Ruhlmans Twenty: The Ideas and Techniques that Will Make You a Better Cook by Michael Ruhlman

Ruhlmans Twenty: The Ideas and Techniques that Will Make You a Better Cook Reviews

• 
  Vicki

  I actually can't say enough good things about this book. You know how when you have an acquaintance who's a total pain in the butt about all the great, amazing things they know how to do in the kitchen? Let's assume that this acquaintance of yours actually does know how to cook. Often, if they're a total blowhard, it's hard to listen to the tips they're throwing out, because they've made themselves sort of unbearable through their arrogance. (No, I don't know anybody like that. Why do you ask?)
  
  The reason for this long-winded set up is so I can say how very much I like the tone in this book. Ruhlman is friendly, gives credit where credit is due, and delivers some amazing info about techniques. I tried out the raw zucchini salad after his chapter about salting, and it was a revelation. Great advice, great writing. I'm giving this book as a gift this year to more than a couple of people.
• 
  Ada-Marie

  Meh. Too snobby and esoteric for most home cooks.
• 
  Rebecca

  I checked this out from the library, after reading I've decided I need to own it. This is the best book I've ever read about the basics of cooking: techniques. He lists twenty of them, thus the title. First technique: Think, think ahead and prep. I've always said cooking is 80% prep work and here he is telling how important mise en place is (or prep, as I call it in English) and how to do it.
  
  He explains the difference between similar techniques and how to choose using one over another and gives really useful advice like how to cut a perfect circle out of parchment paper. Each technique is followed up be a few recipes that concentrate on using that technique so you can get the hang of it.
  
  This book is like having a master chef hanging over your shoulder, directing you to be a better cook. I highly recommend it!
• 
  Michelle

  Sit down and read this book rather than just look at the recipes. Recommended by Alton Brown on his podcast, Ruhlman presents 20 techniques for cooking as a "cook's manifesto". I love the theory behind this book and love how both Ruhlman and Brown think of cooking as a science and want home cooks to understand it too. This book does a great job of building that knowledge base.
• 
  Pam

  I love to eat and cook, and as a result, love to look at cookbooks so when I read the premise of Michael Ruhlman's book, Ruhlman's Twenty; The Ideas and Techniques That Will Make You a Better Cook, I was immediately interested. Unfortunately, I was completely disappointed by page 16, the start of Chapter 2 which is titled "SALT: Your Most Important Tool". Michael Ruhlman and his publisher Chronicle Books should be ashamed of themselves for this book which just promotes salt, butter and cream. I am not a health nut and certainly use those ingredients, but not in huge quantities in every recipe! Chapter 2 could easily have been written as "Spices: Your Most Important Tools". Michael Ruhlman's disregard to the public's health is unfortunate as parts of this book are great. He does a very good job explaining various cooking techniques and the photographs make it easy to understand. I, however, believe the best cooks are ones who know how to make delicious meals from healthy fresh foods.
• 
  Tuck

  this won a james beard award 2011
  i will give the 20 ruhlman so clearly writes about, and it won;t spoil a thing if you see them here and still get the book, as it is a fun, fact filled, foodie foundational type of book.
  think
  salt
  water
  onion
  acid
  egg
  butter
  dough
  batter
  sugar
  sauce
  vinaigrette
  soup
  saute
  roast
  braise
  poach
  grill
  fry
  chill
  
  would have gotten 5stars if it'd had more pictures. the pictures it DOES have are great, clear and helpful. recipes are clear, times are spelled out, and seem delicious.
  ok, here is a spoiler, salt is the most important thing a cook needs to know, know how to use, and exploit.
• 
  Cinnamon

  If you are trying to learn how to cook, or how to cook better, the basic descriptions, step-by-step photographs, and supporting recipes in this book will help you on both counts. I have friends who claim they can't boil water who I'm convinced will be able to cook consistently well if they were to read this book cover to cover and then try to make several recipes in each section. The info at the back matches up with what I've provided to people who are interested in what they need to purchase to be a good cook.
• 
  Joel

  I laugh at the reviewer who said Michael Ruhlman is out of touch by having his second point of twenty be about salt. Thomas Heller says seasoning is the most important, and he is right. This a great book for those in search of a reason for everything. In cooking it comes down to thinking and seasoning and knowing what might happen.
  
