Who is Jamie Oliver

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook

by: Jamie Oliver

Release Date: 10/02/2007

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Jamie's Italy

by: Jamie Oliver

I began testing recipes from this book back in December and have continued sampling dishes over the past week. The pizza you see pictured (see site) is based on Jamie's recipe for pizza topped with potatoes, mozzarella, rosemary, thyme and tomatoes.

What's Good: One of my favorite things about this book is its originality. While based upon traditional recipes, Jamie adds his personal touch to many of the dishes. For instance, he added red wine, red onions, fennel and swiss chard to minestrone soup, producing delicious results. And under his influence regular ice cream became a delightful confection of Arborio risotto rice, sugar, white wine, milk, candied fruit, bittersweet chocolate and pistachios (among other things!). Flipping through the pages of "Jamie's Italy" is a source of endless inspiration, while his willingness to personalize even the simplest recipe encourages you to do the same in your own kitchen. Hence, when I read his recipe for "pasta con acciughe e pomodoro" (anchovies in tomato sauce with pasta) and was tempted to try it - even though I hate anchovies - I had no qualms about modifying it. (Not that I ever feel bad about changing recipes, but if I were that sort of person Jamie's attitude would have helped me get over it.) I took out the anchovies, added extra salt to compensate, replaced the pine nuts with almonds and changed the pasta - then enjoyed what has now become one of my favorite pasta dishes. I love Jamie's informal writing style and especially appreciated how nearly every recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous photograph. The book is well bound, attractively presented, and each section is introduced by a few paragraphs about the culinary habits of Italy. My favorite section of the book, which also happens to be one of Jamie's, is the "Street Food & Pizza" section. In this part of the text you'll find recipes for things like fried crispy polenta with rosemary and salt, spaghetti fritters, and fried pizza. The other sections are: Antipasti (Starters); Primi (First Courses), including soups, pasta and risottos; Insalate (Salads); Secondi (Main Courses), including fish and meat; Contorni (Side Dishes) and Dolci (Desserts.) The desserts chapter is especially unique because it incorporates polenta, rice and olive oil into so many recipes. I particularly enjoyed Jamie's "Florentine Rice Tart," "Chocolate & Rice Semifreddo" and the "Torta di Nada," a scrumptious cake made with red grapes or blueberries.

What's Bad: There are only two things in this book that could possibly be included in this part of the review. First, I found that Jamie sometimes skipped over instructions because, I think, he assumed the reader would already know how to proceed. For instance, when making the pizza pictured (see site), the instructions tell you to cook the potatoes before adding them to the pizza - but not how to cook them. However, as Sam in "Lord of the Rings" said, you can "boil `em, mash `em, stick `em in a stew" ... not to mention steam them, fry them, bake them... shall I go on? I decided to boil them and the results were great, but I would have appreciated more detailed instructions. Second, on one or two occasions I found that the very quality that made me love this book - its creativity - could also be a bit of a pain. In the recipe for Autumn Minestrone soup Jamie tells you to cook, then throw away, a potato, tomato and a bay leaf (all used to cook the beans). This annoyed me because, although a creative way to add flavor, it seemed wasteful. I mentioned this in the original entry and one reader commented that the potato removes the gas-inducing enzymes contained in the beans, but I haven't been able to verify this assertion. Plus, Alton Brown didn't mention it on the "Good Eats" episode about beans - even though he talked about the gassy part - and I figure, if AB didn't mention it, it probably doesn't work. (Yes, I am biased towards AB.) I encountered a related problem with Jamie's recipe for pizza dough, which was unlike anything I've read in other baking books in that it only allowed for 15 minutes of rest time. By contrast, my other books indicated that a minimum of 1 1/2 hours of rising/rest time was required for a yeasted dough. I gave Jamie's instructions a try - twice, in fact - and in each instance the resulting dough was dry and hard, regardless of kneading time. In the end I swapped Jamie's instructions for those of Beth Hensperger in "The Bread Bible." It is the combination of her dough and his topping that produced that delightful pizza you see pictured here. Nevertheless, I should note that this was the only instance in which I encountered such difficulties when using this book. Perhaps there was a typo in the recipe, perhaps Jamie's hands have a certain j nes se quoi that works magic, I don't know. What I do know, however, is that as a home cook all I really care about is that recipes work and taste great. That didn't happen with the original pizza recipe, but it did happen with everything else I tried.

