Synopses & Reviews
The author of The Sharper Your Knife tells the inspiring story of how she helped nine others find their inner cook
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, writer Kathleen Flinn returned with no idea what to do next, until one day at a supermarket she watched a woman loading her cart with ultraprocessed foods. Flinn's andquot;chefternalandquot; instinct kicked in: she persuaded the stranger to reload with fresh foods, offering her simple recipes for healthy, easy meals.
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School includes practical, healthy tips that boost readers' culinary self-confidence, and strategies to get the most from their grocery dollar, and simple recipes that get readers cooking.
Review
"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." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review
andquot;This could be the most important book you'll ever read.andquot;
--Morgan Spurlock, Super Size Me
andldquo;andhellip;[A] terrific, inspiring bookandhellip;andrdquo;-People (A People Pick, 4 stars)
andquot;If you are going to read one book to change your diet and your life, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is it.andquot;-AP
andquot;Kathleen entered the kitchens of strangers and took the time to understand how they think about food before changing their cooking forever.andquot;andnbsp;
--Amanda Hesser,andnbsp;Food 52,andnbsp;The Essential New York Times Cookbook
andldquo;A life-changing book--entertaining, inspiring, and deeply educational.andquot;
--Erica Bauermeister, The School for Essential Ingredients
andquot;A funny, thoroughly engrossing book...get ready to be inspired--and to eat well along the way.andquot; --Molly Wizenberg, Orangette.com, A Homemade Life
andquot;An engaging...book on the joys of home cooking and the teaching thereof.andquot;-The Wall Street Journal
andquot;The author's humble approach is inviting and shows why her students were enthusiastic.andquot;-Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
andquot;Flinn guides you patiently in the kitchen like the mom you always wish you'd had to learn to cook from...the women gained confidence under Flinn's wonderfully encouraging tutelage, and fearlessly faced their kitchens and grocery stores with useful knowledge.andquot;-Publishers Weekly
andquot;Flinn winningly offers inspiration to anyone who cares about cooking but lacks basic tools and skills.andquot;-Booklist
andquot;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.andquot;-Library Journalandnbsp;
Review
"An engaging . . . book on the joys of home cooking and the teaching thereof." The Wall Street Journal
Review
"The author's humble approach is inviting and shows why her students were enthusiastic." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Flinn guides you patiently in the kitchen like the mom you always wish you'd had to learn to cook from. . . . The women gained confidence under Flinn's wonderfully encouraging tutelage, and fearlessly faced their kitchens and grocery stores with useful knowledge." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Flinn winningly offers inspiration to anyone who cares about cooking but lacks basic tools and skills." Booklist
Review
"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." Library Journal
Review
“[A] terrific, inspiring book.” People (A People Pick, 4 stars)
Review
"If you are going to read one book to change your diet and your life, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is it." The Associated Press
Review
"This could be the most important book you'll ever read." Morgan Spurlock, author/creator of Super Size Me
Review
andquot;This could be the most important book you'll ever read.andquot;
Review
“[A] terrific, inspiring book.”
Review
"The author's humble approach is inviting and shows why her students were enthusiastic." -Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
andquot;This could be the most important book you'll ever read.andquot;
--Morgan Spurlock, Super Size Me
andldquo;andhellip;[A] terrific, inspiring bookandhellip;andrdquo;-People (A People Pick, 4 stars)
andquot;If you are going to read one book to change your diet and your life, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School is it.andquot;-AP
andquot;Kathleen entered the kitchens of strangers and took the time to understand how they think about food before changing their cooking forever.andquot;andnbsp;
--Amanda Hesser,andnbsp;Food 52,andnbsp;The Essential New York Times Cookbook
andldquo;A life-changing book--entertaining, inspiring, and deeply educational.andquot;
--Erica Bauermeister, The School for Essential Ingredients
andquot;A funny, thoroughly engrossing book...get ready to be inspired--and to eat well along the way.andquot; --Molly Wizenberg, Orangette.com, A Homemade Life
andquot;An engaging...book on the joys of home cooking and the teaching thereof.andquot;-The Wall Street Journal
andquot;The author's humble approach is inviting and shows why her students were enthusiastic.andquot;-Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
andquot;Flinn guides you patiently in the kitchen like the mom you always wish you'd had to learn to cook from...the women gained confidence under Flinn's wonderfully encouraging tutelage, and fearlessly faced their kitchens and grocery stores with useful knowledge.andquot;-Publishers Weekly
andquot;Flinn winningly offers inspiration to anyone who cares about cooking but lacks basic tools and skills.andquot;-Booklist
andquot;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.andquot;-Library Journalandnbsp;
About the Author
Kathleen Flinn has been a writer and journalist for nearly twenty years. Her work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, USA Weekend, Men's Fitness and many other publications. She is a proud member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Author's Guild. She divides her time between Seattle and southwest Florida.