Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Review: Slow Fires by Justin Smillie


Well, I am the worst. It's been a hellacious year of ups and downs. But that's a whole other blog post. This one.. is about: Slow Fires: Mastering New Ways to Braise, Roast, and Grill.

This one, again, was chosen for the Chef Hubs, because I am nice like that. From both our perspectives, it's quite beautiful, like most cookbooks, but it's more than pretty pictures.

The layout is clean, separating Braising, Roasting, Grilling into their own specific sections, ending with Foundations and Finishes. Each section starts with preparation and technique, giving you the fundamentals before diving into the recipes.

That being said, this isn't really the easiest cookbook for the layman. (Read: me). However, Chef liked it just enough. It highlights more unique flavor pairing, ingredients, and concepts while keeping the foundation in place, because a good roast chicken is a good roast chicken.

This presents some really fun ideas beyond the backyard BBQ bash where dad wears a 'Kiss The Cook' apron and overcooks the steaks. 

If you've got some time, and are willing to dive in and give yourself a challenge, especially if you are a home cook, this is a delicious way to try.

Note: This book was received for free from Blogging for Books.