The Kitchen Counter Cooking School

August 22, 2011
Seattle food writer Flinn (The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry) guides you patiently in the kitchen like the mom you always wish you’d had to learn how to cook from. Although a graduate of Paris’s elite Cordon Bleu School, Flinn, like Julia Child before her, aims to demystify rarefied culinary know-how and bring basic cooking lessons to the simplest level.. Inspired by a cable TV show that walked guests through their own closets and tutored them on what to wear, Flinn chose nine eager-to-learn women of all backgrounds and ages for her experiment, examined their kitchen cabinets and refrigerators with them, and made each one prepare one of their typical dishes. The results were sadly predictable, as most relied on prepackaged ingredients. Moreover, the waste was staggering (many shop at warehouse stores and buy too much). Over the course of several weeks’ worth of lessons, recorded in chapters, Flinn instructed the women in the rudiments of preparing food: from wielding knives, comparing tastes (i.e., salts, mustards), cooking vegetables four ways then “splashing” with flavors, mastering a vinaigrette and omelet, handling chicken, meat cuts, and fish, and even baking bread. In the end, the women gained confidence under Flinn’s wonderfully encouraging tutelage, and fearlessly faced their kitchens and grocery stores with useful knowledge.

Starred review from September 1, 2011

A Seattle-based writer turned chef demonstrates how readers can transform their lives with the right recipe.

After a stint at Paris' Le Cordon Bleu, Flinn returned to the States to pen her 2008 debut, The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry. But after the critical acclaim and the endless book touring subsided, the author found herself at a loss for her next project until she stumbled across the TV program What Not to Wear. Envisioning a cooking class that would dig through pantries and cupboards in a manner befitting the show's hosts, Flinn took on a group of nine culinary novitiates and imparted technique and skill, giving them confidence in the kitchen. The author began by taking inventory of each participants' refrigerator, cabinets and eating habits. A friend's step-daughter, Sabra, was a disaster in the kitchen, so she usually relied on frozen dinners. One of her go-to concoctions, "White Trash Garlic Bread," is enough to give any reader, no matter how unseasoned a chef, pause: "She slathered one-half of a soft hamburger bun with Gold 'n Soft margarine, added a few hearty shakes of generic garlic salt, and topped it with dried Parmesan cheese from a can." Another woman admitted to buying in bulk, only to later feel awful about the amount of food she wasted. Flinn's chronicle of her culinary coaching discusses how her students fared, and acknowledges how the process led her to clean out her own cupboards: "I am in a battle with myself. It seemed that I had as much to learn as the people I'd just visited."

The author's humble approach is inviting and shows why her students were enthusiastic.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

August 1, 2011

Flinn (The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry), who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, relates sharing her knowledge with nine novices who want to learn the basics of cooking. It sounds simple, but as Flinn and her partners discover, our relationship to food is surprisingly emotional, and the most important ingredient in any dish is usually confidence. Flinn bookends her tale by visiting each woman's home kitchen, taking an inventory, and sharing a meal; the before-and-after scenes are inspiring. Woven throughout are over 20 recipes, advice on saving time and money, and interesting facts about food of the past and present. A recipe index provides a quick reference to staples such as DIY Vinaigrette, Fish en Papillote, and Soup Basics for Beginners. VERDICT An amiable companion to cookbook stalwarts such as Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything, Pam Anderson's How To Cook Without a Book, and Michael Ruhlman's Ratio, this title provides encouragement where the others offer direction. A mash-up of inspiration and reference, it will appeal to readers who enjoy a story with their instruction, in the vein of Jenni Ferrari-Adler's Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant and Arlene Voski Avakian's Through the Kitchen Window. [Five-city tour.]--Rosemarie Lewis, Georgetown Cty. Lib., SC

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011
A successful, ambitious graduate of Paris' Le Cordon Bleu culinary academy, Flinn scrutinized average American supermarket shoppers and concluded that far too many rely on prepackaged, processed foods. Pressing them about their food choices, she learned that these timid souls simply believed that they lacked the time and certainly the ability to regularly prepare meals for their families from fresh, seasonal ingredients. Flinn eventually recruited nine motivated volunteers who spent time with her to learn how to plan meals confidently, shop effectively, cook thoughtfully, and serve attractively. She taught them such basic techniques as braising as well as simple but important recipes such as roasted chicken. More complex dishes such as paella build from simple and basic techniques. Flinn also offers time- and energy-saving techniques for baking bread without kneading. Flinn winningly offers inspiration to anyone who cares about cooking but lacks basic tools and skills.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)