Practical Cookery

O_Chef

Hey guys, the new bible for teaching everyone to cook is undoubtedly Practical Cookery.
When I was at college this book simply didn't work, since then it's been ripped apart, and now comes with DVD's explaining hundreds of preparation and cooking techniques. It's a must have at all levels and is available in all book shops (waterstones, borders etc)

saltedm8

I have been looking for some books just like that to improve my cooking skills, thank you, are there any others you recommend ?

O_Chef

ok so i am biased on the practical cookery, spending the last 3 years on the last editions (including the advanced practical cookery) with John Campbell, the chef i've just left at the vineyard.
where do you see you're next culinary chapter? generally i guess most people learn classic french and english food first, and then tend to get to grips with the science behind cooking.

saltedm8

I honestly need to take the first baby steps, although I can whip up something basic for the home, I would certainly not be ready to take up the challenge of a commercial kitchen ( which I would dearly love to be able to do ) and I seriously admire anyone that is able to do that on a day to day basis.

never been too good at science, lol, but I have common sense and can usually tell if something is overcooked/undercooked, I guess I have allot of work ahead of me, unfortunately, most of what I know comes not from being taught by parents or any college, but from avidly watching cooking programmes to try to grab as many tips as possible,... the problem I see with that is that you are only cooking for home and for friends and family, to which chances are they wont say your food is rubbish meaning I would have to start from the begining and find a way to get my cooking tasted 'properly'.

O_Chef

ok cool, how adventurous do you want to be then? truth be told there are millions of cook books out there, with only a few hundred different dishes/recipes in them.

if you have good grounding and a competent knowledge of cookery ie:
you understand failures in the kitchen and what has caused them, able to correct them or not make the same mistake again then the 'recipe' books on the shelves are clutter. the only recipe books that actually then become useful are by the worlds greatest chefs, and often dont include recipes. the books are there to highlight presentation techniques and flavour combinations.

a true solid book would be Culinary Artistry by Andrew Dornenburg (get this from amazon). this is really great for pushing your boundaries of what goes well with what.

my other favorite book is called 'Formula for Flavours' by my old chef John Campbell.
this although now is old is great for the pro and home cook alike. with detailed methods and a background of whats happening through the cooking process of these dishes.

saltedm8

I love the 'rustic' pub style foods, when I cook I certainly need to organise myself better ( sometimes I can get myself into a bit of a muddle ), the kitchen ends up a bit of a mess by the time I am done, but the food don't 'look' too bad, I have problems with plating up, making it look good and I always cook far too much.

There are 2 adults and 1 baby ( on milk ) at home, but every time I make lets say, a roast dinner, it looks like Mount Everest ( always over the top )...

Whilst I would love to be really adventurous I am too afraid of 'ruining dinner' or wasting food because we are on a very tight budget. I don't consider my personal pallet to be that good so I tend not to trust my own opinions which means that experimentation runs short, unless I have seen a combination on a cooking programme I don't try it.

I know that is very boring and I just wish that I could spend more time at it, I have 'the complete cook' , 'the cook's book' and all of the Jamie Oliver books to help my along with recipes and tips, but obviously there is only so much you can put into words.

I am a website designer by trade, ( self taught ) - wish I had gone to college and learnt this when i had the chance

shammrok

"Practical Cookery" is that available down under?

__________________
Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.

CookieMonster

When i was at catering college the book i used was Practical Cookery by Ceserani & Kinton is that the same one you used o chef ?

O_Chef

Ceserani & Kinton were the original authors, then professor David Foskett got involved. now John Campbell is the main author, with Foskett and Ceserani as co-authors. The book has changed enormously since the earlier editions, check it out!
When I went to college we used the Pactical Cookery book, but most the recipes didn't work!

CookieMonster

Tell me about it!!!! Many food disaster's in the training kitchen due to the older eddition.Glad they have sorted it out know.