Larousse Gastronomique
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Book Reviews of Larousse Gastronomique
Book Review: Tout le Monde
Summary: 5 Stars
Certainly the grande dame of cookbooks can't be everything to everyone but what it does do, better than anything else, is teach you the proper way to master the myriad of cooking techniques. If the book is heavy, it's because it's the foundation of every other cookbook you could own. Certianly "Joy of Cooking" is also remarkable in this respect, but if you want to rise about just being good, Larousse will teach you. Yes it is Franco-centric but deservedly, the French have a culinary legacy second to none in the world and the techniques you learn in Larousse will serve you well no matter if cooking Chinese, Italian, or even New American.The four foundations the book synthesizes are: Technique, Tools, Ingredients, and Creativity. Ever wanted to know the essence of celery? Just how an egg does all the things that it does? Larousse will tell you. Similary, with tools, Larousse is an illumination. If Williams Sonoma ever seemed superfluous, Larousse will shock you into realizing there are advantages to owning copper pots, balanced wisks, and a bombe mould or two. Correct tools are essential to exemplary results.
Larousse is not a dead book of "ancient regime" heavy sauces (though they are included), but rather a living book, inspirational in its depth. If it can be accused of being stodgy, and it has, it's because it wants to emphasize the basics of cooking and, once that is mastered, leaves you free to go out on your own. Once the four foundations have been mastered it's up to you to excel. That's not to say there aren't complex and difficult recipes, there are; but they tend to be more traditional though make no mistake, the top chefs of France have contributed recipes to Larousse.
There are shortfalls. As noted before it does not cover the other grande cuisines of the world (namely Chinese and Italian) with anything remotely resembling a catholic perspective, but then it doesn't purport to be an all-encompassing cookbook. As a book it is dry and its emphasis on exact, rigid technique seems rather imperious. While the haughty tone may seem to be a fault, it's actually worded so as to express the exact requirement of a task in the clearest terms. When you get to the highest levels of cooking techniques there is no room for error. You're dealing with physical and chemical properties that require exact processes to succeed. Pull them off and you'll amaze yourself.
If you learn to cook using Larousse Gastronomique and follow it faithfully, there won't be a cuisine in the world you can't tackle or a cooking task you won't perform without confidence. I can't say that about any other cookbook.
Book Review: Shocking errors and inaccuracies
Summary: 1 Stars
Considering the reputation of this book, I was quite shocked to read some of the errors it contains with regard to Australia and New Zealand to the extent I cannot take for granted anything else within its pages.
A short list:
1. Anzacs, pie floaters and lamingtons are not "food traditions" bought from Britain by migrants and convicts. All of them originated in Australia in the 20th century.
2. The swagman boiling potatoes in his billy can is a new one to me. Billies were generally used for making tea. Most swaggies did not get more than bully beef, flour, sugar and tea.
3. Anzacs are biscuits, not cakes.
4. The "pie floater" is a meat pie in a bowl of pea soup, not tomato sauce, and is not our national dish unless a national dish by definition is something almost universally derided and never eaten.
5. In what appears to be an attempt to cater for different terminology in different countries, the authors have put corn syrup in brackets after golden syrup. However, these are not the same thing, golden syrup being derived from sugar cane and having an entirely different flavour.
6. As above, icing and frosting are not the same thing. Any attempt to make lamingtons with frosting will result in total failure.
7. In New Zealand, food is not "simple" meat and veg, but rather a reflection of the diversity of the country's population due to immigration. In particular, food from Thailand, Malaysia and India is common and modern New Zealand cuisine strongly reflects its influences. The book's information may have been accurate 20-30 years ago, but certainly not now.
8. In New Zealand, kiwifruit is most certainly not eaten with every meal!
This is just a sample from the information regarding Australia and New Zealand and clearly demonstrates extremely poor research. The sort of nonsense you might expect from people who still believe Australians ride kangaroos to work.