Conclusion: "Jamie's Italy" is a great book with many unique recipes based on classic Italian cooking traditions. If you are someone who is comfortable modifying recipes and making substitutions to satisfy your particular tastes it would be a welcome addition to your cookbook collection. -- BakingandBooks.com "BakingandBooks.com" (CT)

As someone who has been a Jamie Oliver fan since Day 1, it has been delightful to watch him grow up and mature over the years. I own all of his cookbooks, and a few of his cooking DVDs. Wish all of them were available here in the US. This book is just wonderful. The photographs are fantastic. The stories that accompany the recipes are so friendly and inviting that you feel you're standing there talking with everyone. This is the kind of cookbook you pass down to your kids. It's a treasure in every respect.

Speaking of recipes, he really has traveled all over Italy, to every nook and cranny, to find delightful, fresh and unique recipes that you haven't seen before in other 'Italian' cookbooks. He covers: Antipasti, street food, pizza, soups, pastas, risotto, salads, main courses, fish, meat, side dishes, and deserts. The book is a staggering 307 pages, and it's just full of Italian food. Everything from mixed, roasted vegetables to roasted sole three ways, to sausages with green lentils, to lamb kabobs, fried zucchini, fig tart, and so many recipes your head will swim and your senses will go on overload.

With this extraordinary book, Jamie Oliver shows the world why he has such staying power in the 'food biz' and why millions of people world-wide adore him. I'm old enough to be his mum (my daughter is a year older than he is), but I've got a real soft spot for the lad. He has paid his dues, worked very, very hard, hasn't let fame change who he is. This Italian cookbook is a joy in every way. What a wonderful holiday gift this would be for anyone you love. -- Anna V. Carroll (New York, New York United States)

Release Date: 10/25/2006

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Jamie's Dinners

by: Jamie Oliver

I loved this book. I live on my own and wanted a book that was no frills, easy, healthy cooking and not for 6 people at a time! His 5 minute wonders are meals you can make for one in five mins and I've tried all of them. Fantastic, I'm never getting fast food take aways again cos these taste better and are far far healthier. I can't praise this book enough, it's all about taste taste taste...yum. -- S. Power (Cork, Ireland)

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Naked Chef, The

by: Jamie Oliver

I bought this book after discovering the television show and reading the enthusiastic reviews. The recipes taste great and leave your kitchen smelling heavenly. The instructions are clear, although occasionally, Jamie neglects to define specific terms such as "sweating" vegetables, and often uses imprecise measurements (i.e. "handfuls"). Being petite, my hand almost certainly holds less than his, but this is a minor point. If you don't use fresh herbs already, Jamie will quickly convert you.

Jamie states at one point that the book represents what he likes to cook. Unfortunately, the recipes do not reflect what I like to cook, and given a second chance, I would not buy this book again. The following information is not meant as criticism, but as a guide to help you determine if these recipes are for you.

You will find few stews, casseroles, or meats cooked in a sauce in this collection. Most of the meats are roasted with herbs, and three-quarters of the dishes use red meat (mostly lamb). The seafood section, while offering a variety of fish, contains only two shellfish recipes. The pasta section emphasizes fresh, homemade noodles with light sauces or filled pastas such as ravioli and tortellini. You will not find any recipes for lasagna, cannelloni, or other baked dishes. The grain chapter consists only of risottos and couscous, and the legume section mostly of seasoned beans or lentils meant as side dishes. The desserts consist primarily of steamed puddings, tarts, and an ice cream-like concoction called semifreddo. Alas, no cookies or cakes!

