The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks

Very interesting and informative book.

I had to stop reading on page 45 after Flinn’s second ill-informed dig at MSG. “It affects many people like a toxin,” she tells one of her students, even though decades of studies have failed to demonstrate this. If you are still taken in by the MSG / “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” myth in 2017, then fine. But I can’t trust or respect you as a food writer or a self-professed “researcher.” A quick flick through the footnotes highlighted other logical misunderstandings (where the scientific burden of proof lies, p.201); and shoddy research (how induction hobs work, p118). None of this bodes well for evidence-based research, but the real shibboleth is that the author believes that she is disorganised because she is a Gemini (p36). Hypothesis: You are disorganised because of the position of some distant lumps of gas and rock at the moment you came out of your mum’s front bottom. Research that.

Kathleen has a wonderful way of writing, I feel like I am in the class with all of them, learning and listening to all the conversations. I wonderful way of learning about cooking without the step by step guide of cooking. I have some knowledge of cooking but the lessons her pupils learn in this book gave me great ideas and information on subjects I never even thought about. Reading the change in the students from beginning to end gave me a warm fuzzy proud feeling. A truly wonderful book.

I had read the previous book and enoyed it as a good story but I found this book to be very informational and very useful. First time I read it I made a homemade carrot soup and a stew on a Sunday and the family fell on it like ravening wolves. I came to understand cooking better and stopped buying prepackaged as it is not necessary. Right now have a beef barley soup in the crockpot and baked the book's artisan bread recipe without difficulty. First time I made that bread, everyone sat down and ate it hot with butter right from the oven. I am buying three copies for Xmas gifts for people I know. So yes, an excellent purchase as a story and a cookbook all in one. It belongs in the kitchen for sure. I hope to see more.

This book read more like a TV show that was desperately trying to get more viewers by making people appear more stupid than they might be. A book format of this kind does not appeal to me. I don't want to read a book about some random women who don't know what to do with raw vegetables or how to handle a knife. The book has been written in a very boring manner. Not recommended.

I am the family cook and am pretty good at getting dinner on the table. This book is inspiring and has lots of easy simple tips on tools food and cooking. Really enjoyed it.

I have been cooking for many, many years. I have children, grandchildren and now a great grandchild! I have cooked for everyone and I thought I knew a lot about cooking. However, as I went through this book, I learned so many things I have done wrong all my life - such as keeping too much food in the refrigerator and pantry. There is only two of us now and we do have a busy life so I guess as Kathleen says, "I buy for the life I inspire to have rather than my real life." I used to end up with wilted romaine, yellow broccoli with flowers, and limp celery too often. After reading the book, I have changed my buying habits - I shop more often and buy less produce at a time. So far I have wasted nothing and I feel so proud. I even put a photo at the back of my fridge which I can always see - so my fridge isn't stuffed any more. Sometimes it looks even a little bare but there is no waste. I also learned to taste all kinds of canned goods - what a difference in canned beans when I was making chili. I even threw out one can - it was that bad. Some store brands are better than others but sometimes you have to go with the name brand for taste and texture. I have been practicing my knife skills too and I chop things so much faster now. I like showing that off to my hubby (who doesn't cook at all by the way). My pantry is getting bare but that's okay - I know everything I have and I am sure nothing is out of date. The bonus is I have saved a lot of money at the grocery store and I like that. I make all my own salad dressings now and that is great fun and a real saving. You're never too old to learn new tricks in the kitchen. This book is not only a great read - it is life changing! I loved it.

I always knew how to 'cook' basic meals and follow a recipe but now, after reading Kitchen Counter Cooking School, I have the confidence and enthusiasm to "COOK". I experiment and substitute and embellish with abandon and great success, if I do say so myself. I bake my own bread exclusively (haven't bought a loaf in months), I no longer by jars of sauces or virtually anything processed, and I actually had to replenish some of my herbs and spices because - for the first time - I'd used them up! If you have any hesitation or uncertainty in the kitchen, this is the book for you. I cook healthier, heartier, cheaper, and with more variety all because of this book.