From Publishers Weekly
Part fanzine, part cookbook, this volume will appeal to the anyone who tunes into Top Chef each week to see contestants out-cook each other, using vending-machine ingredients to make appetizers or preparing lunch for the cast of a telenovela. Replete with dozens of glamour shots of contestant/contributors and sweetly old-fashioned profiles of the judges (host Padma Lakshmi is “a no-nonsense kind of gal”), this volume feels like a guide to a strange, food-obsessed cult. The author sighs over pretty, eccentric Betty Fraser, “it was always hard to know what to make of Betty,” and notes that season two winner Ilan Hall was “good at falling into the kind of cliquish drama you might find in a high school cafeteria.” The recipes themselves, taken directly from the show’s “quickfire” and elimination challenges, are dauntingly involved, much more suited to cooking competitions than the average home kitchen: they never use one ingredient when three will do, nor do they shy away from expensive options like foie gras, truffles and abalone. Even simple-sounding dishes like Chiles Rellenos are accented with complicated sauces and garnishes. It’s hard to imagine anyone consulting this book to whip up dinner, but it’s easy to see how a Top Chef obsessive would get much satisfaction out of it, if not necessarily a full stomach.
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From Booklist
Bravo’s hit culinary reality show now has a companion cookbook, though to be fair it is as much of a fan book as it is a recipe book. Sure, there’s a generous array of recipes, ranging from the simple (Sara M.’s Eggs in a Hole) to the somewhat more involved season-three winner Hung’s Sous-Vide Duck with Truffle-Scented Broth), and fans will get a kick out of seeing just what all goes into these winning creations and then trying to match their culinary skills to the task. At the same time, nonfans of the show will likely find a heavy amount of distracting detritus in these pages. Episode guides, personality profiles, and other cultish reminiscences all reserve this handsome, high-quality book pretty much exclusively to the large number of viewers already under the spell of the show. Perhaps most appealing for such fans will be the introductory essays describing the behind-the-scenes reality of the reality show, how the contest was dreamed up, and such priceless revelations as the show almost making it to air with the name Grillers in the Mist. –Ian Chipman
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13 Comments on “Top Chef The Cookbook (Hardcover)”
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This is two books in one. On one hand it’s a collection of gourmet recipes, with lush color photographs and handy preparation times. I would have appreciated nutritional and calorie information with the dishes, but the instructions are thorough and easy to follow.
On the other hand, this is a fan-fest for “Top Chef” addicts (like me). Whole sections are devoted to each of the show’s three seasons. Each starts with an Elimination Bracket chart, which shows you all the contestants, which challenges they won, and in which episode they were eliminated. An Episode Guide describes the Quickfire competition and the Elimination Challenge. Next are many pages devoted to the contestants, with photos, bios, quotes from judges, an interview and statistics.
Bonus tidbits include bios of each Top Chef judge and photos of the kitchens used in the shows.
I especially liked chef Anthony Bourdain’s Insult-O-Meter page, with samplings of the cranky judge’s comments. About Sara Mair’s seared salmon: “Salmon is usually a very forgiving fish. Not this one. Mine was beyond overcooked. We’re talking cat-food territory.”
Underneath the canvas dust jacket is a silver cover with the same “Top Chef The Cookbook” logo.
Posted on June 10, 2009 at 8:29 pm.
5.0 out of 5 stars
FUN FUN
I have enjoyed this book. My boyfriend loves this show and wanted
to start cooking some of the recipes on the show. They are all in this book from a previous episode.
Posted on June 10, 2009 at 9:47 pm.
While the recipes are a major plus, original and at times most certainly not to be found anywhere else…this in itself is in keeping with the spirit of Top Chef, what truly adds the flavor and spice to the untraditional cookbook is the sidebars and stories centered around the series itself.
Even better it doesn’t lean toward being mean. It is lightly gossipy while still maintaining its dignity.
Featuring some of the favorite winning recipes:
Elia’s Breakfast, lunch, and dinner waffles
C.J’s Crepes
Mia’s Crabcake Benedict
Hung’s Tuna Tartare
Lea Anne’s Deep Fried Oysters
Dale’s Seared Elk Loin
Tre’s Bacon wrapped Shrimp
Harold’s Duo of Beef
Too name a few.
It also features some major info/updates on the past contestants which is in my opinion the best part of the book…and short Bio Bites on just about every participant and past judges along with major info on Tom, Gail and Padma.
A must have for Top Chef addict and for those looking for some out of the box recipes you certainly can’t go wrong.
Posted on June 10, 2009 at 10:41 pm.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top Chef review
I had difficulty obtaining a copy as it is a very popular book. I gave it to my daughter as a gift. She was very excited about receiving it.
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 3:51 am.
There’s two different reasons to buy this book and I’ll review it two ways for both types of people!
IF YOU’RE A CHEF: I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this book because I’m not a gourmet cook by any stretch. However, I love to cook and this book has a huge variety of recipes–just like the show! I was very pleased to see that nearly every page is in full color and lots of the recipes are pictured in detail. Although parts of the book are arranged by season, the table of contents also lists things by meal (breakfast, small plates, fish, dessert, vegetarian, etc.) I found the book easy to navigate with a clearly deliniated table of contents and a great index list of ingredients. That way, if you have a certain item in mind (peppers, for example) you can find things from all different seasons. Some of the recipes do seem complex, but the instructions read as “easy enough” and I think everything is well explained.
IF YOU’RE A “TOP CHEF” FAN: You will DEFINITELY love this book, I say that without hesitation. And what a bargain! Usually “full color” like this goes for $35 or more (like the Jamie Oliver books and the Rachael Ray or Giada, three others that I love). For about $20, this book is great! It’s AWESOME if you are a fan… it has pictures of cast members, summary pages of the seasons, and recipes from the “Quickfire” challenges as well. GREAT eye candy (admit it, Sam from season three is ALL THAT and Padma is gorgeous). There are also notable quotes from multiple seasons at the bottom of pages and on the sidebars (who could forget Dave’s famous, “I’m not your…” quote!). I’m a huge fan of the show and the book is great… it’s about time they came out with a cookbook! I can’t wait to see what happens on season four!
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 4:44 am.
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than meets the eye
This cookbook is more than just a mere cookbook, it’s an inside look into seasons 1 through 3. There is a ton of info on the show, the chefs and the participants.
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 6:40 am.
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Joy of Cooking
To be honest I thought the book was ok! Nothing really special. It was more of a look at us an let me promote my show though this book. It told a lot about the “chef’s!
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 6:48 am.
5.0 out of 5 stars
TOP CHEF COOK BOOK
VERY QUICK SERVICE. GOT IT IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS EVEN THOUGH I WAITED UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 10:44 am.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bought as a gift
Don’t really have a review because I bought it as a gift, glancing through it, there seems to be good recipes. My only complaint is that the bios are to long.
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 10:53 am.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top Chef Cookbook Rocks!
If you love the show you will not only find some of the best culinary treats, but you will find out so much more background info on the chefs from the first three seasons, and the…
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 1:31 pm.
5.0 out of 5 stars
cookbook
Love the Top Chef Cook Book. Watch the program on a regular bases and enjoy looking through the book seeing different chefs prepare their specialities. Excellent!
Posted on June 11, 2009 at 7:54 pm.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleased
The book didn’t take very long to arrive. The quality of the book was good, only a couple slight marks on the cover.
Posted on June 12, 2009 at 2:17 am.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Much mMore Than A Cookbook
We love this “cookbook”. This is really a summary of the show complete with interesting behind-the-scenes information, as well as over 100 receipes and photos.
Posted on June 12, 2009 at 7:09 am.