Man with a Pan

by John Donahue

Look who’s making dinner! Twenty-one of our favorite writers and chefs expound upon the joys—and perils—of feeding their families.

Mario Batali’s kids gobble up monkfish liver and foie gras. Peter Kaminsky’s youngest daughter won’t eat anything at all. Mark Bittman reveals the four stages of learning to cook. Stephen King offers tips about what to cook when you don’t feel like cooking. And Jim Harrison shows how good food and wine trump expensive cars and houses.

This book celebrates those who toil behind the stove, trying to nourish and please. Their tales are accompanied by more than sixty family-tested recipes, time-saving tips, and cookbook recommendations, as well as New Yorker cartoons. Plus there are interviews with homestyle heroes from all across America—a fireman in Brooklyn, a football coach in Atlanta, and a bond trader in Los Angeles, among others.

What emerges is a book not just about food but about our changing families. It offers a newfound community for any man who proudly dons an apron and inspiration for those who have yet to pick up the spatula.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Cookbooks, Memoir, Food Writing, Food and Drink, Cooking

327 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2011

Reviews

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food writing is fun, and this anthology does not disappoint. It is full of fun reflections, recipes and more book recommendations (more additions to the to-read list). While some essays dragged and some short pieces were poorly written (which I later learned were just transcribed interviews), most of the writings by familiar culinary and writing stars were clever and interesting—and made me hungry.

A quote from Mohammed Hasseehu Ali’s essay sums up food writing in this way: “Just as a story or a novel is started on a blank age, a dish is started in an empty pot. I have also come to the realization that the art of cooking and the art of writing are similar: both of them require patience, constant practice, and loads of creativity. And there’s no guarantee that one’s mastery will be appreciated.” This quote makes me want to go straight to the kitchen and straight to the keyboard—not sure which should come first!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through the Goodreads firstreads giveaway!

I really wanted to read this book because I have two small children, and it's hard to cook with them underfoot. The author speaks of that in the book as well. There isn't a lot of time too cook either.
I wanted to know what men were doing in order to cook for their families. My father didn't cook for me until my parents divorced. I made my own breakfast and lunch, but he made dinner. It was always grilled chicken or steak with a potato and green salad.
My father thought it was a woman's job to be in the kitchen. I'm so glad that I read this book. I already know that I have some weird sterotypes about women and their roles, but they aren't true.

I really wanted to expand my horizons and learn more about cooking. This book has inspired me to cook- and that is saying a lot!
Like any cookbook, I went through and put post-its on the pages with recipes I thought I could try. Then, I went back and read the stories that went with the recipes. I found that I am more motivated to try new things and to try those recipes that are intimating for me.

I only like to cook really simple things that don't take long in the kitchen. I do things like quesadillas, grilled cheese, and spaghetti. Now I am motivated to try curries (my husband loves Indian food) and duck. I will try a couple recipes as soon as I get the chance and edit my review to tell how it went. They all sound so great! I'm not much into dessert, but the pie crust and chocolate mousse recipe sounds awesome!

The book also has a "on the shelf" section that goes over some of the cook books the author has liked and why. I have tried some of my cousins canned pickles (using the same recipe) I can't even eat store-bought pickles anymore- yes they are that good! I like how the author speaks of honoring ancestors through cooking their favorite dishes. What a great way to carry on family tradition and spirit!

The only complaint I have is that in some of the stories other recipes mentioned don't go into detail. I don't really know how to find some of the ingredients, but I'm sure a trip to the grocery store will solve that problem.

I hope to be able to cook for my husband. He is really into all kinds of ethnic foods. I hadn't tried anything but American, Italian, and some Chinese before meeting him. I thought I'd better get a handle on it before long because we can't always afford to eat out and I want to learn how to cook as well as those $15-$25 a plate restaurants!

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the Advanced Reading Copy of Man with a Pan that I received in a giveaway on Goodreads. It is being timed for release at the end of May, two weeks before Father's Day.

This is a collection of essays from men who cook in their lives, both personal and professional. Many of the essayists are people who are perhaps better writers than cooks. All essays include at least one recipe and food books they've enjoyed. Many of the recipes are online as well. The writers are often husbands and fathers who muse on their culinary contributions to their marriages, families, and society itself. This is a somewhat New York-centric book with many of the contributions coming from 30- and 40-something guys. Some essays are more than a little didactic while others are anecdotal and entertaining. Most are enjoyable short reads. In particular, I enjoyed reading Paul Greenberg, Shankar Vedantam, Keith Dixon, and Mark Kurlansky's essays. My favorite essay was from Wesley Stace since he wrote about one of my favorite cookbooks, 50 Great Curries of India.

