Cook Like a Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets: A Cookbook

by Anne Burrell, Suzanne Lenzer

If chefs are the new rock stars, Anne wants you to rock in your own kitchen!
 
For Anne Burrell, a classically trained chef and host of Food Network’s Secrets of a Restaurant Chef (where she shares impressive recipes and smart techniques that anyone can master), and Worst Cooks in America (the show that transforms hopeless home cooks), being a rock star in the kitchen means having the confidence and ability to get a great meal on the table without a sweat.  In her debut cookbook, she presents 125 rustic yet elegant recipes, all based on accessible ingredients, along with encouraging notes and handy professional tricks that will help you cook more efficiently at home.

With Anne's guidance, even the novice cook can turn out showstoppers like Whole Roasted Fish or Rack of Lamb Crusted with Black Olives, which are special enough for guests but easy enough for a weekday evening. For Piccolini (Little Nibbles), try making Truffled Deviled Eggs, Sausage and Pancetta Stuffed Mushrooms, or Baked Ricotta with Rosemary and Lemon. Delicious first courses include Pumpkin Soup with Allspice Whipped Cream and Garlic Steamed Mussels with Pimentón Aioli. And if you're craving pasta, Chef Anne's Light-as-a-Cloud Gnocchi, Sweet and Spicy Sausage Ragù, or Killer Mac and Cheese with Bacon will blow you away.

Whether she's telling you how to use garlic most effectively ("perfume the oil, remove the garlic, and ditch it—it's fulfilled its garlic destiny!") or reaffirming the most important part of cooking (it should have the “sparkle factor!”), you will never feel alone at the stove. Anne's effervescent personality and unmatched vitality will be there every step of the way--as teacher, coach, cooking partner, and friend.

Organized from “Piccolini and Firsts” to “Pasta, Seconds, Sides,” and, of course, “Dessert” Cook Like a Rock Star is all about empowering you with the confidence to own what you do in your kitchen, to be excited by what you're making, and to experience the same kind of joy that Anne feels everyday when she cooks and eats.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Ebooks, Foodie

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Anne W. Burrell was an American chef, television personality, and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. She was the host of the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-host of Worst Cooks in America. She was also one of the Iron Chefs, Mario Batali's sous chefs in the Iron Chef America series and appeared on other programs on the network such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate. She was a contestant on the fourth season of The Food Network competition show, The Next Iron Chef Super Chefs being eliminated in episode 6. She was also a contestant on the first season of Chopped All-Stars Tournament, winning the "Food Network Personalities" preliminary round to advance to the final round, where she placed second runner up to Nate Appleman (winner) and Aarón Sanchez. In 2015, Burrell won the fourth installment of the Chopped All-Stars tournament winning $75,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She also hosted the series Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell in 2012–2013.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one! Lots of delicious recipes with beautiful pictures. I really loved learning more about Anne even though I think it's weird that she talks to her food!😁

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this a five stars not because I have read it, because my sister, who loves Anne Burrell like no other, wanted me to. She does not have a Goodreads account.
So here you go, Shira. Are you happy?

[Bertha Mcmaster · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw her on the Television and immediately loved her hair. i’ve had a boring bowl cut for years now with bangs my grandson cut for me! he’s quite the hair stylist actually. i decided to try it so i gathered some hairspray that i had left over from the war, some olive oil, and some of my grand baby’s silly string in a can and i spiked it up and it looked fantastic. i wish i could show you. but this flip phone don’t got a camera in it. i made every recipe in this book and it was heavenly like an angel. I do my hair everyday like her now. ANN BURREL IF YOU SEE THIS PLEASE CONTACT ME

[Lesley Looper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this cookbook! The recipes look really interesting, and the instructions seem very clear. I borrowed this from the library via Overdrive, but I might end up buying a copy, since I prefer cooking with a paper cookbook.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched her interview with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, and I liked her before that after watching her cooking show on Food Network. Her cookbook is not conceited like other major chefs, and she doesn't talk down to you like you're an idiot. I knew that she worked with Mario Batali (he wrote her Forward for this book) but I never knew that she had trained in Tuscany. As a result of this, most of her recipes have an Italian slant. I like who she divided the recipes into traditional Italian dining categories (minus the first one): Piccolini ("little nibbles"), Firsts (Appetizers), Pasta, Seconds (Meat Dishes), Sides and Desserts. I love her cheese, mushroom, and prosciutto dishes; esp the Goat Cheese Cheesecake, Parmesan Flan, Sugar Snap Pea Salad with Crispy Prosciutto and Mint, Wild Mushroom Ragu, and the Spinach & Ricotta Gnocchi with Fontina Fonduta.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I couldn't see the recipes past the grating tone of the writing. It was cringe-inducingly cheesy, and for the most part added nothing to the recipes. Why have an abbreviation for "Reduce to Simmer" if you're going to spell it out every time anyway? Though with the number of typos elsewhere in the book, maybe this was just another example?