I suppose for people who don't know any better, it's great, though to me it smacks of the Emperor's new clothes. I shudder to think that anyone has 100% faith in this book. Given Larousse's reputation (not to mention price) I expect a lot more.
Book Review: Absolutely essential from the gourmet cook to the professional chef
Summary: 5 Stars
The Larousse Gastromique is exactly what the cover indicates: the world's greatest culinary encyclopedia. That should be taken in the context of continental cuisine, however - starting with French cooking and techniques and extending out from there. There is fair coverage of non-Western foods and techniques (e.g., tacos, sushi, tabbouleh, etc.) but not in the same depth and certainly not when it comes to cooking techniques.
The book's coverage of continental and derivative cuisines is exhaustive. It covers foodstuffs and ingredients, techniques, terms, foundational and other important recipes, regional information, equipment, and more. Sidebars highlight countries and particularly important topics like sauces. There aren't a lot of photos, but the text is well written and crystal clear.
There is no throwaway content. In true encyclopedia format, it starts immediately with the "A" entries and proceeds through "Z" - no prefaces, introductions, etc. There are two indexes, a general index which usefully ties related entries together (think about it - you don't need an A-Z index for the entries themselves), and a recipe index. Both are brief and to the point. Although this is a huge volume of approximately 1,300 pages, it lies flat when opened. This is a reference volume meant for quick and easy use.
Larousse has been in print since 1938. The professionals who endorse it read like a who's who in cooking, starting with the quote from Jacques Pepin on the inside of the dust jacket: "The Larousse is the first place I look when I need to clarify a cooking question. The greatest reference book."
Essential.
Book Review: Considerably shallower than the 1969 original translation :(
Summary: 3 Stars
I just bought the 1969 first edition for $45 at a used shop. I hadn't noticed that the modern version reviewed here was actually on remainder for 5 bucks less -- the cashier pointed this out to me, and I went back to compare. There was a note in the old edition saying "This (better) ed OP". I trust my local bookshop, so I put them side by side, and was shocked to find that a *large* number of recipes have been excised from the original edition. In some cases it's merely the omission of a few variations under a heading [see "achar" -- from 3 recipes to 1 in the new], but in many cases it's a wholesale excision [see "ketchup" -- no recipe in current version AFAICT].
I believe very much in cookbooks that do one thing and do it right -- ethnic cookbooks dedicated solely to their particular cuisines. A grand unified cookbook is a noble undertaking, but in this edition it appears that depth has been sacrificed to include a broader range of items in less-than-ideal detail.
I have been saddened in recent years to see the great cookbooks watered down or losing focus -- the new Joy of Cooking feels much the same to me when compared to my mother's version.
Bottom line: Larousse had a great vision -- an encyclopaedia of *French* Cuisine. The addition of other cuisines by the editors should not have been undertaken without the same attention to detail. The end result is still a massive and relevant book, but lacks the focus and truly stunning depth of the original.
If they decide to compile a 10,000-page multivolume compendium, then we'll be talking. Until then, I'm sticking with the older editions.
Book Review: THE must have cooking bible
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this book for my husband's birthday. He's a fairly accomplished cook but also has an interest in cooking terminology. For those who don't cook, we dont really care if our julienne vegies are out by half a mil etc ... however its important to those who love their cooking and like to do it well. This book, or bible as some would call it, is literally quite simply brilliant. Absolutely anything and everything you wish to know about cooking and food, is in there ... right down to 'how to boil an egg'! Hence quite a handy tool for those aren't so swish in the kitchen, when their private chefs are away!
I personally may not be so prominent in the kitchen, but I have a fascination for table etiquette ... and there is a wonderful section which goes into great lengths on how a table should be set, pending on the event
There are oodles of 'cooking bibles' out there, some of which are very worthy classics ... but I do believe this one ... takes the cake!
ps before purchasing, I asked my french sister in law her opinion on this book. I was expecting the typical french 'pff waste of time' return comment, but she also highly recommeneded it.