted pork bahn mi with cilantro/garlic/lime/jalapeno mayo, pickled cukes & red onions, butter lettuce & tomatoes. Now I will also need to up my workout since I'm obviously going to be indulging. OMG this is just day 2!
Thanks Kenji (I think).
on March 29, 2017
This is a cook book that everyone must buy. It is absolutely amazing, and also a fantastic gift!! I am a scientist myself, and so the descriptions and the science behind the cooking is SO cool! Great gift for scientist friends in particular!! I have attached a few photos of some of the things I have prepared from the cook book and Kenji's website. The meals I have prepared have turned out absolutely delicious, AND they look very much like his professional photos too!!! This is the first time where I've followed the recipe, and what I make looks like what the authors made! This book is absolutely amazing. It will educate you, it will make you a smarter and more confident chef, and it will absolutely entertain you! Kenji has some subtle jokes throughout and some extremely cute pictures of dogs. Awesome book and will be purchasing for family and friends as gifts!
on April 26, 2016
I'm an averagely good cook and have an extensive collection of cookbooks - as a matter of fact, I'm addicted to cookbooks and read them like novels - usually only making one or two recipes from each. This book is a revelation and I wish I would've had it 40 years ago as it would have saved me a whole lot of work (and cookbook purchases). Kenji has taken cooking science to a whole new level and he must be one of the most curious and patient food scientists around. Well, it just landed him this year's James Beard award a few hours ago and I for one am so thrilled for the guy. His writing is entertaining and his explanations make cooking fun.
Enthusiast: Cookingon January 31, 2016
FINALLY, a chef gets it!!!
So many chefs write the same old boring stuff. They start off with equipment and describe it like it was a chore that they have to get out of the way. Sort of like, here's the types of pans there are and here is what they are like and maybe here's how they are used. Kenji describes it with passion giving a great story of how when he tried to reduce cream using a pot that he didn't regularly use that the cream turned out a royal greasy mess due to the pan being too thin.
There are other good cookbooks out there with great recipes. And there are other ones out there that do a pretty good job of teaching how to cook and why certain things work. However, NOBODY....absolutely NOBODY I've ever seen has ever described the science behind cooking better than Kenji. He tells it so well and makes it so enjoyable and easy to read!
And his understanding of the subject matter is excellent. I'm a kitchen knife enthusiast. And no other chef I've seen has really properly described the characteristics of a knife that make the best ones the best. Few go into talking about the thinness of the blade actually being a GOOD thing. But at the same time, he looks at things from the beginner level AND the pro level, showing the full grip technique for beginners along with the balanced grip that most chefs use. And he understands that a cook also has to go with what they are comfortable with, like how he talks about how his wife loves her cheap, dull, unbalanced IKEA knife.
Also, don't let the title fool you. This isn't some cookbook about freezing food with liquid nitrogen and making all of these petite and crazy little dishes you'd get in some gourmet restaurant that you'd never cook at home. This cookbook is brilliantly about using science to make the dishes we like to cook and eat everyday and learn how to turn them from good to spectacular.
He's also got the experience to back up what he writes. He worked his way up from small kitchens to some of the fanciest restaurants in Boston. And Boston has some very good restaurants! Then he worked for Cook's Illustrated developing great recipes. Many of you might know Cooks Illustrated for some other names like America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Country. And now he writes for seriouseats.com.
I have a bunch of cookbooks, but none of them does nearly as great of a job as Kenji at explaining things. This is THE COOKBOOK of ALL COOKBOOKS if you have a passion for cooking like I do and really want to learn how to become a better cook. I'm definitely going to start following his blog and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting this cookbook.
This isn't more of a recipe book. This is a HOW TO book that has recipes. I hope I get to see a lot more cookbooks from Kenji and I hope his publishers will let him really write what he wants to write. He's a genius chef and I'd take his cookbooks over Julia Child, Pepin, Jamie Oliver, Emeril, or any other big name cook out there. He's one chef I'd love to meet.
Any of the negative reviews are undeserved. For once, we have a cookbook that is pure genius. Anybody who takes the time and reads it thoroughly and cooks from it is bound to realize it. I'm getting more out of this cookbook than dozens of others combined. He even gets into making your own sausage!
