`Cooking' by culinary teacher extraordinaire, James Peterson has every symptom of being this veteran writer's magnum opus. Since Peterson has written many other excellent cookbooks, he may have created the problem for this book of living up to his earlier works. In fact, he has written the definitive book on `Sauces' plus `Fish and Shellfish', `Splendid Soups', `Essentials of Cooking', `Glorious French Food', and `What's a Cook to Do', which are among the best on their subject. This last volume is possibly the best book of the `Tips and Tricks' genre.
If you have none of Peterson's other books, your decision easy. Like most of his other books in their genres, this is among the best textbooks on cooking techniques for amateur cooks. Other books in this class are Madeleine Kamman's `The New Making of a Cook' and Darina Allen's `Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook'. It is better than the CIA's `The New Professional Chef', which is oriented toward restaurant cooking. The only cooking textbook I would recommend to supplement this book for most people is Jacques Pepin's classic `Complete Techniques'.
Peterson sees and says things which most other culinary writers miss or take for granted. High among this list of insights is that for the dedicated amateur cook, specific recipes are far less important than the mastering of general principals, so that one can reach that desirable plateau of culinary skill where you can cook without a cookbook. Two of my favorites I found in this book are the observation that olive oil is NOT a good oil for vinaigrettes (it becomes bitter) and when sautéing fish in aluminum pans, they must be heated quite hot or the fish will certainly stick.
To be sure, the objective of dedicating time exclusively to learning how to cook may not be for everyone. One can eat well and be well nourished by following Rachael Ray's recipes by rote, even if it takes you twice as long as the speedy Rachael. If cooking quickly is what you need, this book may not be for you (however, following Rachael's recipes is improved greatly by mastering techniques in this book). Thus, Peterson begins his book with a discussion of the ten basic cooking methods. From there, Peterson has chapters of recipes covering virtually every major ingredient and style of cooking. And, that is all he has. True to his title, this book is about `Cooking' and nothing else. It has no bibliography, no chapter on cooking equipment, no chapter on sanitation, no chapter on kitchen safety, and no chapter on nutrition. All of these things are important, but to paraphrase the famous line from `The Hustler', "This is Ames, Man. No gambling, no bowling, no card playing, just `Cooking'".
To enhance that concentration on cooking, Peterson begins with one of the best Tables of Contents I've seen in a fair while. Every recipe in the 22 chapters from `Starters' to `Cookies' is in the TofA. Another major feature of the book is the truly encyclopedic array of `How To' photographic essays demonstrating how to perform specific techniques. Like the insights and observations, this feature is also more important than the specific recipes. There are over 220 of these, more than the number of recipes you get in most cookbooks. Notable is the fact that all photographs in these series were taken by the author. By the author's count, there are 600 recipes in the book. It is obvious that this may not contain every recipe you may ever need (`Joy of Cooking' has 4000 recipes), but it is a pretty good bet that it contains virtually every familiar recipe, especially from the French canon and from the classic American table. Thus, this book becomes an excellent reference for when you wish to make a Caesar salad, a French Potato salad, veal Marsala, buttermilk biscuits, or a simple omelet. Not only will Peterson give you everything you need to know about making an omelet, he will offer up some insights about the process which may have even escaped Julia Child and Elizabeth David.
This is not to say every recipe will be the most authoritative last word. Since Peterson has already written the definitive book on `Sauces', his information on that subject will be sound, but not exhaustive. His recipe for buerre blanc in `Cooking' is less detailed than the recipe for the same sauce in `Sauces'. But then, `Sauces' was, to a certain extent, written for the professional chef.
Just as this is not the book for those who wish to be in and out of the kitchen quickly, it is also not for anyone with major weight loss issues. There is much butter, cream and pork fat to be found on these pages. Unlike the superb Alice Waters book, `The Art of Simple Cooking', this is not for those who wish to limit themselves to simple recipes. It includes famously difficult or time-consuming recipes such as soufflés, duck comfit, cassoulet, and risottos. On the other hand, most of these seemingly intimidating dishes become easy once you actually know how to do them, and do them a few times.
I am especially fond of the fact that the author gives us just as many recipes for lamb as he does for pork. That means, regardless of what your personal tastes may be (unless you are a dedicated Francophobe or a vegan) you will almost certainly find much in this book you will find useful. And, most cookbooks this size with this many pictures easily run $20 more expensive. So, if you own few or no other James Peterson books, this one is a must buy if you wish to learn to improve your cooking. If I were to find anything amiss with the cookbook, it is the size. It will really tie up real estate on the kitchen table. Thankfully, the book is a great read for the armchair, so it pays its way outside the kitchen!