  Michael Ruhlman has been on an adventure through food that I have followed for years. This is a great addition to his works.
• 
  Joe Haack

  I read this "cookbook" cover to cover. And I cooked some of the recipes along the way. What sets this book apart is how he illustrates key ideas and techniques with recipes, rather than the other way around. He is also a wordsmith. Sometimes his language about food borders on the over-sensual, but his enthusiasm about food was so earnest and helpful it didn't bother me as much.
  
  It was a library book, but it will be purchased for the shelf - it was that good.
• 
  Laura

  This is like going to cooking school, except at home and at your own pace. Much of what he writes about, Nik and I have figured out in bits and pieces over the past few years. I still learned a TON about cooking though and this helped me feel much more confident in the kitchen. Highly recommended to anyone who likes to cook or wants to become a better cook!
• 
  Heather

  Enjoying this book so much! Will likely need to purchase as it is going back to the library soon...
• 
  Matt Suder

  Pretty sure I've learned more from Ruhlman than any other cook (excepting my lady). Another welcome addition to his ouvre.
• 
  Quentin

  A basic cookbook combining fundamental techniques, some gastronomic science, and some exemplary recipes, Ruhlman's 20 is a different kind of cookbook in that it's not about a theme, or an ingredient, or a style. It's about how to think about cooking, with an emphasis on "think". Over and over again, Ruhlman emphasizes that we should see cooking as a process, not simply as a list of ingredients and the steps of combining them.
  
  I liked Ruhlman's book "Ratio" which was helpful in getting me to do some baking. This book is more expansive in its scope, but it had some good advice that I'm going to try in my own kitchen. The main piece of advice was to simply be conscious of what I'm doing at each step of the process of cooking a dish or a meal.
• 
  Robin

  Whenever I meet an author, I get excited to read his or her book and this cookbook is no exception. I purchased this at the Point Street Reading Series in Providence, RI in December after listening to his very engaging talk. Prior to that event I had never heard of Ruhlman but I went on to listen to his "The Making of a Chef," which is really great (despite not being enamored of the reader!) This is a beautiful book and I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with it!
• 
  Juli Anna

  I liked the concept of this cookbook: the idea of learning twenty interconnected skills in the kitchen that can be combined in myriad ways to form an entire repertoire. However, this book lacked in execution for me. There wasn't quite the right balance of scientific "whys" and practical "hows," and the recipes were generally too conventional and meaty for my taste. I wouldn't particularly recommend this book to most cooks.
• 
  Mysteryfan

  I will be rereading and referring to this book for quite some time, I think. 20 techniques, 100 recipes, and food porn photos that you can drool over. Actually, some of the 20 are ingredients and some are techniques, but I won't quibble. Useful information about salt(!), how to brown onions, poaching, braising, dough, and more. Written in a very accessible style. If you're a foodie or want to learn more about basic cooking, this book is for you.
• 
  Aude Hofleitner

  Instead of a collection of recipes, the book is organized around key ingredients (e.g. salt, acidity, onion, sugar) and techniques and helps you understand the specific roles they have in recipes (the effect of salt because of its interaction on water, ...)
• 
  Gail Richmond

  Michael Ruhlmann, chef and gourmet food writer, posits that twenty techniques in the kitchen are what makes good food great. Although many of the recipes are not ones I would make, the techniques are valid. A useful research and good reminders for any dedicated home cook.
• 
  Carole Cornell

  I didn’t know how much I didn’t know! The techniques Ruhlman describes are the basics on which to build. I’ve become a lazy and not so great cook. This book will- I hope- rehabilitate me. Very clear instructions and good recipes.