Rating: 
Summary: How many eggs was that? If you watch, you need the book
Review: I admit to admiring Emeril on television; he's entertaining, his patter is hysterically funny (especially if you enjoy the Fall River accent and are homesick for New England.) He brings out the best of American cooking with regional favorites and the new style of combining exotic ingredients in an American fashion. For someone who is on cable twice a day, he doesn't seem to get stale.But Emeril doesn't give you ingedient measurements on his show--for that, you need this book. How MANY eggs was that he dumped in the custard? Unless you tape the show and can count the yolks, forget it! I particularly like the use of mushrooms in this book as in the exotic mushroom lasagna. I also like the fish recipes--he's got a great way with fish such as in the saffron and fennel-flavored mussels. He's great with tuna (tuna tartare! beats cooked tuna) and with salmon and cod. Emeril cooks like a restauranteur--plenty of butter, eggs and cream to make the flavors rich and powerful. If you are cooking for everyday, you have to amend these recipes with evaporated skim milk, egg substitutes and just cutting down on the oil and butter he lashes every recipe with. That's not a real problem--lightening recipes is a valid approach for everyday cooking. If you are going for a lavish, forget-the-diet dinner party, you can haul out the good cream and have a cholesterol festival. Once in a while is fine.
Rating: 
Summary: High on entertainment value, low on culinary content.
Review: I am a new college grad trying to learn how to cook for myself. After picking up a copy of this book, I found that it did a better job of entertaining and glorifying his show than it did teaching people how to cook. The receipes are fine, but there is little explanation or technique involved. There are also many pictures of Emeril entertaining his TV audiences. If you are a die hard Emeril fan, you might like this book for its entertainment value. If you want to learn to cook for yourself, you might get frustrated with the lack of technical content. If the latter is true, order a cook book by someone who is also a master culinary educator as well as a master chef. Unfortuntately, all of Emeril's books seem to be like this one. I guess that it is safe to say that even though Emeril is popular on TV, his books may not be the best to learn from. He may be entertaining and hip, but he is definately NO Julia Child!!
Rating:
Summary: Turn off the TV
Review: I am not impressed with Emeril's book TV Dinners. I like his show okay, but there are too many pictures and not enough recipes. Also, the recipes are just updates to others he has put in older books. Personally, I think this is just Emeril overkill. A tribute book to Emeril is just a sign that he is getting overexposed. It's time that we turn off the TV and Emeril gets back to basics of doing what he does best, cook!
Rating:
Summary: Very dissapointing.
Review: I can't agree more with the other evaluations giving this book one star. I have been cooking professionally for three years now, and can't imagine anyone who is a serious cook enjoying Emeril or any of his books. His books and his shows are pretty much designed for thoes who want to be entertained, but who are clueless when it comes to real cooking. These recipies in this book are all pretty much the same----full of fat, excess salt, and that horrible "essence" of his. Everything has "essence", which sounds trendy but seems to be overused. If you want to be a serious cook, invest in The Joy of Cooking, or a James Beard book, or certainly anything by Julia Child. However, this book and anything else by Emeril Lagosse is a waste of time, trees, and money.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I thought it would be
Review: I didn't like this book at all. Emeril is not a genius. He might be a fair cook, but he isn't a genius. This book was nothing but a bunch of pictures of him. The recipes were less than average. I may try to return it.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Welcoming, Good eatin'!
Review: I have been a fan of Emeril Legasse for quite a while. Bottom line... I like this book. I feel that Emeril breaks down the barriers that keep people out of the kitchen. It's NOT rocket science. It shouldn't be. I don't care how "technical" chefs do it. I am not skilled in the culinary arts! I don't need to know the theory behind putting certain foods together. I want it to be simple, and above all tasty. I don't want to have to worry about having a pinch too much of this or that. Who cares if a little extra onion gets in there! Emeril's new book "Emeril's TV Dinners" is fun. I enjoy his relaxed approach to cooking. Sure the recipes might not suggest the healthiest lifestyle... But hey, if it tastes good eat it! This aint no tofu cook book! If you want to eat food that tastes good and doesn't require a twelve step program to prepare, then "Emiril's TV Dinners" is an excellent choice. After all I am sure Emeril is not writing a cookbook for professional chefs... His readers and TV fans want to feel like they have the ability to cook "fancy" dishes in their own homes. "Emeril's TV Dinners" delivers! BAM!
Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: I have followed Emeril for quite awhile now. A couple of years ago I bought Real and Rustic to try out his recipes, becuse they all looked so good. There were some accuracy problems with the quantities, but by and large the recipes turned out okay. I bought this book thinking it would provide newer recipes. Instead, a lot of them are just updated reprints of recipes that he has been using for years. The book also is like a coffe table book, because it is mainly pictures of him on his set. Save your money. If you want to see Emeril, turn on the TV. If you want the recipes, by one of his older books.
Rating: 
Summary: Bam! This book is good!
Review: I have just recently become a fan of Emeril's. I was not working for a few months and accidently surfed to the Food Network. Eventually, I saw Emeril Live. His show made me so hungry and made my mouth drool! I purchased two of his books: Emeril's TV Dinners and Louisiana Real & Rustic. I love them both. A few of the reviews I read criticize his use of heavy cream, butter, etc. But most people realize you have to use recipes like those in moderation. Most people don't eat like that every day. I like light cuisine, but I also like REAL GOOD food, too. I have enjoyed cooking since I was 12, and I find it impressive that Emeril will give up his secrets. I have tried many of his recipes in both books, and none have disappointed me. Everything has come out delicious and very tasty. As far as the so-called "commercialism" of the book, I believe this was done for the people who genuinely are fans of Emeril. I got a kick out of seeing the pictures that are behind the scenes. I can see why people who wouldn't know too much about him would think it was "too much". Cooking is my hobby, as well as collecting cookbooks. I have a whole double bookcase of cookbooks, and I am proud to have Emeril's TV Dinners in it. I plan on collecting all his books.
Rating:
Summary: Not great, but not horrible.
Review: I have read and appreciate evaulations of this book on both sides of the spectrum--either people LOVE Emeril and this book or they HATE it. I have to say I don't love or hate it. Emeril is definately a chef in his own right, and there is nothing wrong with the reciepes here. However, you would not want to cook like this everyday. The use of heavy cream, butter and cheese in everything is just not a healthy way to live. Emeril does have his own style that comes through on his TV shows as well as this book. He is a GREAT entertainer, and he is very charismatic. I enjoy his show very much, and liked the book somewhat also. However, I would really like to see more explanation of the "whys" and "hows" of cooking. Even though I have cooked professionally for some years, there is still a lot that I don't know that I'm sure he does--and wish he would be more detailed and share more of his knowledge. I would also like to see more food here, and less pictures or promotions. It is very commercialized. I agree that Emeril is not and never will be one of the truly great cooking teachers, such as Julia Child, but he does allow a certain group of people who need a little "push" of confidance to start cooking. I recommend his fried chicken receipe, because it is a builder receipe that one can use to make many variations with--I wish he would have made this point in the book. People who are new to cooking will not like this book, as it does lack the wisdom and insights of a more detailed work like the Better Homes and Gardens cook book (though it dosen't entertain and is not fun to use) or certainly one of Julia Child's masterpieces, which as both insightful and fun to use. This is not his best book by any means, but if you enjoy his show and just LOVE his ability to entertain and most importantly to HAVE FUN in the kitchen. What he lacks in technique and insight is compensated for with his wonderful charisma, charm , and style.
Rating: 
Summary: The hype overshadows the recipes.
Review: I highly recommend Emeril's "Louisiana Real & Rustic", but find the "super hype format" of this book to be obnoxious. As for the New York Times, they dislike Emeril, because he challenges the low-fat, low-flavor, dogma of the cooking elite. (I don't recommend the Emeril recipes posted on the Food TV web site, due to significant accuracy problems that I have had with them.)
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