[Penny Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Anne Burrell's style. Hubby & I want to try the calamari noodles, and we had great success a couple of years ago with the pork shoulder & roasted brussell sprouts. Yum!

[Sally]

Saw Anne do a cooking demo at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books (April 2012). I met her and she autographed my book!!!!!!

[Bookworm LLC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite cookbook. The recipes are to fancy for everyday. Maybe for a special dinner or something. Good directions but glad I got it from the library instead of buying it.

[Sabrina Dunford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Star Cookbook

This is one of the best cookbooks I’ve read. It’s straightforward and enjoyable. The recipes sounds absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to get in the kitchen and whip them up!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything looked great, but I don't see myself preparing any of these recipes. I do find Anne Burrell entertaining, but the dishes highlighted aren't ones that an average home chef would likely prepare.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is one of my favorite Food Network chefs.

I very much enjoyed reading her ideas about food.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Just wish it wasn't so much pasta.

[Mari McR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peace to Anne Burrell. The cookbook shone because it's Anne's energetic and supportive voice that I imagined as I turned each page.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover, at least not in this case]

What I didn't like was the title (because I still don't get it) and her posed photographs.

I what I liked was most everything else.....

Piccolini: Mortadella pate, Zucchini/parm fritters, Figs stuffed gorgonzola & walnuts, Peperonata w/ goat cheese, Polpettini, & Cipolline (mini onion) tempura

Firsts: Calamari noodles w/ fingerling potatoes; Ricotta stuffed zucchini blossoms; Grilled sea scallops w/ watermelon 3-way & dandelion greens; Grilled porcini w/ poached eggs & parmigiano; & Parmigiano flan

Pasta: All purpose pasta dough; Sweet & spicy sausage ragu; Raviolo al'uovo (Ricotta nestled egg yolk); Whole wheat pappardelle w/ roasted butternut squash; Risotto w/ rock shrimp, lemon & herbs

Seconds: Grilled chicken w/ lemon & dijon; Dry rubbed bone-in rib eye; Braised cabbage stuffed w/ sausage & fennel; Rack of lamb crusted w/ black olives; Seared crispy skin black bass; & Duck breast w/ dried fruit & vin santo

Sides: Swiss chard, pancetta & baby turnips; Chanterelles, fava beans & spring onions; Braised baby artichokes; Yummy lentils; Crispy crunch duck fat potatoes; & Spice roasted cauliflower

Desserts: Mom;s anise seed cookies; Lemon curd w/ almond crust; Goat cheese cheesecake w/spiced nilla wafer crust; Juicy jammy jelly tart; Tarallucci w/ salty caramel; & Blueberry nectarine crisp

Gorgeous photographs, easy to follow recipes, & chef's tips. Most recipes take less than 1 hour to make, but some like the pasta sauce takes 4 hours.

But really 6 courses? How much can one person cook & eat!

[Pam Camel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book not only gives you the recipes but idiot proof cooking directions in the recipe. I only gave this book 3 stars because while the directions were very easy to follow I would not make 90% of the items in this book.
I did try two recipes though, Truffle Deviled eggs and Mac and Cheese.I almost never follow a recipe to the t we substitute out things we will not eat and replace with things we will.
TRUFFLE DEVILED EGGS:
First off lets be honest I left the truffle oil out so I followed the directions and made deviled eggs. Why you may ask would I leave the main ingredient out? Simple have you seen the price of truffle oil. $24 a bottle for a small bottle of something I will probably never use again. But the rest stayed in. see pictures:

Final verdict the kids loved them even the one id who usually wont eat them.

MAC-N-CHEESE
I also tried the mac-in-cheese This one I followed. I found it strange that it called for spicy brown mustard in it. It was easy enough to follow but the overall response to this one was pass.

