Downtime: Deliciousness at Home

by Nadine Levy Redzepi

'This is great family inviting, achievable and simply delicious.' Nigel Slater
'This book is full of ideas, enthusiasm, flavour - and heart.’ Nigella Lawson
'A wonderful collection of everyday home-cooked meals.' Jamie Oliver

Bring love and deliciousness into your kitchen.

Inspired by her own childhood and life-long love of food, Nadine Levy Redzepi has created a personal and inviting notebook of recipes that bring her family together around the kitchen table. Nadine talks you step-by-step through each recipe with warmth, encouragement and detailed instructions.

Nadine ensures that home cooking always feels relaxed and enjoyable and your kitchen becomes the heart of your home, no matter your skill or confidence level.

Downtime is the wonderful, simple food that Nadine and the Redzepi family share.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Culinary, Food Writing

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 26, 2017

Reviews

[Jillian Doherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It might seem initally curious to read a cookbook all the way through in a sitting, but once i began to understand what this was about I waned to share and remember it!
It's designed for truly the every day chef, from the novice to the cultivated connoisseur in how it's designed.
where some cookbook can be stuffy Downtime was engineered for the people who love everything about food and it's preparation - standing around in the kitchen, drinking wine while you pour over the menu, it's processing, what to pair with it and who would will bring to the take to share it!

Its measurements are given in both imperial and metric units, as well as how I feel naturally talented chef's describe ingredients: 'a dash' 'a sprinkle' 'to taste' which is kind of magical.

This isn't just a cookbook, it's an instruction guide to cook and experienced as food was meant to be shared.

[MountainsInMyHead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. Not only about food, recipes and dishes.
Through her explatation we have the chance to understand how Nadine started to love cooking and also how cooking, food and recipes are a huge part of her life with her husband, daughters, family and friends. We also love the way René talks about her. Not to mention that the pictures are amazing.
Each recipe feels like a story told to the reader with tips that can be sooooooo helpful.
This book is the best recipes book ever, this is about to be my cooking bible !!!

[Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the recipes sounded interesting, they also seemed pretty "cheffy." Not really what I'm looking to cook for "downtime." Some people really love this kind of cooking, so this book is for them! The recipes are also for those without any diet restrictions. Plenty of pastas and calorie-dense ingredients are represented. Delicious for sure, healthy for everyone, not so sure. Maybe this is more of a special occasion cookbook.

The photos are lovely. Be prepared to have to turn the page while cooking any recipe. Most are on a 3 page spread, one including that lovely photo.

[Kendall Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book in a fancy schmancy shop in Old Town Santa Fe last year and thought it was absolutely gorgeous. I wanted to buy it but thought that they had marked it up ridiculously (something like $45) and I didn't want to carry it home on the plane (it is pretty hefty) so I passed. A few months later I ordered it from Amazon. Except I screwed up and ordered TWO copies. D'oh! I decided to put one away for a Christmas gift and kept the other for myself.

I started my book at the beginning, as I am accustomed to doing. The presentation in the book is fun, it is as if Nadine is teaching me in her own kitchen (I wish!), making me feel warm and cozy. The starters threw me for a loop and caused me to stop reading the book. I couldn't picture making any of them. Not because they looked bad (because they looked scrummy) but the time/money I would put into making them for my friends and family would outweigh the pleasure. I also think that very few of them would like any of these creations. Heathens.

Step forward a few months and I'm still looking at this gorgeous book every day, telling myself to pick it up again. I finally did it and I am absolutely delighted that I did! EVERY main and dessert hit the spot. I think that I'll make all of them at one time or another. I'm having some friends over next weekend and they may get the Gian Macron Cake - yes, that is a real thing!

I wound up LOVING this cookbook and I hope you do as well. Enjoy!

[Emmeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a reference book than an instruction manual, for burned out home cooks with an intermediate knowledge of cookery, and a creative block on presentation/weeknight meal ideas. Though photos are gorgeous (perhaps even worth a couple thousand words), details are conversational/non-technical, and measurements are imprecise. Reading Redzepi is akin to having a friend/relative share their favorite recipes by word of mouth. You'll have to tweak and improvise-- it's best to come armed with an eye for ingredients, a tongue for seasoning, and a mercenary's hand with salt.

P.S. I do love that the cookbook considerately includes not one, but three (!) bound fabric bookmarks. Makes me want to hug the author.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately not at all what I expected - the recipes do sound delicious, but are far too fancy for my version of downtime, and take too much effort and skill to make (for a halfway unskilled cook like me, I wouldn´t even make them for guests). The title and the super pretty cover just caught my eye, and I thought I´d get a cookbook with rather easy recipes to enjoy on a lazy night in. But to be honest, I wouldn´t make little cups out of brusselsprouts and fill them with salmon roe for that occasion. There are a few easy recipes in there, like for tomato sauce, but not enough for me to keep the book, I´ll send it back.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely geared towards folks who find solace in cooking or making food for others. Some recipes are deceptively simple, while others require significantly more care, attention and time. Some decent ideas, but nothing really new -- just simple home goodness. Not being a fan of home made potato chips, or some of the other comfort foods here, only 3 stars, but solely based on the utility of the book for personal use.

[Magda Lulu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading the book was nice, although I got annoyed pretty easily by all the copy paste regarding certain prep steps.
Editing aside, when I finally picked some recipes and tried them, I got really disappointed.
Underseasoned, overly sweet desserts, unbalanced.
Picked some interesting ideas from it, but overall, would not recommend this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cook book was reviewed on my blog at https://annaandeleanor.com

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun to read, interesting recipes, a few good finds, but generally not something I would refer to often.

[Mary C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted this cookbook forever it seems and found it finally on ThriftBooks.com for a reasonable price. Tried the Portuguese Pork Chops and Rice and it was fabulous!

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but nothing really stood out to me.

[Zell Murdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the international inspirations for this book's recipes, but the starters lost me a little bit. The mains and desserts sound delicious though, and the pictures are beautiful.

[Mem · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much fat for an already obese nation (33% of US residents). From the looks of the pencil think author and her beautiful children, the book works but Americans don't need another fat promoting source.