cooking technique books?

[HollyDay]

I've been looking at The Great Courses Everyday Gourmet dvd series that is on sale at the moment.  I have a friend who bought it for her daughters and raves about it.  However, my dh pointed out that I tend to learn best from reading or using books with detailed pictures and instructions.  He's right.  I do prefer books to dvds or computers. 

 

Are there any really good technique books for cooking and baking?  I want to expand my cooking abilities.  I want to teach my dds more about cooking than I currently know. 

 

Suggestions??

[Farrar]

Everything from America's Test Kitchen.

[ELaurie]

Everything from America's Test Kitchen.

:iagree:

[ZeeMommy]

Ditto on America's Test Kitchen.  Do the online subscription and you get recipes and videos.  Or buy the books - one I have has detailed photo instructions and then you get the recipe.

 

[Anne]

Ditto America's Test Kitchen.

 

Also, How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson is good.

 

[wapiti]

For French style, I like Julia Child's cookbook (I'm sure there's more than one, LOL, but I forgot what it's called; I got it at Costco a few yrs ago)

[whitestavern]

The original Best Recipe cookbook!

[kitten18]

Everything from America's Test Kitchen.

I agree.

 

 

I also really like How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

[mamakim]

For French style, I like Julia Child's cookbook (I'm sure there's more than one, LOL, but I forgot what it's called; I got it at Costco a few yrs ago)

 

Julia Child's "The Way To Cook" is awesome for everything . . . that's the book I used to teach myself to cook when we first got married.

 

James Peterson's "Cooking" is another one that teaches well and is highly recommended (check out the Amazon reviews) (this is what we now give for wedding presents).

 

I have also heard highly recommended Madeleine Kamman's "The New Making of a Cook: The Art, Techniques, and Science of Good Cooking".

 

I prefer learning from cookbooks, too :-).

[LibraryLover]

Love Bittman . In the end, my motto is Keep It Simple! Bread and cheese w/fruit ( for the kids, about once a week, me), salads, avocados, roasted or grilled meat if you eat flesh. Grilled burgers. Grilled chicken thighs. Roasted whole chickens (so easy and welcomed) etc etc I do try for the highest quality ingredients I can afford. I've made meat sauces with 1/2lb of meat, for instance. If I'm paying $8 / lb for local grass fed, I'm going to stretch that. Veggies, even frozen, are great fillers.

[sunnyday]

I learned to cook from the Joy of Cooking. More recently, I got a lot out of the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. Simple, high-quality ingredients that highlight the cooking methods, and exquisite practical descriptions of those methods that can be adapted and enhanced. And then for more of a fine-tuning, I have the Science of Good Cooking from America's Test Kitchen. I like reading about the "whys" behind a cooking technique (or potential failure), but I think sometimes they add too many steps in the attempt to improve on old-fashioned methods.

[LibraryLover]

I learned to cook from the Joy of Cooking. More recently, I got a lot out of the Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters. Simple, high-quality ingredients that highlight the cooking methods, and exquisite practical descriptions of those methods that can be adapted and enhanced. And then for more of a fine-tuning, I have the Science of Good Cooking from America's Test Kitchen. I like reading about the "whys" behind a cooking technique (or potential failure), but I think sometimes they add too many steps in the attempt to improve on old-fashioned methods.

Dh gave me The Art of Simple Food for my birthday a couple of years ago. I love it, but it's very Alice Waters, kwim? I am an experienced cook, but I'm not sure it's a basic book. ? Maybe off-putting for some? I don't know. It's been really helpful to me. Love Alton Brown's explanations! America's Test Kitchen is great. Love the mag, love the show. But they make so much food I don't. My mouth waters reading or watching. If I cooked like that daily I would be morbidly obese. I'm that bad. lol But they sure know how to break it all down. They take the mystery out of cooking! But. Must. Choose. Recipes. Wisely.

