The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine

Not only does it make you aware of dozens of techniques but the recipes are lively

This book is outstanding! A must-have for every kitchen regardless of how experienced a cook you are. I attended the full time 6-month culinary program at the FCI a few years ago and this is almost verbatim our first quarter (6 week) curriculum. We then spent the next 3 quarters refining and practicing and expanding on all these techniques. If you don't want to sacrifice 6 months and $50,000 (an endless cuts and burns and bad hair days) to attend cooking school, then buy this book and cook every recipe over and over and you will become an excellent cook. If you master all the skills and techniques in the book, you can walk into any kitchen and hold your own as this is the foundation of classic cooking and the language of the kitchen.Hints and tips from the Deans and Chef Instructors pepper the book for every technique with tidbits such as "...cook beans at a constant low temperature and cool them in their cooking liquid. ~ Dean Alain Sailhac" or "Do not cover a chicken after roasting or it will steam and make the meat taste reheated." ~Dean Jacques Pepin". It's like getting a personal cooking lesson from the greatest chefs of our time. The book teaches the 250 foundation techniques including stocks, sauces, soups, salads, eggs, potatoes, poultry, beef, veal, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, marinades, stuffings, organ meats (my least favorite day in cooking school!), pastry dough, creams & custards, crepes, brioche, frozen desserts, meringues, mousses, and soufflés (my favorite day in cooking school! :)It also explains in great detail terms in a kitchen, names of equipment and pots and pans, food safety, knifes and knife skills, and professional kitchen management. If you want to become an outstanding home cook or are considering or about to attend cooking school, I strongly recommend devouring (pun intended) this book. If you learn this book, or at least become familiar with all the techniques, then you will be leaps and bounds ahead of the game. Bon courage et bon appetit!

I checked this book out of the Library and, after renewing it twice (my limit on renewals), I realized that it was a book I absolutely HAD to own. I've been cooking for myself, my friends, and my family for years, and have always gotten rave reviews on my cooking. This book, however, is helping me to take it to the next level. By explaining the basics of how pretty much everything is cooked, it helps you understand exactly why you do certain things in the kitchen, and why they make a difference in your food.I would recommend this both for experienced cooks and for beginners, as its instructions are very clear, and it is organized around teaching you how to cook, from the bottom up (right down to how you properly cut vegetables). Each step is illustrated and outlined, and there are recipes throughout to help you practice the techniques.

This is an amazing book to learn technique. It is very well written with a detailed instruction on how to execute cooking techniques. Is also important though that I note that the book is written by the French culinary Institute and as such covers French cooking techniques mainly classical. Some of these classical techniques are sauté, braising, poaching, grilling, frying, poele,and Roasting. The book also covers knife cuts and decent detail although if you are looking to learn knife cuts exclusively I would recommend looking into a different book that specializes in covering knife cuts. If you are a home cook looking to purchase this book I would venture to say it will greatly improve your cooking, if you're industry professional than I would venture to say will definitely sharpen your technique.

Love the content, but the publisher must be really cheap to put together such awful binding for this book. It is brand new yet already I can hear the binding tearing apart as I open the book. And I don't let it lay flat on the table, but prop the back cover up with my hand or another book, and can still feel how poorly it is constructed. I thought the comments here regarding the construction of this book were exaggerated, but they are not, it's all true.

This book consists of a series of lessons that constitute the first portion of the curriculum at the French Culinary Institute (now International Culinary Center). It contains a wealth of knowledge and clearly written instructions. If one were to work through this book fairly carefully, they would be capable of just about anything one would want to do in an amateur kitchen.

I give this book 5 stars for the information herein.But for how the book is constructed---sorry, NO STARS. I've had this book for only a short time. It's been carefully stored, flat on a table, so there has been no stress put on the binding. I've handled it carefully when perusing the contents, which I've done only a half dozen times or so.Last night I discovered that the cover has ripped from the binding. What I have now is a hunk of bound pages without a cover. For the price of this book, FIE ON THE PUBLISHER / BOOK MAKER for allowing careless construction.Sadly, this purchase was a 100% waste of a lot of money because the book is essentially unusable.

I think this book is probably as close to Culinary School as I may get. The instructions to me are clear and concise. I didn't realize that food could be sliced into 1/16th in pieces until I read the book and tried it for myself. Also am having a lot of fun trying new things in the kitchen.

I purchased this book well over a year ago now, mainly on a whim, but it has become the most used cookbook in my kitchen. The combination of theory, practice and guidance are invaluable for an amateur chef. I find some of the side panels a bit pretentious, but they don't really detract from the book. After getting this, I moved away from books with total recipe plans, to those more focused on elements of planning and executing a meal.

This is an excellent book for beginners and enthusiastic amateurs alike. Don't know your macedoine from your brunoise? This book will delight you and impress your friends. I only recently purchased it but already the recipes I've made were of restaurant quality. Buy this book and you'll soon be fine dining at home.

All steps of cooking is well describe and more, a must for the beginner in cooking. It is really like a 'course' book you used in school. Good buy.

Si eres de los que te gusta aprender en casa técnicas de cocina, está ideal. Tiene muchas secciones con descripciones específicas (pollo, pescado, carnes, caldos, etc) desde el lavado, corte y cocción de los ingredientes y la fotografía está muy linda y útil.

Ich kann Ihnen nichts dazu sagen, es war ein Geschenk. Der Beschenkte, war aber sehr zufrieden und hat sich sehr über dieses Buch gefreut.