little help from the noobs

[impolyt_one]

Bought this book maybe 6 years ago or something, it's got fewer of the detailed step by steps (it's not a large book by any means) but has a ton of basic type stuff in it, I really liked it a lot for some reason. Recipes kinda run the gamut from lowbrow to some more interesting stuff, it's all Japanese Youshoku stuff so that can include a lot - it's got hamburg steaks of course, but also rillettes, some interesting gratins and stuff and it goes through a little bit on sauce making, etc. Little points on the corner of each page on basics, like tying a bouquet garni, homemade ketchup and stuff, little secrets for extending sauces, etc.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/『ランチの女王』直伝-洋食レシピ-辻調理師専門学校/dp/4594036775

This one is fun too, 'Lee' is a famous series of home oriented books. This one has more step by steps for specific dishes, really stuffy looking plating that looks like stuff I ate in the 1980's, etc.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/洋食バイブル-残したい...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312096020&sr=1-1

 

[kwilkinson]



how to pick a peach (no dicksuck. god i love this book. learned so much about veggies)

Yes. Awesome book. And his other book, How to read a french fry.

I think we all know how to cook proteins, but whats difficult is trying to put together sauces and accoutrements with the proteins.

Hell to the no. Very few people know how to properly cook proteins. Even fewer know how to properly enjoy them.


Culinary Artistry had a big impact on me when I was teh newb, although compared to some here I still am teh newb.

 

[philosophe]

I've learned the most from the usual French sources, plus Deborah Madison and Alice Waters on vegetables.

I think that Simple to Spectacular, by Bittman and Vongerichten, is a good book for beginners; the recipes treat the same ingredient in ascending order of difficulty.

 

[edinatlanta]

My love for Bittman is documented on SF and I'll say his stuff is good for beginners as it shows very basic ways to cook a bunch of stuff and the way he always says "put in more or less depending what you want" is kind of good because it keeps dudes from getting all worked up over getting ingredients exact.

 

[Piobaire]

Impolyt mentioned sauces. I'm still pretty deficient in this but can now make a couple mother sauces thanks mainly to this board. I think maybe the column could guide people into a deeper understanding of cooking and what differentiates Sunday meatloaf type cooks (not dissing meatloaf!) from a good home chef and pro chef. Thinking in terms of sauces is really one of those things and something I'm just coming to. So what I'm saying it leading folks into that next level.

 

[itsstillmatt]



Impolyt mentioned sauces. I'm still pretty deficient in this but can now make a couple mother sauces thanks mainly to this board. I think maybe the column could guide people into a deeper understanding of cooking and what differentiates Sunday meatloaf type cooks (not dissing meatloaf!) from a good home chef and pro chef. Thinking in terms of sauces is really one of those things and something I'm just coming to. So what I'm saying it leading folks into that next level.

This is a good idea, though it isn't an easy task. Still, I think food writers, in papers and books, misunderestimate )) the fascination learning cooks have with sauces. Really, even though sauces no longer run through the mothers, they are still pretty systematic and once you learn the logic, you have pretty much cracked the whole code.