The 4-Hour Chef

Image courtesy of bonappetit.com

Self Made® Book Store

"I know Kung Fu." -Neo,

"Show me." -Morpheus, The Matrix

If you are not familiar with the scene the above quote is from, the main character, Neo, has a Kung Fu program downloaded into his brain from a computer. In an instant, he goes from being clueless to knowing everything he needs. While this is clearly impossible by today's standards, understanding how the human brain works and learns new information is showing promise that it could someday be a reality. After all, we now have the ability to do things today that once seemed, and might even still seem impossible. For instance, if I said you could become fluent in a foreign language in 8-12 weeks, practicing only 20 minutes a day, would you believe me? What about being able to memorize 50 digit numbers after only hearing it once with just 3 weeks of practice? Or that you can triple your reading speed in only 20 minutes, become a master chef in 48 hours, double your income in 8 weeks, or achieve any other goal you set for yourself faster than you have ever thought possible.

This month's book review is on Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Chef. Ferriss, a self-described 'human guinea pig' is known for pushing the limits on what humans are able to achieve with the least amount of effort. Following Pareto's Law (the 80/20 principle), Ferriss argues that 80% or more of someone's results can be achieved with 20% or less of their efforts and actions. Using this 'minimal effective dose' (MED), he has been able to get rapid results in the areas of business, physical performance and appearance alteration, and, as described in his most recent book, becoming world-class in new skills, such as cooking. He is the author of two other New York Times bestsellers, The Four Hour Workweek and The Four Hour Body.

Despite its title, The Four Hour Chef is not exclusively about cooking. The book, in its entirety, puts greater emphasis on a relatively new field known as 'meta-learning'. In other words, it teaches HOW to learn, rather than WHAT to learn. For me, this was a concept I had never spent much time considering. School had always shown me what I needed to learn, (i.e. history, math, science, English, writing, etc), but not always the best ways to learn them. There were no courses on memory, speed-reading, or critical thinking. Therefore, I, like many of my peers, had to figure out how to learn things on my own, which, at the time, was primarily through repetition.

Cooking just happens to be the medium of choice Ferriss uses to demonstrate the importance of method when attempting to learn something new. The thought processes described in the book could be used to become world-class in any new skill. I recommend this book for anyone looking to learn a new skill, especially cooking.

Interested in learning any of the seemingly impossible feats listed above? Be sure to check out www.mybetterlearning.com for video demonstrations of these and more! (Website is currently under construction. We will send a notice when it is up and running).

Enjoy this review?  Get a copy of The 4-Hour Chef in the Self Made® Book Store!

Want to use this article in your blog, newsletter, or other platform?  You may, but be sure to include all of the biographical information found in the yellow box below!