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Wonderful resource
I'm not a professional cook nor am I planning on becoming one. But this is the first book I bought to help with my self-study in cooking, and I wasn't anything near disappointed in my choice. Rather than alot of cooking texts which assume you have a basic background in cooking, Professional Chef takes you step by step, lesson by lesson to show you what you need to know. Starting out with an introduction to being a professional chef, they move on to food handling and safety, tools, knives, terms, ect. Even for a homemaker like me who just wants to learn how to be a better cook, this text is indispensible. Don't be scared by the price for Professional Chef pays for itself many times over. Improvements already! I've been cooking since I was about 12, and in all the time since then I've basically been doing the exact same thing. Chop this, bake that. I hadn't really improved my cooking skills or learned anything new in years. I wanted to challenge myself. So I did a little research and decided to buy this book. I've had it for a little less than two weeks now, and I am still amazed at the sheer depth of information in it. Not only are the recipes delicious, but the step-by-step instructions make even the most difficult concept easy to follow along. Last night I made medaglione di bue alla pizzaioli with sauted potatoes for my entire extended family and chocolate XS cake after. Without a doubt the most complex meal I've ever made, and thanks to the crystal-clear instructions it all came out perfectly. It should be said that most of the recipes take a lot of time and energy to make. If you include the time to make the sauce, it's rare to find a recipe that will take less than a few hours. But if you take a few hours over the weekend and make a couple good stocks and broths they'll last quite some time. Already I've learned a lot, and am now much more aware of the balance between art and science that cooking really is. With every page I read and every recipe I try I improve my skills. This book is exactly what I wanted. Not just another cookbook, this spends as much time on technique as it does listing recipes. This book is way more than you need if you're just looking for a cookbook, and will do nothing for you if you're not willing to spend hours preparing a single meal. But if you've got the patience to dedicate to the art that is gourmet food, then this is probably the most rewarding book you could ever hope for. A Can't live without book for the serious chef As a chef and graduate of the Culinary, I have hauled this mammoth book around from location to location. However, on one such occasion, I lost my most favorite tool. So here I am, replacing my most valuable training and reference tool. I highly recommend this book for anyone in the industry that wants to pass on knowledge, or for the serious home or restaurant cook that wants to take their cooking to the next level. The Professional Chef, 7th This is really a great book. It contains the standards updated and is current to reflect ingredients, techniques, and tools. This is certain to be a cornerstone in anyones cookbook library. If I were to have just one, this would be it. A Cook's Best Friend rev. by jarkens@dsisd.k12.mi.us I received "The Professional Chef" as a gift from a valued friend; it certainly is a challenging source of inspiration and information (glossaries, diagrams) for aspiring as well as veteran cooks. The recipes are set up in three-column tables, with Ingredients, Quantity, and Methods (numbered) in separate columns. From the basics to ideas and photos of advanced plating and buffet set-ups, this book is worth its weight in gold to anyone who cooks for fun or profit. | |
