How to Cook Like a Top Chef Hardcover – Illustrated, 14 July 2010

It is a good book for technique. The person that I gave likes it. He found that it is useful and good.

I pre-ordered this book all the way back in April and have been anxiously anticipating its arrival ever since. How stoked was I to receive an email stating that the release date was moved up and so I was going to get it earlier than expected! On Saturday my mailbox was stuffed with a nice `tasty' surprise, and so I spent the better part of this weekend holed up in my bedroom dreamily reading through this wonderful book.Thank you culinary gods!As with the two spectacular cookbooks that preceded it, `How to Cook Like a Top Chef' is so much more than just a cookbook. The book is littered with interviews and bios and `tasty' tidbits on the cheftestants and the judges. This book, thankfully, covers the first six seasons of the show (not to mention `Top Chef Masters'), and so I was handed another `tasty' treat; Kevin Gillespie.Forget Michael Chiarello or Bobby Flay (well, don't FORGET them) but Kevin Gillespie is my culinary crush. I mean, the man is endlessly talented (as proven by his ridiculous amount of wins on the show) and is supremely humble (as proven by his demeanor throughout the entire season). There are few celebrities that can illicit real admiration out of me, and I'm not sure if it's even fair to consider Kevin a celebrity, but he gets my vote. I mean, the man is just inspiring. In all of my culinary dreams and endeavors, I will forever look to Gillespie as someone to aspire to be like. Not only is he talented, but he apparently has not allowed himself to become overtaken by his own skill.He should have won!Anyways, now that I've derailed this review with unnecessary personal jargon, back to the book.In a way to perfect their already stunning recipe for `tasty' construction, the producers of the show (and this book) have added a little extra flair in the form of demos and tutorial pages to help the aspiring chef to sharpen their knives so-to-speak. Whether it be a pasta demo or instructions on slicing and dicing or a few pointers on cooking meat, this book goes beyond mere recipes to instruct the `at home' cook in ways that better their technique. Add to this the Q&A's as well as some nifty behind the scenes stuff, and you have a genuine show piece (not to mention that all three of these books are really cool `looking' books) that backs in as much flavor as it does information.With crisp pictures that get the taste buds excited, this is a `tasty' treat suited for anyone who loves the kitchen.

I have all three Top Chef cookbooks, and this is my current favorite. I love that it is full of actual recipes from six seasons of Top Chef (plus a season of Top Chef Masters), and while there are a few cheesy fan pages in here (interviews with randomly selected cheftestants, a look at the tattoos of season 6, some random candid shots of players and judges), they are generally well-assembled and not too much of a distraction. There are some inaccuracies in the book (I'm thinking of the bio for Rick Moonen, which has a large picture of Graham Elliot Bowles), but the info about the show is mostly correct (when a particular recipe has "Winner" in the top corner, you can be pretty comfortable in trusting that it actually won its competition, which is not always the case in these books). What sets this book above its predecessors, though, is its devotion to technique. There are text boxes in the margins of nearly every page to explain terms like blanching and agar-agar, so even the least experienced home cook should feel confident enough to try these adventurous and beautiful recipes. I haven't owned the book long enough to make anything myself yet, but I know I can find something delicious for my next dinner party. I highly recommend this for home cooks, even those who aren't fans of the show (yet).

This book is rubbish. The recipes do not look very appetizing. The book really doesn't not give any techniques that help. One of the pages teaches you how to look at cut steak and see how done it is. If a person has any knowledge of food at all then these techniques will already be known. Seems there are more pages about the contestants and chefs then there is recipes and technique. Probably a great book for a fan of the show or would be better as a biography. Not really a cookbook.

For any Top Chef diehards and anyone just interested in cooking today this is a great book. The recipes are diverse both in ingredients and difficulty. The bios and stories from the judges and contestants are a delight to read for anyone that has followed the show over the years. Many of the tips are worth taking the time to read even if you have been a foodie for life... Lots of photos to inspire and explain. Worth adding to the cookbook shelf.