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BOOKS TO READ BEFORE ENTERING SCHOOL

post #1 of 12
5/29/11 at 3:13pm
Thread Starter 

I AM ABOUT TO ENTER CULINARY ARTS PROGRAM AND WONDERING WHICH GOOD BOOKS WOULD HELP ME GAIN SOME BASIC KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT I MAY BE LEARNING IN SCHOOL, ANY INPUT WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

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post #2 of 12
5/30/11 at 7:37pm

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Chef-Mastering-Culinary-Institute/dp/080508939X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306809447&sr=1-4

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post #3 of 12
6/2/11 at 11:42am
Personally, I would say make sure you have a food lovers companion. I have a few months before I graduate school, and just bought one last week. I wish I would've gotten it my first week of school.
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post #4 of 12
6/2/11 at 1:07pm

Read Daniel Boulud's "Letter's to a young chef". It definitely has some useful knowledge for someone entering the industry. It's also a quick, entertaining read for anyone interested in cooking.

 

In addition to that, I personally love my 'Larousse "Gastronomique". It's a great reference book and I'm always learning from it.

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post #5 of 12
7/9/11 at 1:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by veronporter View Post

Read Daniel Boulud's "Letter's to a young chef".



in addition to anthony bourdain's kitchen confidential. my chef gave it to me when i told him i was thinking of dropping out, and it kept me hangin in there.

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post #6 of 12
7/26/11 at 6:17am

This is the list I read before starting school last year:

On Food and Cooking

Ratio

The Making of a Chef

CIA-Pro chef

Pastry Techniques

Julia Child's Vol I&II

 

What I found at least as important as reading was knife skills. Get a good knife and start cutting now and do it every day. Confidence with your knife will lead to confidence elsewhere is the kitchen.

 

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post #7 of 12
7/28/11 at 12:44am

the flavor bible

cia professional chef

the french laundry

 

 

 

 

PS - you might also considering disabling your capslock key =D

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post #8 of 12
7/28/11 at 4:22am

The Bible ------   Guide Culinaire  by A Escoffier for Continental   Cuisine  and   Fanny Farmer cookbook for American Basics

Chef EdB
Over 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US  with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). 
      Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...
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post #9 of 12
6/12/12 at 4:05pm
What is the major premise of letters to a young chef
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post #10 of 12
9/1/12 at 6:19pm

I am on my second term at Le Cordon Bleu for Baking & Patisserie and I have personally been reading everything I can get my hands on. 
I loved Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Amazing book. Everything about Kitchen Confidential was aawesome. I also read The Idiot's Guide to Success as a Chef (say what you will about the title lol) by Leslie Bilderback. I loved how she just kind of put certain things out there for you and was like, yeah, if you can't handle this, then maybe the chef field isn't for you. I am currently reading Julie & Julia (which really has no bearing on being a professional chef, but it was the next in my HUGE stack of books to read. LOL).

 

A few others I have in a stack to read are...

The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain 

Under the Table by Katherine Darling
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
My Life in France by Julia Child
The Pastry Chef's Companion by Glenn and Laura Rinsky
The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman
Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page
The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness, and the Making of a Great Chef by Marco Pierre White
My Life from Scratch by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Career Diary of a Pastry Chef by Yuko Kitazawa
Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen
 
Like I said, I want to read everything ahah. I bought a lot of these from Half Price Books on clearance. /shrug. Anyways, hope that helps.
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post #11 of 12
9/19/12 at 11:46am

The Making Of A Cook by Madeleine Kamman French Chemist and chef

On Food And Cooking by Harold McGee

Anything by M.F.K. Fisher "How to Cook A Wolf" is all I can think of (this is non fiction)

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post #12 of 12
10/1/12 at 2:06am

i know this post is like almost a year ago and OP is already in school .. but i think this thread could be useful for any "future peeps who might ask the same question.." so here is 2 books ... three but i cant remember the name of the other..

http://www.amazon.com/Uncut-Inside-Story-Culinary-School/dp/1418490660

http://www.amazon.com/101-Things-Learned-Culinary-School/dp/0446550302

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