About the best way I can describe this cookbook is it feels like he looked directly into the soul of cooking and wrote with the passion and understanding and genius of a chef to make a master-piece that I'll cherish for years to come.
So many chefs write the same old boring stuff. They start off with equipment and describe it like it was a chore that they have to get out of the way. Sort of like, here's the types of pans there are and here is what they are like and maybe here's how they are used. Kenji describes it with passion giving a great story of how when he tried to reduce cream using a pot that he didn't regularly use that the cream turned out a royal greasy mess due to the pan being too thin.
There are other good cookbooks out there with great recipes. And there are other ones out there that do a pretty good job of teaching how to cook and why certain things work. However, NOBODY....absolutely NOBODY I've ever seen has ever described the science behind cooking better than Kenji. He tells it so well and makes it so enjoyable and easy to read!
And his understanding of the subject matter is excellent. I'm a kitchen knife enthusiast. And no other chef I've seen has really properly described the characteristics of a knife that make the best ones the best. Few go into talking about the thinness of the blade actually being a GOOD thing. But at the same time, he looks at things from the beginner level AND the pro level, showing the full grip technique for beginners along with the balanced grip that most chefs use. And he understands that a cook also has to go with what they are comfortable with, like how he talks about how his wife loves her cheap, dull, unbalanced IKEA knife.
Also, don't let the title fool you. This isn't some cookbook about freezing food with liquid nitrogen and making all of these petite and crazy little dishes you'd get in some gourmet restaurant that you'd never cook at home. This cookbook is brilliantly about using science to make the dishes we like to cook and eat everyday and learn how to turn them from good to spectacular.
He's also got the experience to back up what he writes. He worked his way up from small kitchens to some of the fanciest restaurants in Boston. And Boston has some very good restaurants! Then he worked for Cook's Illustrated developing great recipes. Many of you might know Cooks Illustrated for some other names like America's Test Kitchen or Cook's Country. And now he writes for seriouseats.com.
I have a bunch of cookbooks, but none of them does nearly as great of a job as Kenji at explaining things. This is THE COOKBOOK of ALL COOKBOOKS if you have a passion for cooking like I do and really want to learn how to become a better cook. I'm definitely going to start following his blog and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting this cookbook.
This isn't more of a recipe book. This is a HOW TO book that has recipes. I hope I get to see a lot more cookbooks from Kenji and I hope his publishers will let him really write what he wants to write. He's a genius chef and I'd take his cookbooks over Julia Child, Pepin, Jamie Oliver, Emeril, or any other big name cook out there. He's one chef I'd love to meet.
Any of the negative reviews are undeserved. For once, we have a cookbook that is pure genius. Anybody who takes the time and reads it thoroughly and cooks from it is bound to realize it. I'm getting more out of this cookbook than dozens of others combined. He even gets into making your own sausage!
About the best way I can describe this cookbook is it feels like he looked directly into the soul of cooking and wrote with the passion and understanding and genius of a chef to make a master-piece that I'll cherish for years to come.
on September 29, 2015
I have been a fan of Kenji and The Food Lab for quite some time. I log onto the Serious Eats site every day and found myself wishing the Food Lab posts were assembled in a single volume and now they are. I personally prefer the Kindle edition because I travel a lot and inevitably end up cooking when visiting friends and family - my goal is to have all the people I care about buy this book! About a dozen have so far. This work is a magnificent achievement and important contribution to the world of deliciousness. The photos are excellent. Kenji makes putting better than most restaurant food on you own table at home an enjoyable and deeply satisfying experience. I believe you will be delighted with this book and your tummy and friends will love you!
on February 14, 2016
Kenji, what can I say. He is the most quoted person in our foodie-house. Kenji has successfully brought me to culinary places new & exciting to me. His real life talk is entertaining & humility endearing.
on December 7, 2015
The size of this book is a little intimidaing when you first get it ... It's a monser of a book. I'm barely into the book and I've already learned a lot. The biggest thing about this book is that it expains what's happening to the food when you prepare it, rather than typical cookbooks where you just blindly follow along. The book also is good at pointing out cooking myths that are completely wrong. I was planning on a good read and didn't realize that the book also includes lots of recipies. Each recipie is prefaced with a section of why the recipie procedure works.
