Tom Colicchio

I love sandwiches, and this? This is a MUST-HAVE for anyone who believes sandwiches are awesome enough to be great meals.

There are five chapters in this book.

1- Breakfast Sandwiches.
2- Cool Sandwiches.
3- Warm Sandwiches. MY FAVORITE SECTION.
4- Sweet Sandwiches (basically, dessert).
5- Pantry (stuff you should have!)

I can't wait to try some of these. I mean, roasted turkey with avocado, bacon, balsamic onion marmalade, and mayonnaise? YUM. Give me some of THAT.
… (meer)

Speaking for myself, a decent baker and fledgling (read bungling) cook, I found this book to be both entertaining and educational. Even as the tough critiquing Head Judge of the reality cooking show Top Chef, restaurateur Tom Colicchio is known for his sage-like comments and straight shooting advice, which is found here in abundance.

The book begins with an introduction, explaining why he includes basic definitions and techniques, and doesn't apologize for the lack of a thousand and one recipes.

The next section was my personal favorite, having terms broken down into simple everyday cooking instructions that were easy to follow. Almost as helpful as learning to ask where the restroom is in a foreign tongue. In order to immerse oneself into a new language, cooking, one first has to learn beginning phrases of chef-speak. At least there was no conjugating of verbs or trying to remember past/present or any other wibbly-wobbly, timey-whimey, mumbo jumbo. And, for those already familiar with the language, think of it as a quick brush up review.

Then Chef Tom gets to the substance of the book. Ingredients, ingredients, ingredients, and what to do with them. He preaches quality, freshness, seasons, and thinking outside the box. Offering past insights into his own life he leads the reader through the kitchen and basically says, don't be afraid to experiment and play. Start simple, learn the basic techniques which builds a foundation, then go forth and have fun with a few components and only your imagination limiting you. There is no right or wrong, only different ways to satisfy a palette and the pleasure of creating exciting new meals.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who spends any time near a stove, or is simply curious about cooking. The information may seem rather basic at first glance, but I believe that everyone who reads the material and follows the guidelines will find themselves, thinking like a chef.… (meer)