Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts

This friendly volume is crisp, concise (tens of thousands of entries in just under 500 pages), and attractive. It is not only inexpensive, but possibly one of the best culinary dictionaries available for the home cook who simply wants a decent resource for occasional questions. My basic test for a culinary reference book is to look up "falernum" (a by-product of rum distillation which is used as a flavoring in fruit desserts--sort of along the lines of grenadine). Well, "falernum" isn't in here, but so much other stuff is that I'm not complaining.The pronunciations are a little iffy on foreign language terms, and the definition brevity is sometimes confusing (kiu is listed as "an ancient Chinese beer." OK. Does that make it a beer from ancient times, or a really old fermented brew that's currently available?). Still, these are minor quibbles for an admirably complete book.

I found this to be the best culinary dictionary if your purpose is for quick reference, pronounciations and the ability to actually find a particular word. If already in this industry, or an accomplished home gourmet it is a great reference. It was one particular term that sent me on this quest to find a well written and complete dictionary of culinary terms. If you are looking for a more complex reference that includes tables and formulation references, then perhaps a chef's companion would be a better choice, but for entries this is #1.

This is the ultimate information resource for the curious cook. The information is accurate and includes almost every ingredient, food, or recipe description a new cook could ever want to know. I was dissapointed not to find a description of Fleur de Sel which is the best salt you can purchase. With that said, I really have no other complaints. A work which includes so many multicultural ingredient explanations is worth all 5 stars. ~The Rebecca Review

I love this book. If you have any culinary questions, then this is the book to purchase. It helps so much with terminology. I'm always wondering what things are and what they mean. This book was perfect.

I'm a Professional chef and l have questions all the time. I love the books that have all the answers. It has pictures and drawings that l can show my crew what something looks like instead of explaining.