Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany

Whoa. Too much information! But what fascinating information. From here on I will always feel a bit guilty about using a colander to drain pasta. And a bit skeptical about a meal prepared in a busy restaurant: head for the exits, find somewhere less crowded, if you are at all worried about how exactly that meal got onto your plate or what might have happened to it en route. I started to feel the symptoms of salmonella about a quarter of the way into the book. Although the book is about cooking, this is not chick-lit (not by any stretch of the imagination). It is very much more a travelogue through Italy and through the reality-show world of New York eateries. The sub-title is a pretty concise precis of the book. The narrative has a few more bad words in it than are really needed to carry the story along but I suppose that is to portray the mercurial temperament that derives from working with finely-honed knives and scalding pans in close quarters at 130 degrees. This is a read that is easy to take in short chunks or in longer stretches. It is interesting throughout. You probably won't develop too much empathy for the major characters since they are essentially real-life caricatures of themselves, and scarily I believe that these are probably close to true to life. One supposes that the only thing standing in the way of a major defamation case is that apparently Mario Batali has a self-image that the Five Boroughs can barely contain. The author himself is a journalist who pitched the writing business to follow his dream of working with one of the industry's great chefs. But in truth he does not have the aptitude and is (at least at first) only kept on because he is somewhat a friend of said famous chef and because he works for free. Aside from not really having the feel for cooking that some people just have in them, this hobby is hazardous to Buford's health: he is one of those people who should not be allowed to handle any sharp objects, which of course are inherent to cooking. However, he balances this deficiency with an apparent immunity to pain. So when you get that rare-looking chop next time, make sure it is actually the chop that is doing the bleeding. If not, there may be a somewhat uncoordinated prep-chef in training. This review might make it sounds like I didn't like the book. On the contrary, I did. It was hard to let it go. But you need to be prepared for the idea that, despite a common love for the delectables of northern Italy, it is definitely not in the same genre as Under the Tuscan Sun.

This is a great book to read if you have ever inspired to become a chef or to open a restaurant. The author gives you an insider's look at life in the kitchen, in the process volunteering some great recipes and the history behind some of the common dishes we eat. Do you know when and why, for example, egg was added to pasta to bind it with flour? What is polenta and how is it made? The story is of the author, an inexperienced cook, volunteering to work for Mario Batali (Food Network) at the restaurant Babbo as an intern, transforming himself in the process into a knowledgeable cook. Not an easy feat to achieve for a man who thought cooking was for `fags'. This is really a memoir of the author's time at Babbo, where he referred to himself as `Kitchen Slave'. He also relates his journey to Tuscany, Italy, to learn the art of Pasta and to Panzano, Italy, to apprentice himself to the famous butcher in Italy, Dario Cecchini. This is a hilarious book! By the end of it you will end up appreciating the art of cooking and the pleasures of making food. You might also end up signing up for a cooking class. However, I did find some weaknesses in the book. The story tends to jump from one place to the next, making the story a little bit confusing to follow. The story does lose steam in some areas. Word of caution: the book does contain filthy language. Some readers might get offended. With that said, if you love to cook this book is for you. You might end up devouring this book instead of eating the dish in front of you!

I really enjoyed this book. Although it was published in 2006, I just discovered it. I was moved by an excellent article by the author, “Baking Bread in Lyon” published in The New Yorker in the lead up to the release of his newest book Dirt. When ordering Dirt I saw he had written Heat and decided to read it first. Heat is very well written. Buford was the editor of a literary magazine and the fiction editor at the New Yorker. The pages seemed to fly by and I found it engaging throughout. You will probably enjoy this read if you are interested in Italy and the Italian approach to food and/or liked Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential.” There are some crazy characters in kitchens and Buford does a great job describing them. Mario Batali’s larger-than-life personality and his rise in the food world feature prominently throughout. This book originated as a New Yorker profile on Mario Batali. Buford took the opportunity of writing the article and befriending Mario to work for over a year (without pay) in the kitchen of Babbo. He then spent months in Italy learning how to make pasta and how to butcher. This was written several years before Batali’s disgrace associated with the #metoo movement, and it’s easy to see how his heavy drinking, his general approach, his sometimes arrogant attitude and the culture in many male-dominated professional kitchens would lead to an abusive workplace. Buford gives great insights into the hierarchy of Babbo’s kitchen, the posturing, the literal bumping, and the infighting. One of the staff mentioned in the book, Frank Langello, who became the executive chef is described by Buford as temperamental and abusive. I googled him to see what he was up to now and found out he was fired in early 2018 after misconduct allegations. The mentions of Joe Bastianich, Mario’s former business partner, were also interesting because I’m familiar with Joe from having watched him on the television show MasterChef. One thing I’m genuinely curious about is how one affords to live in New York City and spend months in Italy while working without pay. Did he get a big advance? Had he done a great job saving and lived off that? Was his wife’s salary more than adequate? Are they simply independently wealthy? Now I am off to read Dirt, and I bet I’ll end up reading his first book, Among the Thugs, because he is such a good writer.

Funny, thought-provoking, wise and possibly bonkers. An ordinary guy turned budding chef on a magnificent culinary adventure. One of the best food(ie) books around

Buford is one of the best writers on food I have ever read, and he is not afraid to get right into it up to his elbows.

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Bill Buford from the New Yorker starts out writing a piece on celebrity chef Mario Batali. Over the course of the book he becomes more and more immersed in the world of cooking, including working in Batali’s kitchen. A very readable journey that has a lot of similarities to Moonwalking with Einstein (where a journalist becomes world memory champion). 👍

Honest account of what it’s like to work in a professional restaurant. Very enjoyable page turner for anyone who is curious about what goes on behind the scenes.