Busy summer schedule aside, the reason why I’m just now getting around to reviewing Japanese Kitchen Knives – Essential Techniques and Recipes is because only now do I have time to give this book the attention it truly deserves.

In this book, world renowned Chef Hiromitsu Nozaki takes you through the three main knives used in Japanese cuisine; the usuba, the deba, and the yanagiba. Each knife has a section devoted to the proper use of the knife and its corresponding techniques.

Anyone who is a loyal listener of the FCS podcast knows that I’m always preaching technique over recipes and this book is a great illustration of this point. As Chef Nozaki takes you through different knife skills to master, he’ll then show you a simple recipe that will help you put this new found technique to work.

Besides just being a book on Japanese knife skills, it also has fascinating sections on how Japanese knives are made, proper griping and posture techniques, plus care and maintenance, including how to keep your investment sharp and slicing like new.

Even if you’re not into Japanese food and have no desire to go out and buy a Japanese knife, this book is just fun to flip through; the pictures taken by photographer Yasuo Konishi are absolutely beautiful.

So if you’re looking for a fun and informative book to add to your collection, I think you should at the very least check this one out. In an overcrowded marketplace of “Follow My Recipe and It Will Be The Best X You’ve Ever Made,” its nice to see that real chefs like Nozaki are still writing books about what really matters; technique.

© Jacob for Free Culinary School.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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Many people who listen to my podcast lately have heard me raving about The Flavor Bible. This book is probably one of the most valuable additions that I’ve made to my culinary library in years. Sure the Alinea Cook Book reigns supreme when it comes to food porn; just the layout sends shivers down my spine.

But when it comes to true functionality, a book that I can use over and over again on a daily basis when creating new menus and dishes, The Flavor Bible stands alone.

The first two chapters of the book are a little more esoteric in the sense that they focus on many different elements that form flavor structure; what the authors of this book call the “Language of Food.”

Although these two chapters are extremely enlightening and a joy to read, the real value of the book is in its third chapter; more appropriately described as a section, because it takes up the bulk of this almost 400 page book.

In this chapter you’ll find the “flavor matching guide”. Just simply look up the primary ingredient that you want to design a dish for, and it will list other ingredients that classically and scientifically pair well with your primary ingredient.

I used this book recently to develop a new dish using black cod. I knew that I wanted to use black cod as my primary ingredient, but I was having a bit of a flavor block when trying to conceptualize the rest of the plate. So I simply looked up black cod in The Flavor Bible and it listed among other ingredients: ginger, leeks, and soy sauce.

This led me to create a the following dish: “Potato Wrapped Black Cod, Shitake-Leek Cannelloni, Ginger Beurre Blanc.”

The black cod is wrapped in potato sheets and cooked in clarified butter until golden brown. The shitake mushrooms are sauteed down with ginger, shallots, soy, a little sesame oil and some sherry, and then they are rolled in the white portion of a blanched leek sheet, just like how you would stuff a cannelloni. The sauce is a ginger beurre blanc, and the whole dish is garnished with fleur de sel and little pinch of Mixed Asian Mirco Greens.

This dish has turned into an extremely popular item at the restaurant where I work, and people are always raving about the flavor combination.

If you only buy one culinary book this year, BUY THIS BOOK!

© Jacob for Free Culinary School.com, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cook Book Review, Cooking Podcast

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I’ve been sick the last couple of days, hacking up pieces of my lungs and almost completely losing my voice. Safe to say it’s kinda messed up my podcasting schedule. But in the mean time, one of my favorite things to do is take an unrecommended high does of cough medicine, curl up with a good book, and wallow in my own self misery. After all, I only get sick about once a year. I got to milk it for all it’s worth.

So what book have I been reading as I nod in and out of a cold induced stooper? Marco Pierre White’s exceedingly odd and eccentric autobiography, The Devil in the Kitchen.

OK, so it was written with the help of James Stern, (a ghost writer), and thank God. I can only imagine what an unedited book of expletive filled ramblings by Marco Pierre White would read like. Probably something along the lines of Ozzy Osbourne meets Swedish Chef from the Muppets. “F**K YOU! Bork, Bork, Bork.”(...)
Read the rest of The Devil in the Kitchen (388 words)

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On the other hand, if you’re looking for great books on the cutting edge of the culinary industry that have chefs giddy with anticipation like little kids on Christmas Eve, then these are for you.

The Alinea Cook Book

I’ve been salivating over this book ever since I heard the rumor that it was coming out. Grant Achatz is on the fore front of “Avant Garde” Cuisine (aka Molecular Gastronomy), with inspiring and amazing culinary creations made with the latest technology and understanding of advanced culinary techniques.