I hope that when this book is published that the following changes are implemented:
1. Provide an index.
2. Provide page numbers in the table of contents.
3. Re-copy edit. There is at least one mistake every other essay. Also, double-check recipes.

I recommend this for thoughtful men in your life who like to cook.

[Luann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this. I took my time with it and often didn't read it for days at a time, but I never had a hard time opening it up again when I had a few minutes to read. As with most short story collections I've read, there were some essays I preferred over others. But overall, this is an interesting read that I particularly enjoyed around Father's Day.

Reading this felt a lot like watching the Food Network. If you enjoy reading about food, reading memoirs with a food slant, or contemplating the family dynamic in regards to food and cooking, you will enjoy this. As a book-oriented person, I love that many of those who wrote essays also shared a bit about some of the cookbooks on their shelf.

I thought that one of Mario Batali's paragraphs captured the theme of this book quite well: "When dads realize how quickly they can make their whole family really happy after an hour of work at the max, they'll want to do it. The best reason to cook, besides its being delicious and good for you, is that it will automatically make you look good. You'll look like a hero every day."

And to my way of thinking, that dad who cooks and then also does the dishes is a SUPER hero.

Note: I won this through the Goodreads First Reads program.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and entertaining. I took this book with me to jury service yesterday, and it was a blessing. The jury service duty was the typical cattle call, wait around all day to either be excused or selected to sit on a jury.

This book's short story format is a breeze for thumbing through and picking out chapters that capture your interest in the moment. I managed to flip through the entire book in the 6 hours of jury service waiting room time. Here's what I liked most about the book:


1. Each little vignette about a 'man with a pan' is personalized and thoughtfully written so that the reader gets a sneak peek into the life of the famous or well-known man, who may or may not be a 'foodie' by trade. There are names you will recognize right off, such as horror author Stephen King and it was nice to discover he's talented in the kitchen.

2. The recipes are intriguing, some are common with an individual twist to them, while other recipes are exotic, (save those for the times you feel more adventurous). I found a few recipes I will try and the fact that this book will be used is in and of itself a great conversation starter for dinner.

Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift from my daughter Heather Anne who survived many years of my cooking and somehow grew up to become an excellent cook. John Donohue, who cooks for his family, collected essays from food professionals -- Mario Batili, Mark Bittman, Michael Ruhlman -- and average guys -- musicians, writers, teachers, a lawyer, an engineer, a carpenter, and a biochemists. The results are, predictably, of highly variable quality; novelist Stephen King produced a better essay than did the football coach. What the book needed was an editor who could (relatively easily) have improved those essays which required the most work. The stories by people born outside the United States were especially interesting, in particular the fellow from Ghana whose father had four wives but who cooked for himself to prevent his wives from practising tsibbu (magic akin to voodoo) on him. Each essay concludes with one or more recipes by the author and with suggestions of books which have influenced the writer's cooking. It is worth reading the book, just to be nudged into thinking about notions of gender and home cooking.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just ... what? Men are patting themselves on the back for being able to cook? Good for them? I read the Bittman article because I love him. Otherwise, no.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

”What becomes clear is that every well-fed family is well fed in its own way.”

The subtitle of this book is what caught my eye when I saw this book in the library catalog. It is Culinary Adventures of Fathers Who Cook for Their Families. I love essays, I love cooking. Given that this book combined both, I figured I would at least like this book. And I did.

It took me a long time to finish this volume, not because I didn’t like it, but because I had started too many books and couldn’t finish this before it was due back to the library. However, I decided to make time for it now and finish it up. I am glad I did.

This book introduced me to some good cooks and some interesting writing. Exactly what I needed.
If you are a dad who cooks, you might find this interesting. If you like essays about food, I recommend this to you also.

[Patty Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man with a Pan is a wonderful collection of culinary essays, humorous anecdotes and yes, recipes.
John Donohue is a writer, cartoonist, and an editor at the New Yorker. He also has his own food blog – Stay at Stove Dad: A Site for Fathers Who Cook for Their Families. Makes sense then, that he would pull everything together in a book, and this one does just that.

