The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

Alice Waters is the original proponent of seasonal, local, and organic foods. But because I grocery shop for a family on a budget, I can never justify going “organic.” I also live in Chicago suburbia, which means that there are about two feet of snow on the ground for four months of the year, so I can’t ever imagine relying wholly on seasonal and local foods either.

All that said, though, I love The Art of Simple Food. I find myself referring to her pointers and recipes often. The aspect I love is this: Food should taste like itself. Don’t complicate things!

I’m a person that thinks a few fresh strawberries make a perfect dessert, so I really like her emphasis on simplicity. Her recipes are very basic essentials, so experienced show more cooks may find them dull or “too simple.” But as a beginning cook who loves simple dishes (both for cooking and for eating), I find her recipes refreshing.

More detailed review on my blog show less

After our trip to Italy this summer, we decided to take a more simplistic approach to cooking--better ingredients, fewer flourishes--inspired by italian cooking. I read a review of this book and a story on its author Alice Waters in the NYTimes just before it was released and I knew I wanted to get it immediately to help in our transition to easier cooking. This is not a traditional cookbook, it has no glossy pictures and builds on themes instead of just listing recipies alphabetically. It's good for mastering the basics, and has some good foundation recipies that it offers variations to (i've tried a few of the deserts and they are all very good). A lot of the recipies in this book are not geared towards people who are working on a show more limited time frame or budget. Simple food for Waters does not equal fast or cheap food. But the food is good, and you feel like its good for you. It is great for my husband and I though, since we live in an urban area and have access to lots of the things needed.

But if you're looking for fast easy recipies, or even recipies that you won't have to visit a nicer grocery store to make well, this isn't the book for you. show less

I trust Alice Waters more than Mark Bittman for simple, reliable recipes suitable for everyday cooking. Pretty much every recipe from here that I have tried is easy and delicious. This is an indispensable book for everyday cooking.

Rave recipe: Lemon Curd Tart, an easy dessert that is always a hit.

one of those books that I would prefer to own than to borrow, many simple recipies a primer on cooking for those trying to go beyond the vary basics. I love the pantry contents advice as it's rare to find and it looks quite sensible.

I enjoyed the writing style - simple and elegant. Makes me want to go through this book Julia & Julia style.

I own a few of Alice Water's cookbooks. This cookbook is aimed toward a more general audience than her previous cookbooks. I have made a few of the recipes, and I found them to be delicious and easy to make. As an advocational cook, I thought her introductory sections on what to have in the pantry, cooking equipment, foundational recipes, and how to plan a menu where quite good.

Alice Waters is the cebrated owner of Chez Panisse, an internationally known restaurant in Berkeley, California and the author of numerous cookbooks. Ms. Waters is also well known for being a big part of the food revolution of the last several decades. Her attitude toward food and cooking steered us back from the trend of buying everything from the shelf and freezer.

"I'm convinced that the underlying principles of good cooking are the same everywhere. These principles have less to do with recipes and techniques than they do with gathering good ingredients, which for me is the essence of cooking."

Ms. Waters believes that if we follow these principles we will transform our cooking.

Eat locally and sustainably
Eat seasonally
Shop at farmers' show more markets
Plant a garden
Conserve, compost and recycle
Cook simply, engaging all your senses
Cook together
Eat together
Remeber food is precious
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is "lessons and foundations" and, believe me, this is not just for new cooks. I could have used this forty years ago. I especially liked her section on stocking a pantry, what equipment to buy, and menu planning. In Part I she also covers basic procedures like making broth and sauces, cooking beans and pastas, slow cooking and grilling, and on to desserts. It's a fabulous cooking-school-in-a-book. I recommend Part I if you want a solid understanding of the basic skills of a good cook.

Part II is the gravy - it's all about the recipes. The very first chapter of this section reminds me of my youngest granddaughter, Lou. Even as a little one she would say when hungry, "I need a little something." In this"little something" chapter the author gives us marinated cheese with herbs and olives, stuffed eggs, fresh-pickled vegetables and a lot more. The rest of Part II covers more sauces, salads, soups, pasta, breads, eggs and cheese, vegetables, fish, poultry, meat and more desserts. I'd love to tell you about the various recipes but I'm afraid this review will be extremely long. show less