ABSOLUTELY go buy "ON FOOD AND COOKING" by Harold McGee
It really is a must have for any cook who wants to understand the dynamics of cooking. Esscoffier will tell you how to make a perfect hollandaise and McGee will explain why the hollandaise works, what factors impede it -understanding that opens endless doors in your cooking. I worker in the kitchen for 12 years before I discovered this book and it totally illuminated everything -everything I already knew and everything I thought I knew.
to answer your question, Learn everything, start with what interests you the most and go from there. Chances are, you'll run out of days long before you can run out of things to learn.
For just my 2 cents: learn to butcher it's one of my favorite things, being able to take a whole pig and decide what cuts I want to fabricate is exciting. -like slow roasted pork ribs with the belly cap still on, rubbed with fennel seed black pepper and brown sugar!
mmmm.....not to mention salami, rillettes and head-cheeses
-ciao
Mike  |