The Professional Chef (2001, Hardcover, Illustrated)

Now in a revolutionary revision, The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition not only teaches the reader how, but is designed to reflect why the CIA methods are the gold standard for chefs. With lavish, four-color photography and clear, instructive text, The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition guides culinary students--professional aspirants and serious home cooks, alike--to mastery of the kitchen. Over 660 classic and contemporary recipes, with almost 200 variations, were chosen especially for their use of fundamental techniques. These techniques and recipes form a foundation from which a professional chef or home cook can build a personal repertoire.

From mise en place (preparation) to finished dishes, the book covers Stocks, Sauces, and Soups; Meats, Poultry, Fish, and Shellfish; Vegetables, Potatoes, Grains, and Legumes, Pasta and Dumplings; Breakfast and Garde Manger; Baking and Pastry. In addition to a comprehensive treatment of techniques and recipes, The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition teaches readers other critical elements of the professional chef's domain--much of it universally applicable to any kitchen. From "An Introduction to the Professional," to the identification of tools and ingredients, to nutrition, food science and food and kitchen safety, the book is a wealth of beautifully presented information useful for any cook.

The Culinary Institute of America has been hailed as "The nation's most influential training school for professional cooks" by Time magazine. The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition, the cornerstone of its program in book form, belongs on the shelf of every serious cook.

Industry Reviews
THE PROFESSIONAL CHEF by the Culinary Institute of America, a reference work for cooking pros and serious home cooks since the 1950s appears in its seventh edition from John Wiley in October. The 1,056-page work has been redesigned with new color photography throughout, 1,400 photos in all. "The philosophy of cooking and the way of looking at the fundamentals of cooking have changed since we published the sixth edition in 1996," says senior editor Pam Chirls, "and in this one, the visual aspect of cooking drives the content. If you're making pasta, in the existing edition you get a written explanation and recipes. In the new edition, we have step-by-step photographs to help the reader function in the kitchen." Pro Chef 7, as it is familiarly known, also includes more than 660 recipes with some 200 variations. (Publishers Weekly, July 2001)

<P>In the seventh revised edition of the basic textbook for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the editors claim they explain to the potential chef not just how to cook, but why the CIA insists on doing things the way it does. Since the CIA is often criticized for problems ranging from its devotion to classic French technique to its role in maintaining the patriarchy that dominates the profession, such justification seems in order. But there is actually little of it, either in the introductory essays or in the text that follows. There is little else to find fault with in this well-organized, comprehensive text. But while anyone aspiring to a career in food service may find it useful, it falls short of being a good learning text for the average cook. Its recipes are all written in scaled formulas, rather than in the cups and spoons measures most consumers use. In addition, those recipes mostly yield ten servings, and the task of reducing them to manageable proportions will put off most nonprofessional users. So although this an excellent guide to the profession, it is recommended only for academic libraries supporting culinary programs and larger public libraries with comprehensive cookery collections. —Tom Cooper, Richmond Heights Memorial Lib, MO (<I>Library Journal</I>, September 15, 2001)

<P>"attractively repackaged so as to appeal to the ambitious home cook." (<I>The New Yorker</I>, September 24, 2001)

<P>"...for something more technical I love The Professional chef…a huge and comprehensive guide through all aspects of cooking professionally, and is like a bible..." (<I>Restaurant</I>, 28 August 2002)