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Knives on the Cutting Edge: The Great Chefs' Dining Revolution
A respectful yet unvarnished tribute to the greatest chefs in Europe and the United States who over the last two decades have led a revolution unlike any in the history of dining.
Knives on the Cutting Edge is a culinary pilgrimage that examines the several current and important megatrends such as the rise of celebrity chefs, the healthy eating movement, and the growing emergence of bolder flavors in gourmet foods. Through visits to many of the world's greatest restaurants, Bob Macdonald provides anecdotes, personal insights, and memories that demystify the dining experience and make ordering wine at a restaurant an enjoyable hobby rather than a formidable ordeal.
Knives on the Cutting Edge is a culinary pilgrimage that examines the several current and important megatrends such as the rise of celebrity chefs, the healthy eating movement, and the growing emergence of bolder flavors in gourmet foods. Through visits to many of the world's greatest restaurants, Bob Macdonald provides anecdotes, personal insights, and memories that demystify the dining experience and make ordering wine at a restaurant an enjoyable hobby rather than a formidable ordeal.
166 pages, Paperback
First published August 7, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 5, 2026
After finishing the book, I decided to stop overthinking and just try it myself. I upgraded my kitchen knives and honestly, the difference was obvious from day one. Cutting felt smoother, more controlled, and prep time got noticeably faster. Vegetables came out cleaner, meat slicing was effortless, and cooking became more enjoyable overall. I found what I needed through a site I came across while researching, and the results really surprised me in a good way. Based on my own experience, I can genuinely recommend checking out cut knives at site . If you’re on the fence like I was, trying proper cut knives can totally change how you feel about cooking at home.
April 29, 2013
This little pocket-sized book reads like a Who's Who of the culinary world, a series of curated, referenced mini portraits of over 75 world-renowned and respected chefs, mixed together and effectively hidden away behind a low-key exterior.
To the casual browser, this might seem like just a collection of tightly-printed pages of text. There are no lifestyle-type photographs of these "culinary Gods" in their kingdom, there are no large lists of recipes passed down on high. Just facts, opinions and historical content all rolled into one. A foodie's delight, possibly. If you don't particularly care about top-flight cuisine and those who help spearhead its development, this book is not probably something for you. It is a tad too insular and introspective. However if names such as Blumenthal, Ramsay, Ducasse and Keller have your ears pricking up with interest, this is going to be something you enjoy.
This is no deep, dry academic reference work nor a hagiography. Think of it more as an extensive tasting menu that will give you a great overview of some of the world's culinary elite. However this is a book to read at your leisure, something to enjoy doing, possibly with a notepad by your side so you can scribble down things for further research and investigation. The author has done his homework and had to visit many top restaurants in the process. Oh what a chore… (this reviewer wonders if he can claim some tax write-offs as it was oh-so-essential to travel and verify whether what has been written matches reality!).
The first impression to this book reminded this reviewer of his first-ever "tasting menu" experience at a good restaurant. The first small plate came and there was a sort of involuntary "is that it..?" feeling. But as plate after plate of miniature goodness came along one soon started to feel quite full, yet not wanting to turn anything down or send it back. This book is exactly that. You will find yourself wanting to read on and on, whilst mentally (or physically) noting things down to possibly try, experience or check out at a later date. A clever combination that despite the first thoughts manages to deliver with aplomb.
This book's raison d'être works. It delivers. It doesn't set out to be the sole authoritative source, yet it gives a very credible representation nonetheless. Just like a tasting menu, not everything could be included. There will be regarded chefs left out and new people coming up the ranks. Fragile egos may be broken. To cram so much into such a small, reasonably priced book is itself a little miracle. About the only real negative niggle this reviewer kept hitting on was the lack of an index. It would have been great to have been able to cross-reference individual chefs, styles of cooking, countries and other key facts. A small thing, yet sometimes a detailed "menu" adds to the overall experience even though you don't eat the menu itself.
Knives On The Cutting Edge, written by Bob MacDonald and published by Red Portal Press. ISBN 9780983021988, 184 pages. Typical price: USD15.95. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
To the casual browser, this might seem like just a collection of tightly-printed pages of text. There are no lifestyle-type photographs of these "culinary Gods" in their kingdom, there are no large lists of recipes passed down on high. Just facts, opinions and historical content all rolled into one. A foodie's delight, possibly. If you don't particularly care about top-flight cuisine and those who help spearhead its development, this book is not probably something for you. It is a tad too insular and introspective. However if names such as Blumenthal, Ramsay, Ducasse and Keller have your ears pricking up with interest, this is going to be something you enjoy.
This is no deep, dry academic reference work nor a hagiography. Think of it more as an extensive tasting menu that will give you a great overview of some of the world's culinary elite. However this is a book to read at your leisure, something to enjoy doing, possibly with a notepad by your side so you can scribble down things for further research and investigation. The author has done his homework and had to visit many top restaurants in the process. Oh what a chore… (this reviewer wonders if he can claim some tax write-offs as it was oh-so-essential to travel and verify whether what has been written matches reality!).
The first impression to this book reminded this reviewer of his first-ever "tasting menu" experience at a good restaurant. The first small plate came and there was a sort of involuntary "is that it..?" feeling. But as plate after plate of miniature goodness came along one soon started to feel quite full, yet not wanting to turn anything down or send it back. This book is exactly that. You will find yourself wanting to read on and on, whilst mentally (or physically) noting things down to possibly try, experience or check out at a later date. A clever combination that despite the first thoughts manages to deliver with aplomb.
This book's raison d'être works. It delivers. It doesn't set out to be the sole authoritative source, yet it gives a very credible representation nonetheless. Just like a tasting menu, not everything could be included. There will be regarded chefs left out and new people coming up the ranks. Fragile egos may be broken. To cram so much into such a small, reasonably priced book is itself a little miracle. About the only real negative niggle this reviewer kept hitting on was the lack of an index. It would have been great to have been able to cross-reference individual chefs, styles of cooking, countries and other key facts. A small thing, yet sometimes a detailed "menu" adds to the overall experience even though you don't eat the menu itself.
Knives On The Cutting Edge, written by Bob MacDonald and published by Red Portal Press. ISBN 9780983021988, 184 pages. Typical price: USD15.95. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
December 13, 2012
The description as advertised could not have been for this book which I read?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews