Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Buying a book called "In the Green Kitchen - Techniques to learn by heart" one would assume that this book is about technique. That it would be full of pictures showing how truss and carve a chicken, with step by step instructions, or that it would explain how to choose a melon by look and smell, or explain how to pick lettuce and cucumbers that aren't bitter. It doesn't. Instead we get a book filled with portraits and details about Alice Water's Slow Food chef buddies from across the country and a manifesto that tells us to eat organic, local and seasonal...options that aren't available to everyone. There are a fair amount of recipes, but that wasn't really what I bought the book for. I bought the book hoping to learn things my Grandmother and mother knew about choosing food and cooking. I grew up in a household where we ate very good. We always had fresh veggies, lean meats and whole grain breads. My mom knew how to pair foods to make lovely meals. That is a lost art, and as much as I was exposed to it, I don't recall much of how she did it. But if you didn't grow up with that kind of exposure, I think this book probably will frustrate you and leave you feeling that good food is something that only wealthy people with a lot of time on their hands can have. Even the portraits of her friends, in their chef's jackets, give the book a "this is for professionals" type of vibe. Just last week I got Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and I would say that's a much better book for helping people get back into the kitchen and start cooking healthy food. He doesn't harp on the organic/seasonal/local thing. He just wants people to start cooking from scratch again. He covers the tools you will need and the items to stock your pantry with. We've made one recipe of his and it was quick, easy and delicious. And the book is chock full of photos - some of the people he's targeting to cook better, and many of food being made. I wouldn't describe them as showing step by step, but it's a step in the right direction. I love Alice Waters and her desire to see people eating better. I have even enjoyed a lovely meal at Chez Panisse. But I much prefer her "Art of Simple Food" to this.