Overview
Every cook needs this ultimate quick reference to today's ingredients, terms, tools, and techniques. It's thoroughly modern, in a handy format with ribbon markers and a wipe-down, splash-proof cover, and caters to a new and highly motivated market interested in celebrity chefs and the popular Food Network shows. But it's the information inside that's truly amazing: nearly 500 pages of instructions cover everything from sautéing a potato and filleting a fish to storing fresh herbs and selecting the right pan-and it goes A to Z through meats, poultry, fruits, vegetables, spices, and more. There's lots of advice on ethnic cooking, too.
Synopsis
Every cook needs this ultimate quick reference to today's ingredients, terms, tools, and techniques. It's thoroughly modern, in a handy format with ribbon markers and a wipe-down, splash-proof cover, and caters to a new and highly motivated market interested in celebrity chefs and the popular Food Network shows. But it's the information inside that's truly amazing: nearly 500 pages of instructions cover everything from sautéing a potato and filleting a fish to storing fresh herbs and selecting the right pan-and it goes A to Z through meats, poultry, fruits, vegetables, spices, and more. There's lots of advice on ethnic cooking, too.
Library Journal
Nilsen and Wright, two British culinary journalists and authors, have compiled a wealth of practical culinary information into one handy book. After first offering concise, clear definitions of a variety of cooking terms and assorted culinary tools of the trade, the authors provide details on a range of ingredients, including pantry staples (i.e., sugar, flour, rice), herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits, and meats, poultry, and fish. Each entry features information on how to choose, taste, store, cook, and serve the item along with ideas regarding what kinds of foods go best with which ingredients and why they are good for you. While many basic cookbooks (e.g., Marion Cunningham's The Fannie Farmer Cookbook) provide some of the same information on kitchen equipment and ingredient selection, and culinary reference titles like Larousse Gastronomique also define cooking techniques and foods, 21st Century Cook will still be a welcome addition to the kitchens of novice cooks and even a few more advanced chefs. Highly recommended for both the circulating and the reference collections of public libraries.-John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.