The Amateur Gourmet
How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hop Like a Pro
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Average rating3.5
As a self-taught chef and creator of The Amateur Gourmet website, Adam Roberts knows the challenges you face in bringing fresh, creative homemade meals to the table without burning down the house or bruising your self-esteem. But as he shows in this exciting new book, the effort is worth it and good eating doesn't have to be difficult. To prove his point, Roberts has assembled a five-star lineup of some of the food world's most eminent authorities for your culinary education.In this illuminating and hilarious "Kitchen 101," Adam Roberts teaches you how to bring good food into your life. Learn the "Ten Commandments of Dining Out" courtesy of Ruth Reichl, editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. Discover why the New York Times's Amanda Hesser urges you never to bring a grocery list to the market. Get knife lessons from a top sous-chef at Manhattan's famous Union Square Cafe, and accompany the intrepid author as he dines alone at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon in Paris.From how to chop an onion to how to cook a seven-course meal that dazzles your friends, Roberts shares the skills you need to overcome your food phobias, impress your parents, woo a date, and create sophisticated dishes with everyday ease.Packed with recipes, menus plans, shopping tips, and anecdotes, The Amateur Gourmet provides you with all the ingredients for the foodie lifestyle. All you need is a healthy appetite and a taste for adventure!From the Hardcover edition.
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I finished this book in one sitting. Roberts, a wry, funny narrator who speaks directly to his audience, captures the art of amateur cooking—ranging from the simplest to the most complex. He's unafraid to make his own recipes, torture his family and friends into new culinary experiences, and he also is daring enough to admit using cookbook recipes, which I feel like so few food bloggers and authors admit to.
Roberts, like an increasingly large number of young authors today, keeps a blog about his experiences in learning to cook. The book is composed of pieces taken and expanded upon from the blog. It's not a bad book, given that it is one man's attempts at becoming an amateur gourmet. It's not the end-all of books about learning to cook and shouldn't be read with that expectation. It was a gentle little read, but nothing more.
