I've only attempted making a few things from this book, but they are all absurdly easy to make! The only downside is that all of the ingredients, when following them to the letter, are really pricey! And I love the fact that you don't need the Top Chef kitchen to make everything. He says in the book things like, "if you want to make THIS you need THIS REALLY EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO FIND THING, but THIS SIMPLE AND CHEAP THING YOU PROBABLY HAVE ALREADY BUT DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS will also work just as well."

I was hoping when I borrowed this book it truly meant “easy” — I was mistaken. Some of these recipes are easy, but for someone that has a budget, some ingredients are unattainable. Also not every town has a “true” bakery, fish market, or can afford to buy only “hand dived” scallops. I liked reading his advice throughout, but some were a bit judgmental. I also wished there were more finished pictures of the meals.

If you’re able to purchase these ingredients and have a cook’s blowtorch, this book is for you.

Good book, plenty of recipes and pictures for the recipes. My only problem? I don't like fish... Most of the recipes are fish. It's not too big of a problem because everyone I know likes fish, so I'll make them fish! :P

He really does make everything look easy if it's got ingredients I don't normally buy. Nice thing is you can repeat the same few dishes over and over. Comes with a DVD featuring five dishes being made by Chef Ramsay, and they are a pleasure to watch. My cooking ability is average and these were easy to follow and the results were good. Great photographs, love that he includes a section on cooking with kids, and the exposition is nice - sounds so personable, like how the chef talks in his videos.

Many of the recipes call for things that I don't have access to or don't enjoy because of personal preference. Still,I will gladly try some recipes and I'm sure I will enjoy them. The wild mushroom risotto and the lobster spaghetti to name a few.

Bought this cookbook for my husband years ago (this is the 2015 version) and just now got around to reading it myself. The book has lovely photographs and good, detailed directions for the recipes. A lot of the recipes are very meat heavy and influenced by Ramsay's Scottish background. I wish there was a greater variety of lighter fare and more personalization behind some of the recipes - I read two new cookbooks by others that came out last fall and found there was a lot of narrative/storytelling behind certain recipes and how they came about, which I found really interesting. I did like how well organized this cookbook is and I like the different categories used to present the recipes. For example, there is a chapter devoted to food for kids (all the recipes in that section are easy to make and looked delicious for not just children but adults, too!), a chapter devoted to meals for two, and a chapter devoted to recipes for entertaining large groups. Overall, this cookbook would be a good gift for someone starting out on their own and/or any Ramsay fan.

I love the photos although recipes are not quite easy to follow. I mean his pantry is different from mine. I just love his fondant potatoes. Delicious!

The illustrations of the food looked very nice, but there were very few recipes in the book that I would actually make.

What is it with many famous chefs when they write a cookbook or, even worse, when they get to front their own television series!Often they tend to forget the relative cooking skill level of those watching, which can lead to dishes being more complex than necessary or one is left searching for some exotic ingredient that might make a difference at a top restaurant to justify the price but in the average home...

Here British chef Gordon Ramsay has attempted to do things his own way whilst hopefully remembering who his audience really is. Of course, he is not admitting that any previous books might have got it wrong (nor do we suggest that), instead the focus is on just how different, even more inclusive this particular book is. To prove it too there is a DVD that was shot especially for this book.

Informality and family are the key themes here and visual imagery throughout the book seeks to reinforce this. No matter what the best intentions are, even the simplest recipe to a trained chef can be a fraught, complex experience for many. Ramsay hopes that he manages to help at least some people over the threshold, build a little confidence and make some great food at the same time. Certainly the intention is there and a lot of help. The rest is sadly down to you, dear reader.

This is a good accessible book. Lots of photographs that mostly set the scene, show recipe preparation or the finished dish. Not so many "arty for arty's sake" photographs, perhaps showing the oh-so-famous chef staring intently into the distance or looking at a stray tomato seed on their ultra-expensive knife. It might not be too much overkill or hyperbole to suggest that Ramsay could be wearing long boxer shorts, a dirty t-shirt and various family and animals rushing about the kitchen, were it not for the invariable po-faced attitude that may come from some who feel they know better, as you just know this is how many people will be when trying these recipes.

The range of recipes on offer is quite good and varied and there should be something for everyone. Even a few, semi-exotic recipes appear that hopefully will encourage the wary to try something new and different. The usual "YUM sour comment" about the lack of an average time being given for preparation and cooking appears here. This book is the exact type where this little bit of information should be de rigueur. It is virtual handholding and despite what some harassed publicity executives often claim when they read these moans, they CAN and DO make a bit of difference, to someone who has got over their resistance and is trying a recipe, following each word religiously, worrying that they are burning something or ruining something (through lack of confidence, awareness and familiarity) whilst sweating like the proverbial pig in the process. Less than half a dozen words doesn't cost the earth.

Praise should be given for the section "my store cupboard" that, worryingly, appears as an afterthought whilst showing some of the things that Ramsay keeps in his (home) kitchen and this can also show the wary that they don't need the equivalent of a supermarket in their kitchen. A few basics can surprisingly go a long way. A similar overview is also given for typical equipment. A five hundred pound mixer might make a difference if you should use it for several hours a day, yet a twenty pound one would equally be good for the occasional family meal. Many chefs, Ramsay included, have put their name to certain commercial products out there, but to be fair, NO commercial overtones were detected here.

The book ends with a great complete index and then in the rear flap the DVD (we have not reviewed that) but it claims to include clips of various recipes and cooking. Maybe that will also help put some at ease. Certainly the book should do this, at the very least, if you let it help you.

Gordon Ramsay Makes It Easy, written by Gordon Ramsay and published by Quadrille Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1844003248, 192 pages. Typical price: GBP10. YYYY.

This is a RETROspective review of a previously-published book that, whilst not new on the market, is still available and the review has been made of the book as it stands today.


// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //

I love to cook and have already used a number of recipes from this book. When I get concerned about the calories I find substitutes because some of the recipes can be very rich but are not beyond the reach of anyone who loves to cook.

Cook To Best

Perfect ingredients...easy but savory dishes.