2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excerpted from my July 2010 review in The National Barbecue News, July 27 2010
By Doug Mosley - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers: Inspired Recipes by Chef Ted Reader (Paperback)
Ted Reader - the renowned north-of-the-border barbecue king and TV show host - is back with a new book and a re-release. Reader has put together an impressive track record of well-done books over the last decade. First was "Stick & Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and Stone" which was actually a 1999 release co-authored with Kathleen Sloan. He followed that up with "Sticky Fingers and Tenderloins: Grilling Ribs, Steak and Other Tasty Treats" in July 2002, "Grilling Maestros, Vol. 3" in January 2003 (co-authored with Marcel Desaulniers and Fritz Sonnenschmidt) and "Hot and Sticky BBQ" in April 2003. Those first few books helped to shape this author for what was to come, because he seemingly built upon these experiences to develop a personae and style that would emerge in his following efforts. In April 2004, this colorful Canadian released "On Fire in the Kitchen", and then in the spring of 2007 released a pair of books: "The Art of Plank Grilling: Licked by Fire, Kissed by Smoke" (April 2007) and "King of the Q's Blue Plate BBQ" (May 2007). That's where he was first introduced to readers of The National Barbecue News in this column and we've continued to follow his career since.
Last year, Reader hooked up with Napoleon Gourmet Grills and began releasing cookbooks with that brand attached. The first, "Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Grilling" was very favorable reviewed in this space. He also released in hardcover "Napoleon's Everyday Plank Grilling", which has been followed up with a paperback release this spring. Then came the third in May of this year, "Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers" ($25, Key Porter Books, 318 pp.). And as with the other books, this one is well done is every way.
As part of the publicity campaign for this book, Reader attempted to break a world record for the world's largest hamburger. On May 8 in Toronto, Reader and 10 assistants cooked a 300-pound hamburger on a specially-made Napoleon Grill (it had a built-in hydraulic fork lift that flipped the burger during the cooking process). With bun and fixin's, the final weight was 590 pounds, easily besting the standing record of 164.8 pounds. However, the Guinness Book of World Records states that the world's largest hamburger must be commercially available (i.e., offered for sale publicly on a regular basis) and thus Guinness continues to list Mallie's Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate, Mich., as the recordholder, although Reader has said his behemoth will be made available on his catering menu.
Back to the book. "Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers" follows the same style and format of the previous two books. The recipes are very creative but not hopelessly challenging. However, what you will turn out from this book will undoubtedly lead to wows. Mark this one down as another outstanding effort by Reader. We'll look forward to what comes next.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great recipes, Mar 23 2012
By BC "BC" - Published on Amazon.com
the book is very informative on techniques for preparing the meat as well as new and inventive ways to season your burger. the butter burger was very interesting. we tried it and it did help put moisture in the burger.