Some of the Pro tomes mght be overkill for an at home cook but here are some of my favorites:
Escoffier Cookbook: There is a pretty good translation out there that has converted the old measurements to modern measures. If you get stuck with a direct translation it'll still work. Escoffier is especially good for learning how to make soups on the fly
La Repitoir de Cusine: Its a cheat sheet for French cooking. Can be very handy, but it is written in a culinary shorthand.
Larousse Gastromiqe: Its a cooking encyclopedia!
Anything by James Peterson: Especially buy SaucesSoups and Seafoodvegetables. Those four books are incredible.
Professional Cooking by Wayne Gisslen: Its probally overkill for a home cook, but this is what I used in school, so I like it. You might prefer On Cooking mentioned in the above post.
For bread baking there is;
La Brea Bakery by Nancy Silverston
The Village Baker by Jose Ortiz
Those two should give you a pretty good overview of bread. You could also check out Peter Reinquist's books on the subject (Crust and Crumb, Bread Bakers Aprentice)
For cakes, Rose Levy Brennbaum (sp) has a really good book on the subject (The Cake Bible? Its been a while...)
The Professional Chef 7th Edition CIA is a good textbook a bit technical for the average cook but good. Harold McGees book is a winner no matter how you look at it.
Culinary Artistry by Dorenberg and Page is always a great source of inspiration for me. Not so much a textbook or collection of recipies, but list of ingredients and pairings for them...hard to explain but every chef should have this book.
I am willing to give all my books away to somebody who is really going to use them, and put them to good use. They are books that I used while attending JWU. Great books with TONS of information.
Just let me know. U pay for the shipping and they are yours!
Well I go to The CIA. And ive got a few good books. Im sure someone has mentioned, ofcourse, The Pro Chef from the CIA. its profected every 2 years. so thats deff. one id look into. Another ive found to be interesting is not only a Cooks Theusarus (Spellings Way Off) useful but a book called On Food and Cooking The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Look into those 3.
for non professionals and professionals alike , its written in really easy to read language with great pictures that work really well visually
its "essentials of cooking" by James Petterson
wow please let me know what you have and how much you are looking at for shipping? right now im a student and poor but i cant pass this up so let me know what you have and let me know how much shipping would be
Just thought I'd add my $0.02 into the fryer and list what's on my shelf:
* The Professional Chef 8th Ed.
* The Escoffier.
* On Food and Cooking.
* Larousse Gastronomique.
And general reading on the industry:
* Roasting in "Heck"'s Kitchen.
* Kitchen Confidential.
* The Nasty Bits.
* The Making of a Chef.
* The Soul of a Chef.
I've got tons of cookbooks, but the books listed above are great for the science and techniques behind cooking. Some are pricey as they are "textbooks" and I'm not sure why the Escoffier lists for $70 when my copy was $20. I created my list by first making the statement, "I do not want another book of recipes. I want to know how to cook."
Are the aforementioned books good for beginners? Or are they laced with "assumptions" that every amateur chef should know? As much as the books irritate me, the "Dummy" line of books usually treat everyone as if they are a true beginner, and that is what I am looking for.
Not that I am unintelligent...I just dont want there to be holes in my self-education.
Assumptions in what way? I think most cookbooks assume that you know how to cut, measure, season, and cook ingredients. I love flipping through a recipe and it says, "Cook until done." Huh? What's "done"? I think one is better served with a "Complete Techniques" type book (that one by Jaques Pepin).
"The Pro Chef" would likely be easier to read if you coupled it with live classroom instruction before diving in to the techniques it contains. But I can tell you, it gives many step-by-step photos of the stuff it's teaching. I followed the sauce Hollandaise recipe and it had photos of the sauce's consistency at each stage. I made for the first time and the resulting sauce was remarkably good for having never made it before. I now have panic attacks in the grocery store when I see those nasty Knorr's packets of powdered Hollandaise mix. :lol:
Valid assumptions would be, I can speak and write English, I know how to measure and cut "many" types of meat. Like you said though, I have no clue on how to properly prepare a Hollandaise sause...so a little hand holding and pictures are helpful.
Until I can move from the sticks to a larger metropolis that has a proper cooking institution...I want books that I can prepare my self for higher education...simply not recipe books. I will try some of the ones mentioned above.
CarlAird, you're interested in learning techniques to use at home, and you want stuff that's heavy on food science? I know it's not a textbook, but...isn't that book "CookWise" (by Shirley Corriher) all about the science behind home cooking? I don't own it...but I think she was doing the Alton Brown thing long before Alton came along...
I'm not a culinary student....but as someone who works part-time in professional kitchens, the most useful book I have is "Workplace Spanish: Restaurant & Food Service". And my Larousse concise English-Spanish/Spanish-English Dictionary.
hi friends...
i am rajesh shetty a 28 year old from india. i was not able to complete my final year of graduation and opted to join my fathers restaurant bussiness in india.After gaining 5 years of experience i decided to study culinary arts to enhance my knowledge. i joined a culinary school in india which offered a joint chef diploma in joint collaboration with a college in canada.i had completed my first semester in india and was suppose to complete the rest in canada But unfortunatly my visa was refused thrice.Now i would like to join a college in New Zealand or U.K . I would be really thankfull to you people,if you help me out in finding the best institute/schools in New Zealand and U.K .
Hi I can't see the date, have you given away all of your books, or do you have any left? Do you have "On-Cooking"?
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