Flavors, techniques and refinement

[A.Iley]

Hello,

I'm a pretty decent home cook, I love to cook and spent time in the kitchen. I would describe my food as flavourful and rustic.

I'm looking for books that will teach me how to take my cooking to the next level.

For me that means that I'm not so much looking for a regular recipe book, but I would like to learn about flavour combinations, refinement and more advanced techniques.

By now I've got a long wish-list and I'm looking for some advice (and ofcourse recommendations if you know of a better book) on which books to buy.

The books I have been looking at:

For flavour combinations:

Culinary Artistry- Andrew Dornenburg

The Flavor Bible -Andrew Dornenburg

The Elements of Taste- Gray Kunz

Which one of these books would you recommend as the best starting point for learning about combinations and starting to develope ones own creations in the kitchen?

For technique and generally taking my cooking to the next level:

Think Like a Chef- Tom Colicchio

Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter or the Dummies book by Charlie Trotter

Bouchon- Thomas Keller

Cooking by Hand- Paul Bertolli

As I can't pop down to shops to actually thumb through these books, I would love to hear your input and suggestions before I make (another) dent in my bank account.

Thanks!

Agnes

[Tri2Cook]

Do you already have Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking? If not, you should.

[A.Iley]

Do you already have Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking? If not, you should.

←

I've been wondering about that one. I wasn't sure if it was maybe to scientific.

Not quite sure how to put this.....I would love to cook some more refined modern food and would love to learn more about flavour combinations that are a maybe a bit more unusual. But it all has to be doable in my normal kitchen with regular kitchen equipment. And I wasn't sure if the Harold McGee book would fit that bill.

Could you tell my you think this book fits the bill?

Thanks a lot!

[dougal]

...

I'm looking for books that will teach me how to take my cooking to the next level.

For me that means that I'm not so much looking for a regular recipe book, but I would like to learn about flavour combinations, refinement and more advanced techniques.

...

←

Agnes, did you spot this thread?

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=117006

You should find some pointers there!

[chezcherie]

i'm guessing you've already seen this thread:flavor bible

i'm currently teaching a "beyond the basics" series for cooks just like you, and i can't recommend it highly enough. as i passed it around in class, the eyes of students lit up, and they were in agreement that it was such an inspiration. i'm pretty sure most of them headed to a bookstore after class, and i predict that all of them will have purchased it by the upcoming class. in my opinion, it is a terrific way to get your mind working about new combinations of flavor and ingredients.

enjoy

[Tri2Cook]

Could you tell my you think this book fits the bill?

←

It doesn't require a special kitchen or special equipment because it's not a cookbook, it's a book on food and cooking. It doesn't tell you what to do, it tells you how to do it and why it works (or doesn't work). It goes into detailed information on every aspect of each chapters subject. Knowing the food is at least as important as knowing the techniques and both of these aspects of cooking are thoroughly discussed.

If you're looking for a recipe book that you can glean ideas and techniques from, McGee's book isn't it. Try something like the Alinea book or Keller's Under Pressure or A Day at El Bulli or Ripert's book among the recent releases. If you're pushing for another level in your cooking you might as well be inspired by current trends and techniques. I can't comment on the Flavor Bible as I haven't seen it yet but after reading the thread on it I'll be getting my hands on it soon.

[A.Iley]

Thanks for elaborating Tri2Cook!

It really does sound like just the thing I'm after.

The other books you suggested are so tempting......but I feel I need to learn more about the how and why before I can fully appreciate them.

That's why Bouchon is on my list, a bit of a compromise .

ChezCherie I did see the thread on the flavor bible, I just wondered how it compared to the other books on flavour.

Guess I just have to go for it.

Thanks for trying to help me out here!

[nickrey]

The Flavor Bible is exceptional but given your statement on where you consider yourself to be, it may be something to keep in mind for the future.

Perhaps a move from the rustic to the refined may be a next step. It seems you might benefit from some advanced techniques onto which you can add your flavor sense.

Consider The Cook's Book -- it contains chapters from experts in many different areas of cooking from around the world. There are some good reviews on Amazon as a kind of try before you buy. Although it contains recipes, it also contains techniques in a wide range of areas that may assist you in moving your cooking to the next level that you talked about.

[A.Iley]

Consider The Cook's Book

←

Thanks Nickrey, I can't believe I've never seen this book. We pop over to England to visit relatives at least once a year and I'm always searching the bookshops over there.

Actually I just found it at a dutch online shop as well at 3x the price of Amazon

One thing they had that I never expected to see.....a dutch translation of Charlie Trotters dummy book. Now I do have something against the dummy books (How am I a dummy when I'm trying to get smarter by reading a book?) and judging by the comments the translation is terrible, they kept the US volume measurements instead of going metric and the organisation of the book is chaotic.

But it was also said that if you find you're way around it it's a treasure trove of information. All these negative comments meant I could get it very cheap, so that's one to keep me busy until I've sorted my next Amazon order out.

[nickrey]

... so that's one to keep me busy until I've sorted my next Amazon order out.

←

I totally empathise with your inability to get all the books. We have good bookshops in Australia but don't always get them as soon as others on eGullet do. My Amazon account works overtime, but unfortunately not as much as when our dollar was close to parity with the US$ (we're now around 67c to the dollar )

[A.Iley]

... so that's one to keep me busy until I've sorted my next Amazon order out.

←

I totally empathise with your inability to get all the books. We have good bookshops in Australia but don't always get them as soon as others on eGullet do. My Amazon account works overtime, but unfortunately not as much as when our dollar was close to parity with the US$ (we're now around 67c to the dollar )

←

I'm on the other side.......having euro's means we can shop a lot cheaper in the States right now. Doesn't way up to all the misery the credit crunch is causing though.

