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Books and other information sources.
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THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF
Recognized as the definitive cooking school textbook, the Culinary Institute of America's The Professional Chef is also the perfect guide for independent study at home. More than 1,000 pages are packed into the voluminous seventh edition, with information and recipes designed to teach technique. It is so comprehensive, it could be the only cookbook you need to own. Almost guaranteed to answer any question you could possibly imagine, The Professional Chef is one of the most useful reference books ever written for the kitchen.
With thousands of photos showing step-by-step instructions, you'll learn to identify and trim any kind of meat, seafood, fruit, and vegetable, and extensive photos and descriptions of spices, pasta, and grains take the guesswork out of new and unusual recipes. Seemingly complicated techniques for recipes such as Hollandaise Sauce are described with photos and with so many tips, tricks, and troubleshooting guides you feel as though an instructor is cooking alongside you. Organized from the simplest techniques and most basic information to the more complicated, you can use this book as a reference guide, a resource for increasing your confidence in the kitchen, or as a recipe-filled cookbook. The seventh edition has been completely reworked to include more-contemporary techniques alongside classic, more-sophisticated recipes, and there's greater emphasis on food safety, nutrition, and technology in the kitchen. --Leora Y. Bloom
BECOMING A CHEF
Andrew Dornenburg, Karen Page
The updated edition of the book Julia Child called "a 'must' for aspiring chefs"-the James Beard Award-winning guide to one of today's hottest careers
With more and more chefs achieving celebrity status, interest in the exciting world of today's leading chefs is higher than ever. Essential reading for anyone who loves food, Becoming a Chef gives an entertaining and informative insider's look at this dynamic profession, going behind the scenes to look into some of the most celebrated restaurant kitchens across the nation. More than 60 leading chefs-including some of the newest up-and-coming-discuss the inspiration, effort, and quirks of fate that turned would-be painters, anthropologists, and football players into culinary artists.
Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (both of New York, NY) are the authors of the bestselling titles Culinary Artistry, Dining Out, Chef's Night Out. Dornenburg has cooked professionally at Arcadia, Judson Grill, and March in New York City and Biba and the East Coast Grill in Boston. Page, the recipient of the 1997 Melitta Bentz Award for Women's Achievement, is a graduate of the Harvard Business School.
THE SEASONING OF A CHEF
“I have never read a better book about the passion and commitment and mind-boggling energy it takes to turn oneself into a world-class chef. I think coal mining or putting out fires in oil fields would be easier work. The book has all the markings of a classic text.”
—Pat Conroy
“The Seasoning of a Chef is riveting—it’s the ultimate insider’s account. But it’s not about cooking. It’s about obsession. Doug Psaltis rose to the top of New York’s food chain because of his relentless, almost unnerving, single-minded quest for perfection.
Wherever Psaltis is cooking, I’m eating.”
—Patricia Volk, author of Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family
“The long hours, the cuts and burns, the personal sacrifices – all are part of The Seasoning of a Chef, and all well-documented in this chronicling of Doug Psaltis’ professional journey from a Greek diner in Queens to celebrated restaurants in the culinary stratosphere. This book shouldn’t be missed by aspiring culinarians wanting to know what the behind-the-scenes life of a chef on the rise is really like.”
—Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, James Beard Award-winning authors of Becoming a Chef, Culinary Artistry, and The New American Chef.
The Perfectionist : Life and Death in Haute Cuisine
Rudolf Chelminski
Loiseau's story gives Chelminski a chance to explore many aspects of haute cuisine, and he seizes it with brio. His chapter on Loiseau's apprenticeship leads to an interesting discussion of "a tradition that was descended straight from the Middle Ages, the system of compagnonnage through which French artisans of all sorts had been formed since time beyond memory, moving from master to master over the years in a tour de France." His chapter on the Guide Michelin is equally informative, all the more so since the famous tire company that began producing the guide in 1900 as a "promotional stunt" goes to great lengths to keep its inner workings secret. Many of France's most celebrated chefs parade across Chelminski's pages, and he deftly characterizes and distinguishes among them. Considering that their trade is implacably competitive and that much of their time is spent preparing ridiculously elaborate meals for ridiculously rich people, it's remarkable that so many of them seem so decent and generous.
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