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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.
caproulx's review against another edition
5.0
A very interesting look at how chefs are taught at the CIA-- at least, how they were taught in the late 90's.
jessmferguson's review against another edition
3.0
It reads a bit too much as a cooking school diary without offering unique information. Also, I would appreciated a quick explainer for the French cooking terms he used repeatedly.
devrose's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't get that far into this book, but I couldn't finish it. I find it disturbing that the top culinary school in the US places so much emphasis on French cooking. Why is French food seen as so much better than anything else? Perhaps my disgust at this is because I started reading this on the heels of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which laments the lack of an American cuisine. This book seems to back up Kingsolver's claim, and I hate it.
avocadoeverything's review against another edition
5.0
I was sad when I finished this book because I couldn't read it anymore. I loved it.
thewellreadrunner's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book was fantastic. Ruhlman is a writer who was granted special permission to go through segments of the culinary degree program at the Culinary Institute of America, and write about the process. However, in the course of the degree program, he starts to become a cook himself, and you see the line between writing and cooking start to blur for him.
Full disclosure: my stepfather is a CIA graduate and I have eaten in the Escoffier Room, so I am probably more interested in this book than most. There's a lot of detail here that you may not be interested in if food and cooking don't tickle your fancy. But this is a very well-written account of CIA student life, and if you're a foodie, you'll be salivating by the end...and also either yearning for culinary school, or feeling decidedly dead-set against it. One of the better nonfiction reads I've had in a while!
Full disclosure: my stepfather is a CIA graduate and I have eaten in the Escoffier Room, so I am probably more interested in this book than most. There's a lot of detail here that you may not be interested in if food and cooking don't tickle your fancy. But this is a very well-written account of CIA student life, and if you're a foodie, you'll be salivating by the end...and also either yearning for culinary school, or feeling decidedly dead-set against it. One of the better nonfiction reads I've had in a while!
reenum's review against another edition
4.0
Ruhlman goes from detached observer to passionate student over the course of the book. His passion for cooking shines through and carries this book all the way to the end.
kendirae's review against another edition
2.0
It's official . . . I WILL NOT be attending culinary school. I can't finish it and put myself through the torture of what could be.