Larousse Gastronomique by Larousse (2001, Hardcover, Revised)

I use this book nearly every day. I look up spice profiles. get ideas, whatever. This book is worth every penny, no matter what you pay for it. There is no limit to the knowledge you can glean from this book. This book is an inspiration. I have another copy printed much earlier and I use them both. I especially like the color plates. I could easily go on and on about this book, truth is, if you are a professional this book needs to be in your library!

Everything about the transaction was great. I would do business with them again.
My wife and I have been looking for this book all over, but never expected to find it for this cheap.

This has always been THE encyclopedia of cooking, covering hundreds of years of cooking techniques. Anything you might want to know, from the obvious to the obscure, can be found between its covers, including such diverse topics as wine classifications, cheese making, the recipes for literally hundreds of sauces, and how to roast a chicken. I previously owned the 1984 edition, which I've simply worn out over the years by hundreds of hours of browsing its pages. This latest edition, published in 2001, is everything I'd hoped it would be when I bought it to replace my old one. I can't find any entry that was removed between 1984 and 2001, but the new edition includes more color photos, whole new sections on Middle-Eastern, Mexican, Indonesian and India-Pakistani cuisine, and seems to be somewhat less Franco-centric. If you're a "Foodie," and fantasize about starring on Iron Chef and competing on Top Chef, you've got to have this book!

I like virtually everything about this book. I bought it because I want to learn more about cooking and culinary techniques and more about the ingredients used in dishes. It is a wonderful reference and one that everyone who truly loves cooking should have!