Mouth Wide Open: A Cook and His Appetite
Author: John Thorn
Ever since his first book, Simple Cooking, and its acclaimed successors, Outlaw Cook, Serious Pig, and Pot on the Fire, John Thorne has been hailed as one of the most provocative, passionate, and accessible food writers at work today. In Mouth Wide Open, his fifth collection, he has prepared a feast for the senses and intellect, charting a cook’s journey from ingredient to dish in illuminating essays that delve into the intimate pleasures of pistachios, the Scottish burr of real marmalade, how the Greeks made a Greek salad, the (hidden) allure of salt anchovies, and exploring the uncharted territory of improvised breakfasts and resolutely idiosyncratic midnight snacks. Most of all, his inimitable warmth, humor, and generosity of spirit inspire us to begin our own journey of discovery in the kitchen and in the age-old comfort and delight of preparing food.
The Washington Post - Linda Kulman
John Thorne's Mouth Wide Open is a journey around his own kitchen. His exhaustive essays, most of which were previously published in his food letter, "Simple Cooking," tackle all manner of dishes, including some, like fried eggs, that might seem beneath consideration. Thorne deconstructs each recipe until he understands not just how it evolved but what each ingredient contributes. In an era marked by celebrity chefs and mundane microwavable meals, the amiable author takes pleasure in "the laying of hands on real food," a process he makes approachable to others through both his commentary and recipes. "Cooking is about doing the best with what you have...and succeeding," he writes. Thorne succeeds masterfully.
Publishers Weekly
This cornucopia of previously published pieces by James Beard Award-winning food writer Thorne, from his newsletter, "Simple Cooking," along with a few from other publications, showcases his relaxed, unfussy attitude, refreshing in this age of cookbook and food-personality overabundance. That casualness comes through on subjects from bagna cauda to pepper pot. It's all foodstuff to him, and his affection for foods of all kinds is boundless. Some of the most intriguing suggestions, reprinted from a regular feature of the newsletter, reflect an awareness that the avocado-green electric range is as legitimate as the Viking. Thorne likes to delve into the source and cultural history of individual dishes, and many spur-of-the-moment concoctions, whose recipes are given, were prepared out of a sense of what-the-heck invention and appetite. He fervently promotes his belief that in every foodie lurks a cook capable of doing wonders with prepared foods, that the opposite also holds, and that the ultimate authority on food is the person eating. (Dec.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationBook review: E Business Marketing or Industrial Ecology
Culinary Fundamentals
Author: American Culinary Federation
Wherever one’s career in the culinary arts may take them, this book will remain a valuable reference. It can support readers throughout their culinary education and certification, as well as throughout their professional career.This book presents a foundation — from the objectives and key terms that introduce each chapter to the activities and recipes that round it out, this book is organized to highlight and explain the basic competencies of a professional cook or chef. Section One takes a moment to look back at the importance of the culinary arts in the history of humankind as well as a glimpse ahead into the careers of culinary professionals. Section Two introduces important concepts for any professional cook or chef: nutrition, food safety, and food science. Section Three continues the development of some basic professional skills by exploring the purpose and uses for math and recipes in the professional kitchen. Section Four introduces the tools of the trade. Section Five is devoted to the ingredients found in a professional kitchen, from fresh herbs to meats to canned goods. Sections Six through Twelve are the heart of this book–basic cooking skills–stocks, sauces, sautés, roast, vegetables, starches, breakfast, baking and more. Also presents a broad view of the culinary globe by grouping it into large geographic areas: Europe and the Mediterranean; the Americas; and Asia. Appropriate for cooks, culinary apprentices, culinary trainees, chefs, and chef educators.
Table of Contents:
SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION
Unit 1. Professionalism
SECTION 2. NUTRITION, SAFETY, AND SCIENCE
Unit 2. Nutrition
Unit 3. Sanitation and Safety
Unit 4. Food Science
SECTION 3. CULINARY MATH AND RECIPES
Unit 5. Culinary Math
Unit 6. Recipes
SECTION 4. TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Unit 7. Equipment Identification
Unit 8. Knife Skills
SECTION 5. INGREDIENTS
Unit 9. Dairy and Dry Goods
Unit 10. Meat and Poultry
Unit 11. Fish Identification and Fabrication
Unit 12. Fresh Produce Identification and Handling
Unit 13. Basic Mise en Place Techniques
SECTION 6. STOCKS, SOUPS, AND SAUCES
Unit 14. Stocks
Unit 15. Soups
Unit 16. Sauces
SECTION 7. DRY HEAT TECHNIQUES
Unit 17. Sautéing
Unit 18. Frying
Unit 19. Roasting
Unit 20. Barbecuing
Unit 21. Grilling and Broiling
SECTION 8. MOIST HEAT TECHNIQUES
Unit 22. Braising and Stewing
Unit 23. Shallow Poaching and Steaming
Unit 24. Poaching and Simmering
SECTION 9. COMPLETING THE PLATE
Unit 25. Vegetables
Unit 26. Starches
SECTION 10. PANTRY
Unit 27. Breakfast
Unit 28. Salads and Dressings
Unit 29. Sandwiches
SECTION 11. GARDE MANGER
Unit 30. Garde-manger
Unit 31. Hors d’oeuvres and appetizers
SECTION 12. BAKING
Unit 32. Baking
SECTION 13. ADVANCED TOPICS
Unit 33. Flavor Dynamics
Unit 34. Presentation
SECTION 14. CUISINES OF THE WORLD
Unit 35. Europe
Unit 36. Asia
Unit 37. The Americas
Appendices
Glossary with phonetic pronunciations.
Conversion Tables: temperature, weight, volume.
Volume and weight conversions for Selected Foods.
Pan Sizes.
Scoop and ladle sizes.
Can sizes.
Sample HACCP Recipe.
Suggested Reading List.
Magazines, Journals, and Periodicals.
Professional Organizations.
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