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11 November 2006
How Julia Child taught me "The Way to Cook"
14 of 14 found this helpful First, let's just say that Julia and her co-writers really did spend some time thinking about this book. It's all about technique. They show the reader how to saute for example and then give you several recipes inwhich you use the technique. It's not organized like a typical cookbook. For example the chapter on Poultry shows you how to saute and then gives you several recipes using that technique or "variations". It's all about HOW to do something, not just a bunch of recipes with the chef's face on the cover.
My favorite part are the little gems called SPECIAL NOTE all throughout the book. Examples include Clarified Butter, Zabaione Sauce, How to Whip Cream and Rice Facts.
One of the BEST and "really Julia" parts of this book is the section on French Bread. It literally begs to be made and the pictures make you want to hold the book up to your dough to make sure it's the same. Notice how Julia's wedding ring shows up in several pictures. You KNOW she was the one holding the knife and showing you how to carve a chicken and not some assistant. Julia's hands have lots of freckles which is sorta cool in this day of overly stylized cookbooks. I mean does you food EVER look like the pretty picture?
The pictures are great. I hate it when there are no or few pictures in a cookbook. It's ironic how chefs talk about people "begin eating with your eyes" and then don't have any pictures. How weird is that?
I appreciate that it's contemporary. Remember reading "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and thinking "WHEN will I ever want to make aspic, etc?" Let me tell you, there are few if any obsolete processes or techinques listed. Yes, you may not use all of them, however you can atleast relate to them. Seriously, when have you ever craved a hardboiled egg in aspic? No thanks. I'll take my jelly with fruit in it any day.
While not the ONLY book I would ever recommend. It is certainly one of the top five I would suggest owning.
It is technique, history, planning and serving suggestions all in one. I just love it, but don't ask to borrow my copy.
06 March 2007
Nasty Bits should be called Boring Bits
1 of 2 found this helpful I love Anthony Bourdain's in your face, like me or don't like me attitude. However, I think this book falls flat. It seems like a collection of stories that aren't really fleshed out, more like he HAD to write something to collect his check. I expected more.