Rating: 
Summary: No fuss, great fun and dead pukka
Review: For those of you unfortunate not to catch Jamie Oliver on the telly - then get the cookbook. If you've caught him on the Telly, then buy the cookbook anyway. This book is the first of two he's written so far based on his cooking shows. The 'Naked' part of Naked Chef refers to the cooking. His style is to strip down recipes into simple, tasty, quick and easy food. The wonderful thing about the recipes is they are not only easy to follow but they are the basis for as many wonderful variations as you want to make. For instance, he has a basic bread recipe, but lots of great variations. Once you have the basics it is easy to develop your own dishes too. His presentation is always simple and he has lots of tips for how to make things work. He covers a full range of meals from breakfast through to beverages and deserts so there is something for any time of the day. I must say I also like Jamie Oliver for his casual style. He is without pretentions but the food that comes out of the kitchen is always fabulous, looks great, tastes gourmet, and is dead impressive. As Jamie says - its Pukka (translation - GREAT!)
Rating: 
Summary: Eye-catching title, simple food
Review: Jamie Oliver's first book based on his television series (no, the title does not refer to the chef but instead to his philosophy) is a fine entry in the cookbook market for those who prefer their meals on the plain but flavorful side. Oliver excels in simplicity. His stripped down recipes are easy to follow and don't require a lot of imagination to guess how they will taste. For example, his six recipes for salad dressings fit on two pages; the recipe titles describe exactly what one gets. While Oliver supplies a few recipes that I'll never try (Ravioli of Borage, Stinging Nettles, Marjoram, and Fresh Ricotta) and a few gourmet dishes (Spicy Squash, Basil, and Ricotta Tortellini with Crispy Herbs), most dishes will be familiar to those who dine out at mid-priced restaurants. The emphasis is heavily, though not exclusively, on pasta and Italian flavors. (For ambitious cooks, Oliver supplies clear instructions on how to made pasta at home.) Meat recipes are often plain, without sauces or exotic ingredients; you'll find roast chicken, slow-cooked lamb shanks, and pork chops with thyme, lemon, and pesto. The fish and seafood dishes tend to use off-beat (for Americans) ingredients such as sardines, whole trout, and skate wings, although pan-seared tuna, a staple in restaurants nowadays, makes an appearance. Desserts are uninspired. The strength of this cookbook is the no-nonsense style and the color plates that accompany the recipes. I recommend this for beginning cooks and those who have simple tastes and are looking for something new. Gourmet cooks, particularly those with a lot of cookbooks, are likely to find themselves bored with the selections.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff!
Review: As a complete beginner, I was totally amazed by the clarity of this book. Jamie takes sophisticated tasting dishes and strips them down to the bare essentials, I couldn't believe that I was cooking up grilled salmon with black olives and basil in minutes. He made me aware of the importance of cooking with the freshest ingredients, that way less really can be more. I also liked the fact that his recipes were fairly health-conscious too without really trying to be low fat. I am ready to take it to the next level!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Easy to Re-create These Tasteful Recipes!
Review: I enjoy watching Jamie Oliver's cooking show, The Naked Chef, on the Food Network so I decided to purchase his cookbook and try the recipes myself. If you are like me and enjoy reading cookbooks as well as trying the recipes out, this book is for you! It is an interesting and easy read with great pictures. This young man is very personable in his writing style. I cooked for a party of 6 the Spicy Squash, Basil and Ricotta Tortellini with Spicy Herbs (pg 75) and got rave reviews from my friends. I love fresh pasta and the flavors were subtle yet surprisingly refreshing. I am looking forward to trying other of his pasta recipes. I am baking the Baked Chocolate Tart and making his Semi-freddo this coming weekend for a dinner party where I have been asked to bring desert. I can't wait to try and taste these two deserts. I am also looking forward to trying his soups plus the fish and shellfish recipes in the cookbook. I recommend this cookbook, The Naked Chef. It is well worth the money to try these new and exciting recipes. Thanks Jamie for your creativity with food and love for cooking!
Rating:
Summary: What a dinner!
Review: I finally threw myself into really making something from this book on Valentine's day for my sweetheart. I made the roast chicken, the asparagus with cheese (I used gorgonzola) and the red onions with tarragon. Let me say, I was shocked how good everything was! The flavors were as good as any above average restaurant and I did it all myself. If you have ever seen Jamie's show on FoodTV, this book is more of the entertaining young chef's recipes and enthusiasm. I have much more interest and incentive knowing how good the food I already made was, to continue to try more recipes in the book. Happy eating!
Rating: 
Summary: the recipes LOOK more complicated than they really are
Review: when I first got this cookbook, I leafed through it, marveling at the gorgeous pictures, and laughing at his breezy tone. the problem I initially had with is was that for what proported to be "stripped down fair", the recipes seemed really intimidating (can it really be "simple" to roast a whole stuffed chicken?) and exotic (skate wings?), so for a long time it sat on my coffee table as simply eye candy. then one day, I got up the courage to try out some of his recipes. they turned out FABULOUS. everything I have tried from this book has been deceptively simple and delicious. (that roasted chicken in particular). plus, the easy, conversational feel basically talks you through everything. I'm definately going to cook more from this book, and let is sit around less. I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the initial intimidation factor, otherwise, it's a great cookbook!
[update] I've been cooking from this book more and more, and the more I do, the more I want to recommend it to people. I just tried his fabulous Tomato and Sweet Chilli Pepper Soup, and it was WONDERFUL. If you're on the fence about this book - definately buy it!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Coock Book For Beginners
Review: This is a great book for newcomers to cooking: 1. It is written in an easy to understand syntax, no fancy words to describe different cooking techniques are used. 2. Items used in recipes are easy to find at the grocery store or at online stores. 3. All the recipes do not have a long prep time and can be cooked in an hour or so. This book is a worthwhile investment.
Rating:
Summary: the Naked Now..
Review: Jamie Oliver is one of those Food tv staples that is both informative and entertaining and makes almost any dish look simple to do. He has a great fan base and this is one of his books that any would-be cook would enjoy. It makes a great gift for any friend or family who loves to cook. Pure and simple cooking for anyone.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining made easy
Review: The best thing about these recipes is that most of them are really simple, but they taste and look great and are bound to impress people.
Rating:
Summary: Charming.
Review: "The Naked Chef" is a nice, breezy cookbook that allows you to prepare restaurant-style meals in your own home. If you can look past Oliver's imprecision in measurement, this book is quite enjoyable. Meals like tagliatelle with pesto and mussels are tasty and easy to prepare. It's also nice the way Oliver 'seasons' the book with short anecdotes about his own experiences cooking in restaurants. As you sit down to enjoy your warm salad of radicchio, you'll chuckle as you think back to the story about the time "the naked chef" got a little too close to the deep-fryer.
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