The Professional Chef
by Culinary Institute of America
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Book Reviews of The Professional Chef
Book Review: Refining what Mom taught you
Summary: 5 Stars
I, like so many others, learned to cook in my mother's kitchen. I learned so much from my mother and I will always be greatful. She laid a foundation and The Professional Chef has polished it and made me a much better cook. I agree with everyone here, the recipes may not be useful if you don't cook for commercial-sized crowds of 30-100 people, but that's not why you need this book. This teaches you the 'why' of cooking, the science and technique that make cooking an art, rather than a chore. From explaining the science behind browning meat to teaching you different cuts of veggies, read this one like a novel, not like a cookbook. You'll be a better cook for it, but just don't tell your Mom you got that way from a book!
Finally, the brushed stainless steel finish on the book makes it a beautiful addition to your kitchen. It definitely has that 'coffee table book' quality.
Book Review: An excellent source of reference
Summary: 5 Stars
This seventh edition of a Culinary Institute of America classic is an excellent reference guide and source of recipes for the serious chef/cook. Note I said "serious" because it is most definitely not intended for the beginning chef or cook. The recipes are written with the intent of providing large quantities of prepared foods and can be quite complex.Ingredients may not be available in all areas and the "average" home kitchen will not have all the equipment necessary to produce some of the recipes. That said, the basics of the book including sections on nutrition and ingredients were a more interesting read than I had expected and I learned a great deal. The companion study guide helps to reinforce the information learned.
Covering all facets of cooking from sauces to desserts The Professional Chef provides an amazing amount of information in one text.
Book Review: If you only own one cookbook, it should be this one.
Summary: 5 Stars
Here is an introductory textbook on cooking. By introductory I mean it is complete, covering all the basics from gutting fish to French toast. While intended for the student enrolled in a professional culinary program, or as a reference for the working chef, it is useful for the serious amateur too.
To get the most from this book, you have to be prepared to embrace a technique, rather than ingredent, based approach to preparing dishes. For example, the fish recipes are not collected under seafood. Instead you'll find them spread out between sections on grilling, poaching and baking following a detailed introduction to each cooking method. If that, or the fact that the recipes are usually scaled for 10 servings or more, bothers you, then this book isn't for you.
This is a beautiful book full of useful, practical information to help you cook better. I adore it.
Book Review: Great book, must buy for culinary students
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was well worth the price because it was used as a reference in many of my classes in culinary school. It's very thorough and has helped me become one step closer to becoming a chef. However, for my baking and advanced baking classes in culinary school, my study group and I used the following study guides:Study Guide for Baking: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations ISBN: 0974328707
Study Guide for Advanced Baking: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations ISBN: 0974328715
These last two study guide were right on the mark for helping us know what to prepare for on the test. It helped us to decrease out study time because it showed us the type of questions that showed up on our baking and advanced baking exams. We all got A's with the aid of these 2 books. These 3 books are must buys.
Book Review: Worth every cent, VERY thorough!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an exceptional reference that was well worth the cost (especially at 30 percent off!) I managed three restaurants about ten years ago and I can tell you this book is about as thorough as a single tome can come. The book is written in plain English and contains clear descriptions on wealth of important subjects including nutrition, rotating stock, selecting and inspecting all types of meat, fish and produce, descriptions of utensils and their proper uses, creating menus, kitchen safety (look in the table of contents for more details.) All that, complemented by 100's of recipes makes this book a great investment. Business plan aside, this book provides enough information to take a lamen off the street and provide the knowledge to start a restaurant. While no one book has everything, I could not think of a better reference.