The Cook's Book Including Marcus Wareing, Sha

by Jill Norman (Editor), Charlie Trotter, Peter Gordon (Contributor)

Book by Wareing, Marcus, Norman, Jill, Trotter, Charlie, Gordon, Peter, Piccinardi, Antonio, Gayler, Paul, Wakuda, Tetsuya, Thompson, David

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction

648 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Jill created the Penguin Cookery Library in the 1960s and 1970s, bringing many first-class authors to the list. She has since become a Glenfiddich trophy winner in her own right, and is a leading authority on the use of herbs and spices. She is the literary trustee of the Elizabeth David estate, and worked with Mrs David for many years.

Reviews

[Katarzyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you need to take one cook book to the gourmet deserted island... Wanna cook octopus from the scratch? How about kidney? Eel? This book is a detailed instruction to how to cook EVERYTHING that is digestable (or not). And by everything I mean absolutely everything. With step by step pictures.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the type of cook book I tend to like.
Compendium books, The Complete Cookbook of ..... Rarely are in my opinion. Specific categories are my preferred medium.
But this is different. The editor is the rightly famous Jill Norman, the chefs are world famous, although perhaps some more than others.
It's very La Technique and La Methode of Jaques Pepin but with colour illustrations, not black & white. It also brings to mind the Time Life series, The Good Cook.
You are shown the prep techniques step by step, the ingredients, cooking times etc. accompanied by the excellent photos.

I'd almost go as far as to say you could live for the rest of your using only this book from which to cook. You'd miss out on a lot of dishes, but you'd eat well !

Like many of my books I bought this secondhand from either a charity shop or book seller. I've never seen it again or seen it sold in a new bookshop, my copy is a Dorling Kindersley edition but for The Book People Ltd at £30 in 2005. Perhaps at the the time this was seen as expensive, now most cookbooks start at £25 with less content, this is 650 pages with index.

[ashok · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are trying to improve your cooking or simply learning how to cook -- this book is a self help encyclopedia on cooking.

The really good thing about this book isnt that it has great recipes (it has many great recipes), but that it explains the finer details : what is the correct way to cut a cauliflower into florets, how to cut a chicken for different kinds of preparations, how to cut calamari, how to prepare different kinds of marinades, how to pickle vegetables, what kind of knife to use, what kind of cooking pot to use ...etc. There are lovely little side-notes explaining things like why seasoning is done in a particular order (garlic after onions and so on).

The book is divided into sections based on different kinds of geographical cuisines (indian, lebanese, chinese ... ) and also different kinds of preparations (poultry, vegetables, pulses, breads, deserts ) . Unlike many other "recipe books" the ones in this book always work.

The selection of chefs providing content for this book is a whos-who of great chefs : atul kochhar, ken hom, charlie trotter ...

[Rachel Balota · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is probably the best all-in-one cookbook i've read, and i especially loved it 'cos of how they talk you through the basics then give you ideas on how to develop the recipes to suit your own tastes. e.g. in the sauces section they'd teach you, step-by-step with pretty pictures to boot, how to do a basic aioli or bearnaise then show you some examples on how to add different flavourings to it.

ace!

[Pia Jensen Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This huge book is a must-have for anyone interested in cooking. I've learned so much just from looking through it, without reading everything in detail. This will be my go-to book whenever I am in doubt of anything in the kitchen!

[James Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Recipes are fantastic, the techniques are very well described. This book makes me want to cook every single day

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is organized by topic (e.g. fish/shellfish or cheese) with a professional cook tackling each topic.
It doesn't look like there is much new here, but this would be an excellent book for someone new to cooking at it will cover everything they need (with excellent photos too!)

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa, cook: you are all that. "The Cook's Book" is a manual: how to tenderize and whip, how to braise and caramelize, how to make the perfect French-style scrambled eggs (hint: "French" means "add an extra stick of butter"), how to pull pork. Every step is illustrated thoroughly with gorgeous photos, and every chapter is written by an expert in the field: Charlie Trotter does veggies, Pierre Herme makes pastries, Rick Bayless teaches Mexican, etc.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well laid out and enthusiastically illustrated "how to" cooking manual, everything from how to make basic white sauce to how to bone a chicken all explained simply and step by step. Possibly the best book about cooking (rather than simply recipe book) that I own.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow, clear instructions and useful advice. Loses a star a some of the ingredients are difficult to find in some supermarkets.

[San · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book for beginners and those with some cooking experience. Lots of great recipes and guides to different cooking methods/skills. Well worth having a copy for foodies.

[Đăng Khoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so amazing

[Bluetiful Hadeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my cooking reference.
It's divided into different kinds of dishes, extras and cuisines.
If you are really frustrated and have no recipes for your lunch/dinner, dig this book, it will help you out and give you ideas for the perfect meal :)

Enjoy!