Cookbook review: How to Cook Like a Top Chef

Now, here's a cookbook I don't like.

(It's rare, I know.)

How to Cook Like a Top Chef is a spin-off from the hit TV show. First, if you don't watch the show (like me), the cookbook is essentially useless. There are some interesting recipes in it, but most of the book is dedicated to celebrity worship--interviews with the winners and contestants, that sort of thing. All the recipes are paired with a name (John Besh's Frozen Cauliflower Blintz, Rick Bayless's Chile-Garlic Shrimp). That in itself isn't bad, but if you don't know the name, then who cares? The recipes look good, but the presentation is a major turn-off.

If you're a fan of the show, you may get a lot more out of this book. But if not, don't bother.