I did receive the dummies book and although there is a lot of basic information in there, I'm actually enjoying reading it (I wish I had it a few years earlier), when you get past the terrible dummy headlines which don't seem to have much bearing on the chapters themselves it's actually a nice book. Charlie Trotter does a good job of not just explaining the how to..., but also the why to...

[Jon Tseng]

Culinary artistry is a sine non qua. Dornenburg and pages other books I wouldn't bother with they've never managed to live up to their earlier stuff.

On the technique side also look up Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard. Its got lots of really innovative techniques - richard's background in pastry serves him well.

I wouldn't bother with Charlie Trotter stuff as learning material. They drop you in it too fast to really learn from (this is based on his main cheffy books - maybe his other stuff is more approachable)

Elements of Taste I have mixed opinions about. At first it seems a bold attempt to systemise flavour in the same way you have with wine. Then you realise some of his flavour categories (e.g. "meaty") are so ridiculously wide as to be pointless. Good recipe for short ribs though.

J

[kitchenhacker]

I'm reading Think Like a Chef right now. I've only just started it, but it looks like it is really focusing on teaching you how to... umm... think like a chef.

That wasn't helpful. Sorry. It looks like it will focus on helping you develop basic techniques that become second nature to you, good instincts, and the ability to improvise.

I don't know if it will follow through on these promises. I'll keep you updated.

[ajnicholls]

The Cook's Book is one of my most used and referenced books. It's a mine of techniques and decent recipes from high end chefs. Most provide a "signiature dish" that represents what they do in their restaurants.

McGee is a fabulous book for information and an understanding of the science of cooking. However, from your original post, it doesn't sound like it's what you're after. There's not much that will teach you technique or precision. It does however, explain why flavours go together, which cooking medium to use for veg etc to get the best out of them.

I can't agree with the recommendation of A Day At elBulli or Alinea as books to take you onto the next level. Both are beautiful and I love them, but elBulli is mostly a photo-essay with only about 10-15 recipes in it. Alinea is a professional book for the serious molecular gastronomist (I hate the term at least everyone knows what I mean). You only have to look at Alinea At Home to see just how complicated trying to replicate these dishes are. But as food porn goes, they are both wonderful and worth owning.

I like Bouchon, which is the only one of the books you mention that I own. However, there are better books on classical French cookery out there.

Adam

[A.Iley]

I wouldn't bother with Charlie Trotter stuff as learning material. They drop you in it too fast to really learn from (this is based on his main cheffy books - maybe his other stuff is more approachable)

Jon, that's actually what I heard/read about the Charlie Trotter books as well.

But it's not true for this one, this book really goes into the basics and doesn't

just tell you to do something but goes into the why as well.

It's actually a little more basic then I would like, but I really enjoy reading it and I had a few "aha, that's why moments".

I'm looking up happy in the kitchen right now and must say it looks very interesting, just what the bankmanager didn't want, another book to add to my never ending wish-list

That wasn't helpful. Sorry. It looks like it will focus on helping you develop basic techniques that become second nature to you, good instincts, and the ability to improvise.

McGee is a fabulous book for information and an understanding of the science of cooking. However, from your original post, it doesn't sound like it's what you're after. There's not much that will teach you technique or precision. It does however, explain why flavours go together, which cooking medium to use for veg etc to get the best out of them.

Actually these do sound like the sort of thing I'm after.

Maybe I didn't make it very clear, I did find it hard to describe what I was looking for......

I'm at a stage where I can cook in a way, that when I cook from a recipe and it doesn't taste right I can usually fix it.

I know the herbs and spices in my kitchen well enough, to know what they will do to the flavour of a dish. I do this purely by tasting and I've got no real knowledge to back this up with.

When I reached this stage I started to experiment more.

So kitchenhacker, please do let me know about how you get on with "Think like a chef" the whole solid techniques and improvisation thing sounds very interesting to me.

My question about flavours came from me always wanting to know the "why" about everything and from a wish to expand my range of flavours beyond the ones I use right now. From that point of view I have now ordered both the flavor bible and McGhee's book. McGhee for the why and hopefully between them they will give me some new ideas about flavorings.

I can't agree with the recommendation of A Day At elBulli or Alinea as books to take you onto the next level. Both are beautiful and I love them, but elBulli is mostly a photo-essay with only about 10-15 recipes in it. Alinea is a professional book for the serious molecular gastronomist (I hate the term at least everyone knows what I mean). You only have to look at Alinea At Home to see just how complicated trying to replicate these dishes are. But as food porn goes, they are both wonderful and worth owning.

I do agree with what you are saying here. I'm a sucker for the pretty pictures and I'm sure I'll get the Fat Laundry, Alinea and Fat duck (when the paperback comes out) one day. I'm rather mesmerized by the whole molecular gastronomy thing, but would probably need a lot more kitchen-gadgets then I've got right now.

But I'm sure that my want for exploring new flavours and maybe some more unusual combinations comes from seeing people like Heston Blumenthal cooking on t.v.

Sorry that this got quite long. I'm new here and I really appreciate the help you've all been giving me

[kitchenhacker]

So kitchenhacker, please do let me know about how you get on with "Think like a chef" the whole solid techniques and improvisation thing sounds very interesting to me.

Will do.

I'm about 2/3 done on a read-through. So far I have mixed feelings. It might grow on me, though.

In general, my impression is that the book has a really ambitious goal that would be near-impossible to meet. The advice I've seen so far has been good, but often pretty basic.

[Dr. Teeth]

Think like a chef is a great cook book. One of my favorites, really has a focus on teaching technique rather than just recipies.

I assume you already have La Technique and La Methode?