Customer Reviews

The Naked Chef Takes Off

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ths book is OK, but no where near the quality or usefulness of the first. So, look it over in the store before spending the $$

This guy will convince you that you can do any recipe you want, He inspires you to cook. I've never done one of his recipes with the same ingrediants twice and rarely fully follow his own seasonings but he gives a great base to start with and experiment.
Alot of other chef's dont like him but what can you say when the people who eat his recipes love it. all five books are worth buying

I watched Oliver's very first TV program in England and admit that I was going to be very critical (I was working as a Chef at the time with my own restaurant). When the half hour show ended I was enchanted with the young man and his approach to food and life. I never missed another show all the time I remained living and working in England. I have all three of his books and they are all great. He is so enthuiasitc about food that you can't help but be caught up in the joy of cooking and sharing your efforts. Since his success he has helped and encouraged and acted as a mentor to many young people who are interested in entering into the world of catering/food service.

I've never written a review for any book before, but I had to for this one. I've had the best food of my life from the recipes in this book.
For example, I bought this book about 3 months ago, I eat pasta daily (literally) and for the past 3 months *every day* I've used Jamie's sauce on my pasta. Before that I used about 30 different store-bought flavors. The amazing part is how simple *and healthy* it is: Plum tomatoes, olives, olive oil, salt, and pepper - that's *it*. Cooked properly, it's perfect.
I also made a shrimp dish that was awesome. Forgot what it was called but it was some kind of crispy shrimp.
I hope he writes 100 more books.
His show can inspire the heck out of you too.

Wonderful every-day ingredients elevated to new heights. Who knew simple foods could be, well, so simple! And so delicious! Even a vegetarian (like myself) can use most of the recipes, by either omitting meat all together or substituting it with soy-based products. I have to give Jamie major props for promoting organic foods!

Besides this being an excellent cookbook, it's an excellent read. The writing style is sharp, witty, conversational and warm. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I've been a big fan of the FoodTV since I got cable and I've always been extremely impressed with Oliver's approach to "raw" cooking. He's innovative methods of using fresh ingredients make the his dishes just a little different than others. I found myself anxiously flipping through the pages when I first got it as a present. The colorful pages and the exotic but simple ingredients in his receipes made me drool. The boldness of his cooking as well as his creativity are very displayed. I was a little sad about not having outdoor markets such as ones in London available in my area. But non the less, he cleverly expressed the message of cooking "naked" in this book. Afterall, developing your own style and being innovative is what makes cooking fun.

Jamie Oliver makes cooking fun. Reading the cookbook is as much fun as making the recipes, and he makes you feel like one of his mates! Wish he'd cook dinner for me sometime! The instructions are sometimes pretty basic, but this is good for beginner or intermediate cooks, since it makes you realize that you can improvise a little and the food will still turn out good -- it will just have more of your own personal touch.

I'll admit I am biased. I love Jamie's approach to cooking and I rarely miss his shows on TV. "The Naked Chef" and "Oliver's Twist" show him in his own kitchen cooking for real friends. This book captures that spirit. He has a relaxed attitude in the kitchen, which to me should be the only one to have. This is after all supposed to be fun. His recipes here are a continuation to the previous book (The Naked Chef) and so far I have not been dissapointed with any of them. Some which sound too simple to be interesting turn out to be fantastic crowd pleasers such as the tagliatelle with spicy sausage and wild mushrooms. His approach and ingredients usually tend toward Italian--it's no secret that this is his favorite style--but there are plenty of other influences from Indian to Asian to just plain hearty pub food. There are some great roasts and some fantastic seafood ideas here as well as some really nice bread recipes. If you want an easy to follow, unpretensious cookbook that is just as much fun to read as it is to use, get this book.

What a nice change of pace to read a cookbook by an author who has a sense of humor and some modesty about his or her accomplishments. Although Jamie Oliver has a lot to crow about, he's a marvelous, relaxed writer whose prose is engaging, readable, and yet serious about its subject matter. The recipes are super. There are a lot of little touches to this book that I pick up on every time I glance through it. Mr. Oliver packed so many nuggets into his text that you could literally experience a new insight each time you open it up. A must have for any serious cook who still likes to have fun cooking!

This book, which is also on the British site published as "Return of the Naked Chef" is a real find. I have had this book for ages, as I have a British copy and I have found myself using it over and over again, especially for the pizza recipe, which Jamie makes so easy that it's unbelieveable (and the results are so much better than what you get in a pizzeria!-well, at least one on this side of the Atlantic). HIs style is mostly Italian, with a bit of British and a little bit of French and a little exotic Indian touch now and again. The recipes are healthy, creative and make me want to cook when I come home from a long day at work. I find that his ideas in the book will sometimes inspire a different recipe from me, but I get the impression, that in writing his cookbooks, that is kind of what he wants as well. I also like the lists he gives of what you should have in your pantry to be able to make a dinner. Oh, by the way, Happy Days with the Naked Chef is also good, and if you can't wait until November, it is available on AmazonUK.