The Professional Chef

A new found admiration for chefs and their training
If you have a cooking question the answer if probably found somewhere in this voluminous tome. They have even included directions and photos on how to clean a whole squid. Curious about how to make your own sauerkraut, it's in there.

The directions in this book are extremely well written. The photos of the products in the all the various stages of preparation are also very helpful.

I had considered myself to be a fairly well versed home chef until I purchased this book. I have learned more reading this book than I have from the other 500+ cookbooks in my collection added together.

The one warning I would give to purchasers is that most of recipes are given in quantities that are generally too large for one family (unless you have a large freezer for leftovers). I have not found it to be a problem to reduce the quantities.

For anyone that wants to improve their cooking skills this is an invaluable resource.

The Best Culinary Companion I've Purchased Thus Far
I initially borrowed this book from my public library and within 10 minutes I realised what a truly wonderful gem it is. After reading through it for a couple of days, I eagerly made my purchase straight away. At the time of this writing, there were 61 reviews posted (not including this one) and with the exception of the two naysayers (both culinary students, amazingly) who had the audacity to trash this offering, it has received rave reviews, the vast majority of which are five stars. How anyone who has read this volume could fail to recognise its invaluable worth, be it for the novice cook or the culinary veteran, is far beyond my comprehension. Considering the many detailed praises that "The Professional Chef" has received here, all of which I agree with, I won't bore you by reiterating its numerous virtues. I will simply say ... this book is a "MUST have" resource for the library of anyone who is serious about raising the level of their culinary game. Period!

Great
This book is very helpful in learning cooking technique. Also, though it's primary purpose isn't a "recipe book", it does have lots of recipes, many of which are incredible.

This is NOT a cook book it is a text book
As a current career changer and a student at The Culinary Institute of America I am heartened and also dismayed by some of these reviews. ProChef is an integral part of our daily experiences here in Hyde Park. It is also a part of most professional kitchens across America.

That said, it is important to understand that ProChef IS NOT a cook book. If that is what you are looking for, your local book store can provide you with plenty of those. Or, sign onto the FoodTV web site. ProChef is a text book that illustrates classical techniques that are subsequently used to create the recipes that are in the text.

If you are looking for a book that teaches the proper techniques for making stocks and their importance in everyday cooking or how to make any of the mother sauces and their derivitives this book will present the bare bone basics of cooking and their methods.

Does it have errors? We acknowledge that. In the new edition to soon be released, they will be corrected. Also, I believe that the index leaves a lot to be desired and we have made this known to the powers that be.

But, in training to become a chef, it is important that you need to able to adapt, improvise and overcome any inconsistancies in product quality and/or quantities for a recipe to truely work.

Remeber, this text is used in conjunction to what we are learning in the classroom or kitchen. We have study guides that coincide with each class that contain recipes that we cook for service. We are taught to constantly taste our food as we are cooking it and make adjustments in seasoning and ingredients as needed. Something the young student from Chicago seems to have failed to do while making her Pumpkin Bisque.

Curious criticism of classic and timeless text
In reference to an earlier reviewer that had such harsh words for this text, I'm curious as to what book he would suggest in place of The Professional Chef? As a certified chef with almost 30 years experience, I still find a need to reach for this title at times, and virtually every restaurant or hotel I have ever been associated with has a copy in the kitchen for daily use. While I'm sure there are mistakes, no book is perfect, to imply that The Professional Chef is anything less than an excellent text and teaching tool is overly harsh and unfounded.