Tools & Techniques
by Williams-Sonoma
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Book Summary Information
Author: Williams-SonomaForeword: Thomas Keller
Editor: Chuck Williams
Editor: Jennifer Newens
Photographer: Tucker & Hossler
Edition: Hardcover
Format: Illustrated
Published: 2008-03-01
ISBN: 1934533033
Number of pages: 350
Publisher: Gold Street Press
Book Reviews of Tools & Techniques
Book Review: The New Kitchen Reference
Summary: 5 Stars
Tools & Techniques.
If anyone has read my blog or any of my equipment reviews here, you know I'm a kitchen gadget junkie. I also have a number of cookbooks. Would Tools & Techniques be worth it? You betcha.
This book is wonderful! You can find beautiful food photography throughout the book. It is truly a reference worth adding to your kitchen library. You can use it to replace whatever general cookbook you're using, like the Betty Crocker Cookbook or the Better Homes & Garden's Cookbook. Trust me.
Tools
While not quite exhaustive, this book is quite comprehensive. There about 50 pages dedicated to tools. The book provides a brief description of each tool and, in some cases, instructions for use. Everything is well-written and easy to understand. This book doesn't go into the same level of detail about the "how" something works like Alton Brown's Gear. Additionally, Gear is Brown's philosophy about exactly what you need in your kitchen. Tools & Techniques makes no such recommendation. It's understood that you should buy it all (it is a Williams-Sonoma book.)
The sections are:
-Bakeware: baking sheets; pie & tart pans; cake pans; and other bakeware
-Bakeware Materials
-Baking Tools: pie & pastry tools and cake-baking tools
-Cook's Tools: general tools; bowls; graters & shredders; strainers; fish & shellfish tools; meat & poultry tools; fruit & vegetable tools; and specialty tools
-Cookware: basic cookware & specialty cookware
-Cookware Materials
-Cutlery & Accessories: basic knives; specialty tools; cutting tools; sharpeners & honing devices; and other cutlery and accessories
-Knife Construction
-Electrics: blenders, mixers & food processors and specialty electrics
-Grilling Tools: basic grilling tools and grilling accessories
-Measuring Tools & Timers: measuring tools and thermometers
-Pasta & Bread Equipment: pasta equipment and bread & pizza equipment
Techniques
The majority of the book is spent on techniques. There are 312 different techniques and recipes. These range from the basic like whipping cream to the advanced like puff pastry. I found the fish and pasta section to be robust. I would have liked to see an herb guide (pairing herbs with foods) and the meat maps that show where the various cuts are on the animals.
The sections are:
-Baking & Pastry Basics
-Breads & Batters
-Cakes
-Cookies & Bars
-Cooking Basics
-Egg Cookery
-Fish
-Fruit
-Grains & Legumes
-Grilling Basics
-Herbs & Spices
-Knife Skills
-Meat
-Pasta
-Pies & Tarts
-Poultry
-Sauces
-Shellfish
-Stocks
-Vegetables
I recommend this book to almost everyone. If you have only one cookbook, get this one. If you are a beginning cook, get this one. If you are an intermediate cook, get this one. If you're advanced and already know how to make puff pastry, French lamb and make choux pastry, you don't need this book.
Summary of Tools & Techniques
Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques is your road map to cooking success. A comprehensive guide to basic tools and equipment for the home kitchen, with special features explaining the differences among cookware materials and a primer on cutlery styles and uses, and a step-by-step tutorial on key cooking tasks--cutting vegetables into a variety of shapes; boning and skinning a chicken breast; filling and frosting a layer cake and moreit is a must-have for every kitchen.Also included are more than 50 recipe staples: perfect poached salmon, classic roast chicken, homemade chicken and beef stock, and dozens of vinaigrettes and sauces. Even when using a recipe from another cookbook, Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniqueswill be your guide to scores of kitchen tasks. With friendly explanations of 250 techniques, 200 tools, and over 1500 full-color photographs, whether you are anovice inthe kitchen or a seasoned home cook, this book is the ultimate source of kitchen wisdom.General Books
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