Customer Reviews
A useful book where 'Tweaked' basics meet the more sophisticated........and the odd rude word in the narratives! - By: Amazon Reviewer, 24 Oct 2006 
Cover quotes:-
`As seen on Channel 4', over 100 brand new recipes.
'Hellishly Good' Heat - `Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares' presented viewers with a vision of culinary hell. Now Britain's foremost chef shares the secrets of how it should be done - & alllows us a glimpse of `Kitchen Heaven'.
For the large part this is a useful recipe & reference book where `tweaked' basics e.g. `Black Forest Gateau' mingle with the more sophisticated `Cold Chocolate Mousse with Lavender Ice Cream'; 'Puff Pastry Pizza' with `Twice Baked Cheese Soufflés`; `French Onion Soup' with `Smoked Haddock Soup with Quail's Eggs' & `Lasagne' with 'Pheasant Baked with Crepes'.
255 high quality, shiny pages split over 9 main chapters:-
Salads
Things on Toast
Vegetarian
Soups
Fish
Meat
Puddings
Vinaigrettes & Dressings
Sauces, Stocks & Basics
sandwiched between an introduction, `Essential Techniques' (including:- 'How to Poach an Egg', `How to Dry Salad Leaves' & `How to Fillet, Pin-bone & Skin Fish'), a two page glossary & a concise index.
Each chapter opens with a helpful tip, e.g. Salads - `The thing to remember with salads is not to fuss over them too much & always use the best, freshest ingredients you can get hold of.......and GR's experiences from the TV programmes:- 'Caesar Salad' is a great test for any chef to make properly as it reallly doesn't need much messing with...... After seeing the mess they made at..........., I gave the chef this recipe which is my interpretation.'
A recipe for the `Ultimate Caesar Salad' follows.
Opening the `Vegetarian' chapter is a quote, with the typical GR attitude, we have come to either love or hate:-
`I was mis-quoted a few years ago, so I want to set the record straight: I absolutely love vegetarians, adore them, & enjoy eating vegetarian food myself......
or
ahead of the GR `Cottage Pie' recipe:-
`This has to be my alll-time favourite comfort food dish. My wife, Tana, & I go out & have dinner once a week, by ourselves. We usuallly go to the Ivy & I always order the same thing - `Caesar Salad' & `Cottage Pie`.
I'll just there with a dinky bottle of ketchup & one of Worcestershire Sauce & that is just it for me. Nothing more, nothing else, just my cottage pie.'
Throughout the book, each recipe is clearly laid out with the title & ingredients list in red type, followed by the method, in black type.
On location photography with pictures for a large percentage of the recipes, but not alll, which may prove to be slightly negative to readers who like to see what finished product they are aiming for, in a less obvious to picture dish, e.g. `Crispy Duck Salad', 'Peppers in Red Wine' or `Lobster Roll`!
The book is interspersed with narrative sections, e.g. `Being a Waiter', `Turning Your Restaurant Nightmare into a Dream', `Putting Chefs on the Spot', 'Too Much Sleep' & `Making Mistakes'.
(Please be warned that there is some typical GR 'x'-rated language in these sections!)
Other Recipes include:-
Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Croque Monsieur
Baked Asparagus & Parmesan Loaf
Fish Pie
Venison Pie
Marinated Duck Breasts
Turnip, Marrow & Potato Soup
Burger & Chips, (which includes a very nice `Onion Relish' recipe)
Whisky Bread & Butter Pudding
Lemon Confit
Taramasalata
Brown Chicken Stock
Calvados Rice Pudding with Caramelized Apples
You fu**ing bl**dy etc etc - By: Mr. M. Randall, 06 Jun 2006 The book from the kicthen version of South Park (i.e. lots of swearing) This book has a few great recipes in it. especiallly the banana soufle recipe, some of the soups & the fish pie is a great 1. overalll a good book.
Interesting, but not for beginners - By: Brad Thiele, 07 Feb 2005 This is an interesting (if not a bit light on content) cookbook. A short word of warning though to less-than-confident cooks. Many of the recipes assume a reasonable level of culinary skill which may have some starters a bit lost - Delia Smith it ain't!
Not a great deal here! - By: , 17 Nov 2004 Ramsay may be one of my favorite chefs, but this book reallly isn't worth the stretch. It dazzles you with fantastic pictures & interesting prose, but seems to be lacking on the recipe front. When I rate a cookery book I always have Nigella Lawsons "How to Eat" in the back of my mind. Not sure what Nigella offers in the cost per recipe ratio, but Ramsay fallls well short of what I'd expect these days.
His restaurants are great though!!
He makes a fine dish.... - By: , 10 Nov 2004 
As one might now expect from Ramsay this is more than just a cookbook. Full of inspirational recipes to lure the reader to the hob; meat, fish & vegetarian dishes, aswell as a selection of sauces, puddings & things on toast.
Some amusing anecdotes, such as the kitchen porter with a fish phobia, who thought Ramsay's mackerel on toast was, 'the best thing he'd ever eaten'.
And the way to treat vegetarians? Stuffed courgette flowers & braised lentils with Swiss chard. Thats the way.
