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A review by sparklingreader
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks by Kathleen Flinn
3.0
I had a little trouble getting into this book. The beginning is a memoir-like history of Kathleen and her background. I'm glad I kept at it as the more I read, the more I enjoyed it.
This is a book about cooks and cooking. It's also about life and lessons. Kathleen Flinn is a writer and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Though she doesn't own a restaurant or is a chef in one, she writes about food and knows food and other chefs. All this is to say, she does know what she's talking about when she tells you about food.
While grocery shopping one day, she noticed a woman loading up her cart with nothing but overprocessed fake food and an idea hit Kathleen. What if she took ten cooking novices and taught them the basics of cooking? Thus began six months of teaching - everything from chopping onions to tasting salt to learning about cuts of meat. Her nine volunteers started out as fast food and processed food junkies to people who could braise, saute, bake and simmer with the best of them. Kathleen wasn't the only teacher for her classes as she brought in chefs and nutritionists to show her class specific lessons. Along the way, Kathleen discovered what many teachers already know - that in teaching, you also learn.
At the end of the experiment, the students were more confident, more selective of what they bought and ate, and healthier as they found out that cooking from scratch is not only better for you, but also better for the environment and for your pocketbook.
I've been cooking for fifty years and I learned more than a few things in this book. In addition to the tips, there are also great basic recipes and tips for you to learn to make things on your own. Though Kathleen does promote good cooking, she also admits it's not for everybody. According to her, "not every meal has to be from scratch, nor does everything you consume have to be organic, locally sourced and pasture raised. Try to find a comfortable place somewhere between Tuna Helper (registered trademark) and Top Chef. If you burn, scorch, drop, boil over, overcook, undercook, underseason or other wise put a meal together that's less than a success, in the end it doesn't matter. It's just one meal."
Definitely a good book to read if you skip the first few pages. I recommend it for anyone who is a novice or afraid to pick up a knife and slice an onion. Grab your pots and pans, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Follow her tips and recipes and soon you'll be cooking with the best of them too.
This is a book about cooks and cooking. It's also about life and lessons. Kathleen Flinn is a writer and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Though she doesn't own a restaurant or is a chef in one, she writes about food and knows food and other chefs. All this is to say, she does know what she's talking about when she tells you about food.
While grocery shopping one day, she noticed a woman loading up her cart with nothing but overprocessed fake food and an idea hit Kathleen. What if she took ten cooking novices and taught them the basics of cooking? Thus began six months of teaching - everything from chopping onions to tasting salt to learning about cuts of meat. Her nine volunteers started out as fast food and processed food junkies to people who could braise, saute, bake and simmer with the best of them. Kathleen wasn't the only teacher for her classes as she brought in chefs and nutritionists to show her class specific lessons. Along the way, Kathleen discovered what many teachers already know - that in teaching, you also learn.
At the end of the experiment, the students were more confident, more selective of what they bought and ate, and healthier as they found out that cooking from scratch is not only better for you, but also better for the environment and for your pocketbook.
I've been cooking for fifty years and I learned more than a few things in this book. In addition to the tips, there are also great basic recipes and tips for you to learn to make things on your own. Though Kathleen does promote good cooking, she also admits it's not for everybody. According to her, "not every meal has to be from scratch, nor does everything you consume have to be organic, locally sourced and pasture raised. Try to find a comfortable place somewhere between Tuna Helper (registered trademark) and Top Chef. If you burn, scorch, drop, boil over, overcook, undercook, underseason or other wise put a meal together that's less than a success, in the end it doesn't matter. It's just one meal."
Definitely a good book to read if you skip the first few pages. I recommend it for anyone who is a novice or afraid to pick up a knife and slice an onion. Grab your pots and pans, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Follow her tips and recipes and soon you'll be cooking with the best of them too.