The contributor’s range from well-known figures and familiar names such as Mark Bittman, Mario Batali, Peter Kaminsky and even Stephen King, to more “regular guys,” such as David Oliver, a thirty-nine year old software engineer, Brett Thacher, a fifty-eight year old father and self-proclaimed housekeeper/homemaker, and Josh Lomask, a forty-one year old fire fighter.

This is by no means the full list, and with each story, we hear from men who stand before the stove. The men who shop for meals, plan menus, feed their families on a daily basis and entertain guests with lavish spreads of food. In their essays, they share their passion, their love for cooking and their thoughts on what they’ve gained by being part of the ever-changing roles in American families.
If the essays stood alone in this book, I would have still taken pleasure in reading it, but the fact that they also share their recipes makes it so much more enjoyable!

Recipes like Matt Greenberg’s Grilled Burgers with Herb Butter, Sean Wilsey’s Fish Tacos, Jesse Sheidlower’s Bacon-Wrapped Duck Breast Stuffed with Apples and Chestnuts, Mohammed Naseehu Ali’s Peanut Butter Soup, and Tony Eprile’s Chocolate Mousse. Some really awesome recipes here!
Another huge plus for me, was to read the “On the Shelf” section at the end of each story. Here, each author shares some of their favorite “go to” books on cooking and the world of food. Some of the books were familiar, and some I’d never heard of. For me, having a list of books recommended by someone who loves to cook is a huge plus, and I’ve already made my list of which books to check out next!

When I first browsed through the book, I wondered how I would choose which recipe to start with. I couldn’t decide if I should pick one based on the author, based on the stories I enjoyed the most, or simply the one’s that sounded the most delicious to me. In the end, I chose The Pie Guy, by Manuel Gonzales. I loved his essay about his pie making ventures and I was craving a pie by the time I finished reading. When I saw the recipe titled Mexican Chocolate Pie, my decision was made! He also includes his pie crust recipe, and let me tell you, the combination of the two were simply decadent!

You don’t have to be a cook or a chef to enjoy this book – if you like a good read with lots of wonderful writing infused with some humor, you are sure to enjoy it, but beware, you’ll end up in the kitchen one way or another, because you’ll either be totally inspired to whip something up, or craving a wonderful meal!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains stories about eating and cooking written by men who cook for their families. The basic structure is a story by someone relatively famous or in the restaurant or food industry - chef, author, etc. That story is followed by a list of books that man uses in the kitchen or for inspiration (if any) and a recipe or two. Next comes a section called "In the Trenches". The "In the Trenches" sections are also stories about eating and cooking. These are written by regular people - a firefighter, a carpenter, a chemist. These are also followed by recipes.

I did enjoy the stories, for the most part. I was a little confused by the structure, as most of the "Trenches" stories didn't tie in any way to the story written by the famous person. I kind of expected them to relate to each other, based on the way the table of contents was laid out. It would have made more sense to me if the two stories in each section had some kind of common theme - a type of food, maybe, or a specific style of cooking. And not every "famous" guy was followed by a "Trenches" section, so it wasn't clear to me why they "regular" guys were separated out that way. They could have just made it a book of essays without dividing the two types of writers.

All in all, though, this is a good book. It's an angle I hadn't really seen. I really enjoyed reading about men and their attempts to have family time. A lot of times, the media makes it seem like this is something that women want and men don't really care one way or the other. As Manny Howard (famous guy, food writer) says, "Every time dinner is dismissed as an event designed to simply deliver the day's final load of calories and nutrients, an opportunity for adventure and fellowship is lost." (p 40). And Michael Ruhlman (also a famous one, author) says, "Just because [taking the time to have lunch together is] pleasurable doesn't mean it's an indulgence." (p 243). Taking the time to be together is important and should be viewed as such.

The only real issue I had was that some of the "Trenches" pieces felt unfinished. There were several that just made a statement and stopped. I didn't feel that they were complete without some kind of concluding paragraph. That is probably just my prejudice.

