101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious

Let me begin with a few things. I am a trained chef. I have been a member of #TeamTila from day 1. I regularly write book reviews for an ARC service. I purchased this book because I love Jet and Ali Tila and have come to expect excellence from them.

First and foremost, this cookbook is affordable. Unlike many celebrity chef cookbooks which ring in at $30.00 plus dollars and oftentimes seem more about form than substance, Chef Tila has given us the opposite. An affordable $15.00-$20.00 cookbook full of substance and not lacking in form. The book is pretty but it is functional.

The recipes are formatted very clearly. The top of the page contains a paragraph about the recipe. Ingredients are listed on the left given in US measurements and metric where practical. Number of servings per recipe is also included. To the right are the step by step instructions. Each recipe contains a 'chef tip'.

The 'chef tips', for me, are the best part of this book. That's not to say that the rest of the book isn't good, it's great. The chef tips help to take this book ahead of the pack. I will admit that I knew most of these tips either from culinary school or from 50 odd years of cooking. That doesn't make them less great. Many people don't go to school or grow up the oldest of seven children, having to cook daily to help their mother. The tips alone are worth the price of admission.

The recipes are written clearly and oftentimes in an easy flowing, personable style. There are very few exotic ingredients and where they appear, substitutions can be made. There are very few nested recipes, which makes the production of a dish very simple. (Nested recipes can be quite confusing if a recipe contains many of them, as in some baking books.) The dishes ARE classics for the most part and the experienced cook can use them as jumping off points for the creation of new ones.

There is a reason Jet and Ali Tila have such a loyal fan base. They take the time to teach. They don't just spew out recipes from their ivory tower of the celebrity kitchen. They are both very active on social media and are responsive to their followers. They are patient. I highly recommend this book for beginners and experienced cooks alike. #TeamTila

In this day of online recipes, it’s nice to have a cookbook like this that you can hold in your hand and make your own!! The recipes are “normal” ones, some with a twist. Most people already have a majority of the ingredients at home. This cookbook helps you take your recipes to the next level. In the beginning of the book is a list of kitchen tools that would be helpful to have and why those items are important. It also helps the reader learn things like knife skills and basic cooking knowledge. Each recipe has great tips on how to change things up a little more, if you want. For example, one of the recipes is for Tomato Soup. Instructions are given for making it using canned tomatoes as well as what to do if you prefer to use fresh tomatoes. There are suggestions on how you can personalize each dish. Most recipes have pictures (beautiful at that!!) The pages are strong and the print is very easy to read as well as understand. There is plenty of space on each page for you to write your own personal notes about the recipes. My only “con” is having to decide which recipe to try first!! Delivery was quick and on time. The cookbook was packaged carefully. There was no damage to the packaging nor to the cookbook. I am so glad that I have my copy in hand! It’s a “Must Have!!”

I loved Jet's last cookbook and when I saw a new one was coming out I preordered it months in advance.
When it came, I poured over the recipes and picked some to try right away. I also really like the beginning of the book because it has a wealth of instruction.
I just made "Ready-When-You-Are Braised Beef Short Ribs on page 25 tonight and they were pure fall-apart delicious, there were no leftovers! Can't wait to try more recipes.

As expected, this cookbook from Chef Jet and Ali Tila is amazing! Its written so well, is easy to read and understand, and I especially appreciate the lay flat binding that allows it to lay open to any page on the counter without flipping closed on its own! I have a huge list of recipes that I need to try out soon, and I expect they will be as good as every other Jet Tila recipe Ive ever tried! BUY THIS BOOK! You wont be disappointed!

Simply love this couple, and this cookbook is an extension of them and their passion for cooking. The recipes are straight forward, and the dishes come out as you expect (and hope). Chef Jet Tila has stormed the popular cooking scene, and obviously for good reason. Excellent cookbook, just like his last one.

Great recipes of old favorites and some new ones too. A terrific book for beginning cooks or experienced ones. Takes you from knowing what tools you should have to make an a meal or a delicious dessert. Beautifully photographed too.
You’ve done it again, Chef Tila...!!! #TeamTila

There should be a picture associated with each recipe... even if it meant less recipes. A picture is worth a thousand words....

There are a million cookbook outs there spitting out ingredients and bursting with bright pictures, but very few take you inside not only the kitchen of a Master Chef, but the mind. Like his first cookbook Chef Tili, and now Mrs.Chef Tila, guide you thru before impossible recipes, so you can bring great flavors to your home. My culinary journey started with a wok, and the last pad Thai recipe you will ever need. I continue my culinary journey with new ideas, and tips to help me along the way.

I've never heard of these chefs before, but I figure it never hurts to have another cookbook around to change things up. The book is laid out well and it lies flat when you need it to - no weighting the pages down as you cook. There's a nice description at the top of each recipe and then the ingredients and directions. Unfortunately, not every recipe has a photo - that strikes me as corner cutting from the publisher and it's a shame because photos are why you try something new.

I was delighted to see the recipe for Coca Cola Carnitas included. That's a dish my family has been making out at the ranch since before I was born. We use javelina or wild hog for ours and marinate slow cook it in the coke and green chilies, jalapenos, red wine and whatever else sounds good. This book recipe is a lot more complicated than ours and it's a little more frou-frou than ours too. This is a simple, working ranch in West Texas type of meal - hearty , spicy and good the next day on tortillas with refried beans. The book version is tasty for sure, but I like my Granny's version better. I'll try something from the fish section next in this book, I think.

Cookbooks are a dime a dozen these days. Every chef seems to have written one. Even celebrities who may or may not know how to cook themselves have written one as well. However “101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious” by Jet Tila and Ali Tila stands out from the rest of the pack.

The first thing that stands out is the price. It is significantly lower than many other cookbooks yet the content is just as good if not better than the competition. The recipes are sensible and easily made with most ingredients being already in the refrigerator and in the pantry. For example, last night we decided to cook salmon for dinner. Honestly, we have made salmon dinners so often that a cookbook is really unnecessary—or so we thought. However, we decided to see if “101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious” had a salmon recipe. Sure enough, we found one, used it and found the dinner tasty and a step above what we had been making ourselves.

The quality of printing and the paper used in “101 Epic Dishes: Recipes That Teach You How to Make the Classics Even More Delicious” is very good. I expected that. However, I was surprised to see that a brand new cookbook, never used previously, laid completely flat when opened. The pages stayed exactly where they were supposed to with no page flipping due to a brand new binding. Yet another plus for a cookbook already ahead of the rest.