Pictures of Scotland.org Canadian Amazon Store

This book is so much deeper than slick photos and cultural elitism. My wife, the cook of the family, first thought it was gross. Then she read the recipes and stopped on this page, and that, and ended up retiring to the kitchen to cook up the kinds of food she had missed for years. Her mothers food.

Some of the more memorable recipes ... potato chip sandwiches, miracle whip and jello, deep-fried squirrel, Clara Jane Vickar's Creamed Tuna Lunch, and Freda's Five-can Casserole. And my son loves hot dog water soup. Go figure.


This is my bible   May 28, 2004
 2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Yes, this book in not for the cook who wants to grab a few recipes and try to reproduce food from arguably one of the best restaruants in this country. Nor should it be. Yes, this book may not be for the average cook at first glance because a lot of the recipes are time consumming and require a solid foundation in classical cooking, but this book is not about recipes. It is all about the personal approach one takes on cooking and the willingness to make the best food you can possibly make in any situation. The choices a cook makes when he or she cooks is all about who they are as a cook. In a world of fast food and cooking shortcuts Thomas Kellar emplores us to make the effort to cook again. I am a professional chef of 27 years and a culinary instructor and I refer young cooks to this book all the time. They may not always have the abilty to do what is in the book, but they have the ability to try. They learn about the possibilities they have. That is all Thomas Kellar asks of us, to cook no matter what level one is at. If this book inspires you to learn one thing from it or to even pick up another book and learn something or to cook with just a little more care it will be well served. This is not some recipe cookbook that will fade away with the trends and the passing of time. It is a book that your cooking soul can return to for nourishment time and time again.


Food As An Art, But Not For the Squeamish.   May 10, 2004
Simply put, this book is beautiful. It's a rare look inside the secrets of a craftsman at the top of his trade. while there are many, many haute cuisine/california cuisine cookbooks on the market, very few refuse to simplify their recipes for the home. This is a book that recommends straining every stock through a chinois, a book that's more generous in its use of truffles and the foie gras than the average episode of Iron Chef. It makes no comprimises and spells out the fact that something as simple as their tomato "consomme" takes two days to prepare.

And then there's the story of the rabbits.

This book has gotten some flak in the past about the gory details involved in the slaughter and prep of the rabbits. Many people are put off by this. It's not for the weak-jearted. At the same time, it does really help one appreciate that food comes from someplace other than the supermarket, and that any food item that gave up its existence to become dinner should be treated with reverence and respect in the kitchen. Getting hung-up on the perceived barbarism of the slaughter is missing the point - it's all about gaining a sense of perspective about where the food actually comes from. He also does the same sort of narrative for harvesting vegetables, there's just less blood involved.

Aside from that, there's a lot in this book that is probably beyond the capabilities of the average home chef, and probably even several classically trained restaurant chefs. This should not be off-putting, as there's plenty that isn't, and even the most exotic recipes have enough firm grounding in them that they can be modified to fit the average home kitchen provided you're still willing to put in some effort. Not everybody can make chips and dip out of creme fraiche, truffles, and potatoes sliced so thin you can see through them, but with a little experimentation a reasonable facsimile can be made at home, and still wow anyone who eats it. Other items, like the gazpacho, are simple and delicious - provided you put in the time and care recommended by the recipe. The book is all about care with ingredients and preparation, and that's really what elevates the recipes. It's not about a wild combination of new and exciting flavors (although there are plenty of those), it's about taking the time and effort to use ingredients to their fullest extent.

The writing style does border on the sort of ethereal purple prose usually reserved for people writing about violin concerti, but the writing really takes a back seat to the food and Keller's very obvious devotion and respect for the culinary arts. It's the kind of book that makes you love food all the more, and makes you want to experiment, even if you never expect to duplicate a Keller recipe.


PERFECTION   February 22, 2004
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The French Laundry Cookbook is perfect in every way. Thomas Keller is at the peak of the culinary Mt. Olympus, a gastronomic god of the food world. For anyone interested, I mean really interested, in the perfection of food this book is a must-have. Forget all the people who say that the recipes are too difficult or pretentious; those people simply do not understand food. Did they expect French Laundry recipes to be easy, or even attainable to them, mere amateurs? A children's book? No. Sorry kids, soccer-moms, and Emeril-wannabes around the globe - this book is not for you. It is us cooks, and that makes me happy.