Some of these dishes are too time-consuming or fattening for me to make on a regular basis, despite their deliciousness. Others are simply not what I prefer to eat--I'll take Coq au Vin over herb-roasted chicken any day. Decide for yourself if this book offers the kind of recipes you want. -- "tuckerby" (Los Alamos, NM USA)

Release Date: 08/24/2005

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Jamie's Kitchen

by: Jamie Oliver

It is difficult to evaluate this book without opinions' being colored by seeing Jamie Oliver's experiences in nurturing fifteen (15) young needful men and women to become professional cooks and, in the process, succeeding in creating London's most highly sought dining venue. I confess that this background makes it almost impossible for me to give the book less than five (5) stars, although I will cite some weaknesses in a generally very worthy book.
`jamie's kitchen' is primarily a celebrity chef cookbook where the celebrity is a practicing chef like Mario Batali and Bobby Flay, however there is no distinct connection between the recipes in the book and Jamie's restaurant `15'. Rather, I've seen many dishes done on his Food Network show `Oliver's Twist' appearing in this book. There is also no systematic connection between the contents of the book and the Food Network special of the same name; however, there are some recipes and demonstrations of techniques, which appear in both. Note that unlike Jamie's various TV presentations, all units are in Imperial units (pounds and ounces and Fahrenheit and so on) however one does have to translate teaspoon from the term dessert spoon.
Overlaid on the typical celebrity chef content is a outline of a cooking course covering common cooking methods such as salads, `cooking without heat', poaching, boiling, steaming, en papillote, stewing, braising, frying (pan and deep), roasting (pot and pan), broiling, grilling, and baking (bread and pastry). As an outline and presentation of exemplars for major culinary methods, this book is very good; however, it should not be accepted as a complete cooking textbook. (I would not rule out a talented instructor's using this book as a supplementary text, but it is still not in the same league as excellent texts by Madeline Kamen, Anne Willen, or the Culinary Institute of America). Another clue that this is CANNOT be taken as a textbook is Jamie's aversion to exact measurements. A text could never be as imprecise. That said, I give high marks to the photographic demonstrations of several basic cooking techniques such as filleting a flatfish, making a basic bread dough, chopping and slicing, pasta making, and blanching tomatoes.
Thus, the primary value of the book lies with the quality of the recipes and the usefulness of the recipes to the buyer. I believe the overall quality of the recipes is very high, and, personally, I found the choice of recipes to be very, very good. There is the expected influence of Italian cuisine in many of the recipes; however, there are also distinctly oriental overtones in many of the recipes, especially in the salads. I was especially delighted to find a relatively simple recipe for Chinese steamed pork dumplings. The recipe for this dish presented by a Martha Stewart guest took three pages (I am not so naïve to believe that the results of the simple version will have all the virtues of the more truly ethnic recipe, but the point is that the simpler essay on a classic preparation will enhance your appreciation of the more complicated, more ethnicly accurate presentation.) The section on bread is basically an introduction to Italian breadmaking and an excellent introduction to breadmaking in general. The basic dough is simpler, for example, than many common white bread recipes with the added virtue of not requiring a stand mixer to obtain a decent result.
My take on celebrity chef cookbooks is that their primary object is to enhance one's enjoyment of cooking by breathing life into old recipes and presenting an interesting range of new options to the reader. A perfect example of this object for me was the description of poaching beef fillets in red wine. Up to now, cooking expensive beef in a water-based medium seemed to border on sinful. Jamie makes it all make sense at the cost of a decent bottle of red wine. This is also the perfect illustration of the fact that celebrity chef cookbooks are not about cheap or fast or easy. Jamie give the game away on `easy' when he demonstrates a technique which he confesses took him several days to master.
Jamie's talent reminds me of a description of Robin Williams. Translated from comedy to the culinary, I find Tyler Florence (for example) to be a very talented chef, but Jamie Oliver is a force of nature. His enthusiasm for the skillful preparation of good ingredients into masterful food is communicated as effectively from the printed page as it is from the TV screen. This communication is assisted by the excellent photography framed in the oversize dimensions of the volume.
While the book is less than perfect, few of the blemishes warrant a pass on this volume if you are looking for the rewards that such celebrity chef cookbooks have to offer. A major consideration in buying this book is it's cost. Luckily, I am certain that the book will be available at a discount from practically any outlet. The concern about the cost is inflated by the fact that the size of the book hides the fact that more than a few large pages are taken up by photographs of people, mostly Jamie, in artsy poses against gritty backdrops. These enhance the coffee table character of the book. A little game one may try is to find the picture of Jamie which contains a picture of Jamie and Jools. Very droll. The positive aspect of the photography has already been noted above. Not every culinary book with full color photos of food does as well as this one in using them to complement the words in the recipes. This is a must for Jamie Oliver fans. -- B. Marold (Bethlehem, PA United States)

