Mission: Cook!: My Life, My Recipes, and Making the Impossible Easy

i loved it - the stories and pictures along with the recipes are great and the recipes are not your normal average ones - its GREAT!

Chef Robert Irvine is a truly passionate chef. Recently he came to my school (The Culinary Institute of America) for a discussion of the book. His passion, love and knowledge of everything food and cooking radiates from him the minute he starts talking. It's so obvious he loves what he does. His enthusiasm is contagious. I was lucky enough to take a moment to speak to both Chef Robert Irvine and Mr. O'Reilly and they were both a delight to talk to. If you don't want the book for the recipes, get it for the amazing life Robert has led. He is truly an amazing chef with an amazing life.

Okay, I don't cook anything more challenging than the occasional omelette, and I'm not a big Food Network junkie, either. But when I ran across this Robert Irvine guy on Dinner: Impossible!, I just couldn't figure out how some huge body-builder guy ever got into the cooking business in the first place, let alone ended up on this TV show where he runs around the world doing these crazy challenges. Also, he always seems to be pretty darn polite on the show, even when he is freaking out. I wanted to know more about this guy, so I read his book. What a surprise and a revelation! The guy's story reads like a cross between James Bond and Sherlock Holmes. Very, very cool. (Dare I say "cooler than the TV show"?) I don't know how much Robert really wrote (Brian O'Reilly is mentioned in the credits, too), but it is my opinion that anyone who enjoys quality FICTION in the British tradition would enjoy this book as much as any fan of the TV show. The writing is top-notch, and Robert's stories are very entertaining. I don't cook, so I haven't tried any of the recipes, but this book made me think that maybe even a guy like me should spend a little more time at the stove! Actually, reading this book made me wish there was a companion book that went into more of the basic "how-to", and included more of the cool recipes. Robert is a gentleman as well as a "guy's guy", and I look forward to his futher adventures.

Irvine's FoodNetwork Program "Dinner Impossible" is a favorite. It shows forth in this book, interspersed stories about his life and development as a chef alongside recipes that demonstrate usually what the stories have been going on about. Both very fascinating and involved. Most of these are not for the typical home chef, but rather the adventurous like Irvine. For those with the energy and determination it will take in technique and time to prepare and some ingredients that are not all that easy to obtain or work with, it will be rewarding. Most all the recipes have nice feature of detailed instructions along with equipment required and tips on techniques or ingredients. Some e.g. Duck Breast Stuffed with Apples and Chestnuts and Roasted in Bacon have excellent gameplan outline with estimated times also, which is so nice and useful. This recipe is wildly good! I enjoy the challenge and uniqueness of this recipe collection and look forward to trying many more of these recipes, e.g. Tea-Smoked Chicken with Chilled Sour Brussels Spouts; Colossal Crab, Apple, and Fennel Salad with Chive Oil; Pear Apple Crumb Pie; Tuna Poached in Olive Oil over Shrimp and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes; Creole Red Snapper with Farmhouse Grits and Red Pepper Coulis. The stories are a hoot, especially the one of Guppy in Jamaica and the scotch bonnet episode. Excellent color photos of plated food. Good reading and good cooking for the daring and adventurous.