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Happy Days with the Naked Chef

97 Ratings: 1.6

A book by Jamie Oliver

From Publishers Weekly Big-energy, high-profile Food Network celebrity Oliver (The Naked Chef) says this book addresses what the average person wants to cook at home; and perhaps never has a personality cookbook ranged so far across high … see full wiki

Tags: Books, Nonfiction, Cooking, Cookbooks, Italian, Italian Food, see all

Genre: Cookbooks

Publisher: Hyperion

Date Published: October 9, 2002

1 review about Happy Days with the Naked Chef

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Do yourself a favor and get naked!

Apr 21, 2009

by shinjiblue

Rating:

When chef Jamie Oliver had a series on the BBC I would tune in to see this slightly disheveled guy running around talking nonstop while chopping and throwing things in blenders and pans ... but his creations always looked awesome and tasty, and best of all, they looked like something I could put together myself. I am not a big fan of having to travel fifty miles to an obscure, hidden spice shop to unearth the uber rare essential ingredient for a recipe. Spending a fortune on ridiculously fancy kitchen gadgets isn't really my thing either. Which is why The Naked Chef really appealed to me.
Just to clear things up right off, it is the FOOD that is naked, not the chef. Jamie Oliver's style is simple, wholesome, and no frills. It is this approach to cooking that he brought to Happy Days with the Naked Chef, one of his many cookbooks for the masses. The ingredients and techniques are mostly basic but he combines them in interesting ways ... experimentation but still within the capabilities of an everyday cook. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to reproduce his recipes. I have to say that looking through the amazing photos in this book and browsing the recipes, I did have a moment of umm ... yeah, looks great but I will never be able to make something like this. Happily, I was wrong. Although the dishes can look complicated, the ingredients are readily available and the directions are clearly laid out.
What I also love about this book is how he relates anecdotes from his life ... the guy he gets his prosciutto from who inspired the fun bread variation ... his little girl's favorite breakfast ... these touches give these recipes that feeling of something warmer and less technical than just another gourmet chocolate souffle executed to perfection in a test kitchen. I don't need fancy food. Just give me something that tastes good and doesn't require a PhD in culinary arts to make.
If you feel the same, check this book out and make yourself something fun and tasty. Right now.

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plaNetweaver December 02, 2009

Thanks for reviewing Jamie Oliver and his wonderfully influential presence, which has been especially crucial in the institutional food-world that badly needed resuscitating! I've been so heartened to learn that school teacher friends far afield from Britain; both here in the USA and over in New Zealand, have taken to heart Jamie's videos and applied his principles to significantly shift what was happening in their own schools around food. I think we need the equivalent of war medals for our cultural heroes who are restoring life quality and YES; Jamie has been so successful because he's fun and full of story as well as a bloody good cook!

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FoodDude May 14, 2009

Great review! I am a HUGE fan of Jamie Oliver after my parents sent me a copy of "Jamie's Italy" while I was in Italy. His dishes, like Risotto Bianco or Pasta alla Norma, wowed my friends.

shinjiblue May 18, 2009

thanks! yeah, he's kind of awesome. his food is great and he's the same in person as on his shows. my brother and I actually met him at a random book signing and he was pretty fun.

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