…but not, really, a “cook book” as the recipes (lab protocols?) are extremely complex and require ingredients and equipment not likely to be stocked in your local grocery store. That being said, it’s a book I’m glad I own.

The first third, at least, isn’t a cook book at all–it’s an autobiographical history of developing as a molecular-gastronomical chef. The writing is engaging and speaks with a clear personality; you get the sense that you’d really enjoy sitting down for a chat with the chef/author. The second section is recipes, including extremely entertaining back-stories for how they were developed, from the genesis idea to the trials and tribulations of execution. I laughed out loud reading the recipe for the oysters when he described creating a soundtrack (loaded on an ipod chip which was then inserted into a conch shell) to accompany the dish, as well as the “ocean scent” perfume that was developed by a master perfumer and smeared on fan blades to waft the scent of the sea over diners. And I haven’t reached the third section, so I can’t comment on that at all.

I am an avid home cook who regularly prepares multi-course, plated dinners for my friends and consequently have a neighborhood reputation for excess in the kitchen. I think the stories in this book might put my dabbling into perspective for my non-foodie friends.

The only thing I would have liked more of, since this is a book about inspiration more than instruction, would be more actual photos of the finished dishes. Many times there are only sketches or images the evoke the sense of the dish, but not the actuality. But all-in-all it’s a beautiful book that you’ll be happy to own.

I don’t really like to review books online, as so much of the review is subjective. I’ll make an exception for the Fat Duck Cookbook. It’s that good.

First off, the recipes are amazing… as they should be, since they are the exact recipes used in Blumethal’s world-renowned restaurant. They are also elaborate. If you decide to make one, think of it as a quest rather than as a traditional recipe to be made in an afternoon – most of these will involve a good deal of searching for ingredients, a large amount prep time, and sometimes specific equipment ranging from just hard-to-find to hard-to-find AND really expensive.

Even if you don’t make the recipes… even if this book didn’t HAVE any recipes, it would still be great. The photos and art are nearly worth the asking price on their own. Huge, glossy, detailed pictures of some of the most intricate and intricately plated dishes I’ve ever seen. Enough beautiful abstract art to justify it as a coffee table book in this respect alone. Furthermore, each recipe is accompanied by an essay on the development of that recipe and thoughts on exactly what makes that recipe work, or why previous iterations of it did not work as well. You don’t have to make the recipes to find this type of commentary useful.

Then there are the other two thirds of the book. One is somewhere between an autobiography and a treatise on the author’s culinary formation and thought process. Sound dull? It isn’t. In part because of how well it is written – relatable, brisk, to the point. Even more so because of Blumenthal’s enormous insight into both the art and science of cooking. He explains his process in creating and perfecting his food using specific examples. He alludes to the science he uses whenever applicable – his explanations are neither dumbed down nor are they a single bit more complicated or hard to understand than need be.

I found myself using a highlighter while reading it to mark things I wanted to look up later.

And as though Blumenthal somehow knew about my highlighter, he included as the last third of the book an index of terms, descriptions of equipment and ingredients, and essays on the scientific aspects of cooking and eating. Essay topics range from emulsions to how taste and pleasure are related via the brain. Most of these essays are not by Blumenthal – they are written by scientists who have influenced Blumenthal and added to his understanding.

I should point out, I guess, that this book is probably not for most culinary novices. The pictures might go over well, but the rest will be like showing calculus to someone who’s still learning to add. But for pros and dedicated amateurs, I don’t think a cookbook gets much better. It’s inspiring, beautiful, and informative. As much as it can teach about the science of cooking, it has just as much insight into the art of cooking – what associations, effects, textures, contexts, and flavors make a dish great. In this way, it is just as invaluable to the classical cook as the cutting edge one. It prompts you to look at a dish and wonder ‘In a perfect world, what could make this even better?’ And suggests that whatever the answer is, it may well be possible.

I’ve had this book for a couple months and am quite intrigued, but I haven’t cooked anything from it and probably never will as long as I lack liquid nitrogen and other chemistry lab stuff. Last month, a bit of a glitch with over 500 people sick from eating at his restaurant with a norovirus illness from contaminated raw oyster dishes, but all in the name of progress, right? And I don’t know about you but I’m going to pass on the smooth and pinkish quenelle of snail porriage even if it’s norovirus potential is low.

Go to YouTube and type in “Egg and Bacon Ice Cream” (from his 2005 book on molecular gastronomy, “Kitchen Chemistry”) and you will see him make it and serve it with tomato and red pepper compote, a cube of carmelized brioche, a spoonful of salted butter carmel and sugared morrels, drops of maple syrup and gelied tea. This book is more of that type of cooking. Part parlor-trick, part new-age to stave off culinary boredom for the financially well-off, part actually fabulous, capable of moments of quite profound joy.

