Rating: 3 stars

Based on the model of the television show What Not To Wear, Kathleen Flinn takes the concept of cooking and demystifies it.

After seeing too many people with processed foods and pre-packaged goods in their grocery carts Flinn, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, realized there was a void that needed to be filled:

a way to teach people that cooking isn’t as difficult and time consuming as they think; and, with a few basic lessons they’d be on their way to enjoying better tasting and much healthier meals.

Putting together a class of nine women with similar skills—or lack thereof—Flinn and an assistant, a currently displaced restaurant chef, starts the class off with a session on knife basics, as well demonstrating proper knife skills. Just this chapter alone was very informative and will probably put many block-o-knives manufacturers out of business.

Once the women mastered the basics of using the right equipment, they moved on to various tastings, including: various salts, olive oils and even lettuce. Driving home the point that starting with fresh ingredients and the right oils and spices is the beginning of a successful dish.

As the women became more comfortable in the kitchen, they were introduced to the infamously daunting task of cutting up a whole chicken. By demonstrating a few secrets learned in cooking school, Flinn illustrates that dismantling poultry is not nearly as difficult as many people think. In addition to saving a lot of money, a whole chicken presents the home cook with many more options.

Although some of the dishes discussed are quite basic—scrambled eggs and omelets—those chapters still contain many valuable tips beneficial to a more experienced cook. Finn tries to cover the gamut of basic meals and sides, such as: no-knead bread, creating a basic vinaigrette, with ideas for various flavor infusions, salads and much more. One of the more helpful chapters is the discussion on different cuts of meats and their uses.

Flinn even interprets and demonstrates many of the confusing cooking terms, such as “braising”, as well as creative things to do with leftovers. One of the nicest things about the book, is not only can the reader benefit from the information they read, but can actually recreate some of the dishes taught by using the recipes included in the chapters.

As with any skill, there’s always room for improvement. Whether you fancy yourself a fairly competent cook or someone who burns water, Kitchen Counter Cooking School has something for everyone.
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Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Viking Adult (September 29, 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-0670023004