The Essential Cook: Everything You Really Need to Know about Foods and Cooking Except the Recipes

Just about everything that the home chef needs to know about the craft of fine cooking is covered within the pages of this book. I can't stress enough the importance of first principles in any discripline. Advancing one's skills in the kitchen becomes second nature when the practices are founded on a firm command of the basics.

When I was growing up, mothers did not ordinarily teach their sons very much about cooking. After all, women did all of the cooking. Right? ...WRONG!!!...This book teaches you what Mom could have but didn't, the basic principles of cooking. Why are some foods boiled in water, while others are fried in oil or roasted in the hot air of an oven? This book explains why, and it explains a hundred other principles that serve as the foundation on which to build your repertoire of recipes, but are also complete enough so that you can prepare many types of meals "from scratch", in absolutely basic form or with your own variations. I love this book!

Outstanding reference for beginners or experienced cooks. Covers everything about basic cooking techniques, sanitation and planning. Takes very basic "core" type recipes and offers suggestions for hundreds of variations. Out of print and hard to find, but well worth the effort. I recommend it highly.

I've had this book for years, and I am constantly returning to it. Not only does it have a sound foundation of classic techniques, but it covers all aspects of dining, from how to plan a menu, to preparation of all kinds of ingredients, to setting the table, to basic sanitation and kitchen organization. It really is like a "Joy of Cooking" of cooking techniques.