The Professional Chef by The Culinary Institute of America
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Book Reviews of The Professional Chef
Book Review: A New Standard
Summary: 5 Stars
Cookbooks are a dime a dozen. There are plenty of books out there that are filled with their fair share of mouth-watering recipes. What is rare is a book that tackles cooking from a conceptual and technical angle. Books like The Joy of Cooking or How to Cook Everything try to go beyond the typical cookbook and try to be kitchen manuals. But what those books are is cookbooks first, and books about how to cook second. The Professional Chef is culinary textbook akin to what you'd expect from an academic text for teaching a vocation.
As you might guess, the book approaches cooking as a profession. Culinary students will benefit from ample discussion not only of technique and cooking procedures, but also of the various other roles and skills demanded of chefs. For example, the book discusses the various systems and conventions of dividing labor in the kitchen, and describes the differences between an executive chef and a saucier chef. For those in culinary school or thinking about pursuing a culinary career or education, this book is perfect.
But for home cooks and cooking enthusiasts, don't assume that this book is not for you. If you're serious about cooking, even just as a hobby, there's something to be said about the comprehensive approach of learning techniques, terms, ingredients, and procedures in a structured way that proceeds from the simple to the complex--which is exactly what this book presents. It discusses and introduces the reader to nearly ever major ingredient and nearly every major cuisine. It's encyclopedic in the depth and breadth of the information within--much more so than the Joy of Cooking or similar books--and it gives the kind of technical training that one really needs in order to read, follow, alter, and otherwise truly understand recipes in the first place.
The recipes that are included--and there are many--include just about every major dish from every major cuisine. Goulash? Check. Béarnaise sauce? Check. Are dolmades your thing? It's in there. What about an authentic pad thai or summer roll? You'll find those too. What's great is that the text relates dishes so that similar dishes can be seen as progressions or alterations to basic techniques that are being covered. You learn how to braise, then you get various applications of that procedure from around the world. The text presents cooking from a truly global perspective, so students and readers won't find it difficult to tell how a single concept transcends dishes such as pilaf, risotto, cous cous, paella, pilua, or jambalaya and how the minor variations in technique and the focus on particular ingredients, flavors, and textures, makes these individual dishes what they are.
In short, you'll learn things in this book that you might not learn well or at all in any other book. The seriousness with which the text approaches cooking will benefit the home cook and help him or her to excel beyond the Rachel Rays and Paula Dean's of the world, while those aspiring to a future in the culinary arts will gain a solid introduction to the foundations of their chosen craft, discussing both the artform and the science and underlying mechanics of that artform. Everything from choosing equipment to the proper application of heat and a basic understanding of the physics behind it, will be found within these pages. The difference between this book and those aimed at home cooks is the difference between a college-level text on Spanish and a pocket guide of Spanish phrases. You might be able to quickly say "hello, my name is Pablo" or ask where the bathroom is, but you'll never really know the beauty of the language, nor ever really be able to understand it nor be able to say anything that hasn't already been laid out for you in that pocket guide if you lack a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals. Similarly, cooking is about more than recipes and incomplete knowledge... it's about methods, procedures, applications, techniques, ingredients, and the creative and artistic freedom to navigate within that framework in accordance with one's own style and flare.
Book Review: Excellent resource for foodies, casual, and professional chefs
Summary: 5 Stars
After taking two classes at the CIA, Soups, Stocks and Sauces and Cooking Principles 1, I've come to appreciate the well thought out planning and research that went into the Professional Chef 8th edition. My two culinary instructors Chef Kanner and Chef De Shetler both taught from the heart and gave excellent examples of why this book is top of the line. True there are other works out there that go the distance, such as Larousse Gastronomique, Mastering the Art of French Cooking and the Joy of cooking to name a few. Each has their own special nitch and this work certainly does the same even if at a large scale.
One reviewer wrote of how the recipes are simply in bulk and not scaled for the common cook, but if you look at why the book was written then you can see that the recipes are scaled as needed. If you work everyday in a production kitchen then simply do the math and break down the recipe for what you need or increase it just the same.
Within the first few pages you will begin to see the science and the art of cooking unfold before you and if you by chance get the pleasure of taking a culinary class or two at the Institute in Hyde park then you will certainly see first hand why this book is key to your culinary development. The chapters are straight forward and easy to read and give you as much information as needed to begin your culinary journey. With close to 50% off the cover price, this book is certainly worth purchasing and picking up a copy for friend that may be as equally interested in all things culinary.
You will not be disappointed in your purchase and I speak from experience when I say it's my go to source for culinary questions, ideas and concepts. I highly recommend this work for your culinary library no matter what the cost.
Book Review: Essential.
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a big foodie and have been for many years. This is my cooking bible along with "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee.
If you want a foundation in cooking that will allow your skills to spread like wildfire than this is the book you want. Part cookbook, part text - it teaches you the essentials then let's you spread your wings a bit with a variety of recipes from all over the world. Not the definitive source for every recipe, but the definitive source for techniques and application of those techniques to produce amazing food. Endorsed by the likes of Thomas Keller, Anthony Bourdain, and The Two Hot Tamales.
Does take some time and dedication on your part though. I spent a year reading and working through it (with previous editions). The newest offering is cleaned up, a few errors were fixed, more recipes, and includes a greatly expanded introductory section.
I first got on board with a tag-sale copy of the 6th edition. Wish I would have found it when I first became interested in cooking! I would easily pay $500 for it.
Book Review: A 'must bible' for any serious culinary collection.
Summary: 5 Stars
THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF has been named one of the five favorite professional culinary books of the last ten years by Food Arts, the professional magazine - and it's easy to see why. This revised, expanded edition for modern kitchens offers a blend of step-by-step cooking instructions and tips on techniques intrinsic to the aspiring chef's working routine. From nutrition to kitchen safety and specialty tools, techniques cover all dishes and restaurant situations and add charts and color photos throughout. Yes, there are plenty of recipes for everything from a basic broth to decorative food cutting - but it's the professional preparation details, also including easy sidebars of information as well as color photos of fish, herbs, and more which make THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF an outstanding college-level acquisition. Though many a home chef might take a look and learn, it's the neo-pro who will benefit here, making it a 'must bible' for any serious culinary collection.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Book Review: Professional Chef
Summary: 5 Stars
I received my book before the projected due date, which was great. However, I was disappointed that the spine of the book was damaged, but the rest of the book was perfect. I attempted to contact Amazon regarding the matter, even to point of returning it, but I could not get through to the page to let Amazon know of my issue. I just kept getting for re-routed back to my home page.
I am not sure if the damage to the spine was originally like that (from the warehouse)or if it was damaged during shipment. The packaging that the book was placed in was really poor, for a book of its size. The hardback book is a very heavy(contains over 1200 pages). If it would have rained, the book would have suffered water damage, because there were openings on both sides of the packaging and it didn't help that the UPS man just left the book at my front door, in the element.
Nevertheless, other than the spine issue, I was pleased with the timeframe in which the book arrived and the book.