Fat Cat Chef

:: The Fat Cat Skinny ::
In his typical straightforward style, Cook's Illustrated founder Christopher Kimball takes the mystery out of home cooking while giving you "150 foolproof recipes" in The Kitchen Detective cookbook.

Great for both newbie cooks and grisled veterans, Chris debunks popular -- and downright odd -- cooking myths and gives you practical tips that will improve your cooking skills.

At a minimum you'll use it as a trusted reference, if not as a staple of steady recipes.
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It was a dark, stormy night when Aristo-Cat Monica and I trudged to the Border's on Park Avenue to stake out Christopher Kimball as he debriefed an eager crowd on his latest masterpiece, The Kitchen Detective cookbook.

Chris quickly fingered the shadowy assailants we home cooks face:

1. Most recipes don't work: if you've slogged through the latest celebrity chef cookbook, you know most of the recipes, well, just don't work. So does that make you a lousy cook? Unfortunately a lot of potential cooks quit when they "fail"...

2. Americans want convenience (at the expense of taste): Unfortunately, people want easy "One Pot Meals" for dinner.

3. The food industry marketers are conspiring against us: the genius' that bring us processed food figured out that Corn Flakes are more profitable that corn on the cob.

4. Unnecessary -- and overpriced -- kitchen gadgets confuse us: do you really need a $90 All-Clad baking dish? (Nope. The $4 Ekko pan works just as well).

So under pressure to cop a deal, Chris turned his home kitchen into a laboratory and put popular, everday recipes to the test. Under dim lights in a smoky kitchen -- and using forensic cooking science along the way -- Chris debunked some of the eccentric habits that have been passed down from generation to generation.

For instance, do you really need to scorch milk? No, it's probably a holdover from days before pasteurization. Today it's not necessary, but it still lives on in many recipes.

Thankfully, Chris also takes the terror out of cooking: these are recipes that are easy-to-use and deliver delicious meals time and time again.

You'll like the "Be Prepared" intro that gives you tips and hints on being a successful home cook (hint: read the whole recipes BEFORE you start... pretty obvious, but easier said than done for we busy Fat Cats).

Chris also revealed the deciding factor on whether a recipe was worthy of The Kitchen Detective: if his wife could cook it AND the kids ate it, in it goes.

The Fat Cat Grand Jury indictment? Buy this book. The recipes that are both foolproof and really, really simple.

In true Cook's Illustrated style, the narrative preceding each recipe gives you an intriguing inside perspective on Chris' cooking process. And the food factoids sprinkled throughout the cookbook alone are worth their weight in coffee beans.

We highly recommend The Kitchen Detective with a confident 5-paw rating. You'll get a new batch of simple, tasty recipes and discover handy tips and techniques to tackle everyday cooking tasks with renewed confidence.

:: More Fat Stuff ::

Review about Christopher Kimball's Baking Illustrated cookbook promotion in NYC. Includes handy baking tips.

Background info on Christopher Kimball's April 2004 NYC appearance: Christopher Kimball Speaking in NYC April 1st

:: Bonus Fat Cat Tip ::

If you don't subscribe to Cook's Illustrated magazine, try the free issue offer.