Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a big fan of -- his books and his blog. Time and again, I have seminal moments of my life as a cook that involve his work. So it is no surprise that I stayed up late one night to read TWENTY and then immediately started in on the recipes. The book is nothing short of brilliant. And let me tell you why you should pay attention to my review. I know the fundamentals of cooking. I went to culinary school and graduated at the top of my class. And I know recipes. I actually wrote recipes for chefs for 14 years in my work as a restaurant publicist for 14 years. Most chefs, you see, can't write a recipe so I would have to get the ideas from them and then write up the actual process. Once, I got a "recipe" from a rather famous chef that was written on a bevnap. It said, "take veal, make ragu." I had to translate that into something for the NYT. I did, I sent it in, and the Food Editor wrote back to tell me that the recipe "from the chef" was the best recipe he made all year. So, I have some cooking cred. And yet, I am learning from TWENTY. A lot. I am not sure if this is an awesome book for absolute beginners. Though there is enough instruction in there that a smart person who pays attention could, in fact, use this as a 101 book. But I do know it is *essential* for anyone who thinks they are a competent cook and is confident in their kitchen abilities. Buy it. Now.