Review by Booklist Review
Home chefs certain they could never meet Ramsay's exacting culinary standards on TV's Kitchen Nightmares will be pleasantly surprised by this approachable and forgiving selection of dishes and tips. Here, Ramsay encourages robust international flavors and careful preparation and instructs in simple ways to cut time without sacrificing freshness, taste, or style. Before diving into the recipes (which are uniformly appealing and accompanied by enticing full-color photographs), a tips and tools section helps focus the reader on the most important rules of cooking in this style: preparation makes for a smoother time, practice improves speed, and there's no shame in convenience foods without adulteration like peeled butternut squash, canned tomatoes, or spice blends. Prime among his instructions is to read the recipe first, and here in particular this is a good caution. The notes before and within each recipe are essential! They are full of information about ingredient selection, sustainable options, tricks for timing the dish correctly, and encouragements. Each section of recipes includes an ample--but not overwhelming--variety that spans a range of flavor palates. Among the traditional organization, Ramsay includes a meat-free main dish section. An instructive and inspiring entry that stands out among the vast array of quick-meal cookbooks.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Ramsay (Gordon Ramsay's Healthy, Lean & Fit) extends a guiding hand to those who need to quickly get dinner on the table in his excellent latest. Ramsay incorporates elements of American, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, Moroccan, and Thai cuisines, and his pantry contains ingredients that are now widely available in large supermarkets. Dishes are kept at two or four servings, reflecting what is served at Ramsay's restaurants and cooked for his own family. Zucchini fries, for instance, are made using the same technique as at his Union Street Café in London (they are crispy thanks to a semolina coating), and spicy beef and bean quesadillas disappear quickly at the Ramsay dining table, he reports as a chef dad. Many of his tips are familiar (lining up green beans to trim their edges at once), while some of his methods underscore the chef's kitchen smarts, such as choosing larger turkey cutlets instead of chicken for a kiev treatment, and enhancing the flavor of hummus with black sesame paste instead of just tahini. A metric conversion chart is provided, as the recipes feature imperial weights and measures. This accessible volume presents many ways for home cooks to expand their weeknight repertoires. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Although well-known for his experience on Hell's Kitchen, Ramsay started as a professional chef and has an award-winning namesake restaurant in Chelsea, England. His approach in this latest book comes from the experience of spending long hours in the kitchen, relaying tips and techniques that make cooking easier and faster. His goal is to help everyday cooks find that working in the kitchen can be enjoyable, and preferable, to ordering out. The shortcuts he provides throughout, for both vegetable-based and meat dishes, work toward that goal. Moving from soups and salads (spiced squash and lentil soup) to meat-free mains (lentil burgers) to desserts (spiced peach, apple, and almond crumble), with everything in between, the collection is a good starting place for anyone looking to get started. Helpfully, Ramsay also shares a list of essential equipment and pantry items, along with suggestions for time-saving ingredients and prep methods. VERDICT For fans of Gordon Ramsay, as well as those looking to up their skills in the kitchen.--Ginny Wolter, Toledo Lucas Cty. P.L.
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