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Nature abhors a vacuum

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"Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide" is Thomas Keller's latest coffee table book/cookbook. While "French Laundry" showed innovative takes on classic dishes and "Bouchon" offers everyday French bistro fare,"Under Pressure" takes cooking in another direction. It's a technique known as "bain marie" among the French. It's a more sophisticated version of the "boil in the bag" technique.

"Under Pressure" is fascinating when Keller discusses the science behind it. One can have superb vegetables and meat... in a matter of hours. The method itself isn't glamorous,but the science is interesting. The final recipes-the chosen few that are actually depicted--look beautiful.

"Under Pressure" is more useful to the restaurateur than the home cook. After all,does one really have thousands of dollars to blow on vacuum equipment? At least "Bouchon" had doable recipes for someone wanting to recreate the flavors of a Parisian bistro.

As food science,"Under Pressure" works. Not so much so as a cookbook--nor it is as visually beautiful as Keller's previous works.

On "Under Pressure",the barometer drops.

Above my head

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This is a very interesting process and beautifully presented but too technical for me. I don't have the time or patience. It was a gift and I will pass it on to a more serious cook who I know will appreciate the techniques.

No Apologies, this is not for home cooks.

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I see some disgruntled reviews here which I think are misleading, mainly by people who feel misled.
To begin with, this book is not intended to be "dumbed down" for the everyday home cook. It is for professionals, and very ambitious home cooks. The recipes are directly from 2 of the top restaurants in the country/world, and as such, they are not simple. That being said, they are detailed and descriptive, and explain everything you will need to do in order to prepare these dishes.
As for tech requirements. Yes, a water circulator would be nice, as would a chamber vac machine. But, not all of us are so lucky. As we do in professional kitchens, make do with what you have. Wal-mart carries a basic home vac machine, which will work for most of the recipes, but if you do not have one try a Ziploc. Fill it, submerge in water and seal. (Heston Blumenthal uses a bag and a vacuum cleaner as well I believe). Water circulator. They do a great job at keep a constant temp in a water bath, but so does a large pot. A digital thermo can be had for 20 bucks (probably right here on amazon), and you are one your way to Michelin stars.
As for molecular gastronomy chemicals...yes some are a little odd, but think how strange gelatin would be where we not familiar with it. Think, a hydrocolloid derived from animal hooves be denaturing it. Many of these new thickeners and binders are readily available, just as gelatin sheets and salt are, and for those that are harder to find, there is a list of suppliers in the book for all of the items which may be less common.
Best of luck to those ready to give it a try. But, be warned, this is not a Mark Bittman book. Have fun. Oh, and yeah, the book is great, with detailed recipes, precise details, and great photos.

A beautiful book, and Keller's best one yet

Customer Rating:
This book isn't really designed for the home cook. When Thomas Keller first published his French Laundry cookbook, he made a concerted effort to make it useful to amateurs and home cooks. But the very topic of Under Pressure precludes that. Few people have vacuum sealing machines and few can deal with simmering water at a constant temperature.

That being said, for the more passionate and professional cooks who might buy this, they'll be happy to know that this book is far better than either the French Laundry or Bouchon cookbooks. Recipes are better structured, more photographs are included, and it makes the imagination run wild.

Most importantly, for any chef who uses sous vide techniques, Keller offers a wealth of information, including a chart of times and temperatures, which is quite invaluable.

Professional and Prophetic

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You know the pleasure you get from standing behind the stove while the aromas of -let's say- sweating onions and garlic wrap around you? Well those great cooking smells and all of their kin come at the expense of flavor in your food when it hits the plate. Suppose you could somehow trap all those aromas and taste them all it once, wouldn't you want to?
That's the promise of sous vide cooking. For most of us, this beautiful book will have to be like a catalog of sensations that we can look forward to. Right now, this technique remains (pretty much) in the realm of professional kitchens. Imagine being able to bring a steak up to serving temperature and have the entire piece of meat be medium rare. Or imagine short ribs that aren't gray and carrots that taste raw and chew cooked.
In a few years, the equipment and supplies necessary to vacuum-pack food and then cook it precisely will be available for the home kitchen. In the meantime, these recipes stand like luscious fables for the amateur and a call to action for the pro.

Lynn Hoffman, author of the highly pressured novel, bang BANG