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Naked Chef Takes Off, The

by: Jamie Oliver

As I was reaching my 1000 words at the end of my review of Jamie Oliver's first book, `The Naked Chef', I had an epithany revealing that Oliver's writing is about an entire culinary lifestyle. While he professes simplicity with recipes which can be easily made at home, he does not sideline some seemingly daunting cooking tasks such as bread baking, pasta making, stock making and risotto dishes. Rather, he is enthusiasticly inviting us amateurs to enter unafraid into some of cooking's most satisfying challenges. In this what, his first two books go beyond the very useful Rachael Ray quick cooking techniques and they also go beyond the lineup of simple restaurant recipes presented in the superb River Café books from Rose Gray and Ruth Rodgers. Our Jamie writes and lives the kind of enthusiasm for tasty home cooking from English, Mediterranean, and Oriental flavors which other culinary luminaries simply act out with less than convincing enthusiasm. I am even more convinced that like Robin Williams, and unlike other TV culinary personalities, Oliver is a genuine force of nature in embodying a love of cooking and talking about cooking.

This book, `The Naked Chef Takes Off' is described as being directed at American readers; however, I see few differences in style between this and his first book. The major additions are chapters on growing herbs in the city, breakfast dishes, tapas and other snacks, bevvies (mixed drinks, bevereges for us Yanks), and stocks. These chapters have less value as thorough discussions of their subject than they do to spread Sir Jamie's enthusiasm to new subjects. As light as it is, his chapter on growing herbs was helpful in pointing out which ones do best outside. I would have saved myself a growing season of disappointment if I had known that basil does not do well outside in the sun, and parsley does. The breakfast dishes are mostly good English fare with an expert chef's special touch. The tapas chapter will not add much to your knowledge if you already have a book on the subject, but if these are new to you, you will be impressed by how simple a great many Mediterranean munchies recipes can be. The chapter on mixed drinks offers some interesting information on some classic Brit potables, but a Mr. Boston book of mixed drinks will be a better reference. The chapter on stocks should convince you that these can be easy. But, if you are a total newbie to stockmaking, please read an authoritative discussion in something like `The Joy of Cooking', a CIA text, or Judy Rodgers' `Zuni Café' book. It is easy if you do it right, but there are pitfalls if you are not careful.

The heart of this book simply expands the range of recipes we got from the first book with no hint of feeling that we are getting leftovers, as I often sense in second books from other culinary celebs like Ina Garten and Paula Deen. All of Oliver's recipes sparkle with the kind of freshness I got from the first book. He does expand his range of ingredients by bringing in Middle Eastern flavors and Oriental flavors with ingredients such as lemon grass and Kaffir lime leaves. I always get a sinking feeling when I see Kaffir lime leaves in a recipe as even my favorite megamart has yet to carry these.

