Review of 'Chef on Fire' by Joseph Carey

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Review of

'Chef on Fire'

by Joseph Carey

In Good Taste: Chef on Fire by Jospeh Carey

In a world of thirty minute meals, five ingredients, and semi-homemade dinners there is one word missing from all of these recipes and that is technique. I don’t know when “practice makes perfect” became dated and was dropped from the acceptable list but now it seems that everyone is on the quick and easy band wagon.

Enter Chef Joseph Carey and illustrator Cyril Brown with their paperback book: Chef on Fire, The Five Techniques for Using Heat Like a Pro. This is a no nonsense cookbook that teaches five types of cooking food; dry heat-roasting-grilling, and baking, boiling, cooking with fat, braising-cooking with fat and liquid combined, and extraction-stocks, sauces, and soups. By learning these five techniques one can become the master of heat and the kitchen.

Carey grew up in New Orleans and discovered his passion for food. He has been in the culinary trenches since the early 70’s working in various restaurants in California from manager to executive chef. He was the executive chef at Mudd’s in San Ramon, and opened two Crogan’s Bar and Grills in the east bay area of San Francisco. He was Memphis Tennessee’s first Certified Executive Chef accredited by the American Culinary Federation and he founded the Memphis Culinary Academy in 1984, where he has taught literally thousands of students.

This book is about learning kitchen skills. It is a good idea to set some time aside to read each chapter and “listen” to the lessons being taught. There is a lot to be learned on each page, from the history of the recipe to his liberal sprinkling of French terms. This is real cooking with food mills, pastry bags (no plastic bags with the corner snipped off!), and parchment paper. The method of execution is written in a straight forward style with numbered processes that are very easy to follow. Since the book is unconventionally laid out by heat method, the index in the back is nicely divided by course in case you are looking for a special dish.

One example of a technique driven recipe is his recipe for soufflé. “I know of no better example of the value of technique than the making of a soufflé. To make a savory soufflé, you need one recipe, not a separate recipe for each new dish issued by the Soufflé-of-the-Month Club.” Learning a technique frees the cook to be creative with ingredients knowing that the dish will turn out right.

I think the best way to use the book is to master Carey’s techniques and then find other recipes using the same technique. For instance follow Carey’s stir fry method and substitute other ingredients. Once you do this two or three times you will find it much easier to cook because you’re not reinventing a technique each time, just superimposing correct technique on other recipes. With time you will also become aware of the many ways recipes in various books are written and be free to ignore poorly written directions.

Carey peppers his book with “What You Need to Know” highlights. These are boxed notations that consistently answer questions concerning the recipe or are tricks of the trade. This is where the teacher shines. In his recipe for Beurre Blanc, Carey’s “What You Need to Know” suggests a bit of heavy cream to stabilize the butter emulsion. For the novice cook this trick is a godsend against disaster.

The recipe selection is international from Wiener Schnitzel (Cooking with Fat) to Gnocchi di Patate (Boiling)and there are many New Orleans specialties as well. I had to laugh when I translated the recipe title Haricot Rouge et Riz and realized it was Red Beans and Rice!

There are no color photographs but judiciously placed line drawings to illustrate the recipes. The design of the book is spare which is its’ strength. The recipes are succinct directions to get the job done. This is a book ready to be your partner in learning to cook properly and Chef Carey is an excellent instructor.

If you are ready to take your culinary skills to the next level or just brush up on your technique with tasty dishes along the way, buy a copy of Chef on Fire and get cooking!

Read! Eat! Enjoy!

Judith Bishop

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