See Review at http://www.parentcity.org. ( )

A trained chef discovers in a casual encounter that some people don't cook because (1) they don't have a clue about how to do the simplest things and (2) are intimidated, and she sets out to change that. Reading this book has encouraged this non-cook to try some things and that's a big step. It's not really a how-to book, just an eye opener. Sometimes that's all you need. If it goes wrong, she says, remember that it's just one meal. ( )

One of my twitter friends recommended this book a year or so ago and it finally came up on my Kindle queue to read. I liked this book. I liked it so much that I plan on ordering a hard copy to keep in my kitchen and use for mark-up. Another memoir project book in the vein of Under the Tuscan Sun and Julie and Julia I thought this a cut above others I've read recently.

Kathleen Flinn previously wrote about her experiences at the Parisian Le Corden Bleu cooking school. Here she shows what she did later with that experience. After observing a mother and daughter pack up their grocery cart with packaged food--Kathleen approached them and asked them why they didn't cook fresh. Seeing a need here--Kathleen decides to interview a group of women about their fears around cooking and then takes them through a class to teach them the basics of using knives in the kitchen, roasting chicken, making vinaigrettes, etc. Along the way you learn each woman's story, hear what happens in the class (and after the class) and you learn a few recipes. I really enjoyed this book and I learned a few things from it. I roasted my own chicken (which I know how to do but hadn't done in a while) and have done some experimenting since with a few leftovers.

What I still need to do is take a class or watch a few youtube videos on how to use a knife.

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A chef takes nine women, afraid of cooking, under her wing. She teaches them everything from knife skills to using soups to clean out your fridge. I learned so much from her accessible style and professional tips. I need to empty out all of my spices and buy new ones. I'd also like to try a few cooking styles, like braising, that have intimidated me. She puts a huge emphasis on staying away from packaged foods and learning where your meat comes from. Wonderful advice for any aspiring cook! ( )

Loved this book. Learned from it. Totally trying the recipes ( )