This book is the last in an evolution for this author-chef. 2006′s “In Search of Perfection” was dealing with typical preps, but he focused on getting it absolutely right… the perfect roast chicken, the perfect pizza, and so on. 2009′s “Further Adventures in Search of Perfection” got into questioning why things taste like they do and more molecular gastronomy. The 2008 mega-book “The Fat Duck Cookbook” was fabulous but $157 (Amazon had it the cheapest)and I never got past looking it over in the store. So, from that point of view this, at $31.50, is a deal.

For those of us unlikely to ever get to El Bulli in Barcelona, Spain or The Fat Duck in Bray, England, or even The French Laundry in Northern California, the DVD with Anthony Bourdain, “Decoding Ferran Adria is pretty enlightening.

What is kind of cool is the whole line of Texturas products for us amateurs produced by Ferran Adria spring of ’09. Amazon carries them. Meat glue, glice, tools for spherification, calic, algin, xantana, and more. And just when you thought baking a cake from scratch was an endeavor…

Definitely a five-star book for the opportunity to glimpse into the window of the brain of someone quite brilliant.

This book is absolutely gorgeous. It has amazing photos and is ubermodern and innovative. It is all molecular gastronomy cuisine and the measurements are in grams and use ingredients like “leather essence” and fructose and lots of liquid nitrogen. I recommend it as a coffee table book or a gift for someone who loves complex cooking and food.

Heston has an (scientific) obsession for making the best tasting and best looking food possible. This obsession is likely to make him legendary.

This is a cookbook for a small minority of customers. You must have an interest in molecular gastronomy methods. You must have a budget that allows you to eat at expensive restaurants. You must like odd people that don’t conform to all the norms of society.

Other reviewers have pointed out the recipes are extremely complicated. A lot of details are given, but you should be prepared to shell out a couple of thousands of dollars on (used) equipment before you can get started. The book has some pictures of the dishes, but could do with more descriptive pictures.

However, this is just not a glossy book to boost the ego of its author. I find the discussion around taste, chemistry and visuals relating to each recipe very interesting. You really get a look into Heston’s thought process. I don’t think Heston has used a ghost writer. I would imagine this can inspire both professional chefs as well as amateur cooks, if so inclined. One place to start experimenting might be with the whisky gums, which don’t require any expensive equipment.

Heston’s general approach is to perfect a dish. You can set out to do something similar given your budget constraint. If you don’t have a professional vacuum sealer maybe try with cheap 100 dollar device, and see what happens. Or my might use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air of the bag. The only thing you need is time!

There is one other audience for this book and that is people interested in the creative process in general. The long biographical essay describes an obsessive person setting out to do something creative. It is written in a fascinating manner, if and only if you are interested in the creative process. Actually this section could serve as ispiration for some young people to follow their intuition rather than go for a very safe career. For this type of reader, I can also recommend Adria’s “A day at Elbulli”.

I would recommend this edition of the book. It is a normal hardcover edition. There is also a superexpensive big edition. I would not recommend that unless you want to have a thick tome to impress. The cheaper edition is hardcover too, so more than enough for most people.

My goodness what a wonderful cookbook. Ok, so few will be making the recipes in here, but the Fat Duck isn’t rated 2nd in the world because you can make the food at home. You will learn so many interesting things. Nitro green tea and lime mousse will make perfect sense after you read his thought process. It’s great to be able to look into the mind of a genius for only $35. I love the Alinea cookbook but this is much better. I almost wish I would have splurged and bought the big version.

Heston has an (scientific) obsession for making the best tasting and best looking food possible. This obsession is likely to make him legendary.

This is a cookbook for a small minority of customers. You must have an interest in molecular gastronomy methods. You must have a budget that allows you to eat at expensive restaurants. You must like odd people that don’t conform to all the norms of society.

As other reviewers have pointed out the recipes are extremely complicated. A lot of details are given, but you should be prepared to shell out a couple of thousands of dollars on (used) equipment before you can get started. The book has some pictures of the dishes, but could do with more descriptive pictures.

However, this is just not a glossy book to boost the ego of its author. I find the discussion around taste, chemistry and visuals relating to each recipe very interesting. You really get a look into Heston’s thought process. I don’t think Heston has used a ghost writer. I would imagine this can inspire both professional chefs as well as amateur cooks, if so inclined. One place to start experimenting might be with the whisky gums, which don’t require any expensive equipment.

Heston’s general approach is to perfect a dish. You can set out to do something similar given your budget constraint. If you don’t have a professional vacuum sealer maybe try with cheap 100 dollar device, and see what happens. Or my might use a vacuum cleaner to suck out the air of the bag. The only thing you need is time!

There is one other audience for this book and that is people interested in the creative process in general. The long biographical essay describes an obsessive person setting out to do something creative. It is written in a fascinating manner, if and only if you are interested in the creative process. Actually this section could serve as ispiration for some young people to follow their intuition rather than go for a very safe career. For this type of reader, I can also recommend Adria’s “A day at Elbulli”.