Essential Cook: Everything You Really Need to Know About Foods and Cooking
Published: 8/5/2013
It has been said that, "If you can read a recipe, you can cook." The sad truth is that many cooks today do not know enough of the basics of foods and cooking to translate recipes to cook with confidence, let alone creatively. My Cooking Coach is a 500 page cornucopia of cooking knowledge that provides, as its slogan states, "Cooking Knowledge at Your Fingertips!" All of this cooking knowledge comes from a revised version…

This book is an excellent resource for any level of cook and contains three section. Each section is organized by food type and includes detailed directions.

 

Part One: First, You Steal a Chicken – How to Plan, Select, Store, Prepare, Cook, Flavor and Serve Most Foods

 

Chapter 1 – Prepackaged Foods – Frozen, Canned and Dried

Chapter 2 – Essential Ingredients

Chapter 3 – Eggs

Chapter 4 – Poultry

Chapter 5 – Fish and Shellfish

Chapter 6 – Meats

Chapter 7 – Vegetables and Other Foods Called

 

Part Two: How Good Cooks Do it – Basic Cooking methods and Techniques

 

Chapter 8 – About Recipes ~ Cooking from a recipe, converting a recipe, etc.

Chapter 9 – Three (and Maybe Four) Ways to Cook: Basic Cooking Methods and Techniques ~ Cooking in liquids, dry heat, in fats, microwave cooking, etc.

Chapter 10 – Combination Cookery: What to do with Leftovers ~ Casseroles, marinades, stews, hash, salads, etc.

Chapter 11 – Hot Sauces ~ Gravy, white sauce, tomato sauce, butter sauce, etc.

Chapter 12 – Cold Sauces or Dressings ~ Mayonnaise, vinaigrette dressing, etc.

 

Part Three: How to Set a Dining Table and Other Facts of Life

 

This is not a typical cookbook. It is a book that deserves to be kept in the kitchen so you can refer to it regularly. You can use it to learn how to perform a particular task or confirm information you already have. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to be a better cook.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this review