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vdoprincess's review against another edition
4.0
I reread this book every couple of years, and love it every time. I guess I just like the idea of peeking inside what it takes to become a world-class chef. In addition, it inspires me to cook more. You can't read about all those lovely foods without wanting to eat more than my customary "bowl of pasta with butter and parmesan."
pepperfool's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic read. Mr. Ruhlman with his no-nonsense writing style introduces you to what it's like to enroll in the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) New York, and then on to work in restaurants. As a personal chef, this is one of the top food/cooking book's i've read. In writing this book, he met Thomas Keller whom he went on to co-write Kellers book Bouchon.
bminch's review against another edition
4.0
If you have any interest in attending culinary school, especially the Culinary Institute of America, I highly recommend this book, it gives good insight into what a culinary student encounters during their time at school. As someone who would love to attend culinary school, some of the situations the students face makes me second guess if I could handle it. It still sounds like fun and a great experience overall.
That being said, the author mentions many times that he is a writer and does not participate in some of the curriculum the students partake in, which made me wonder what happened to those students during those few weeks/months that the author was not involved. Although, I am not sure if a true culinary student could write in such a descriptive way as Ruhlman does.
He does give good insight into the teachers and fellow students and their reasons for pursuing a career in the culinary world. I enjoyed reading how some of the teachers came to be teachers at the CIA and some of their background in the culinary world.
That being said, the author mentions many times that he is a writer and does not participate in some of the curriculum the students partake in, which made me wonder what happened to those students during those few weeks/months that the author was not involved. Although, I am not sure if a true culinary student could write in such a descriptive way as Ruhlman does.
He does give good insight into the teachers and fellow students and their reasons for pursuing a career in the culinary world. I enjoyed reading how some of the teachers came to be teachers at the CIA and some of their background in the culinary world.
altlovesbooks's review
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
I like food shows, food books, and eating food, but I'm not a chef or a cook. I just follow a recipe. Michael Ruhlman here is a journalist who attends the CIA for the experience of it and not because he wants to be a chef himself. He starts out just like any other student, works his way through the curriculum, and then graduates along with the rest of the students. Along the way, his journalist-ness evidently confers upon him the ability to chat with his instructors and the staff at will, so we get a lot of one-on-one interviews with his teachers and other faculty involved with keeping the CIA running.
On one hand it was interesting hearing what students go through at the CIA. Lots of rigorous skill drills involved with making sure each one of your cuts is the same as the last, lots of making, remaking, and re-re-making things over and over again to get the basics down. I especially liked the segment near the end where the chefs have to work front of the house at one of the CIA's restaurants, and we get a lot of information about what it takes to be a waiter in the fine dining environment the CIA encourages. There's lots and lots of neat little tidbits of information here.
On the other hand, I felt like the author took his journalism too seriously, and we're treated to long segments in the minutiae of chef lectures. It sometimes feels like he transcribed these segments word-for-word from the instructors, and thus feels like I'm listening to class lectures all over again. I also feel like the author's perspective as a journalist and not a chef took something away from the experience. He wasn't there to learn a new trade or begin a new career, he was there to get information from others who were doing that. That degree of separation seemed (to me) to temper the feelings a bit into "well, this was awful, thank god I wasn't doing this for a career", which seems a little flip. Also also, brown sauce. I grew incredibly tired of hearing about brown sauce.
For audiobook listeners, the audiobook for this was terrible. The narrator was monotone, and there were clear edited portions (to the point where things would stop mid-sentence sometimes and then pick up again after a long pause) that took away from the information.
So I guess this was a decent book, but there were a lot of hangups I had about it that prevent me from really recommending it to anyone.
On one hand it was interesting hearing what students go through at the CIA. Lots of rigorous skill drills involved with making sure each one of your cuts is the same as the last, lots of making, remaking, and re-re-making things over and over again to get the basics down. I especially liked the segment near the end where the chefs have to work front of the house at one of the CIA's restaurants, and we get a lot of information about what it takes to be a waiter in the fine dining environment the CIA encourages. There's lots and lots of neat little tidbits of information here.
