VOLT ink.: Recipes, Stories, Brothers Hardcover – October 25, 2011

The Voltaggio brothers are the next generation of fine dining standard bearers. This book has a fascinating intellectual pedigree- modernist cuisine, the farm to table movement, the 'new American' cooking, all paired with a global palate of flavors rooted in classic french technique. Nori and truffle Brioche made with goats milk, for example, or dishes relying on foraged morels and asparagus. It is a wonder and a joy.Its useful to put this book in a bit of historical context. The last twenty years or so have seen a revolution in the American culinary world. Arguably, the revolution began with Wolfgang Puck. Not only did he create many dishes that have since become cliches (many of them combining European and Asian flavors), he became synonymous with the products he sold. Fine dining meant more than French Haute Cuisine, and the chef became an inspirational force in American cooking. Volt ink is a product of a generation of chefs who grew up under the intellectual influence of chefs like Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Tom Colicchio and Wylie Dufrense. The techniques are both modernist and traditional. The ingredients are selected with an intense focus on seasonality and quality, with all excess stripped away. The dishes combine global influences in terms of flavor pairings, ingredients and aesthetics. Its far, far too early to say if this book will have the sort of impact the French Laundry Cookbook did (and does), but at the very least it is a worthy companion to that lofty work.A few caveats. Unless you own an immersion circulator, a vacuum sealer, vacuum bags, nitrous foamers, dehydrators and a few other non-standard pieces of cookware (and I personally do not, though I understand they are becoming more common)this book is roughly as practical for the home chef as a chocolate stockpot. I have only seen a spare handful of things I thought were possible to cook at home. The joy of this book is the way it organizes its self around groups of ingredients that go well together. This arrangement provides a great deal of inspiration, even for people with no intention of ever attempting the dishes shown. Another cookbook that does this, and one I would cheerfully recommend for anyone interested in cooking, is Think Like a Chef, by Tom Colicchio.)A last word on the photography. The pictures in this book are stunning. The term food porn gets thrown around a lot. This book moves transforms the term from irritating to accurate. Volt ink is a staggeringly beautiful book.I strongly recommend Volt ink, not as a book of recipes, but as a source of inspiration, excitement, and a wonderful insight into the future of American cuisine.

i love the look of the book, love the idea of two brothers working together in competitions and together, what a great drive but unfortunately once i got the book i realized it was an overly commercially done book by william sonoma. now sometimes you have to have the big guy help out but the book is for me void of them mostly, it seems someone took their vision and spoken words and polished them. had i been in a bookstore i would have looked at it and probably not bought it. but i am still reading and can for the most part get a since of them and their style. it just dosen't have a soul for me and i want to like it. so i rate it ok but i hope they want do a book that's like the show they were on, i feel the book is in a way fake like that stupid food show. the end

I gave this book as a gift to my mom as we both absolutely loved watching the Voltaggio's on Top Chef, so when I saw they had collaborated on a book together I simply had to get it for her. She loved it! It's absolutely wonderful: the book itself is of very high quality, the pictures and stories are really cute and the recipes look absolutely delish! The only reason why this is getting 4 stars is because unless you have an A-list, ultimate culinary dream of a kitchen (which my mom doesn't), you can't really make a lot of the recipes because of lack of equipment. Still, it's nice to dream and the book is superb regardless.

A nice thick cover & strong binding. Bought used & was happily impressed with the condition. 329 pages of culinary knowledge. I am not a professional chef and many recipes are beyond me but really just a good read even just educational wise. Hard to find these days!

I recently ate at Ink and ordered this cookbook hoping that the recipes for several of the delicious things I had just eaten (charcoal potatoes, potato polenta with bone marrow, the apple desert... oh my god Ink is so good! Anywhoo, I was a little dissapointed that none of those had made it into the book :( BUT there are a million other recipes that also look amazing. Some of the things in here your average home cook is going to balk at for sure- they use some fancy equipment, require a big time investment and some fine knife work etc. If you are willing to put in the effort, however, you will be rewarded greatly.

I really looked forward to this book, after hearing Bryan Voltaggio on the Diane Rehm show. Disclaimer, I have not tried any of the recipes, herein lies the problem I have with the book. The recipes, are by in large from my perspective, involved and many of the ingredients not every day ones in my pantry. Maybe when I can get enthusiastic and have the energy required to try one, I will change my mind, I hope so. In the meantime it is a beautiful book to look through! I think the brothers need to come to town and give a lesson or two.

This is a beautiful coffee table book and provides the backstory on the brothers-chef phenomena. Although it helps to better understand the artistry of their respective styles, the intricacies of the recipes presented are not something easily replicated by even an accomplished home cook. Go to one of their restaurants and enjoy the culinary splendor that they serve up and consider this book a souvenir of that experience.

I love to read about food & recipes as much as those who read romance, suspence and mystery. This is a stunning collection of stories, photos and recipes. It's so well written. It's so beautiful that I have it on my coffee table and it will never see the counter of my kitchen island....I will write/copy recipe to make. This is a wonderful gift for any foodie.Fortunately, I live in MD and had the pleasure of dining at VOLT. What an experience!

I have hundreds of cookbooks but from a technical viewpoint this has to be the best book i have read. The brothers use most of the modern techniques in recipes that can be followed by good cooks and restaurant professionals. The food combinations are inspiring and i have made a few of these dishes using close relatives of those in the book and feel much more confident with using the equipment mentioned in this book. The lobster with forbidden rice was heavenly.

great

Great recipes.Requires skill to utilize.

A beautifully laid out book with two very different yet similar culinary perspectives from these modern day gastronemic geniuses. Moreso geared towards the professional cook than the amateur foodie.