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Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Cookery
This fully illustrated volume provides detailed information and advice on choosing, storing, cooking, preserving and freezing food, as well as giving preparation and serving suggestions for both common and exotic ingredients. The book has been divided into six main sections, each concentrating on a different range of foods and exploring the techniques, utensils and ingredients required in step-by-step graphic sequences. Included in each chapter is additional information on the ingredients: their country of origin, seasonal availability and appearance. The volume also contains notes on storage, cooking methods, common dishes and nutrition.
528 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 22, 2009
Unlike most cookbooks which is about recipes, La Varenne Pratique teaches you the techniques of cooking.
Like The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of Ameirca (ISBN:0764557343), La Varenne Pratique is meant to be the foundation course for any aspiring chefs. Unlike CIA's Professional Chef which discusses many techniques which I find to be a bit high-brow, this book is suitable for everyday cooking together with advanced techniques that can definitely impress.
The book is broken down into food categories like: meat, fish, dairy, poultry, etc. For each of the categories, it gives a brief historic overview, the different kinds of specimens and provides illustrated step-by-step guides on working with them e.g. proper way to debone chickens, the kind of knife you'd use, etc. It further provides examples of herbs which would go well with the category.
It does provide a couple of recipes for each type of food, but it mainly encourages you to try different variations. For example, for ice cream making (which is my specialty), it gives a general recipe of producing the foundation vanilla custard, and provides a list of combination of fruits you might wish to try with the recipe, and discusses strategy in, for example, the amount of alcohol you can technically add to your mixture without turning it into an unfreezable mess.
I picked up this book from Dean & Deluca when I first moved to New York about 10 years ago and I still use it today. This is the first and only cook book you'll ever need to create your own original cuisine. Highly recommended.
Like The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of Ameirca (ISBN:0764557343), La Varenne Pratique is meant to be the foundation course for any aspiring chefs. Unlike CIA's Professional Chef which discusses many techniques which I find to be a bit high-brow, this book is suitable for everyday cooking together with advanced techniques that can definitely impress.
The book is broken down into food categories like: meat, fish, dairy, poultry, etc. For each of the categories, it gives a brief historic overview, the different kinds of specimens and provides illustrated step-by-step guides on working with them e.g. proper way to debone chickens, the kind of knife you'd use, etc. It further provides examples of herbs which would go well with the category.
It does provide a couple of recipes for each type of food, but it mainly encourages you to try different variations. For example, for ice cream making (which is my specialty), it gives a general recipe of producing the foundation vanilla custard, and provides a list of combination of fruits you might wish to try with the recipe, and discusses strategy in, for example, the amount of alcohol you can technically add to your mixture without turning it into an unfreezable mess.
I picked up this book from Dean & Deluca when I first moved to New York about 10 years ago and I still use it today. This is the first and only cook book you'll ever need to create your own original cuisine. Highly recommended.
August 14, 2019
Unlike most cookbooks which is about recipes, La Varenne Pratique teaches you the techniques of cooking.
Like The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of Ameirca (ISBN:0764557343), La Varenne Pratique is meant to be the foundation course for any aspiring chefs. Unlike CIA's Professional Chef which discusses many techniques which I find to be a bit high-brow, this book is suitable for everyday cooking together with advanced techniques that can definitely impress.
The book is broken down into food categories like: meat, fish, dairy, poultry, etc. For each of the categories, it gives a brief historic overview, the different kinds of specimens and provides illustrated step-by-step guides on working with them e.g. proper way to debone chickens, the kind of knife you'd use, etc. It further provides examples of herbs which would go well with the category.
It does provide a couple of recipes for each type of food, but it mainly encourages you to try different variations. For example, for ice cream making (which is my specialty), it gives a general recipe of producing the foundation vanilla custard, and provides a list of combination of fruits you might wish to try with the recipe, and discusses strategy in, for example, the amount of alcohol you can technically add to your mixture without turning it into an unfreezable mess.
I picked up this book from Dean & Deluca when I first moved to New York about 10 years ago and I still use it today. This is the first and only cook book you'll ever need to create your own original cuisine. Highly recommended.
Like The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of Ameirca (ISBN:0764557343), La Varenne Pratique is meant to be the foundation course for any aspiring chefs. Unlike CIA's Professional Chef which discusses many techniques which I find to be a bit high-brow, this book is suitable for everyday cooking together with advanced techniques that can definitely impress.
The book is broken down into food categories like: meat, fish, dairy, poultry, etc. For each of the categories, it gives a brief historic overview, the different kinds of specimens and provides illustrated step-by-step guides on working with them e.g. proper way to debone chickens, the kind of knife you'd use, etc. It further provides examples of herbs which would go well with the category.
It does provide a couple of recipes for each type of food, but it mainly encourages you to try different variations. For example, for ice cream making (which is my specialty), it gives a general recipe of producing the foundation vanilla custard, and provides a list of combination of fruits you might wish to try with the recipe, and discusses strategy in, for example, the amount of alcohol you can technically add to your mixture without turning it into an unfreezable mess.
I picked up this book from Dean & Deluca when I first moved to New York about 10 years ago and I still use it today. This is the first and only cook book you'll ever need to create your own original cuisine. Highly recommended.
July 6, 2017
This book is overrated. It is not very readable, and it is not very useful as a reference for either technique or dish. Lots of pictures, lots of words but there are better books.
May 26, 2017
Possibly the only cookbook you'll ever need (for Western cooking.) The photos are incredibly helpful. It details each major type of ingredient - such as lobsters - and tells and shows you the basic skills you need to cook it properly. There are recipes, but more importantly, it teaches you ALL the basics you need to cook every type of food from soups to souffles. With the basics at your hands, you begin to realize that most recipes you find in other books are mainly just variations on a theme. This book gives you the key to unlock the theme itself and inventing your own recipes or following others from now on is easier.
A great book for both beginner and advanced cooks.
A great book for both beginner and advanced cooks.
May 14, 2011
The only cookbook you will ever need. This was so helpful when I was living in Asia. I could just point at the picture of the exotic produce to the maid and hold up however many fingers I wanted to tell her how much to buy.[return][return]Everything is from scratch in this book so if you're the kind of person who seems to always find yourself living where you can't readily get processed food...or if you just like to know what the heck is in stuff this is a great cookbook.
February 19, 2010
Victoria, Travis's girlfriend highly recommends this book. I took a quick flip through it and it's priceless.
February 25, 2011
Still reading but feels like a text book from school which is what I love about it. I like the small details about every step of cooking that help those of us who have not gone to culinary school.
March 19, 2011
Excellent book - well illustrated with preparation techniques and excellent sections on meat, seafood and poultry.
July 8, 2012
Brilliant book! Used it during my training at chef school and still using it. Very helpful!
September 7, 2011
Good French basics with pics and details
March 28, 2017
A must have for technique, generally cooking.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews