The Professional Chef
by Culinary Institute of America
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Book Reviews of The Professional Chef
Book Review: This is a culinary school textbook, not a cookbook
Summary: 3 Stars
Billing itself as THE text book of one of THE top culinary schools in America, I had high expectations when I plunked down $40+ dollars for it ... expectations that were only partially met.
The most important thing to remember about this book is that it's a TEXTBOOK, not a cook book. Granted, the material is about food and cooking, yes, but if you buy it with the expectation of finding out the best and tastiest ways to make a given classic recipe, you're going to be sorely disappointed.
Why ?
This book is basically overview material on a wide variety of ingredient and food preparation related subjects.
You'll see, for instance, a picture of what carrots look like when they've been chopped, diced, julienned, fine burnois'd (1/16" square dice), and cut into various other shapes ... but you're not going to find a lot of indepth textual or photographic material on knife selection, care and cutting technique - the book assumes you'll be taught that information in a separate in-person class on knife skills. It's just overview here.
If you look up a recipe on, say, classic American chili ... you'll find a tiny little recipe in the back that gives you a basic, stripped down, no-frills highly minimalistic recipe with very brief instructions ... the reader (student) is left to flesh it out, season it up and otherwise put their own personal/regional spin on it. There's no pontificating whatsoever on the various styles of chili. If you want that, the book assumes you'll go buy a book on chili and learn it on your own.
There are exceptions - stock making and consumme, for instance, is covered in depth.
Bottom line: this is a good overview book for freshmen culinary school students, but if you're a home cook looking for a good book of solid recipes with fully fleshed directions, you'll be much happier with something like "The Complete Joy of Cooking" or "The Best Recipe".
Book Review: Improvements already!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been cooking since I was about 12, and in all the time since then I've basically been doing the exact same thing. Chop this, bake that. I hadn't really improved my cooking skills or learned anything new in years. I wanted to challenge myself. So I did a little research and decided to buy this book.
I've had it for a little less than two weeks now, and I am still amazed at the sheer depth of information in it. Not only are the recipes delicious, but the step-by-step instructions make even the most difficult concept easy to follow along.
Last night I made medaglione di bue alla pizzaioli with sauted potatoes for my entire extended family and chocolate XS cake after. Without a doubt the most complex meal I've ever made, and thanks to the crystal-clear instructions it all came out perfectly.
It should be said that most of the recipes take a lot of time and energy to make. If you include the time to make the sauce, it's rare to find a recipe that will take less than a few hours. But if you take a few hours over the weekend and make a couple good stocks and broths they'll last quite some time.
Already I've learned a lot, and am now much more aware of the balance between art and science that cooking really is. With every page I read and every recipe I try I improve my skills. This book is exactly what I wanted. Not just another cookbook, this spends as much time on technique as it does listing recipes.
This book is way more than you need if you're just looking for a cookbook, and will do nothing for you if you're not willing to spend hours preparing a single meal. But if you've got the patience to dedicate to the art that is gourmet food, then this is probably the most rewarding book you could ever hope for.
Book Review: This is NOT a cook book it is a text book
Summary: 5 Stars
As a current career changer and a student at The Culinary Institute of America I am heartened and also dismayed by some of these reviews. ProChef is an integral part of our daily experiences here in Hyde Park. It is also a part of most professional kitchens across America.
That said, it is important to understand that ProChef IS NOT a cook book. If that is what you are looking for, your local book store can provide you with plenty of those. Or, sign onto the FoodTV web site. ProChef is a text book that illustrates classical techniques that are subsequently used to create the recipes that are in the text.
If you are looking for a book that teaches the proper techniques for making stocks and their importance in everyday cooking or how to make any of the mother sauces and their derivitives this book will present the bare bone basics of cooking and their methods.
Does it have errors? We acknowledge that. In the new edition to soon be released, they will be corrected. Also, I believe that the index leaves a lot to be desired and we have made this known to the powers that be.
But, in training to become a chef, it is important that you need to able to adapt, improvise and overcome any inconsistancies in product quality and/or quantities for a recipe to truely work.
Remeber, this text is used in conjunction to what we are learning in the classroom or kitchen. We have study guides that coincide with each class that contain recipes that we cook for service. We are taught to constantly taste our food as we are cooking it and make adjustments in seasoning and ingredients as needed. Something the young student from Chicago seems to have failed to do while making her Pumpkin Bisque.
Book Review: Magnifique!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, this is not just a "cook book". It is a book about cooking and there is a huge distinction. In many ways it defies description...it is a homage to Larousse in its references to (and admiration of) classical French cuisine but it is not a didactic recitation of rules nor is it a mind-boggling tome about the science of cooking.First of all, it is eminently readable and beautiful to view. The pictures are all full-color and offer minute details rarely found in other cookbooks. The steps for cleaning soft-shelled crab are a work of art. It is a guide "for the professional chef" which includes those folks who make money cooking or those amateurs who prepare elaborate meals for the sheer artistry and taste. What is most helpful are the "basics" - the little things that professionals do that makes their food taste so good.
The first few chapters deal with the basics BUT is written with a professional in mind (how to buy meats in quantity, compute cost per meal, appropriate actions of kitchen workers, many descriptions). Then there are chapters on the science of cooking which require more than one reading. Following that we come to sauces, creams, soups, broths and roux - in my opinion, without a doubt, the most important items in the book since these form the basis of every reputable kitchen.
A meticulous step-by-step approach is explained and illustrated in the best single-volume presentation of its kind. Always, there are little hints and common sense rules. Identifying meats, vegetables, fish precede actual recipes that are simply mouth-watering. WARNING*** This is not a tome for beginners but is quite possible the best teacher outside of a classroom you will ever find.
Book Review: Make this one your core technique book
Summary: 5 Stars
I've always believed that the serious amateur chef (or skier, auto mechanic, or gardener) can always benefit from professional training and approach. The Professional Chef (7th ed., 2002) is promulgated by the venerable Culinary Institute of America (the other CIA). It is the institute's complete basic professional course. The book is profusely, nay, minutely, illustrated.Since The Professional Chef is a text, written based on the CIA's experience in teaching food techniques to thousands of students who often come to the Institute knowing next to nothing about food, it is organized for learning. The book gives full detail on every basic culinary technique, explains scientific backgrounds of major food phenomena, repeats and recapitulates nicely. This is a serious text, but of course you do not have to master the whole thing.
Ever wanted to really know how to cut a carrot? The Professional Chef will give you illustrations and exact instructions on julienne, batonnet, brunoise, paysanne, fermière, lozenge, rondelle, and tourné techniques. Preparation techniques for individual vegetables-onion, garlic, leeks, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, chestnuts, corn, artichokes, peas, avocados, asparagus-get their own illustrated spreads.
Lest you begin to think "this is way too much detail for me," bear in mind that the CIA has bent over backwards to make these materials superbly usable and didactically sound. Dip often into this true resource; double dip if no one is looking.
Food writer Elliot Essman's other reviews and food articles are available at www.stylegourmet.com