A Few Reviews of The Reluctant Gourmet Web Site
Subjects > Home > Cooking > Techniques
REVIEW - "A culinary guide for home cooks, from a home cook"! This site can turn any amateur cook into a chef with a wide range of easy to follow recipes, tips, techniques, and guides on those cooking essentials. Every detail is revealed with advice on what cooking tools to buy, how to find the best ingredients, and how to cook the basics to get you started on your cuisine adventure. RelectantChef is not afraid to tell you how to cut an onion, create an amazing sauce, or choose the cooking school that is right for you. Cooking videos are also featured so that you never miss a step. This is an excellent cooking resource that brings out the chef in everyone! Reviewed 3/30/07 by JH - TheRatingsGuy.com
100 Top Cooking Sites
August 14, 2002 Digital digest The Reluctant Gourmet (www.reluctantgourmet.com) is a kind and gentle culinary Web site for The site includes instructions on putting together a well-stocked pantry, a sauce-making primer, a listing of must-have tools, a gadget review, a cheese primer, access to professionals for tips and recipes and a newsletter. The recipe archive includes tempting but uncomplicated dishes such as Brown-Sugar Glazed Fish, The Very Best Meatloaf, Tomato and Basil Pasta a la Sarah and Spinach and Roasted Pepper Lasagna. Donna Daniels Gelb
Reluctant Gourmet http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/ Review by Debbie Mazo "For people who suffer from kitchen phobia, the Reluctant Gourmet has the cure. Hosted by an amateur cooking enthusiast, this culinary guide has all the answers for first-time cooks who want to become confident chefs. If you can barely boil water, the Cooking Primer offers the absolute basics. In this section, you'll learn everything you need to know about preparing hot food from grilling to braising to pan roasting. You can also find out about preparing risotto, and all the flavors you can add to it including meat, fish, poultry, or vegetarian. To keep up on the latest in the culinary world, From A to Z includes terms every novice should know like gremolada (an Italian garnish) and roux (a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken soups and sauces). All good chefs know that you're only as good as your tools. For tools that chefs can't live without, check out the Kitchen Drawer. In this section, you'll find a starter list of must-have tools to stock in your kitchen. Take the Reluctant Gourmet's advice and start with the basic necessities, like stainless steel pots and pans and a good knife, and add to your own kitchen drawer over time. Ready to experiment? Then, have a look in the Recipe Archives stocked full of recipes any novice can handle with easy instructions and serving suggestions. For a main course, try the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp and follow with a tempting dessert like Tiramisu, an Italian classic. For a day in the life of a chef, check out the Novice to Pro section where contemporary chefs from various walks of life talk about kitchen trials and tribulations. In the words of Chef John Folse, "Don't try to be too creative, keep things simple and remember that there's only one thing that matters in cooking...does it taste good." About the Writer Debbie Mazo is a writer and editor based in Vancouver, Canada. She currently specializes in technical and marketing materials, but is also pursuing opportunities in food journalism.
"Reluctant cooks will find a friend at http://www.reluctantgourmet.com. The skimpy From A to Z glossary section defines cooking terms and ingredients such as "al dente" and "bouquet garni" but goes only to "Worcestershire sauce." More are promised soon. The Cooking Primer explains basic techniques such as roasting and braising. Many of the site's recipes have stories with them about their origin, and some have a photo. It is a very homey place to look for recipes. "
"You'll have no trouble finding your way around the Reluctant Gourmet -- even if you get lost in your own kitchen. The "From a to z" section is a comprehensive glossary of terms ( "al dente," "saffron," and "Worcestershire sauce," for example ), while the "Cooking Primer" has detailed explanations of basic techniques like roasting and braising. The site also has recipes for beginning cooks that come from other beginners. These can be found in the appropriately titled "Novice to Novice Recipes" section. "
"Menu magic: If your dinner tastes like the cardboard it came in, stop by the Reluctant Gourmet's site for recipes, a kitchen tool guide, cooking tips, a chef's Q&A and Cheese 101. "
COOKING FOR THE CLUELESS "The Reluctant Gourmet is a former bond broker by day, dedicated amateur chef by night who wants to help everyone become something more than a decent cook. The Gourmet's Web site includes featured meals (including a Valentine's dinner featuring foods that are "orgasmic" - we'll go for that), archived recipes, a guide to essential kitchen gadgets, and a short A-to-Z of culinary terms (though it's not alphabetical, go figure). Wolfgang Puck he may not be, but the Reluctant Gourmet delivers a contagious enthusiasm for cooking that should have you away from the computer and into the kitchen sooner than you'd think."
The Reluctant Gourmet
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beginning and intermediate cooks. Created by former Wall Street broker G. Stephen Jones (pictured, with daughter Nell), who found relief and escape in coming home to cook after a stressed-out day or week at the office, the site has been carefully constructed to assist amateurs who love fine food and wine but are overwhelmed by the ever-increasing array of sophisticated cookbooks and magazines. Classic cooking terms and techniques are introduced here in a nonthreatening, simple-to-absorb way, allowing the home cook to ease his or her way into the process. 
