Inside Chefs' Fridges

by Carrie Solomon, Adrian Moore

Find out what’s in some of the world’s most esteemed chef’s kitchens with this fascinating compendium that showcases more than thirty-five of today’s masters, including José Andrés, Christina Tosi, Alice Waters, Daniel Boulud, Nancy Silverton, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Ludo Lefebvre, and Carla Hall—in up-close profiles and gorgeous color photos, plus two recipes for the dishes they like to cook at home.

For authors Carrie Solomon and Adrian Moore, and demonstrably, to the rest of the world, chefs are intriguing creatures. Their creations shape our culture and become an indelible part of our experience. They make food delicious beyond our wildest dreams. But what happens when the chef whites come off and they head home?

Filled with exclusive photographs and interviews granted especially for this book, Chefs’ Fridges is a personal look into the refrigerators and kitchens of more than 35 of the world’s most esteemed chefs, including twelve chefs with thirty-six Michelin stars shared between them. You will feel as if you are having a conversation with a great chef as they stand before an open fridge, deciding what to eat.

Each chef’s entry contains an anecdotal essay that sheds light on his or her personal and culinary background; numerous annotated full-bleed spreads of the contents of their refrigerators and freezers so you can see what makes their culinary clock tick; a short, straightforward Q&A section; an informal portrait in their kitchen; and recipes.

The featured chefs include: Hugh Acheson, José Andres, Dan Barber, Pascal Barbot, Kristian Baumann, Daniel Boulud, Sean Brock, Amanda Cohen, Dominique Crenn, Wylie Dufresne, Kristen Essig, Pierre Gagnaire, Carla Hall, Mason Hereford, Jordan Kahn, Tom Kitchin, Jessica Koslow, Ludo Lefebvre, Nadine Levy Redzepi, Barbara Lynch, Greg Marchand, David McMillan, Enrique Olvera, Ivan Orkin, Paco Perez, Anthony Rose, Marie-Aude Rose, Carme Ruscalleda, Nancy Silverton, Clare Smyth, Mette Soberg, Alex Stupak, Christina Tosi, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Alice Waters.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Cooking

272 pages, ebook

Published May 12, 2020

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't familiar with these authors first book Inside Chef's Fridges, Europe, but when I saw this one it sounded interesting. Like these authors you might think do famous chefs really cook super fancy meals at home? Will there be soda in their fridge? etc. In the Introduction the authors talk about how they both have lived in Paris for a long time, but were both raised in North America, so in this book they wanted to focus on American and Canadian chefs. But, there were a LOT of chefs that were not American of Canadian, so that seemed odd to me. There are hundreds of well-known chefs throughout North America and yet they still ended up including a lot of European chefs. It just seemed to go against the premise of the book. But, each chef had an introduction about how they go into cooking, what they became known for, etc, then pictures of the inside of their fridge with a numbered list explaining the contents, then a Q&A, and finally one or two recipes. Overall, it was interesting, but not amazing.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this one! Maybe it’s my nose-y nature but I loved the premise of seeing what people who’s passions are food are eating! I want to eat what they want to eat! So many things I’ve never heard of, plenty of refreshing ideas for things I already like or never knew how to actually use! Compulsively readable!

[Juju · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of chefs have preserved lemons and champagne in their fridges.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally log the cookbooks I read on this site, but this book is not just a cookbook. Have you ever wondered what great chefs have in their fridge...and what they would make with those ingredients if they had to on the spot? Well, wonder no more, because the author has hunted down 30+ chefs from around the world, all well known and many world famous, to get the answers. Each chef is introduced with a page or two about their life story, then we get a few pages of annotated pictures of the inside of their fridge(s), followed by a short interview with the chef and then a recipe or two that could be made with the ingredients in their fridges. The formula is remarkably entertaining. I learned that chefs keep a large amount of alcohol, mustard and hot sauce in their fridges. If you are interested in what Jose Andres, Daniel Bouloud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and many others keep in their fridge, this is the book for you. And some of the recipes look pretty good, too.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, thoughtful, and intimate view into the home lives of incredibly accomplished chefs. Each fridge is completely unique but what makes the book so interesting are the common foods and themes that tie each chef to the other. (spoiler: they are not the foods you would think) I loved reading this book and, as a self-titled ‘home snooper’ myself, thoroughly enjoyed quite literally getting to peek inside the very corners of these homes I never would’ve seen myself. Very delightful read!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A library checkout; had seen chatter about it on Twitter. Unexpectedly fascinating. I liked the bite sized glimpse into each chef - a few pages, a q&a and a recipe or two. Easy to dip in and out of while finishing - COVID definitely has killed my attention span. And learned about restaurants that I had no clue about before.

[Patricia Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

it took me a few frig looks to realize why the type of refrigerator was included in the chef's bio. wish that I might be a chef's friend who could share that left over cheese and wine. food is a common factor for some chefs in relationship to their families while others were the result of blind luck. good food is good food regardless of who cooks it.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I have the palate of a small child, I love food and cooking. I also love seeing what people keep in their fridge. Chefs’ Fridges is a delightful book that’s perfect for food voyeurs like me. The book includes lovely photographs, recipes, and mini-bios and brief interviews with the chefs. Reading this made me want to get into the kitchen ASAP.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun concept! Seeing in chefs' fridges! For each chef there is a quick biography, photograph of their fridge (and occasionally freezer or fridge door), Q & A, and recipe. I didn't find any recipes that I wanted to try, but I did enjoy the photos and reading the Q & As.

[Michael Hanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on this book while walking the shelves at my local bookshop. Read it straight through! Nice to get a sense of the real people these chefs are and to know what there cook at home. A few very good recipes as well?

[Sarah Fowler Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun! It would make a great coffee table book to just pick up and read 1-2 chefs. I expected to skim it but wound up reading it cover-to-cover. It did need a better copy editor, though 🙈

[Linda Kaban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!!

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice concept, but lack of diversity made for a disappointing read.

[Bibi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the concept!!! I enjoyed getting a glimpse into chef’s fridges, and reading a bit about them. I only wish the recipes shared were a little more beginner friendly.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting

[Carm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't know most of the names in this book and it seems boring.

[Madelyn Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just so unique and fun!

[Emily Duchon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like looking at other people’s fridges. Ask my Pinterest board.

[Diane B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed snooping in these chef's refrigerators and seeing what's on their shelves. I'm sure ingredients were readied for the camera and shelves cleaned - how could everything have been so Instagram ready otherwise?

Enjoyed reading the recipes for quickly pulled together home cooked meals.

There was a good mix of famous and up-and-coming international talent, with diverse representation between male and female chefs. However, having recently heard Samin Nosrat and Bon Appetit editors observe and comment on the general lack of support for brown and black chefs, I was more than a bit sad to see them under represented here. Actually zero photos of anyone of colour. If there is a follow-up edition I hope editors try a bit harder to seek out talented chefs from all backgrounds.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

(For my own reference) 52 Book Club: Hybrid genre