Mastering the Art of French Cooking

cakerookie · #1 03-02-2006, 05:09 PM

I just got this book off E-Bay for a cheap price. I am still waiting on it to get here. But what I was wondering how much of the art of French cooking does it cover? Are the recipes hard to follow? I fully intend to read it cover to cover but was just curious about how much information it covered. Thanks.....

Mezzaluna · #2 03-02-2006, 07:33 PM

Cakerookie, did you get both volumes? I also bought them used.

The books are detailed and were written for careful home cooks. Some recipes cover several pages, but it's because the authors were precise and expansive in their explanations. I'd expect that some cooks today would be put off by the long recipes and might not be patient enough to prepare them. But nothing is left to the imagination. Sidonie Coryn's illustrations are wonderful, too.

I treasure my copies of this classic.

cakerookie · #3 03-02-2006, 07:49 PM

No just the one. I am embarrassed to say I do not know which volume it is I will have to check. I do not think the seller said which volume. I checked and the book has no volume listed.It was published in 1966 by Alfred Knopf.The dust jacket has a blue border. Was there a prior version before volume 1 and 2?

castironchef · #4 03-03-2006, 12:01 AM

This is the cookbook that set the standards for clear and precise recipes. You'll enjoy it. (I presume that you have Volume I, as it didn't have a volume number when published. Volume II came out later, after "Mastering" was huge hit and propelled Julia Child from excentric wife of foreign service officer into everyone's favorite cook.)

cakerookie · #5 03-09-2006, 05:25 PM

Yeah volume one was what I got. Its a fascinating book have not tried any of the recipes yet but fully intend too..