In this unrivaled practical guide, one of America's most widely respected chefs/teachers/cookbook authors distills his vast knowledge and experience into the more than one hundred essential techniques that every cook needs to know. One hundred fifty recipes and I, 100 photographs unravel the mysteries of the method and provide practical application on the spot. Here are answers to just about every cooking question, from the simple (whyyou shouldn't leave slices of apple sitting in water) to the sublime (whyyou should want to roast a whole saddle of lamb).
Basics
HOW TO:
Peel Vegetables
Shuck, Stem, Trim, and
Seed Vegetables
Cut Up Vegetables and
Herbs
Prepare Fruits
Take the Meat out of a
Coconut
Make a Chicken Broth
Make a Fish Broth
Make a Crustacean Broth
Make a Green Salad
Make a Vinaigrette
Make Infused Oils
Make a Mayonnaise
Make a Hollandaise Sauce
Clarify Butter
Make a Flavored Butter
Make a Beurre Blanc 48
Make a Tomato Sauce so
Make Fresh Egg Pasta
Dough
Roll and Cut Fresh Pasta
Dough
Make Stuffed Pasta
Shapes
Make Gnocchi
Make Blini and Crepes
Cook Risotto, Pilaf,
Fluffy Rice, and Paella
Determine Doneness of
Foods
Vegetables and Fruits
HOW TO:
Roast Vegetables
Make a Vegetable Gratin
Slow-Cook (Braise)
Green Vegetables
Glaze Root Vegetables
Deep-fry Vegetables
Make Potato Chips and
French Fries
Grill Vegetables
Steam and Boil
Vegetables
Saute Vegetables
Cook Artichokes
Make Mashed Potatoes
and Other Vegetable
and Fruit PurGes
Make a Vegetable Flan
Make a Chunky
Vegetable SOUD
Make a Creamy
Vegetable Soup
Roast Fruit
Poach Fruit
Fish and Shellfish
HOW TO:
Poach a Big Fish
Poach a Small Fish
Poach Fish Steaks and
Fillets, Small Whole
Fish, and Shellfish
Cook Fish Fillets en
Papillote
Bake Fish and Make a
Sauce at the Same Time
(Braise)
Roast a Whole Fish
Deep-fry Seafood
Grill Seafood
Saute Seafood for a Crisp
Crust
Cook Squid (and Other
Tentacled Creatures)
Stir-fry in a Wok
Steam Shellfish
Shuck Oysters
Prepare Lobster
Prepare Soft-shell Crabs
Cook Crayfish
Use Salted Anchovies
Make Miso Soup
……