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Anthony Bourdain
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Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly Paperback – May 1, 2001

by Anthony Bourdain (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 23,415 ratings
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When Chef Anthony Bourdain wrote "Don't Eat Before You Read This" in The New Yorker, he spared no one's appetite, revealing what goes on behind the kitchen door. In Kitchen Confidential, he expanded that appetizer into a deliciously funny, delectable shocking banquet that lays out his 25 years of sex, drugs, and haute cuisine.

From his first oyster in the Gironde to the kitchen of the Rainbow Room atop Rockefeller Center, from the restaurants of Tokyo to the drug dealers of the East Village, from the mobsters to the rats, Bourdain's brilliantly written, wild-but-true tales make the belly ache with laughter.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    320 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.72 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0060934913
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0060934910
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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Previous page
  1. If you need instruction on how to handle a knife without lopping off a finger, I recommend Jacques Pepin's La Technique.
    Highlighted by 4,858 Kindle readers
  2. Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter-faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn.
    Highlighted by 3,966 Kindle readers
  3. Like I said before, your body is not a temple, it's an amusement park. Enjoy the ride.
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Most diners believe that their sublime sliver of seared foie gras, topped with an ethereal buckwheat blini and a drizzle of piquant huckleberry sauce, was created by a culinary artist of the highest order, a sensitive, highly refined executive chef. The truth is more brutal. More likely, writes Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential, that elegant three-star concoction is the collaborative effort of a team of "wacked-out moral degenerates, dope fiends, refugees, a thuggish assortment of drunks, sneak thieves, sluts, and psychopaths," in all likelihood pierced or tattooed and incapable of uttering a sentence without an expletive or a foreign phrase. Such is the muscular view of the culinary trenches from one who's been groveling in them, with obvious sadomasochistic pleasure, for more than 20 years. CIA-trained Bourdain, currently the executive chef of the celebrated Les Halles, wrote two culinary mysteries before his first (and infamous) New Yorker essay launched this frank confessional about the lusty and larcenous real lives of cooks and restaurateurs. He is obscenely eloquent, unapologetically opinionated, and a damn fine storyteller--a Jack Kerouac of the kitchen. Those without the stomach for this kind of joyride should note his opening caveat: "There will be horror stories. Heavy drinking, drugs, screwing in the dry-goods area, unappetizing industry-wide practices. Talking about why you probably shouldn't order fish on a Monday, why those who favor well-done get the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel, and why seafood frittata is not a wise brunch selection.... But I'm simply not going to deceive anybody about the life as I've seen it." --Sumi Hahn

Review

"...the kind of book you read in one sitting, then rush about annoying your coworkers by declaiming whole passages." -- USA Today

"Utterly riveting, swaggering with stylish machismo and precise ear for kitchen patois." -- New York Magazine

"You'll laugh, you'll cry...you're gonna love it." -- Denver Post

A gonzo memoir of whats really going on behind those swinging doors.... Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain is unique. -- Newsweek

Hysterical.... Bourdain gleefully rips through the scenery to reveal private backstage horrors. -- New York Times Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (May 1, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060934913
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060934910
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.72 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 23,415 ratings

About the author

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Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain

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Anthony Bourdain was the author of the novels Bone in the Throat and Gone Bamboo, the memoir A Cook’s Tour, and the New York Times bestsellers Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, Appetites and World Travel. His work appeared in the New York Times and the New Yorker. He was the host of the popular television shows No Reservations and Parts Unknown. Bourdain died in June 2018.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
23,415 global ratings
Kitchen Confidential - A true collectors item
5 Stars
Kitchen Confidential - A true collectors item
Although the book flew over many countries (not due to seller btw ... but due to customs that don't know what they are doing...) it arrived safely at my house. The book is in pristine condition and seems to have an authentic signature from Bourdain himself. Came as stated it was and I'm super happy.The book itself is a terrific read and I can also highly recommend the audiobook, which is narrated by Bourdain himself.Highly recommend the book as well as the seller
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Top reviews from the United States

Brian Bahnsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Appetizing Read
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
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Reading the sordid tales, as told only by a chef, of what goes on behind the closed kitchen door was wonderfully entertaining and insightful. No matter how unsavory it may be, it keeps the reader wanting more. For me, the hardest thing to get through, was hearing or seeing Anthony Bourdain in my mind and knowing he's no longer here to share his gifts with the world. A Truly wonderful book written by a gifted, and somewhat tortured, individual. May he be resting in peace...
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Scott Nilsen
4.0 out of 5 stars Bourdain as a Storyteller
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2010
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Bourdain gives us a view into his history and his kitchens and the fantastic characters who dwell in each place. All the stories are putatively true, but Bourdain is potentially something of an unreliable narrator. It's not so much that he's lying to you, but it's more the sense that all the stories are so good, so perfect, and so over the top that you can't help wonder if the truth is being stretched here and there for the purpose of making the tale that little bit taller.

