101 Things I Learned in Culinary School [Hardcover]

Louis Eguaras (Author), Matthew Frederick (Illustrator, Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2010 | Series: 101 Things I Learned

Louis Eguaras, Vice Chair of the Culinary Arts Department at Los Angeles Mission College, provides readers with a terrific overview of food preparation, cooking, and presentation, along with insights into how to survive and thrive in the culinary profession. 101 illustrated lessons inform the reader on everything from the history of food to how to properly hold a knife, from kitchen organization to food preparation, and from plate presentation to restaurant management.

This installment in the popular 101 THINGS I LEARNED® book series will enlighten and entertain readers who are considering or are already enrolled in culinary school, as well as established culinary professionals and casual "foodies."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Expanding on the success of his 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, architect and urban designer Frederick picks the brain of former White House staff chef Eguaras, now a professor at the California School of Culinary Arts. Though slim, this book is all meat with no fat: Eguaras offers tips on everything from calibrating a meat thermometer to getting the most out of a whole chicken, keeping salad dressing from separating (use an emulsifier like mayo or mustard), putting out a grease fire (smother with a pan lid, never use water) and identifying poisonous foods. Line drawings by architect Frederick provide clear illustration of Eguaras's concepts, as well as clever cartoon counterpoints. Peppered with cogent quotes and trivia (the world's oldest cookbook was written by a first century Roman), this culinary crash course is sure to surprise and enlighten even the most informed gourmands. Other volumes in the 101 Things series are set to follow.

Review

"...this book is all meat with no fat....sure to surprise and enlighten even the most informed gourmands."
-- Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; 1 edition (May 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446550302
• ISBN-13: 978-0446550307
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Professional Cooking > Professional
  • #76 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Gastronomy > History

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars nice booklet May 8, 2010

By mikemac9

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

If this was published as a 15-page pamphlet I would give it 5 stars. However its not worth the $10.20 Amazon is selling it for. While nominally 200 pages, 1/2 the facing pages just have a simple illustration on them. On the pages that DO have printing, its usually just a paragraph or list of items centered on a page. And the pages are about the size of a large postcard. So while this book *does* have useful info and tips in it, I think of it more as a pamphlet in book form rather than a real book. Picked up for $2-5 it might be worth it, but I think its overpriced at $10.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars great for beginners! June 15, 2010

By Billie-Jo Tozer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought one for myself & one for my stepson (age 16) who desires to go to culinary school. I am not a chef, but I am very fluent and creative in the kitchen. This book is great for picking up tips and tricks, & PERFECT for beginners!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great starting points. July 12, 2010

By Javier Medina

Format:Hardcover

This book is not a textbook. It is a platform.

It coalesces information by subject into condensed packets. Some pages are brief, yet effective. Other pages can inspire you into hours of research. This book has opened my eyes to a whole new realm of culinary possibility.

Best of all. Its an easy and quick read.