Warning: This book is not for your average home cook looking for an everyday recipe. Only true foodies who crave amazing food porn or professional chefs that have been wondering just “how the hell Grant does that” should buy this book. Since I fall squarely into both categories, I’ve already pre-ordered it.

Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide

Thomas Keller is arguably one of the greatest French Chefs walking this Earth, and whenever he comes out with anything chefs stop and listen. Under Pressure is a book that encompass the technique of Sous Vide; slowly cooking food in vacuum sealed bags submerged in carefully regulated water baths.

This technique allows for previously unimaginable results such as braised beef short ribs that are cooked medium rare, textures from simple fruits and vegetables never before thought possible, and a reliable, consistent product.

Just like the Alinea cookbook, Under Pressure is on the cutting edge of culinary technique and should only be purchased by true die-hards.

The Big Fat Duck Cook Book

Heaston Blumenthal is the Chef/Owner of The Fat Duck, a 3 star Michelin Restaurant located in England. His claims to fame include creative dishes such as “snail porridge”, “sardine on toast sorbet”, and “salmon poached with liquorice.”

Like Achatz, he is a trail blazer in Avant Garde Cuisine, and uses the latest in culinary techniques in pursuit of gastronomic perfection. The Big Fat Duck Cook Book is separated into three sections: “History,” “Recipes,” and “Science.”

With it being one of the most expensive culinary books released this year, you’ll be sure to be the envy of all your foodie friends. I for one ordered this book and then purchased a fire proof safe to keep it warm and cozy in between readings. Overkill? Hardly!

Pierre Gagnaire: Reinventing French Cuisine

Perhaps the “Original Revolutionary” in new age techniques, Pierre Gagnaire has been making waves in he world of Haute Cuisine for more than 30 years. Two of his restaurants have received 3 Michelin Stars, the highest honor a chef can receive.

This book basically spans the 40 year career of this great chef. Organized cronologically, “Reinventing French Cuisine” has 40 recipes drawn from different periods of Chef Gagnaire’s illustrious career. This book is not so much a cook book as it is a window into the making of a legeondary Chef.

© Jacob for Free Culinary School.com, 2008. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Cook Books, Cooking Book Reviews, Culinary Books, Molecular Gastronomy

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• Ideas In Food- Bottom line, these guys are a huge inspiration to me. They are incredibly talented chefs that are constantly pushing the boundaries of what food is and the techniques a chef can use to make mind blowing dishes. If you love the science side of food and culinary technique, this is definitely a must read blog! If for nothing else, check out this site for some of the most beautiful “food porn” your eyes have ever seen.
• Khymos- Martin Lersch is an extremely talented food scientist in Sweden who holds a PhD in organometallic chemistry from the University of Oslo. His blog is dedicated to discovering the science behind food, and moving the art of “molecular gastronomy” forward. He has a great PDF on hydrocolloids that I recommend anyone who is interested in molecular gastronomy download.
• Chadzilla- An incredibly talented chef who approaches food from a scientific view. He is always researching and discovering new techniques, and is backed by an equally talented crew (the sign of a really great chef!)
• Michael Rhulman- One of my favorite food authors, I follow Rhulman’s blog more for his writing than what he says about food (although his information on food is awesome).
  
• Line Cook- A good ol’ fasion sh*t talkin’ line cook who knows what it takes to work in a professional kitchen!
• Salt of The Earth- Kevin is an incredibly talented chef in Pennsylvania that is always pushing the limits of food. His blog is an ongoing inspiration to my own personal culinary endeavors.
• Food 102- The thing I really love about the food 102 blog is the on going tasting menus that get posted. It really pushes me to think about “purposeful progression” in a menu and overall execution.
• Michael Laiskonis- The Pastry Chef of Le Bernadin in NYC, his blog is both inspirational and informative. I have “borrowed” a technique or two from the information found on his blog, which is one of the best compliments (in my opinion) that you can give a chef.

Now it’s your turn. What food and cooking blogs do you follow and why? Let me and the rest of the FCS community know by clicking on the comment button below.

© Jacob for Free Culinary School.com, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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“If you were to die tomorrow,” they ask, “what would your last meal be?”

The book “My Last Supper,” written by Melanie Dunea with an introduction by Anthony Bourdain, takes this game mainstream by asking 50 of the worlds greatest chef what their last meal would. The book offers a beautiful insight into the cravings and true food lust of chef’s such as Thomas Keller of the French Laundry, Fergus Henderson of St. John, and Ferran Adria of El Bulli.

So in Episode 3 of the Free Culinary School Podcast, I put the question to you, the listener and readers of the podcast and blog, to find out what your death row meal would be.

(...)
Read the rest of What Is Your Death Row Meal? (84 words)

© Jacob for Free Culinary School.com, 2008. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Culinary Books

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