I did find a few typos. This was an ARC that I received through Goodread's Giveaway program, so maybe they will be fixed in the final copy.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book as a part of the goodreads giveaway. To the review!:

I have never described a book as being cute before, but this is a cute book. The longer essays by seasoned writers are interspersed with experiences from men "in the trenches", your average dad who work 9 to 5. Each is capped off by a foodie cartoon from the New Yorker, and many have divulged their best recipes along with their favorite food books. As a warning, if you are vegetarian or vegan, some of the descriptions might be a little off-putting, but not so much that they make you sick. Still, all of the stories are told with a real frankness about the desire to cook and the love of good foodstuffs. I would definitely recommend this book as quick, summertime read.

You could eat this book up in delightful snack sized bits or in four course meal style. These short essays are written by men who cook for their families; how they started to cook, why they like to cook, plus the troubles and tribulations of cooking for kids. It can really be read as an anthropology lesson on what it meant to become a man after the first wave of feminism in the 60's. The fact that this book was made at all is a testament to how men in the kitchen is still seen as gender-bending. But, thankfully, you see the generational differences in norms from the various men's stories; The older writers were likelier to talk about how their fathers never even entered the kitchen, while the younger ones often write that they learned to cook from their fathers. The men discovered they could 'find themselves' in the kitchen. They also discovered that they could make the lovers in their lives happy by taking on some of the chores in the house.

[It's akin to the finding that in cultures where the women are in charge or seen as equals (read: separation of household chores), men report feeling happier and having more sex. Think about it guys!]

Other stories are just great peaks into the life and mind of the daily grind of cooking for loved ones and yourself. Though, my favorite may not be one of the essays, per say, but the screenplay about the psychotic grill. You'll just have to read it, really.

[Christi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through GoodReads First Reads.

I haven't read a collection of short stories before. This book is just OK. It's random men only three I had heard of before (Mario Batali, Mark Bittman, Stephen King) sharing thoughts on cooking, family, recipes and life. There's a lot of rambling. Many of the essays are from underemployed writers who start cooking simply because their wives work and their children need to be fed. I grew up in a family where the men do cook so I guess this doesn't feel like the unusual occurrence that the book seems to think it is.

I do want to track down a copy of Marcella Hazan's book. It's been referenced multiple times. The one recipe I really want to try is the firefighter's duck breast with 5 spice glaze which he adapted from a few Bittman recipes. (I'm a big fan of How To Cook Everything)

I did not enjoy the essay by Shankar Vedantam. Basically he used the venue to plug his book about hidden gender biases, which is his pet project, blah blah blah. He even puts in quiz to show off about his theories! This is just ridiculous. (by the way Shankar, it took me longer to match the female names, yes I did take the goofy quiz)

I also don't enjoy the random cartoons in the book. I get that the author, John Donohue, is a cartoonist for the New Yorker. However, they seem really unnecessary in the book. I'd rather see a photo of the essayist - perhaps in the kitchen - instead of an unfunny cartoon that just happens to be about food.

I did like the essay about the underemployed writer who spends $140 on a fishing trip to catch cod bringing the price to about $4/pound. Of course, he isn't including the 12 hours of fishing and all the labor to fillet the fish in this price! But having grown up in New England eating cod every Friday, I can identify with the shock of seeing $14/pound cod at the market. Cod was poor man's fish! Don't think I'll make fish head spaghetti though!

Overall, it's just an ok book.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed some of the essays in this collection. Sean Wilsey is honest and likable about the impact of his children on his "Kitchen ABCs" ("Always Be Cleaning"). He writes about how his first response to the 9/11 attacks was to put up water to boil pasta: "Fatherhood, at times, has also been a bewildering state of emergency. Cooking was, and remains, my response." Mario Batali is conversational and smart about involving kids in the kitchen in his essay, "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Cardoons" (this is what my family does with cardoons: http://www.learningtoeatbook.com/2009...). Mark Bittman's essay, "Finding Myself in the Kitchen" is a lovely reflection on his journey as a cook and a dad. But too many of the essays are poorly edited (subject/verb problems, misplaced modifiers) and flippant without being funny. Worse, many of the recipes are way too casual to use (what is a "stick of melted chocolate"?) I also, honestly, nearly threw the book across the room when one writer advised that the secret to good pasta is to "shock it in cold water" before saucing it.

Then there are the chatty (in some cases they must simply be transcribed, unedited phone interviews) "In the Trenches" sections, in which "regular" dads talk about their family food life, but I didn't think the contrast between these and the casual essays was really strong enough to be effective or illuminating.