On the other hand, I felt like the author took his journalism too seriously, and we're treated to long segments in the minutiae of chef lectures. It sometimes feels like he transcribed these segments word-for-word from the instructors, and thus feels like I'm listening to class lectures all over again. I also feel like the author's perspective as a journalist and not a chef took something away from the experience. He wasn't there to learn a new trade or begin a new career, he was there to get information from others who were doing that. That degree of separation seemed (to me) to temper the feelings a bit into "well, this was awful, thank god I wasn't doing this for a career", which seems a little flip. Also also, brown sauce. I grew incredibly tired of hearing about brown sauce.
For audiobook listeners, the audiobook for this was terrible. The narrator was monotone, and there were clear edited portions (to the point where things would stop mid-sentence sometimes and then pick up again after a long pause) that took away from the information.
So I guess this was a decent book, but there were a lot of hangups I had about it that prevent me from really recommending it to anyone.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
The writing here is not quite as smooth as Ruhlman's later books on the culinary world, but it's still a fascinating book that has some great passages. And it's fun to see how the project begins to take hold of him in a way that turns him from a journalist into something kinda of else -- almost or even all-the-way -- a cook. One thing that sets this apart from other culinary school or kitchen memoirs is that because Ruhlman had access to the instructors and eventually the president of the CIA, you get philosophy (and almost theological debates) and worldview in addition to scenes in the kitchen. It's that extra dimension that makes this worth reading.
bennse2's review against another edition
3.0
A food guy decides to write a book about culinary education in America. This means this memoir is subjective and a little narrow, but I learned a lot about culinary education and techniques, which I am fascinated by. Recommended for home cooks who are curious about chef-hood and for people who watch Top Chef and wonder about their formal education.
jedrek's review against another edition
4.0
Great book about food, even if it includes some hilarious 1990s broscience about making food healthier by reducing protein and increasing carbohydrates. If you love food and like to cook, it might open your eyes to certain techniques and delicious foods.
The audiobook seems poorly produced with lots of odd pauses.
The audiobook seems poorly produced with lots of odd pauses.
bookishconnections's review against another edition
4.0
Inspired by Anne Bogel’s recommendation, this book has been on my TBR list for years.
I finally managed to get it when it was on offer.
Did it live up to the hype?
Yes and No.
Yes because this book is INTENSE and you can feel the heat and pressure of the kitchen from the style of writing so you can get a sense of what it’s actually like to be a trainee Chef or Cook at the Culinary Institute of America
The book is also very dense and there is a lot of information so it can feel like it goes over your head.
I found the style of writing really interesting and you almost feel like the writer has gone Native in his research even as he tried to keep composed but for me, this was the most interesting part when he was in the weeds with his fellow students.
The interviews with fellow students, Chefs and the President of the CIA also added some good historical context on why the school was created and whether it still had a place in the modern world (1996).
No because this book is dense and not exactly light reading.
I’ve not yet read such a detailed account on food and anyone looking for recipes and techniques is going to be sorely disappointed.
This is more a study on what it takes to become a chef and it seems to be mainly attitude and hard work.
The ones with bad attitudes were swiftly reprimanded and I do wonder how Ruhlman’s fellow students felt about having off hand remarks and conversations relayed in such a form.
All in all, an excellent introduction on what it takes to be a professional Chef in America.
I finally managed to get it when it was on offer.
Did it live up to the hype?
Yes and No.
Yes because this book is INTENSE and you can feel the heat and pressure of the kitchen from the style of writing so you can get a sense of what it’s actually like to be a trainee Chef or Cook at the Culinary Institute of America
The book is also very dense and there is a lot of information so it can feel like it goes over your head.
I found the style of writing really interesting and you almost feel like the writer has gone Native in his research even as he tried to keep composed but for me, this was the most interesting part when he was in the weeds with his fellow students.
The interviews with fellow students, Chefs and the President of the CIA also added some good historical context on why the school was created and whether it still had a place in the modern world (1996).
No because this book is dense and not exactly light reading.
I’ve not yet read such a detailed account on food and anyone looking for recipes and techniques is going to be sorely disappointed.
This is more a study on what it takes to become a chef and it seems to be mainly attitude and hard work.
The ones with bad attitudes were swiftly reprimanded and I do wonder how Ruhlman’s fellow students felt about having off hand remarks and conversations relayed in such a form.
All in all, an excellent introduction on what it takes to be a professional Chef in America.