Like the River Café cookbooks, the stars of Oliver's books are the salads and pasta dishes. Being a simple tomato sauce and spaghetti eater for all my life, the pasta recipes in these books are a revelation for both their variety and simplicity. Why would anyone bother with a jar with Emeril or Paul Newman on the label when you can whip together a dressing with parsley, olives, capers, cherry tomatoes, and olive oil in less time than it takes to retrieve that jar and check out it's expiration date. Second in line for me are Jamie's fish and shellfish dishes. As the variety of tastes at the fish counter greatly outweighs the tastes of beef, lamb, and pork, I love new fish recipes, and Jamie has them aplenty. Especially interesting is his take on Shephard's pie replacing the grass eater flesh with cod. Many of the dishes include Oriental flavors such as ginger and coconut milk. Some may go a bit too far, as not all of us live in London or New York City where there is a vendor of banana leafs just down the block. I am tickled to see Jamie use things like horseradish, as this is both a very familiar flavor which simply does not find itself into dishes outside central European Slavic and Yiddish cuisines.

The chapter on meats introduces several recipes for carpaccio of beef which, by the very nature of this Italian technique is very fast and very flavorful. While the classic carpaccio is as uncooked as a sashimi or a tartare, Sir Jamie gives us recipes which put a touch of sear on the meat, just enough to please the American who likes their beef bloody, but not raw. Add the recipe for the roasted fillet of beef wrapped in prosciutto and we have several recipes for high class entertaining. While chuck and oxtails and flank steak may be great economy dishes, you don't want to serve these to your boss or a prospective client. And, you can drop the fact that these dishes were served to Tony Blair, or near enough to fib.

I am a great fan of Jamie Oliver and I become a greater fan of his cooking with each of his books I review. Like so many other recipes based on natural, elemental ingredients, Jamie's recipes require a fair amount of kitchen experience, so follow his instructions very carefully. He doesn't leave anything out, but he doesn't give many warnings of pitfalls either.

Very highly recommended for both simplicity and variety of dishes. -- B. Marold (Bethlehem, PA United States)

Release Date: 08/24/2005

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Happy Days with the Naked Chef

by: Jamie Oliver

this is a really fun cookbook and there is something for everyone here. For those who like Jamie Oliver's first two books, this is more of the same nice stuff - good rustic recipes that are tasty and some of which are very fast and easy to make. The recipes are a mixture of Italian, British fare from Jamie's childhood days, and a mixture of a few other cuisines. What is nice about this book is that there is also a section about cooking with kids and getting kids interested in helping with food preparation and to make meals more interesting and interactive for them (and you!). Also, at the end there is a section of drinks as well, some alcoholic (like the sidecar) and some non-alcoholic (like mango lassi). All in all this is a really nice book and it will make you realize that making your own bread, soups, tarts, etc is not really hard, and is really rewarding and fun. And... as a wife who cooks every day, it has given me a lot of fresh ideas for new meals. check it out! -- Kasey M. Moctezuma "parisgirl" (San Diego, CA USA)

Sadly, I think a lot of people pass off Jamie Oliver as a goofball celeb chef and never give his cookbooks a fair try. I found his previous works to be a little silly, a little wordy and maybe overly cutesy, but Happy Days with the Naked Chef is a fine, clever cookbook with a pile of challenging, fun recipes.

The writing is a lot sharper and more focused this time and the recipes read more like traditional recipes. True, there are some bizarre Britishisms that you have to wade through, but I think Oliver did a much better job of internationalizing his chatty prose in order to clarify his thoughts. That effort is definitely appreciated when you get into the depths of a complex recipe like Beef with Morels and Marsala. If you're a fan of the show, you'll already have your own mental lexicon of Oliverisms to get you through. Non-viewers might need to visit his web site to uncover the meaning of some of the more extreme terms.

