best cookbook for technique/fundamentals

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For a home cook who's looking to break out of the recipe-by-recipher stage, what is a good cookbook to learn techniques and fundamentals that can be applied in coozing across the board? Something focused primarily on technique with recipes and/or exercises to illustrate?

Thanks!
 
Probably either On cooking or Professional cooking books that have alot of basic info or something a little more advanced with Modernist Cuisine at home.
 
Get Cookery School from Richard Corrigan. http://richardcorrigan.co.uk/shop/cook-books/

It is excellent for a serious amateur. He is a very good professional chef (2 star Michelin) but this book and the recipes in it are adapted for the home kitchen. It illustrates techniques very well and will widen your repertoire a lot. Ignore anything he says about sharpening knives though.

Pro books can be very good but tend to assume equipment and quantities that don't work well at home.
 
Modernist cuisine second tome. But is bank robbery or copyright infringement to get it.
 
essentials of preffesional cooking text book. ALso cant forget the Flavor bible
 
Keller's "ad hoc at home" is prob the best I have at describing technique and showing expected results and addressing a wide range of cooking styles. McGee is an encyclopedia of food knowledge.

You may want to narrow your scope some, Steven's on Braising is very good, MC makes my brain hurt and is primarily applicable to MC technique but when it clicks it clicks, "Cooking for Geeks" is inexpensive, a good read and usually informative. There are bread books, sauce books, flavor books, cake books sausage books, etc, that are at least as technique oriented as recipe oriented. No good BBQ book has been written yet, I just haven't had time....:cool2:
 
What do you think about Pepin's "New Complete Techniques"? Looks like maybe an update on his classic texts?

Yeah, thats pretty much his two older books updated/combined in one book. That will definitely cover technique and fundamentals
 
I got Pepin's new Technique and it has a lot of really basic stuff, so that is one I would strongly recommend looking thru in person. I'm not upset I got it but there is a lot of stuff I already knew. Of course the stuff I didn't know he does a great job explaining. The DVD has a few neat things too.
 
I got Pepin's new Technique and it has a lot of really basic stuff, so that is one I would strongly recommend looking thru in person. I'm not upset I got it but there is a lot of stuff I already knew. Of course the stuff I didn't know he does a great job explaining. The DVD has a few neat things too.

Thanks I'm gonna go try to take a look today. up to now I've been using america's test kitchen cooking school cook book, which has had some pretty good information for a newbie - just trying to expand the knowledge base.
 
Modernist cuisine second tome. But is bank robbery or copyright infringement to get it.

Hm, I recently took part in a lottery organise by Falk (I bought their pan last year) and while I did not win anything, everybody that took part could download a complete Modernist cuisine in a form of 6 PDF files (searchable and browsable from single document) with total size of 2GB. I supposed that Falk would not distribute black copies so there must be ways to actually get your hands on the digital version for (nearly) free. I would hesitate to forward it even though there was no explicit note on what kind of copyright it came with.

BTW, since downloading I only briefly looked inside - those recipes got me scared. I suppose I will not be able to try most of them at home because of the complexity.
 
A lot of great info already but you might want to consider Cook's Illustrated "The Science of Good Cooking" as it will help (almost) all of your cooking! Flavor Bible (already suggested) is also a great resource for putting things together (that make sense!). Mostly have FUN and, of course, buy lots & lots of expensive J-knives!!! :bliss:
 
Keller's "ad hoc at home" is prob the best I have at describing technique and showing expected results and addressing a wide range of cooking styles. McGee is an encyclopedia of food knowledge.

You may want to narrow your scope some, Steven's on Braising is very good, MC makes my brain hurt and is primarily applicable to MC technique but when it clicks it clicks, "Cooking for Geeks" is inexpensive, a good read and usually informative. There are bread books, sauce books, flavor books, cake books sausage books, etc, that are at least as technique oriented as recipe oriented. No good BBQ book has been written yet, I just haven't had time....:cool2:

It's on my to do list Dave. Already in the planning stages.
 
French Laundry is essential for many reasons. Lots of basics, and advanced flavor combos. All described in a manner that reflects how the restaurant actually accomplishes said dishes. No talking down, or cutting corners. I learned a lot from that book after borrowing it from one of my old chefs. Still have a copy in plastic in my personal library.
 
French Laundry is essential for many reasons. Lots of basics, and advanced flavor combos. All described in a manner that reflects how the restaurant actually accomplishes said dishes. No talking down, or cutting corners. I learned a lot from that book after borrowing it from one of my old chefs. Still have a copy in plastic in my personal library.

+1 What he said ... love this (for exactly all the same reasons - well said!) ... have a very, very used one as well (with lots & lots of stains ...) & now that I am reminded - it would be very nice to have a 'clean new one' as well!
 
That makes for a very heavy suitcase haha! I might have to wander over to Powell's tomorrow after work now that I've seen this thread...

Where ya gonna eat Chiff?? :D
 
BTW, since downloading I only briefly looked inside - those recipes got me scared. I suppose I will not be able to try most of them at home because of the complexity.

You are doing yourself a disservice, if you read it like a cookbook. It is food encyclopedia. In the first three parts the recipes are not using the flashy chemistry stuff. And in Modernist Cuisine everything is in baker's percentage which is beyond awesome.

What it teaches you is what is really going on inside the food while you cook it. The recipes are used to illustrate the strategies of solving some common problem. And there are huge charts with cooking times and speeds and temperatures for everything. If you have engineering mindset - it is the best resource out there. Also the guys love the pressure cooker, which is my favorite tool in kitchen.
 
That makes for a very heavy suitcase haha! I might have to wander over to Powell's tomorrow after work now that I've seen this thread...

Where ya gonna eat Chiff?? :D

Oh, you know . . . pok pok, toro bravo, clark lewis, mucca osteria, beast . . . and like a ton of food carts :) are you a local? Any suggestions or inside scoop??
 
Point taken. I guess I need to find more time to dig inside. But being a physicist I should be fine :)
 
You are doing yourself a disservice, if you read it like a cookbook. It is food encyclopedia. In the first three parts the recipes are not using the flashy chemistry stuff. And in Modernist Cuisine everything is in baker's percentage which is beyond awesome.

What it teaches you is what is really going on inside the food while you cook it. The recipes are used to illustrate the strategies of solving some common problem. And there are huge charts with cooking times and speeds and temperatures for everything. If you have engineering mindset - it is the best resource out there. Also the guys love the pressure cooker, which is my favorite tool in kitchen.

Agreed. After years of doing charcuterie, I was very happy to find a ratio based recipe approach.
 
Interesting that no one mentioned The Professional Chef from CIA. I find it still informative.

My preference is technique books in French, as that is my main interest. Several are available through Amazon France.
 
La Pratique Varenne by Anne Willan is an excellent go to reference for french classic methods. James Peterson has several exhaustive books on various subjects. His 'Sauces' is particularly good. His book on meats not bad. I don't agree there are no barbecue books, though they are rare....'Wicked Good Barbecue' by Andy Husbands is actually very good.
 
I really liked this one, it has everything:
Professional Cooking
by Wayne Gisslen
 
Of course there is prep technique, cooking technique, plating technique.

There is also food technique, and Larousse Gastronomique is the best resource for that. Unfortunately the English translation seems always to be behind, and beneath, the original. Get both.
 
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