Whether you are preparing for certification, studying for class or reading for enjoyment, the following books will further your culinary knowledge.
⇑ Education
Fritz H. Sonnenschmidt, CMC, AAC, HOF
Charcuterie teaches readers how to prepare sausages, pates and other cooked processed foods. This is an indispensable guide for culinarians and a great reference book for Garde Manger procedures. Color photos with step-by-step procedures give the reader a strong visual aid.
Jacques Brevery, Ph.D., CEC, CFM, CFBE, AAC
Jacques Brevery, Ph.D., CEC, CFM, CFBE, AAC, presents a complete collection of recipes and information from his career, some of which he learned from his mentors over the years. The book is designed as a reference for beginning chefs, providing them with accurate recipes for classic preparations and new ideas that will allow them to expand and improve their portfolio of recipes. The book also presents helpful charts and tables, as well as useful conversion and substitution guides.
As the interest in this ancient skill is being revived today, charcuterie requires more than just a daily performance of routine tasks. Chefs must understand why and how these traditional charcuterie processes work. This volume serves as a solid foundation for learning and perfecting the skills of charcuterie.
Keith Sarasin
Whether you’re seeking the health benefits of fermented foods and drinks or just want to take advantage of seasonal produce all year long, this cookbook takes the stress out of fermentation. Fermentation features over 100 delicious recipes, including fermented fruits, veggies, jams, pickles, kimchi, krauts, kombucha, hot sauces, and more. There is something for everyone, from novices making their first brines to seasoned fermenters hunting for more advanced methods.
Nathan Myhrvold), Chris Young, & Maxime Bilet
Modernist Cuisine: The Art & Science of Cooking is a revolutionary treatment of cooking that pushes the boundaries of the culinary arts. Winner of the 2012 James Beard Award for Cookbook of the Year, inducted into the Gourmand Cookbook Hall of Fame, and named one of the best cookbooks of the century by the New Yorker, its six volumes explore the history of cuisine and explain the science of cooking in a way that’s accessible to both professional chefs and home cooks. Created by a team of scientists, chefs, editors, and writers, these volumes explore research spanning the field of culinary science with careful attention to practicality and applicability in the kitchen. Through gorgeous photographs and otherworldly techniques, this set will inspire you to innovate in your own kitchen. Published in five languages and with over 50,000 copies in print, Modernist Cuisine is now available in a beautiful stainless-steel slipcase with the MC logo die-cut on the sides. The 7th edition set also includes over 50 updated images, including new photographs by coauthor and photographer Nathan Myhrvold.
Barton Seaver
With the growing trend to reintroduce US-caught seafood into our culinary lexicon, this trustworthy reference from prestigious writer, chef and sustainability advocate Barton Seaver will be the go-to source for home cooks, culinary students, professional chefs, and anyone fascinated by American food culture. American Seafood looks at maritime history, including Native American fisheries; fishing technology (including aquaculture); the effect of imports on our diet, economy, and the health of our seas; the biology of taste; and the evolution of seafood cuisine, from Pine Bark Stew, red and white chowder, Po’ Boys and Clam Bakes to Baltimore Crab Cakes, Planked Salmon, Oysters Rockefeller and Sushi. And although this is not a cookbook, Barton Seaver presents invaluable information on traditional culinary arts and his favorite ideas for taste pairings and preferred methods for cooking seafood. An index of species—with common, regional, and accepted names, all alphabetized—rounds out this must-have volume.
American Technical Publishers
Chef Gui Alinat
A collection of classic dishes found on American menus with their pronunciations, origins, ingredients, and techniques. Each dish is defined using chef’s vocabulary. An excellent pocket reference for every culinary professional.
This edition is the official culinary guide of Auguste Escoffier. At the origin of the simplification of menus and light cuisine, there is a man: Auguste Escoffier (1846–1935). First cook, appointed officer of the Legion of Honor for having been ambassador of French gastronomy throughout the world, he is the precursor of modern cuisine, and all today’s chefs recognize what they owe to his artwork. The Culinary Guide remains the reference work for all cooks, whether they are novices or experienced, but it is also an incomparable source of tasty discoveries for the amateur. A practical reminder, it includes more than 5,000 recipes, from sauces to appetizers, desserts to pâtés and terrines, roasts to soups, not to mention desserts, compotes, jams and even sandwiches.
Michael Kalanty
Michael Kalanty, CEPC, CCE, is an artisan breadbaker and writer. For over twenty years, he has taught professional baking to hundreds of successful students and authored curriculums for culinary schools around the world. How to Bake Bread includes bread basics for the aspiring professional baker, proven bread formulas and techniques from classroom bakeshops plus baker’s tips, tricks and insights.
Culinary Institute of America, Mary Deirdre Donovan (Editor)
Produced by the Culinary Institute of America as a textbook for chefs-to-be, The Professional Chef is a book for all who love to cook, as well as students of the craft. It’s a cooking school between covers, a teaching and reference work of extraordinary breadth.
Sarah R. Labensky; Alan M. Hause
This book is an attractively designed introduction to cooking and the culinary arts, focusing on information relevant to today’s students. This comprehensive text emphasizes an understanding of cooking fundamentals, explores contemporary dining and vegetarian cooking, discusses nutrition and special health issues, and provides information on other relevant topics such as culinary and food science.
Fran Costigan
It can be difficult to find truly indulgent vegan desserts—especially chocolate. But for the first time, chocolate cakes, brownies, truffles, puddings, ice creams, and more are within reach: dairy-free, organic, fair-trade, and sublime. Author, baking instructor and vegan powerhouse Fran Costigan has dedicated years to satisfying her sweet tooth while keeping it vegan. Through experimentation and long hours in the kitchen, she’s recreated some of her favorite chocolate desserts as better-for-you interpretations that pass the taste test: Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles (with a variety of flavor variations), a Brooklyn Blackout Layer Cake, a Sacher Torte, even chocolate Moon Pies! Her detailed instructions make for professional-quality outcomes every time: it’s like a personal baking class, right in your kitchen.
ATP Publishers in Partnerships with the American Culinary Federation
The culinary techniques outlined in this book have been validated by the culinary industry and sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Labor and the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) National Apprenticeship Committee. The ACFEF apprenticeship program requires apprentices to complete 445 hours of classroom instruction and at least 4000 working hours in a professional kitchen while being mentored by leading chefs in the industry. Proficiency is demonstrated in 10 stations: Steward Station, Breakfast Station, Vegetable Station, Starch & Pasta Station, Fabrication Station, Boiler/Char-Grill Station, Soup & Sauce Station, Pantry & Cold Food Station, Cooking Techniques Station, Baking & Pastry Station and Supervisory Development Station. Set of 10 stations. Softcover. 616 pages and 640 illustrations.
Kari Underly
An ideal training tool that’s perfect for use in grocery stores, restaurants, foodservice companies, and culinary schools, as well as by serious home butchers, The Art of Beef Cutting provides clear, up-to-date information on the latest meat cuts and cutting techniques.
Written by Kari Underly, a leading expert in meat education, this comprehensive guide covers all the fundamentals of butchery and includes helpful full-color photos of every cut, information on international beef cuts and cooking styles, tips on merchandising and cutting for profit, and expert advice on the best beef-cutting tools.
Karen Eich Drummond; Lisa M. Brefere
Nutrition for Foodservice and Culinary Professionals is the must-have reference for the most thorough, up-to-date information on nutrition and diet. New and expanded material in this Sixth Edition addresses important topics such as the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPyramid, balanced menu options and recipe ideas for morning and afternoon breaks, basic principles of food presentation, meeting special dietary needs, weight management and much more!