[Casey Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been cooking for 30 plus years and I don’t buy cookbooks anymore because quite frankly, I either already know how to do things or I research it on the Internet. I pre-order this one however, because Ann Burrell really does rock the kitchen! “Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef” is one of my favorite cooking shows. Many of the recipes in this book are directly from the show. I have made and loved about half of them already. Anne Burrell always sheds new light on things I thought I already knew! Besides she is thoroughly entertaining. I love to hear her exclaim things like “the garlic has fulfilled it’s garlic destination” and my favorite, “cook the crap out of it.”
She really understands how to make the mundane sublime! Also, she is wonderful inspiration for new cooks because she vigilantly simplifies complex method allowing for even an amateur to achieve success. Her method of prepping is exactly like mine, which I arrived at from years of blundering and tribulation. I wish she was around when I learned to cook; it would have saved me a lot of unnecessary toil. Chef Anne Burrell is astounding! She really does rock the kitchen!

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

HAHA!! Please tell me why bother make an acronym (WBMAA) when you're just going to spell it out anyway??! IE, "BTB" (bring to a boil) and "RTS" (reduce to simmer). EVERY SINGLE TIME (EST)!!

I can't stand Anne Burrell. But when I started flipping through this cookbook, I decided that I would maybe try some of the recipes in this book - they all looked mostly easy and tasty. Plus, she had a picture of the food for nearly every recipe in the book, which is a total sell for me.
The other thing is... none of her recipes seem original. Any of the recipes, however good they may be, I could find in a billion other cookbooks. None of them have a distinct STYLE.

[Cameron · Rating 1 out of 5]

The past fagioli recipe, which I followed exactly, is so bad that I threw the entire thing out. The liquid to beans ratio is completely wrong. I was a huge fan of Anne and really really looking forward to this book. Based on how bad this turned out, I'm going to throw the book in the garbage on top of pile of crap that the recipe turned out. The book sounds great, and reads just like Anne, which makes the betrayal with this POS recipe even worse. Don't buy this book. Don't read this book. And, most of all, don't make this recipe.

[SueK · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I stated in a review elsewhere, I really like this book, and love hearing Anne's "voice" as I read through the recipes. However, I've found a few editing errors, and though they are recognizable and easily interpreted properly, they bother me. I don't like to find editing errors in recipes - it makes me distrust the others. Despite that, this is a fun and encouraging cookbook that reads like lunch with a good friend.

[Jenne Kopalek · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love most about this book is how the recipes are set up for the reader to follow. Anne’s literary voice is just as strong and witty as it is on her shows. The recipes simply shine with dishes such as Killer Mac & Cheese with Bacon, Maple Pumpkin Bread Pudding and Lemon Curd Tart. Definitely add “Cook Like A Rock Star” to your cookbook library.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love love LOVE Anne Burrell! This is a fantastic cook book for any starter cook. Anne has filled this book with good recipes and some wonderful ideas on how to make things easier in the kitchen.

I especially love the way that she uses the fancy smancy Chef Lingo and turns it into everyday homecook lingo.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Crown Publishing Group for this ARC.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific cookbook. It is full of recipes I want to try right now. The thing I like most about cookbooks like this is that they are not only filled with good recipes, but with detailed information about tools, tips and techniques. That and the fact that the author's spirit and passion for cooking and eating come through.

[Johnann Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of the best and most entertaining cookbooks to read. Anne breaks down each recipe where it is easy to follow. Plus she adds her humorous and cute persaonality to them. Lets face it Anne will tell you that a step will last a long time and you cannot change it... In fact she will state "Live with It and move on".

[KP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I love Anne Burrell.

That being said, I think that this was a really crisp, easy to follow cookbook with recipes that taste great. There's nothing really setting the world on fire as far as something so new or different, but most of the takes are refreshing and you won't be searching the grocery or specialty store aisles for random ingredients that you will only use once.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anne Burrell is one of my favorite FN personalities, and a great chef. This book reads like your cool aunt wrote it, and is an easy-to-understand cookbook for those who are not kitchen-types. I have not had time to make anything featured, but all recipes sound and look amazing.

[BJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Burrell is fast becoming one of my favorite chefs on the Food Network. I liked this cookbook. It was not just recipes, but stories about the recipes and tips and very explicit instructions. I may have to get my own copy of this one.

[Rebekka Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it!!!!!!!!!! it has many little tips and such to tell you how to start your kitchen and pantry. I just can't wait to get my own place so i can have my own things! I just want to roll up my sleaves and rock out!

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reads like Anne Burrell - which is not a bad thing, per se - but apparently "cooking like a rock star" means "classical Italian I would only ever make if I ever had a grown-ups only swanky cocktail party."

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chef Anne loves bacon! Will I actually cook any of these -- maybe, maybe not. Chef Anne also really loves appetizers - there are two chapters of them. Really? A bit overkill if you ask me. Loved the pictures!