But, I did like the "On the Shelf" sections, in which each writer describes some cookbooks that have been influential to them; I've added to my reading list with those (why have I not read James Beard's Theory & Practice of Good Cooking yet?! Mark Bittman makes me think I'd love it). And a few of the recipes, like the Carbonara di Zucchine and Manuel Gonzales' Mexican Chocolate Pie, look like winners. I'll report back about those.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this for my Papa for Father's Day, having only just heard about it through (gulp) Gwyneth Paltrow's website, Goop. He and I both like memoirish food essays, particularly ones integrated with recipes, and since he was the cook in our family when I was a kid, I thought it'd be appropriate.

Well, three points for trying, Heather! The thing about this collection is that as delightful as I found the introduction (written by editor John Donohue), I desperately wished that he did some more damned editing to these essays. The book is extremely uneven. Many of the "In the Trenches" passages (hardly chapters, usually only a couple pages) read like oral interviews from which the interviewer had been removed. Short sentences. Choppy transitions. Not a lot of quality description. No apparent narrative arc. Frequently no apparent point. Some of the essays aren't much better. That's often what you get in a collection, but I did feel like there was more than a fair share of meandering and aimless storytelling.

The writers that were good delighted me: Jack Hitt (he of one of my all-time favorite This American Life stories, a Peter Pan fiasco), Matt Greenberg, Paul Greenberg (no apparent relation), Sean Wilsey, Peter Kaminsky, Wesley Stace (he of some of my all-time favorite music, as John Wesley Harding). The rest: meh. I found myself eager to get to the end of the book so I could start something new.

I do look forward to making a couple of the recipes, though.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I noticed that there were many less than stellar reviews about this one but I thought it was funny and touching and well-written, in addition to having some great recipes. Also just a good reminder that eating with your family, being with them, means more than all the trinkets you can buy them. Excellent.

*I sometimes think, on those rare occasions when I'm full, about how rich I would be if I wasn't spending so much money on food. I don't like to ponder how much I might have accomplished in life if I wasn't always eating or thinking about what to eat next.*

*Don't be a tightwad. Your meals in life are numbered and the number is diminishing. Get at it. Owning and expensive car or home and buying cheap groceries and wine is utterly stupid. As a matter of simple fact, you can live indefinitely on peanut butter and jelly or fruit, nuts, and yogurt, but then food is one of our few primary aesthetic expenses, and what you choose to eat directly reflects the quality of your life.*

*Increasingly, I'd found it hard to make time to listen to music (an important part of being a musician or a human) or sometimes simply to stop working. Cooking became an ideal time to open a bottle of wine, listen to music, tune in and turn off, relax, think.*

[Margaret Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a delight! I'm so thankful that I won it as a first time reader.
It is full of stories, recipes, cooking tips, and humor. It even has the chef's cookbook recommendations which I will use when I purchase my next cookbook. This is the first cookbook that I've actually had fun reading. The recipes go from the very simple to the very complicated, and I'm looking forward trying them. I put stars by the stories I liked best and those will be the recipes I will try first. This is a great book for men who would like to try cooking or want to broaden their capabilities. And it is also great for women, especially women who like to read, as the stories are great,the recipes sound delicious, and maybe they can get their husbands into the kitchen. I seriously envy the wives of these men.Thank you good/reads for sending me this wonderful book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short essays by men who cook - they could be either professional chefs or food writers, or just "ordinary" men who enjoy cooking. There are also lots of recipes after every essay. As one of the writers mentioned, the fact that this book exists shows that men in the kitchen is still seen as rare, although with the number of writers in this book that is obviously changing. I know from my experience that it's usually people older than me who are surprised that my husband shares the cooking with me, but I know more and more people in my age range who have the new assumption that women aren't the only ones who belong in the kitchen. Some of the stories are funny and some are more sincere about the author's love of feeding his family with something he made. Overall, a good compilation of food essays and lots of good recipes too.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit that I didn’t read all of these essays. It was an uneven group, so I skipped around. They ranged from personal histories, technical treatises on gender bias, chatty discussions of kitchen techniques and even a screenplay! Some were interesting, others were almost unreadable. The longer essays concluded with each author’s cookbook picks. This was a great feature. I will pick up a couple of their recommendations.

