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From Publishers Weekly
In what seems to be a bid to become a U.S. version of Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, Florence (who was chef at New York's Cafeteria and hosts his own cooking show) aims for a casual attitude. While organization is loose amorphous chapters on backyard cookouts and Dinner for Two sit side-by-side with highly focused ones on making your own sushi many of the recipes themselves are clever. Sage-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Dried Plum Sauce features a tasty sauce made with red wine and prunes cooked until soft, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Miso, Orange, and Sesame would make a great snack as well as a tasty side dish. The author darts from one subject to the next and often combines flavors unexpectedly, as in Grilled Salmon with Watermelon and Black Olive Salad and Horseradish Burgers with Havarti and Tomato Remoulade. Sometimes Florence's claims that the best cooking is easy, casual and quick are belied by recipes such as the one for Blue Cheese SoufflE with Chamomile-Fig Compote that requires creation of a bEchamel sauce, not to mention the notoriously tricky soufflEs themselves. Florence's tone is light throughout, but readers may be turned off by airy pronouncements (It's often been my experience that many of the cleanest, best flavors are very simple ones) that under closer inspection are fairly meaningless. Others may roll their eyes at his off-color or immature remarks (a man of Thai ethnicity pulls out a karate move when asked to share a recipe; the flavors of a Green Curry Chicken are mental).
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Tyler Florence's cooking show on television's Food Network, where he rescues people from stovetop disasters, has an avid following. These fans will snap up copies of Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen, where their master shares his own recipes. Florence's recipes range widely from Chinese dim sum to rich, cheese-laden lasagna. He pleases vegetarians with a pan-fried tofu "steak" and a high-piled muffuletta sandwich with layers of roasted vegetables. Florence's prosciutto-wrapped, cheese-stuffed figs can easily be the hit of any cocktail party. His recommendations for stocking a pantry call for so many staples that only those with substantial storage space can possibly stock them all. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good New Recipes, Mostly New Versions of Classics,
By B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen: An indespensible guide for anybody who likes to cook (Hardcover)
Tyler Florence' cookbook belongs to the genus 'celebrity chef cookbook', species 'not associated with cuisine or restaurant'. The primary object of this genre is to provide good recipies in an entertaining manner from a wide variety of cuisines. This book generally succeeds on all these counts, with some reservations.Please be careful to note that this book is not and does not claim to be a teaching text. One will probably not get the full benefit from this book if they are a complete novice. This being true, the brief sections at the beginning of the book on kitchenware and pantry items are probably misleading. Whole books are devoted to these subjects. Tyler cannot hope to cover these subjects effectively in a few pages. While there are some recipes in this book which are fairly simple, there are also many which are quite complicated. Take, for example, the Philly Cheese Steak. Pat's Steaks in South Philly can knock out a cheese steak in 10 to 15 minutes. Tyler's recipe will take an amateur chef at least 90 minutes, requiring the preparation of two different sauces. For best results it also requires a specific Italian Ciabatta bread and Italian Fontina cheese. The other side of the coin is that the results are spectacular. Pay special attention to the time from shopping bag to dinner plate given for each recipe. He's not kidding, and almost all recipes need an hour or more. This feature a major plus and fits the primary purpose of the book as a source for amateur cooks to find new and interesting recipes to entertain or have fun with. Also, I would take the statements about simple ingredients with a grain of salt. I have yet to find a local source for Kaffir lime leaves and fresh or whole dried lemongrass and I am skeptical about availability of some other ingredients if one does not have access to a good oriental market. A corollary to this situation is the fact that these are not budget recipes. They are also not specifically aimed at being low fat, low calorie, or high healthy. This is not to say they are bad for you. I will wager that almost all of these recipes will be healthier for you than any typical fare from a fast food outlet. Just don't bother trying to count calories. Have fun with the recipes and eat small portions if you are watching your weight. Tyler dutifully subscribes to the 'fresh ingredients' mantra, to which I have no argument, as long as you are aware of the implications and alternatives. There is no question that you really should use fresh herbs in certain cases such as parsley, basil, cilantro, and dill. Dried alternatives are simply a pale shadow of the fresh herb and at least three out of four of these herbs are reletively inexpensive and available the year around. Tyler, however, specifies fresh herbs for practically everything, including thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. These fresh herbs are expensive and not always available. Also, the dried forms of these herbs are as good or sometimes even better than their fresh counterparts, especially when ground and added at the beginning of cooking. Just be sure when using dried herbs and spices, that you buy the whole form and grind or mash the material at the last minute. The most dramatic example of this is nutmeg. I find the style of recipe writing to be competent, with two concerns. First, Tyler seems to have subscribed to the Jamie Oliver school of measuring, where the amounts of many ingredients, especially things like cooking oils and seasonings are not stated exactly. This is fine for an individual's style of cooking and does reflect the fact that many ingredients are added to taste, but this is not good communication! One person's '1 count of peanut oil' may be three times larger than the next person's. Just as one always gives a test for doneness as well as giving an expected cooking time, I would much prefer the old teaspoons and tablespoons to 'glugs and counts'. Second, I have found lapses in the proper sequencing of steps. There are times when Tyler gets things out of order, even though much of his text makes a great effort to sequence carefully, there are some slip ups. Otherwise, the recipe writing is very chatty, filled with tips on technique to get the best results, however, the background material which makes this type of book fun to read is a little thin. I would recommend this book to an amateur chef who buys the occasional cookbook to make their meals more interesting and who is not afraid of complicated, time-consuming preparations and who is not adverse to some pricy ingredients. Note that there is some overlap to Tyler's TV shows, but not so much that it makes one feel the book has nothing to offer.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
He understands food ..,
By Gwyn (Toronto, ONT.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen: An indespensible guide for anybody who likes to cook (Hardcover)
At one point in the book, Tyler says "Weekend brunch makes me smile. Hanging out in sweatpants and a T-shirt, with a cup of strong coffee and a plate of perfect scrambled eggs, is an absolute slice of heaven" -- I couldn't have said it better myself. The book, although some recipes you would have to make a special trip to the grocery store for, has never let me down... EVER. I highly recommend the Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze for Saturday Brunch if you ever buy the book -- the recipe alone makes the book worthwhile.The subtitle of "An indispensable guide for anybody who likes to cook" explains it perfectly.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply delicious,
By
This review is from: Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen: An indespensible guide for anybody who likes to cook (Hardcover)
I bought this book a couple of months ago, and I've already tried some of the recipes. I don't recommend this book for people who like "plain-no-taste" food, as these recipes are complex in flavors + special spices.The only problem with the book is that there are not that many vegetarian options, so if you need to please your vegetarian friends... try a different one.
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