Regardless of whether you watch Oliver's Twist on a regular basis, this is a genuinely engaging book. It's a great read, and has enough really inventive recipes to keep you busy for a year's worth of Saturday nights. Highly recommended! -- Kitchen Guy "BB" (Prior Lake, MN USA)

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Jamie Oliver - Oliver's Twist

One could do worse than be a part of Jamie Oliver's life. His daughter's babysitters are treated to the young chef's gourmet-chocolate tiramisu, his hard-partying mates drag themselves to morning-after fry-up feasts and Bloody Mary pitchers, and his band (London's Scarlet Division) fill up on exquisite vegetarian cuisine. This collection of seven Oliver's Twist episodes, originally broadcast in America on the Food Network, are enormous fun, grounded in the gregarious star's daily life of family, friends, mentors, suppliers--even the local cops. Absolutely everyone parades through Oliver's surprisingly modest kitchen to dine on lovingly prepared masterworks fusing tradition with improvisational brilliance. Whether the menu calls for high tea, a Bollywood theme night, or a gorgeous health-food breakfast, Oliver's affection for his work and his people makes for addictive viewing. --Tom Keogh

Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) knows the best places to buy food in London. In this DVD, Oliver's Twist, Jamie takes us to his favorite stores, and then it's back to his place to cook up fantastic food for family and friends. In Jamie's unique style he gives culinary advice and great tips as he grills, grinds, roasts and fries. And with food on the table, let the good times roll! This DVD contains 7 classic episodes from his Oliver's Twist TV series as seen on the Food Network.

"I think that the show's success is down to me being me - an ordinary bloke who's just passionate about good food - and people can relate to that. Even now, blokes who've never done more than open a packet come up to me and tell me that they've started cooking. That's the best result ever as all I ever wanted to do was to make food accessible to everyone; to show that you can make mistakes - I do all the time - but it doesn't matter." -Jamie Oliver

EPISODES
1) World Cup Breakfast: After a big night out what better way for Jamie and his mates to recover than a morning watching soccer with a full Oliver breakfast.
2) Scarlet Division: Jamie drums up some vegetarian tukka as he gets together with his band for a jamming session.
3) The Bill: When Jamie pays a visit to his mates on the set of The Bill, three cops are delighted to accept his invitation to dinner.
4) Wild City: Horseradish outside your house? Rocket by the roadside? Jamie and his mentor Gennaro show how, even in the middle of a city, Mother Nature does provide.
5) Tiger: Jamie's grandmother, Tiger, and her friends are in London for a day out, so Jamie invites them over for afternoon tea.
6) Bollywood: Jamie goes Indian as he hosts a Bollywood night with all the trimmings.
7) Chocolate: As a bribe for babysitting Poppy, Jamie offers the girls the one thing they can't resist chocolate, and lots of it.

Release Date: 10/14/2003

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Oliver's Twist 2

Day off, time on my hands, this DVD just arrived. Popped it into the Dell computer and was totally enchanted and entertained all day! By the end of the first episode I was just craving some good food! I don't know why I waited until now to start buying Jame Oliver's cookbooks and DVDs. I guess I saved the best for last. I now have virtually everything on amazon with Jamie's name on it. Really looking forward to his new Italian cookery book for sure. I always loved watching his shows on Food Network. It's even better in the comfort of your own home. I was astonished at all of the handy-dandy (or easy-peasy) cooking tips he gives on these episodes. Be sure and have a pencil and pad by your side as you watch each segment because you are going to want to jot these down for future cooking experiences. Fish, veggies, meat, herbs, cheeses, you name it, he's got it. So simple. All the food is affordable and easy to cook. Of course you'll notice some products we can't get here in the US but there are equally good substitutes available. So simple, so easy to follow, so very entertaining. Want to just give him a big hug! I just ordered the first DVD. Can't wait! -- Anna V. Carroll (New York, New York United States)

Release Date: 09/06/2005

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Jamie Oliver - Jamie's Kitchen

Jamie Oliver, star of the Food Network, is one of the most popular chefs in the world. Jamie's Kitchen is a documentary that chronicles the opening of his first restaurant in London's East End using 15 unemployed, underprivileged youngsters to work as chefs in the kitchen, all within seven months. Will the restaurant actually open or has Jamie Oliver bitten off more than he can chew?

