Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Ingredients, Half-Baked
Review: This should have been a great read. The topic is facscinating, the 'follow along with the CIA cirriculum' approach perfect in theory, yet the final result is merely lukewarm.Some chapters, like those on the basic skills class and front of the house service, are playful and interesting, but far too many get lost in undermotivated detail and a lack of meaningful context. The text continually goes off on random tangents into classmates' histories or the author's personal concerns. The ongoing, awestruck coverage of the CIA's President is simply goofy, but further damages the author's credibility. The author makes much of his becoming a real cook, but perhaps needed to focus a little more on becoming an accomplished writer. There is much of interest here for anyone interested in professional cooking, but it's disappointingly haphazard -- with a little more planning and organization this book could have really soared.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!
Review: I read Soul of a Chef first before I heard about this book. I was so happy to see it in an airport bookstore before boarding my flight cross-country. I got over half way through it by landing and then took it to the beach to finish the rest there. Apparently a buddy of mine saw my copy, started reading, and got hooked too! It is such a great book. Between the two Ruhlman books I have read, I am overjoyed and will buy every book he writes. Well done and very inspiring.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Delightful
Review: Have a dream about being a chef? All right, how about one of those singing-in-the-shower kind of fantasies when you're chopping up the evening vegetables? Whether you're really serious about becoming a culinary professional, or you're just starting to nibble around the edges of the idea of making a career change, or you're just addicted to The Food Network, this is the book for you. Utterly engaging prose, clear and concise reportage and a deep passion for cooking elevate Ruhlman's book to the level of a joyous classic. You'll know what you really want out of cooking when you're finished.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable read
Review: I love cooking and baking, so it was quite interesting to learn more about the ins and outs of the CIA and to hear of a pseudo-student's perspective of the experience. Michael Ruhlman has an easy-to-read, captivating writing style and, especially toward the end, he was quite entertaining (e.g., the Cro-Magnon part). Not only does the author do a great job at depicting the different personalities of his teachers and classmates, he is also skilled at conveying the true passion and dedication of these and other cooks. It would have been even better if he were there as a full-fledged student so he could write (and we could read) about the real thing.
Rating:
Summary: Beginning the journey toward perfection
Review: In this book and its sequel, "The Soul of a Chef", Michael Ruhlman goes well beyond cooking and into a philosophical, sociological and psychological investigation of the drive to be world class. I'm with Ruhlman in that I find just about any activity fascinating if it's being taken to the highest level. I found myself drawing parallels between the chef/students in these books and the professor/students I hang out with in my academic career. What all the characters in these books share with other world class scholars, artists or craftsmen is their relentless pursuit of knowledge, tied to experimentation. What separates the best from the rest seems to be a liberal dose of creativity and the project management skills to refine it to reality, on top of the necessary analytical skills and hard work. Oh, and don't forget the obsession. The fact that the topic is food simply adds to the pleasure, because the charactes are studying sourdough starters, pale vs. dark roux for brown sauce, clarity in stocks, plating galantines, balancing menus, conserving waste, and other fascinating topics. Along the way, Ruhlman brings you into these discussions with the masters and their students. The book's organization simply follows the CIA's curriculum from introductory culinary math (sounds easy) through basic skills (taxing), bread and pastry (appears cerebral), culminating with service in real restaurants (seems to be back breaking). It's a natural organization, and the build up to real cooking builds some tension. What's even more fun is seeing how Ruhman gets swept away with the challenge of cooking, to the point where he develops his own tough-guy chef mentality. As a sociologist, his methodology might be questionable, but as an author and proponent of the craft of cooking, he's at the top of his game. Although the sequel, "The Soul of a Chef", is subtitled "The Journey toward Perfection", the trip really starts here in this tighter, more focused book. Ruhlman continues this study of the quest for perfection in his latest book, "Wooden Boats".
Rating:
Summary: Bye-bye, dreams!
Review: Well, I never REALLY wanted to be a chef. Just a daydreamer. And after reading Ruhlman's account of the tortures experienced by the students as the prestigious CIA, I can now let my dreams go in peace. One has to be a sadistical perfectionist to willingly undergo the torments involved in graduating from the Culinary Institute --but it surely makes for great reading. Both this account and Ruhlman's second book, The Soul of a Chef, should be required reading for anyone with the slighest aspirations of going into the food world. Both books read like fast-paced, first-rate novels. It is humbling to realize that I would never make it past the entrance exam --and I consider myself a cook of some distinction! Ruhlman's experiences point out all to clearly that there are "cooks" and there are "chefs', and there is a world of difference between the two. He is a wonderful writer - may there be many more books from his pen!
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating world
Review: Michael Ruhlman has vividly portrayed the passionate, obsessive students and faculty at the Culinary Institute. These folks think of and talk about food all day long--when they're not creating it or tasting it. Having gone to art school, I was struck by the similar range of personalities. There's the intense loner perfectionist, the inept student who has flashes of brilliance, the older student rethinking his life's path. Generally I thought the book was well-written although somewhat repetitious. He asked many of the chefs about the school's philosophy and really got similar answers from each of them. I would have liked a glossary since much of the terminology is French. I had to read several chapters before I could finally infer what mirepoix was.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Insight To The Culinary World
Review: I don't own this book but I have read it as my library owns it. This is the first culinary book I have ever read in my entire life. I think it is an EXCELLENT book for future chefs to read, as it gives you some very excellent insights into the culinary world, what goes on in the kitchen, in the classroom, and in the dining room. I was SO fascinated with it that I wanted to order my own copy! The book pointed out to me some new points in the life of a chef that I never even knew were there. It showed me the way a chef thinks and learns to make such creative dishes as chefs are renowned for. I really think that anyone considering entering the culinary field should make this book one of the best books they own in their culinary library!
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating book, wonderful read.
Review: I so enjoyed reading this book. It was a wonderful glimpse into just how serious this profession takes itself- as it should! Understanding how PERFECT everything must be makes me appreciate what these ladies and gentlemen are doing back there in those kitchens. Michael Ruhlman interjected just enough of his personality into the story to make it a personal journey,(with his conflict about his position as a writer/student or student/writer.) At the same time he conveys what the other students (the 'real' ones) were going through, and how much it meant to each of them. Anyone interested in how top chefs get to where they do should read this book - or really, anyone interested in fine food!
Rating: 
Summary: I hope his cooking isn't as bad as his writing
Review: I persevered through this because I was interested in reading about life at the CIA. I don't want to be mean spirited, but I do hope that Mr. Ruhlman's cooking is better than his writing.
Perhaps the fault lies with his editor who should have done a better job.
Mr. Ruhlman's style was consistently laborious, stilted and awkward.
Ideas were presented yet the reader is left to wonder if a paragraph was omitted as we jumped from point A to point C. There was not an easy flow to this book.
I think of someone like the chef Anthony Bourdain who has written a few terrific books. I have yet to dine at his restaurant but on the basis of his writing I would trust that the meal would be excellent. Here we have a writer who is also a cook-
On the basis of his writing I wouldn't expect much from his cooking.
This book is so intent on detailing the CIA process and experience as well as serving as a journalistic forum for the author's self -consciousness about being a writer and not a "real" cook that the book just plods (& plods) along. There is no passion, excitement or spark. Ruhlman's confessional about his desire to be both a serious cook/chef and a writer with integrity falls flat.
Without passion it is difficult for the reader to really care-
I stuck with this just for the CIA details. I am sure there is a lot more to Ruhlman than I ascertained from his writing- still I have to say that this book had a one-dimensional flavor to it.
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