Product Description

Britain's most exciting young chef, Jamie Oliver combines bold flavours and fresh ingredients within simple recipes. He is at the cutting edge of modern life and modern British cooking. "The Naked Chef" has something for everyone - from those who want great food but want to keep it simple, to those who work for a living and don't have time to spend all evening cooking. It is about giving people confidence and getting them to feel at ease in the kitchen, even if they have never tried cooking before!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39666 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There are a few television chefs like Delia Smith and Nigel Slater who know exactly what viewers want. They cook food which is simple to prepare, but looks and tastes delicious. That's probably the reason why the BBC has bagged Jamie Oliver as the presenter of its series "The Naked Chef". A working chef at London's celebrated River Café, Oliver cooks simpler versions of what you would find on the restaurant's menu. It's basically modern Italian food using ingredients which can be found by almost anyone who is reasonably interested in food shopping. Like the television show, the book is titled The Naked Chef. In Oliver's words, this sums up the idea: "It's basically stripping back to the bare essentials." He applies this to all his recipes--from salads to roasts, desserts to pastas. He doesn't use culinary jargon nor time-consuming processes. In the book you'll find suggestions for ingredients to keep in your larder and herbs to grow on your windowsill. Recipes include Warm Salad of Radicchio, Gem and Pancetta and Beetroot Tagliatelle with Pesto, Mussels and White Wine. There are also tips on how to cook live lobsters, how to make gravy, preparing pulses for cooking, and how to make the perfect roast chicken. Several photographs accompany some of the recipes, with step-by-step instructions. Oliver's recipes for bread are particularly good--a tribute to his training at Carluccio's, the Covent Garden deli. This is the perfect book for anyone who doesn't want to spend much more than half an hour preparing meals and is not willing to compromise on innovation and taste. --Dale Kneen

Customer Reviews

a mouth-watering cook book for the health-conscious amateur!
This cook-book has you salivating from the first few pages!

It combines a refreshingly anarchich style with simple and achievable recipes which allow for a healthy diet and could be(and are so far succesfully being) used as part of a weight-reduction programme.

Jamie is an inspirational cook who does not call for complicated ingredients or cooking methods or loads of cream and butter but rather relies on high quality ingredients and bold but simple combinations to achieve truly orgasmic results.

We're busy people who love good food. This is a celebration of eating - not cooking. We bought a pasta machine on the strength of these recipes, and ... wow, knockout! BUT - we're still on track with the diet!

This book is 250 pages of mouth-watering photos plus truly inspirational text and recipes.

If you do noting else, stock your larder with his basic ingredient list and your patio/window-box with his herbs. This man Knows His Onions!

Buy this book, and then buy the sequel like we did! You won't be disappointed.

Whoever said the English can't cook hadn't met Jamie Oliver. Bravissimo James!

Refreshing and easy to follow
I bought this book last week and my daughter (8) and I have since cooked 4 recipes; all four have turned out refreshingly well. We have been surprised not only that the recipes worked so well (who can say every recipe from some of the best names in the cookery game has turned out well)but equally that they tasted fantastic. On a whim of enthusiasm we bought a pasta machine and having followed various of his recipes the kitchen on Sunday was festooned with drying noodles hanging from every possible surface. Incidentaly the pasta with chilli and roasted scallops is excellent(as a twist try replacing the parsley with coriander one day for a change it's great). The star recipe so far is his green Thai curry herby and very different, so far removed from overcooked supermarket ready meals and much more vivid than the green paste concoctions- you have got to try it. We no doubt will work through the rest of the recipes sooner rather than later and then onto the next book which is out in the Spring. We thoroughly suggest you spend money on this book. Happy eating.

Cooking for the Jaded Chef!!!!
I am a very keen cook, and quite ambitious but sometimes, you get bogged down with the usual run-of-the-mill recipes, with boring instructions to cook the same old thing the same old way. Jamie is a breath of fresh air. His instructions are witty, sometimes cheeky, and want you to go into that kitchen and try the recipes out. I tried his pizza. It was really scrummy and fun to make and tasted great. Cooking and having fun really go together. He makes it sound so easy, and the way he explains it, it really isn't difficult at all. I would buy this book for a first-time cook, who doesn't want to spend a fortune, but still wants to have a decent meal on the table, and not spend hours and hours doing it!!!