A great reality show, following a group of working class youths in England getting the chance to become cooks in a top UK restaurant for free. It's highly entertaining and well worth the price. We caught this show when we were visiting Australia and got hooked. Also check out Jamie's School Dinners series. -- Robert Keith "I heart Secret Crush Records" (New York, NY USA)

This is a great series that originally aired on the BBC and also played on the Food Network. I saw it when it aired on the Food Network and I was so happy to see that it was coming to DVD. It's a great show that really gives you an inside look at what it takes to get a resturaunt off the ground. As if that wasn't hard enough, to do it with 15 untrained people who have a passion for cooking but no official experience is just a daunting task.

You'll see the frustration, and the aggrivation when things go wrong. As well as the jubilation when everything is going right, which is rarely the case it seems. Jamie is great at letting the camera see exactly whats going on in his mind. He rarely holds back and always speaks his mind when things arent going his way.

In the end it's really a great look into how people cope with being put into situations they arent used to and how far people will go when they are passionate about something. I highly reccomend this DVD to any fan of Jamie Oliver or any person thinking about getting into the resturaunt business. It's extremely entertaining and you won't be disappointed at all.-- A. Gist "Gist" (Chandler, Arizona)

Release Date: 05/10/2005

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Jamie Oliver - Happy Days Tour Live!

Filmed live in front of a sell-out crowd, Jamie's brand new show takes live cooking to a level of entertainment that has never been seen before! Toured within Britain and then to the other side of the world - "Happy Days" has played to sell-out audiences . This specially staged performance is based around Jamie's energetic lifestyle and inspirational cooking and sees Jamie moving into his stylish new apartment - complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen. Here he whips up a variety of great new recipes for friends and family. With 9 brand new recipes, specially filmed sequences, loads of audience participation, and a revealing 15 minute bonus interview with Jamie himself, Happy Days Tour Live! has something for everyone!

Jamie Oliver is a highly creative cook who inspires cooks everywhere and even inspires people who have never cooked before. To say he is entertaining would be an understatement. I have yet to see anything like the Jamie Oliver Tour. He includes just about every element of entertainment possible in one show. It is a game show, cooking class, cooking competition, music gig, sports event, comedy show, talk show (he almost interviews some of the audience members), magic show and sing along. Basically this is Jamie Oliver's mind on cooking and he is in constant motion, meeting every challenge and even batting oranges into the audience to select people to join him on stage.

The recipes are simple to make and after watching this show you might find yourself trying out something new, and not even measuring anything. I tried his idea with the foil bag to cook fish and it was one of the best dinners I've ever made. The ideas transcend recipes and enter the arena of creative exploration. You can cook with what you have in the kitchen. Don't have leeks? Try onions and potatoes. Want to learn to make your own pasta? Is it really as simple as eggs and flour? Watching Jamie Oliver maker pasta is like watching an artist create. Where he excels is in how he transfers his knowledge to the audience members and they to learn to make pasta, right on stage and he turns it into a competition.

While fast paced and wildly funny, there are a few casual moments to relax. Jamie challenges himself to make Pizza before the Pizza guy arrives. He orders pizza and then tosses flour on the counter and begins to make pizza dough from scratch. His ideas about sun dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella will make you wish you'd been to the store for the ingredients. In fact, you might want to stock up on ingredients and cook along with Jamie. He really helps to make life less ordinary and more extraordinary.

The new apartment is the entire stage and the set is filled with surprises to entertain. You will start to wish you had a kitchen computer. Jamie leaves the set now and then and there is a screen showing a night out on the town, what it is like to cook in a restaurant kitchen and his wife checks in with him to find out what he is making for dinner. He even makes a cheesecake and then delivers it for a birthday party.

By watching Jamie cook, you can learn basic techniques, time saving tricks and creative uses for herbs and spices. Everything he has taught me to make through his shows and this DVD has turned out to be absolutely delicious and I love the fact that a lot of the things I learn don't require me to measure ingredients. -- Rebecca Johnson "TheRebeccaReview.com" (Washington State)

Release Date: 10/01/2002

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