Customer Reviews

On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals, 4th Edition (Book only)

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this for my first class in Culinary Arts and couldn't believe how wonderful it was for recipes, references, etc. When it arrived, my husband and I sat out on the back porch with a glass of wine and just poured over the pages, oooing and aaahing. We were in heaven.

Now that I'm in my second year of classes, I still refer to my first book and it already has the tell tale signs of a very well used book - sticky pages, smudges and the sort.

I would recommend this to anybody, not just knowledgeable cooks. In fact, my mother-in-law wants one for Christmas and I'm going to buy it for her.

This book has EVERYTHING. Don't understand some of those basic terms they use on the cooking shows? They're in here! With great recipes and beautiful pictures, On Cooking is like an entire cooking course in itself.

I had to purchase this book for a cooking class that I had to take. I am by no means a chef and had never even had to cut chicken of a bone. This book was great not only as a text, but as a cookbook with easy instructions that even the most inexperienced chef (like me!) can follow. I highly recommend this book!

This book was a requirement for a introductory-level college cooking course I took last semester. (I'm not a culinary student, rather restaurant management.) My professor (a culinary professional) said how valuable the book is and that he keeps it handy in his own kitchen; likewise my wife (a culinary amateur) often fights me to get her hands on it. Lots of recipes, specific mise-en-place to help get you started, and many illustrations, pictures, and definitions help you use this book. The book also contains very good touches on meat fabrication that will be expanded on in other books/courses.

Pros:
In-depth coverage of each topic.
Wide coverage: covers everything from knife skills to herbs to hors d'vours to entrees to desserts.
Excellent illustrations and photographic series.

Cons:
Expensive
Probably required reading for you
Heavy, you'll want to make this class the only one of the day so you don't have to lug this book all over campus.
Bordering on dry, if nothing else, the chapters do get long.

Final recommendations:
If for home use, wait until the 5th edition comes out and then buy the 4th edition. I'd tell you to buy the 3rd edition now, but the 4th edition has some great additions over the 3rd.

If for school use, the 4th edition has some wonderful additions that you shouldn't skip over. If you need to save a few bucks by getting the 3rd edition and borrowing the 4th for those chapters, you'll get by. But, if not, go new or the best quality used you can get because you'll want to keep this book around after your class is over.

I originally discovered this textbook on a culinary school syllabus. I worked through it on my own and put its principles into action learning more from it than any other single book. The recipes are easy to scale, and the nutritional breakdown is excellent. The recipes are practical, from the basics like mother sauces; to actual hotel and restaurant recipes from some of the finest chefs across the country. It covers: the history of the culinary arts, tools and equipment, and breaks down fundamental concepts on cooking from vegetables to pastry with easy to follow instructions and photos. If I could only carry one "cook book" this would be it.

This is much more than a cook book. This is the main text for several of my son's culinary classes. After looking through it and with my enjoyment in the kitchen; I just knew I had to have it. You'll learn techniques, history, trouble shooting, as well as hundreds of receipts. The perfect gift for the person "who has everything" or loves to get crazy in the kitchen.

"On Cooking" is an excelent resource for home cooks and professionals. The book didn't come with the DVD "package" that was offered at my college bookstore, but that can be ordered directly from Pearson Educational for an extra charge. I like the way culinary history is integrated within the chapters, along with explanation of techniques and receipes by recognized authorities in professional cooking. The techinique illustrations are quite good.

This book is excellent for teaching all the basics to being a great chef. I did find that some definitions of things were not in here and I had to google to find out what they were. But great instruction and recipes.

I missed the first edition but the second and third volumes were outstanding. This fourth edition adds to the reputation already built. The new chapters on flavoring and vegetarian cooking come close to making this a universal source book on cooking.

Cooking is a hobby of mine, but part of what I enjoy is creating dishes that are unique and "my own." I wanted to learn and improve all facets of my cooking: technique, harmonization of ingredients, meal planning and nutrition...I didn't want to just purchase a celebrity chef's cookbook and repeat a recipe, so on the advice of a chef friend of mine, I started to look for culinary textbooks.

After doing my research, I decided I would purchase this book and Pepin's Complete Techniques. I have not been disappointed.

This book completely describes cooking vernacular in a way that I am able to understand and learn from. There are numerous illustrations of the techniques and concepts, so I have a better idea of what I'm attempting to learn.

I'm not sure how advanced or useful this book is for a culinary student with any sort of cooking background, but for me as a novice foodie, it was the perfect purchase.