Product Description

When you watch a professional magic act, you may find yourself awed by the trick. You are a willing believer in the illusion created by the magician. If, however, you are a magician, you are no longer in awe of the trick itself. You are astonished by the skill and finesse of the magician–the ease, the apparent effortlessness of motion.

Chefs are a great deal like magicians. To the novice, the transformation of a carrot to a pile of perfectly even julienne is almost miraculous. To the seasoned chef, the miracle is the skill, the coordination, and rhythm of the right tool in an accomplished hand.

Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelors and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the colleges main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its additional campus for continuing education, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #173118 in Books
• Published on: 1999-10-22
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

From the Back Cover
When you watch a professional magic act, you may find yourself awed by the trick. You are a willing believer in the illusion created by the magician. If, however, you are a magician, you are no longer in awe of the trick itself. You are astonished by the skill and finesse of the magician–the ease, the apparent effortlessness of motion.Chefs are a great deal like magicians. To the novice, the transformation of a carrot to a pile of perfectly even julienne is almost miraculous. To the seasoned chef, the miracle is the skill, the coordination, and rhythm of the right tool in an accomplished hand.Founded in 1946, THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor’s and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. Courses for foodservice professionals are offered at the college’s main campus in Hyde Park, New York, and at its additional campus for continuing education, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in St. Helena, California.

Customer Reviews

Great Reference Book
This book is exactly what I wanted; a self-study guide on how to use a knife correctly. I am an amateur chef and I found the guide to be easy to understand, had good photos, and had a depth of information. An added bonus is the size of the book. It is large enough for all the information you need, without being huge and difficult to flip through.

Useful information, but a few minor nits
This book covers, quite well and with clear black and white photographs, the basics of using kitchen knives. The chapters are Basics, Care, Cuts, Vegetables & Fruits, Meat & Poultry, Fish & Shellfish, Summary, Glossary, and Index. The "food" chapters are broken into sections, each section shows how to cut a particular type of vegetable, fruit, meat, etc.

I'm not wild about the font selection, it is tiring to read for extended passages, however, because most of the book consists of

fairly short paragraphs and enumerated steps, it is acceptable.

The section on sharpening is too short, you will want to go elsewhere if you need to learn how to achieve and maintain a really sharp edge. The part on using a steel is, in my opinion, questionable. Edges are commonly damaged by their use. Don't consider using a coarse or regular cut steel on a good knife. If you must steel, use a light touch with a smooth or fine cut.

French names are given for most of the various cutting techniques. It would be useful to include a pronunciation guide.

Absolutely essential.
I'm not sure which version of "The Professional Chef" Mr. Garvin was reading, but in my copy (7th Edition), there were only a total of 9 pages dedicated solely to proper knife usage and technique. 9 pages of 1036...by my math that doesn't get anywhere close to "90-95%" it's more like < 1%.

I made the mistake of believing his review and purchased "The Professional Chef" instead of buying "The Professional Chef's Knife Kit," and boy did I regret it. I now have a 1000+ page paperweight that cost $50. :-( Not that it's a horrible book, but it's hardly a reference for someone looking for a knife course study. The book is interesting, but it's not what I had hoped it would be.

I went back and bought the Chef's Knife Kit book and it's wonderful. Loaded with information, pictures, and helpful hints, it's a must for anyone who's serious about improving their knife skills. Save your money and avoid "The Professional Chef: 7th Edition," unless you're looking for a book that addresses the entire scope of a professional kitchen.