Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Professional Chef , the official text of The Culinary Institute of America's culinary degree program, has taught tens of thousands of chefs the techniques and fundamentals that have launched their careers.

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.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Recipes
• Introduction
• Part One The Culinar Professional
• Chapter One Introduction to the Profession
• Chapter Two Menus and Recipes
• Chapter Three The Basics of Nutrition and Food Science
• Chapter Four Food and Kitchen Safety
• Part Two Tools and Ingredients in the Professional Kitchen
• Chapter Five Equipment Identification
• Chapter Six Meats, Poultry, and Game Identification
• Chapter Seven Fish and Shellfish Identification
• Chapter Eight Fruit, Vegetable, and Fresh Herb Identification
• Chapter Nine Dairy and Egg Purchasing and Identification
• Chapter Ten Dry Goods Identification
• Part Three Stocks, Sauces, and Soups
• Chapter Eleven Mise en Place for Stocks, Sauces, and Soups
• Chapter Twelve Stocks
• Chapter Thirteen Sauces
• Chapter Fourteen Soups
• Part Four Meats, Poultry, Fish, and Shellfish
• Chapter Fifteen Mise en Place for Meats, Poultry, and Fish
• Chapter Sixteen Fabricating Meats, Poultry, and Fish
• Chapter Seventeen Grilling and Broiling, Roasting and Baking
• Chapter Eighteen Sauting, Pan Frying, and Deep Frying
• Chapter Nineteen Steaming and Submersion Cooking
• Chapter Twenty Braising and Stewing
• Part Five Vegetables, Potatoes, Grains and Legumes, and Pasta and Dumplings
• Chapter Twenty-One Mise en Place for Vegetables and Fresh Herbs
• Chapter Twenty-Two Cooking Vegetables
• Chapter Twenty-Three Cooking Potatoes
• Chapter Twenty-Four Cooking Grains and Legumes
• Chapter Twenty-Five Cooking Pasta and Dumplings
• Part Six Breakfast and Garde Manger
• Chapter Twenty-Six Cooking Eggs
• Chapter Twenty-Seven Salad Dressings and Salads
• Chapter Twenty-Eight Sandwiches
• Chapter Twenty-Nine Hors-d 'Oeuvre and Appetizers
• Chapter Thirty Charcuterie and Garde Manger
• Part Seven Baking and Pastry
• Chapter Thirty-One Baking Mise en Place
• Chapter Thirty-Two Yeast Breads
• Chapter Thirty-Three Quick Breads, Cakes, and Other Batters
• Chapter Thirty-Four Pastry Doughs and Cookies
• Chapter Thirty-Five Icings, Dessert Sauces, and Creams
• Appendix
• Glossary
• Readings and Resources
• Recipe
• Index
• Subject Index
• Photography Credits

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In the seventh revised edition of the basic textbook for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the editors claim that 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 is 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

This eighth edition of the standard textbook for professional chefs in the U.S. expands previous editions' coverage of both the science and the art of cooking. The nation's most prestigious training school for food careerists concentrates the essence of its course work within a comprehensive volume that competent students must master. Every aspect of the restaurant business is addressed, from nutrition and portion sizing to fiscal and human resource management. Sections on equipment, from major appliances to handheld tools, show the bond between chef and technology. Chapters on world cooking identify the most typical cooking processes and give examples of commonly appearing ingredients in each style. Recipes record classic preparations that form the foundation for myriad elaborations and personalization to move cooking from mere technique to high art. Although beyond the need of most home cooks, this massive tome is a necessary reference-collection purchase for any library whose community includes food-service-training programs. --Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2006 Booklist