I still do most of the cooking at home, although my husband is very capable in the kitchen. He is also the lead griller. We work better as a kitchen team. I didn't come across too many essays where men and women worked together, maybe that's why I wasn't too excited about this book.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the essays were good, but overall they felt disjointed and did not flow well. Sweeping statements not followed up on, one story smashed up against the next. In one case, a story about recreating a grandmother's recipe was interrupted for a long-winded discussion of gender roles.

The stories I enjoyed: I am glad I made it to the end for the sake of the story that took place in South Africa. Also, Jesse Green's essay was exactly what I wanted this book to be: an entertaining, well-written insight into one family's take on cooking and food in their life.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful book is fun and will bring a smile to your face. It is not a serious cooking book nor a literary master piece, but if you are looking for a feel good book about cooking, I highly recommend it. "Man with a Pan" is basically a compendium of short stories by a variety of men about cooking for their families. Some of the authors are well known and others are not therefore writing styles and quality varies. Many of the authors include a few of their favorite recipes and cookbooks. The men express their love for their families and food through their memories and life stories.

[Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much more than I expected. In some ways, it is an anthology of short stories written by men who are fathers and happen to do most or all of the cooking for their families. The men are of differing ages, from all over the globe who came into cooking for many different reasons. After each story, the writers offer some favorite recipes and influential cookbooks or novels with great food scenes.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book on a Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway. Once again I have been verbally assaulted! Do you really have to include essays from men whose vocabulary is so limited. The "f"word 8 times by page 85. Seriously!? Found the author's chapter very entertaining - but it went downhill from there. When asking your friends to contribute to your book you can ask them to not include offensive language. The recipes were nice. The essays - not so much.

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book here on Goodreads and though I loved Donohue's cartoons the rest of the book was a little disappointing. I was looking forward to the vegetarian chapter, but found that the chapter had little to say about vegetarianism and focused more on the author's meat eating days. The recipes were varied which I did like, but many were so complicated I felt my standing as a foodie slip a bit.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed in this book. There was a wide range of styles from different contributors, but the first half of the book appeared to be weighted with the experiences of the men of similar ages and background presenting similar views. I might have preferred the book organized into a different order or with a couple of the essays closest to each other in tone and message omitted. A couple of the recipes looked great.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an advance reading copy that I won on this site, but I can't read it! I did not expect, nor did I want to find this type of book to be so full of offensive words. I am not entertained by or impressed with filthy language; I can only assume that the writer's vocabulary is severely limited. Maybe I'll try to finish reading it sometime when I have nothing else to read - but I doubt it. I really hate to throw a new book away, but the trash is really where it belongs.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection ran hot and cold with some mundane ramblings to brilliant writing showing the passion of food and family, and the love put into preparing a meal. My favorite section was the writer's reading list of the cookbooks writers used and loved. Marcella Hazan and her Italian cookbooks showed up consistently. A few of the recipes looked worth trying, but nothing that motivated me to drive to the store immediately.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection. Not everything in it was brilliant, but much of it was wonderful. All the portions (essays from "famous" guys, vignettes from "regular" dudes, recipes) are very brief...which worked well. The good pieces were just the right length, the bad were short enough to tolerate. I look forward to being a father who cooks at some point, but in the meantime I'll definitely try out a few of these recipes.

[Derek Coatney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays about men cooking. I received this book as a gift and was able to get through it while flying back and forth to SF. There definitely were some really bad essays in here, but I also found a few motivating, clever, and entertaining. There were a handful of recipes I'm eager to try too. In general, if you are a guy that wants to learn more about cooking or get motivated to learn more, this isn't a bad book to start with.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable enough, though it felt like a bunch of students following a writing prompt. The same essay over and over with slight variations. A couple more original attacks, much appreciated: Sean Wilsey's "Kitchen ABCs: Always Be Cleaning" and Michael Ruhlman's "How Many Parents Does It Take to Roast a Chicken?" Otherwise, very few actually tackled the topic of cooking for families. Most just wrote a short memoir of their own cooking evolution.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book! Although I don't feel like I am doing anything out of the ordinary by being the primary cook in our household it is nice to read these stories of men doing the same. Women have been the ones in the kitchens doing the cooking because they didn't have choice otherwise and I like to think by choosing to cook my wife can make the choice not to. Although I do love her Chicken Fricassee!