Why the Library Is Awesome

May 9, 2008

On Monday I searched through the University of Cincinnati’s online library catalog for some of the technique-based books that I was considering for a new series on, well, techniques. They didn’t have Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques or The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America, but they did have a few others that caught my eye. I thought I’d give a quick update on what I’ve received so far.

On Cooking, by Labenksy and Hause

This book is a tome of information and recipes. It gives a good amount of explanation on techniques and has great photos. Another cool feature is a ‘Mise en place’ box in its recipes that shows you what to have prepped before cooking. The downside is that it might be a little recipe heavy for me at this point.

Culinary Fundamentals, by the American Culinary Federation

This is a another textbook of culinary basics. I like this book because it is less recipe based and focuses more on techniques. A recipe doesn’t even appear until page 304 and the chapters are mostly divided by technique, not food. I also like that it explains the technique first in detail, and then provides what it calls a benchmark recipe - the basic one you need to know.

At the end of each chapter it not only has questions (like On Cooking), but it gives a cooking assignment. The chapter on soups, for example, asks you to prepare one soup recipe but portion it into hot, medium, and cold temperature cups, taste the soup as it cools in each one and notice how the flavor changes. These could be fun.

The Professional Chef’s Knife Kit, by the Culinary Institute of America

I wasn’t planning on a book about knife skills, but I remembered a reader (ntsc I believe) recommending this one or one close to it. It is a pretty cool book with good illustrations on how to cut using a variety of techniques. It also goes into some detail on cutting individual foods, although it focuses more on fruit and vegetables to the neglect of meat, poultry and seafood. I am considering doing a series on this as well.

What do you think? Any opinions on what you’d like to read?

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