This is all a backhanded way of complimenting Bourdain, so let's be direct with the praise: Bourdain is a wonderful storyteller. His anecdotes are clever and well-crafted, and they keep your attention and keep you moving from tale to tale. You get a feel for the life of a line cook -- of the preparation and the pressure and the ways in which people successfully (and, more often than not, unsuccessfully) attempt to cope with the lifestyle. You hear about the cons played on the unsuspecting and inexperienced owners, exploited by those in the know for whatever can be wrung from them. And you wonder a little bit if you're getting a bit of the same treatment in your role as the reader...

Ultimately, though, all is forgiven because of the sheer entertainment value of those stories. For me, I'd give the book 4.5 stars if I could, mainly because I'd like a little more big picture than what Bourdain gives. He compellingly describes the trench warfare of the line -- the day to day tactics of it all -- but skimps on the overall strategy of the restaurant business. It's there in bits and pieces, but doesn't get the comprehensive treatment of, say, the preparation of a mise en place.

But if you let that little gripe prevent you from purchasing the book, then you're making a mistake. Kitchen Confidential is worth your time and money.
One person found this helpful
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Steve Rutkowski
5.0 out of 5 stars Cover to cover
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
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I'm not a chef. I loved this book from beginning to end. It kept me entertained all the way through and gave a good look into the place few patrons ever see. I would highly recommend.
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AD Edwards
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2024
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Great read for anyone interested in the restaurant business and/or being a chef. Opened my eyes to so much. I will never order fish on a Monday again!!!
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Robert I. Hedges
5.0 out of 5 stars Never Order Fish On Monday
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2006
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Tony Bourdain is a smart, witty, funny, and deeply twisted individual, and is also a first-rate writer whose non-fiction is as entertaining and expressive as any novel I have ever read. I first became aware of Tony through his cable television show "No Reservations" (which is the only television show that I go out of my way to see each week.) I immediately bought this book after seeing the episode on Icelandic cuisine, as I thought he was intelligent yet not another insufferable food snob. He is a man who wants to try everything and has absolutely no fear or prejudices about food and excels at telling it like it is.

This book recounts his life and career rising to the top of the pack in the culinary world. It is a deeply personal and unvarnished look at the world of big-league professional food, and is full of insights on both food and the restaurant business. When I was younger I worked as a line cook in a relatively nice restaurant. Although my experience was somewhat less frenetic and more sanitary than the scene in New York, I can certainly attest that the cast of characters (and their flaws) revealed in this book is right on the money.

One thing I like about Bourdain and this book is that he tells the truth even when it's ugly. He explains why, for instance, not to order meat well done or why not to even think about ordering fish on Monday. (He's right on both accounts.) He doesn't dodge his own past when others would fail to mention diversionary activities such as a heroin addiction, and even though he comes across as cantankerous, he is a guy you can take at his word.

Some of this book is pure gold, not just for cooks and would be chefs, but for everyone. His writing ("Rules to Live By," page 64, and "A Commencement Address," page 293 in particular) is excellent and applies to any profession. He also shares many inside secrets of Les Halles (and other restaurants he has worked at), of winning "mise-en-place" (or just "meez;" people who really want to cook professionally should take this to heart), and technical opinions (why and how to use an offset serrated knife.)

This book is coarse and not for the faint of heart, but if you really want to know about cooking or cooks, it is the best (and funniest) single volume ever written. I highly recommend this book
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Top reviews from other countries

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Markus Aurelius
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't believe he reread his own book and filled it full of notes and comments
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2024
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Absolutely wicked good book. Do NOT get the original print. You want the paper back that Anthony scribbled all over when he reread it 12 years later hahaha
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seawitch
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Mexico on October 21, 2023
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Good quality dfast delivery
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IN
5.0 out of 5 stars Je recommande
Reviewed in France on February 3, 2024
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Grande fan d'anthony bourdain, j'ai adoré ce livre
Version avec les commentaires de l'auteur
Très drôle, interessant et divertissant
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Rain
5.0 out of 5 stars Impossible to put down. Great Book.
Reviewed in Belgium on September 22, 2023
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I wanted to keep this book for a later holiday read but that’s not going to happen ! I can’t put it down.
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Frank R. Soares
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun! Fun! Fun!
Reviewed in Spain on September 7, 2023
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Fun!
One person found this helpful
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