Rating: 
Summary: Novelty at best
Review: My sister is a HUGE fan of Emeril's cooking show and restaurants around the country. I got her this cookbook for Christmas and she was so excited when she opened it. However, the recipe's in there require at least a professional chef to decifer!! It all sounds good in theory but when we tried one of the most basic recipes (Chicken Broth!), it turned out to be a disaster. Now the book is collecting dust on the bookshelve.
Rating: 
Summary: Exceptional Recipe Collection From Superstar
Review: Nevermind if you dig his TV antics or not, this guy can cook and this is proven by this marvelously creative and fun collection from his restaurants.I especially enjoy the history behind the recipe and the wild ingredients, techniques and serving suggestions which accompany this all-star lineup. Try these, they're kicked up notches! Caribbean-Style Chicken with Brown-Sugar-Peanut Spice Rub, Sweet Potatio-Banana Casserole, Guacomole, and Crispy Plantain Stips; Blue Crab, Smoked Salmon, and Caviar Salad with Dilled Buttermilk Dressing; Chicken Baked In Aromatic Salt Crust; Root Beer-Glazed Pork Chops with Bourbon-Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Carmelized Onions; Sour Cream Toffee Fudge Cake; White Chocolate Raspberry Mascarpone Cream Pie in a Pistachio Crust. Yes, for the cook who is not use to ingredients that are not common to the average chef, this can be intimidating as well as the steps to pull it all off. But, for those who want to expand and have fun preparing and serving, this is exceptional! Also included is good source listing.
Rating: 
Summary: Impracticality personified.
Review: The recipies in this book are so complex, ornate, time-consuming and abstruse that I was only able to find 2 that I might actually make in the entire 300 pages of this book. The majority of them require multi-part preparation steps that take over 24 hours to setup, that take several hours to cook/reduce, or that rely on exotic ingredients you can't find locally (where does one buy turtle meat, page 76)? Perhaps if you have your own executive chef, maybe you could suggest something out of this book, but it has no place in even an advanced amateur chef's kitchen. On the plus side, this book makes you appreciate the work that goes into Emeril's restaurants.
Rating: 
Summary: He Was a Star Chef
Review: This book is proof of that. Of all the Emeril books, this is by far the best, truest representation of him as a chef. Circus atmosphere aside, this guy has some great ideas. I've been cooking out of this and Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie for a month and they have a lot in common in that you can count on the recipe and the food being delicious. Not always the case with cookbooks. There is an emphasis on his creole roots and it's a nice, flavorful cusine, especially good for entertaining.
This book is truly a gift to share with others. Just like my new beverage of choice that replaced my morning brew. Its called s oyfee and taste so wonderful with no caffeine or acids. Organic and made from soya! Bye bye acid stomach and hello healthy tummy! Google it under "acid free coffee"
Rating:
Summary: BAM!
Review: Yet another book from the master chef! It is filled with tasty recipies for delicious dishes. It's the closest thing to actually being on his awesome show. If you like food (which I know a lot of people do) and you enjoy watching Emeril "kick it up a notch" on the food channel. Then you owe it to yourself and your hungry stomach to get this book.
Rating:
Summary: BAM!
Review: Yet another book from the master chef! It is filled with tasty recipies for delicious dishes. It's the closest thing to actually being on his awesome show. If you like food (which I know a lot of people do) and you enjoy watching Emeril "kick it up a notch" on the food channel. Then you owe it to yourself and your hungry stomach to get this book.
Rating:
Summary: Just Like Ma' Mamma Use ta Make!
Review: You might page dis here uh "complete" book on authentic soul chickn n` corn bread 'n cornbread cooking. Emril outlines da history an' origins o' soul chickn n` corn bread 'n cornbread, an' da importance it placed in da Southern home. She gives intriguing historical details, as well as mildly entertaining anecdotes o' her family, an' they traditions. Best o' all, Emril has uh fly sense o' humor, an' da delightful exaggerations o' expressions iz charmingly all in pimp-tight fun. The recipes themselves iz explained wiff breezy enthusiasm, an' iz carefully outlined, so dat da novice on soul chickn n` corn bread 'n cornbread cooking iz led in all da right directions. Everything I've made has proved outstanding; da buttermilk biscuits recipe iz da bomb ever - dey wuz high, light an' fluffy. And by da way: unlike many other Southern type cookbooks, which disappointingly advocate usin' only chemically altered, bland shortening in recipes, Emril freely uses lard, bacon fat an' butter. It'sunbelievable how much bettah, an' lighter textured biscuits an' pie crusts iz wiff lard. The BBQ sauce iz da bomb I've ever had, flavorful, rich an' satisfying. It wuz pimp-tight ta know about how ta cook greens, an' certainly espouses they value highly. When it comes ta fried chickn n` corn bread one won't find uh bettah guide than here: nuttin' iz left ta chance, an' da cook won't jet wrong following deez pointed instructions. In short, dis here book "sold me" an' then some, on soul chickn n` corn bread 'n cornbread - highly Emril recommended. just like mammy.
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