Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques
This book is not so much a collection of recipes, as it is a collection of techniques. Yes there are recipes included - rather good ones I should add - but the point of this book is to learn how to cook them not the way to cook them.Too often badly written cookbooks simply overlook the whole technique aspect of the kitchen. The novice cook often finds themselves lost in a sea of references with nothing to indicate what is required for them to do. Sure, most cooks know how to quarter a chicken correctly, but it is a daunting task for someone who simply sees the instruction for the first time in a book.
This tome is the solution. Pepin is really writing for a more advanced audience but he never assumes any aspect of the kitchen a cook of any experience level might find interesting. Included is everything from how to sharpen the knife to the proper way to prepare a bouquet garni to the ins and outs of cutting up just about any piece of meat. He also gives a comprehensive treatment to pastries and desserts that many will find a godsend.
In short, this is the book you need to have before you pick up that lavish cookbook you have your eye on.
more: Cookbooks
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