[umsami]

In addition to the ones mentioned, I really liked this book by Marion Cunningham.  We still make her vinegar chicken and orzo and peas. :)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Cook-Marion-Cunningham/dp/0375401180/ref=la_B000APTV3C_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410068518&sr=1-7

 

 

I'm also going to put a plug in for the Better Homes and Garden red plaid cookbook.  I've found its recipes easy to follow, and the almost always turn out well. :)

[Alte Veste Academy]

I highly recommend America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook. http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cooking-School-Cookbook/dp/1936493527/ref=pd_sim_b_21?ie=UTF8&refRID=0KP59MH42J4406PFGB3D DD has been on a serious cooking kick lately and requested a "real" cookbook of her own. In other words, she did not want a kiddie cookbook or a hand-me-down from my collection, and she is weary of being constrained by my unfortunate need to instruct her with regard to skills, technique, ratios, etc. LOL She wants to do it all herself, including learn it... Sounds like a little me, which is very annoying! :tongue_smilie: Anyway, we checked out every cooking school type book and every technique book that our library carries and we both loved the one linked above the best. Our second favorite was one by Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything: The Basics. http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Basics-Food--/dp/0470528060/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410076949&sr=1-1&keywords=How+to+Cook+Everything%3A+The+Basics

[Jamee]

I'll second Good Eats. The books, and the series, are both fantastic.

[bibiche]

La Varenne Pratique by Anne Willan and La Technique by Jacques Pepin would be good for your preferred style of learning. Both are excellent books.

http://www.amazon.com/La-Varenne-Pratique-Anne-Willan/dp/0517573830

 

This seems to be an updated version of La Technique (along with La Methode, his other great book) and may be more accessible:

http://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410094489&sr=1-6&keywords=La+methode+and+la+technique

 

For learning to think about flavor combinations so that you can become less dependent on recipes once you have your technique down I recommend Culinary Artistry. I often have DS refer to this. It's a good "cheat sheet" and shortcut for someone who hasn't spent years cooking.

http://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410094847&sr=1-1&keywords=Culinary+artistry

[umsami]

La Varenne Pratique by Anne Willan and La Technique by Jacques Pepin would be good for your preferred style of learning. Both are excellent books.

 

Oh, that reminds me.  Jacques Pepin put out a book a few years back that includes a DVD with instructional videos.  He's a famous teacher, and he really is good.  May not be as snazzy/well-known these days as Food Network stars, but he's one of the greats.  It's called "Essential Pepin" http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Pepin-More-All-Time-Favorites/dp/0547232799/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410093423&sr=8-1&keywords=jacques+pepin

 

 

I think he's still on some PBS stations, and he really is a good teacher.  I remember back in the early 90s learning a lot from the show he had with his daughter called "Cooking with Claudine."

[mamakim]

La Varenne Pratique by Anne Willan and La Technique by Jacques Pepin would be good for your preferred style of learning. Both are excellent books.

http://www.amazon.com/La-Varenne-Pratique-Anne-Willan/dp/0517573830

 

This seems to be an updated version of La Technique (along with La Methode, his other great book) and may be more accessible:

http://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410094489&sr=1-6&keywords=La+methode+and+la+technique

 

For learning to think about flavor combinations so that you can become less dependent on recipes once you have your technique down I recommend Culinary Artistry. I often have DS refer to this. It's a good "cheat sheet" and shortcut for someone who hasn't spent years cooking.

http://www.amazon.com/Culinary-Artistry-Andrew-Dornenburg/dp/0471287857/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410094847&sr=1-1&keywords=Culinary+artistry

 

I like Pepin as well :-).

 

Another one that is just lists of flavor combinations to spark ideas once you've cooked through a good instructional book is The Flavor Bible. It's kind of fun - like, "Whoa, the sage in my garden is getting out of hand. I suppose I could do chicken, but yawn . . . let me grab The Flavor Bible and see what else I can do with some of it". 

[bibiche]

 

Another one that is just lists of flavor combinations to spark ideas once you've cooked through a good instructional book is The Flavor Bible. It's kind of fun - like, "Whoa, the sage in my garden is getting out of hand. I suppose I could do chicken, but yawn . . . let me grab The Flavor Bible and see what else I can do with some of it". 

 

Yep, this is from the same authors as Culinary Artistry, so it is bound to be good. :)