Mallmann on Fire

Francis Mallmann's cookbook explores live-fire cooking across locations from Manhattan to Paris to remote mountains. The Argentine chef demonstrates his techniques for grilling, smoking, and cooking with fire in both rustic outdoor settings and urban environments. Each chapter contains recipes and methods tied to specific places and experiences from Mallmann's travels. The photography captures both the finished dishes and the varied landscapes where the cooking takes place. The book includes instructions for building fires and creating heat zones, along with recipes ranging from simple grilled vegetables to whole-animal roasts. Mallmann provides measurements and timing while emphasizing the importance of intuition and observation when cooking with fire. This collection reflects Mallmann's philosophy that cooking with fire connects humans to their primal nature and to the essence of hospitality. The book serves as both a practical guide and a meditation on the universal language of food prepared over flames.

Readers value the book's photography and visual storytelling of outdoor cooking across remote locations. Many note the recipes are more approachable than Mallmann's previous work "Seven Fires," though some techniques still require specialized equipment. Likes: - Clear instructions for fire-cooking methods - Stories and context behind each recipe - Quality of food photography - Mix of simple and complex dishes Dislikes: - Many recipes require hard-to-source ingredients - Some techniques impractical for home cooks - Limited vegetarian options - Several readers found recipe portions too large Ratings: Amazon: 4.7/5 from 673 reviews Goodreads: 4.4/5 from 156 ratings Reader quotes: "Beautiful book but not practical for everyday cooking" - Amazon reviewer "More of a coffee table book than usable cookbook" - Goodreads review "Changed how I think about cooking with fire" - Amazon reviewer "Worth it for the photography alone" - Goodreads review

Seven Fires by Francis Mallmann This book explores traditional Argentinian cooking methods with fire and demonstrates essential techniques for open-flame cooking.

Cooking with Fire by Paula Marcoux This cookbook provides instructions for building cooking fires and creating meals using historical wood-fire cooking methods.

Franklin Barbecue by Aaron Franklin, Jordan Mackay The book presents techniques for smoking meats and managing fire through the lens of Texas barbecue traditions.

Charred & Scruffed by Adam Perry Lang The text details new techniques for cooking with fire and achieving specific textures through direct-heat grilling methods.

Project Fire by Steven Raichlen This guide covers both basic and advanced live-fire cooking techniques with recipes from global grilling traditions.

🔥 Francis Mallmann learned his craft in France's top Michelin-starred restaurants before returning to Argentina to develop his signature open-fire cooking techniques. 🔥 The book features recipes from nine different countries across three continents, showcasing how fire-cooking traditions vary across cultures. 🔥 Mallmann often cooks in remote locations using just seven elements: salt, water, fire, smoke, meat, oil, and air—a philosophy he developed growing up in Patagonia. 🔥 The chef's distinctive cooking method involves building fires up to 12 hours before cooking begins, allowing the wood to transform into the perfect cooking embers. 🔥 Despite being known for meat cooking, nearly half of the book's recipes are dedicated to vegetables, breads, and desserts—all prepared using open-fire techniques.