The Cook's Dictionary and Culinary Reference [Hardcover]

Jonathan Bartlett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

More than 3,000 informative entries in a handy A-to-Z format.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Encompassing more than 3000 entries, this reference work is perfect for both novices and experienced cooks who may run into a culinary word or term with which they are unfamiliar. From abalone to zwieback, cooking phrases, methods, tools, and ingredients are described and defined in entries ranging from one sentence (tapas) to three pages (beans).The alphabetical arrangement of entries provides easy access for the user, and although there is no index, an effort has been made to provide cross references where needed. Bartlett (The Peasant Gourmet, 1977. o.p.) seasons some of the entries with a nice touch of dry, understated humor. His definition of bread, in particular, is priceless. While libraries may have other sources that cover some of the same ground, such as Larousse Gastronomique (Crown, 1988) and John Mariani's The Dictionary of American Food and Drink (LJ 2/15/94), Bartlett's work has its own strengths, including being designed more for the user who needs a quick, practical definition or explanation of a term rather than the detailed recipe information or historical background the aforementioned sources, respectively, provide. Because each of these titles includes some unique entries, academic and public libraries with an interest in the culinary arts should have all three titles on their reference shelf.?John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., Ariz.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Adventurous cooks may find it necessary to clarify terminology before undertaking preparation of a new dish or trying an unfamiliar cooking method, now that cookbooks mention such ingredients as akee and that recipes in the Sunday newspaper feature substances that once sounded exotic. The Larousse Gastronomique was once the indispensable reference for serious cooks, but now Bartlett's guide recognizes the wealth of ethnic cuisines that appeal to contemporary cooks. This up-to-date compendium defines and explains basic culinary nomenclature, along with all manner of intriguing, less familiar foods encountered in a range of culinary texts. For the rare cook who wants to know how to prepare freshly caught blowfish, for example, Bartlett includes esoteric material as well. Alice Joyce

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809231204
• ISBN-13: 978-0809231201
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,452,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cook's Dictionary and Culinary Reference, January 26, 2010

By 

Lenore Chicka (Clearwater, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Cook's Dictionary and Culinary Reference (Hardcover)

Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent conditon
as described, packaged well.
Would use again.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not quite a dictionary, August 29, 2009

By 

Del "DES" (Nevada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cook's Dictionary and Culinary Reference (Hardcover)

This book has a lot of information in it, but it has no guide to pronunciation nor does it give origins of the words except in few examples. It does not tell you whether the word is a noun or a verb and it is sometimes impossible to tell the difference from the text. Further, it is hardly comprehensive today. Fully a third of the words I look up are not in it.