About the Book
Learn to cook from the best chefs in America
Some people say you can only learn to cook by doing. So Adam Roberts, creator of the award-winning blog The Amateur Gourmet, set out to cook in 50 of America's best kitchens to figure out how any average Joe or Jane can cook like a seasoned pro. From Alice Waters's garden to Jose Andres's home kitchen, it was a journey peppered with rock-star chefs and dedicated home cooks unified by a common passion, one that Roberts understands deeply and transfers to the reader with flair, thoughtfulness, and good humor: a love and appreciation of cooking. Roberts adapts recipes from Hugh Acheson, Lidia Bastianich, Roy Choi, Harold Dieterle, Sara Moulton, and more.
The culmination of that journey is a cookbook filled with lessons, tips, and tricks from the most admired chefs in America, including how to properly dress a salad, bake a no-fail piecrust, make light and airy pasta, and stir-fry in a wok, plus how to improve your knife skills, eliminate wasteful food practices, and create recipes of your very own. Most important, Roberts has adapted 150 of the chefs' signature recipes into totally doable dishes for the home cook. Now anyone can learn to cook like a pro!
About the Author :
Adam Roberts is the creator of The Amateur Gourmet, called one of the "World's Best Food Blogs" by The Times of London and a "food world must-read" by The Denver Post. Since he began his blog in 2004, Roberts has been featured on CNN and hosted several shows for Food Network online, and in addition to writing his own blog, he writes for Food & Wine, Salon, Serious Eats, The Huffington Post, and Epicurious. He is currently discovering places to eat in his new hometown: Los Angeles, California.
Review :
I love this book. It is a collision of one of the most curious and enthusiastic home cooks I know, Adam Roberts, and a long list of chefs and cooks I would do just about anything to learn from. He is able to draw out a fascinating range of quotes, lessons, recipes, and insights each as distinct and personal as those sharing their kitchens. Heidi Swanson, author of"Super Natural Every Day"
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Adam Roberts s book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn from the best chefs in the country. David Chang, chef/owner, Momofuku
Adam Roberts is an original: smart, funny, talented, endlessly inquisitive, an A student and, happily for us, an A+ teacher. Everyone from beginner cooks to sure hands will learn something new on each page. And even if, like Adam s mom s, your stove stores shoes and handbags, you ll still be charmed by"Secrets" it s a great read. Dorie Greenspan, author of"Around My French Table"
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One of the best and most approachable books on chefs cooking I ve seen showcasing recipes anyone can master, without fussy techniques or fancy equipment. David Lebovitz, pastry chef and author of"The Sweet Life in Paris"
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As interpreter, tour guide, doppelganger, chef-speak translator, and technical test bunny, Roberts heightens the experience of cooking with the greats by giving us the inside track on accessing the greatest kitchen talent of our time. Andrew Zimmern, host of"Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern"
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Adam Roberts, who blogs as"The Amateur Gourmet," brings a professional s clarity and imagination to this unusual and very useful cookbook. There are plenty of great recipes here, but what makes the book uniquely valuable are the insiders tips and trade secrets, full of reassurances and common sense, generously shared by chefs both famous and little-known, from Jose Andres and Jonathan Waxman to Tim Artz and Angelish Wilson. I d say"Secrets of the Best Chefs"is almost guaranteed to make you a better cook. Col
"I love this book. It is a collision of one of the most curious and enthusiastic home cooks I know, Adam Roberts, and a long list of chefs and cooks I would do just about anything to learn from. He is able to draw out a fascinating range of quotes, lessons, recipes, and insights--each as distinct and personal as those sharing their kitchens."-Heidi Swanson, author of "Super Natural Every Day"
"Adam Roberts's book is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn from the best chefs in the country."-David Chang, chef/owner, Momofuku
"Adam Roberts is an original: smart, funny, talented, endlessly inquisitive, an A student and, happily for us, an A+ teacher. Everyone from beginner cooks to sure hands will learn something new on each page. And even if, like Adam's mom's, your stove stores shoes and handbags, you'll still be charmed by "Secrets"--it's a great read."-Dorie Greenspan, author of "Around My French Table"
"One of the best and most approachable books on chefs' cooking I've seen--showcasing recipes anyone can master, without fussy techniques or fancy equipment."-David Lebovitz, pastry chef and author of "The Sweet Life in Paris"
"As interpreter, tour guide, doppelganger, chef-speak translator, and technical test bunny, Roberts heightens the experience of cooking with the greats by giving us the inside track on accessing the greatest kitchen talent of our time."-Andrew Zimmern, host of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern"
"Adam Roberts, who blogs as "The Amateur Gourmet," brings a professional's clarity and imagination to this unusual and very useful cookbook. There are plenty of great recipes here, but what makes the book uniquely valuable are the insiders' tips and trade secrets, full of reassurances and common sense, generously shared by chefs both famous and little-known, from Jose Andres and Jonathan Waxman to Tim Artz and Angelish Wilson. I'd say "Secrets of the Best Chefs" is almost guaranteed to make you a better cook."-Colman Andrew
