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On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals

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Attractively designed and extensively illustrated with color photographs, line drawings, charts, and sidebars, this contemporary introduction to cooking and food preparation focuses on information that is relevant to today's aspiring chef. Comprehensive and well-written, it emphasizes an understanding of cooking fundamentals, explores the preparation of fresh ingredients, and provides information on other relevant topics, such as food history and food science. This introduction to cooking outlines professionalism, food safety and sanitation, nutrition, recipes and menus, tools and equipment, knife skills, kitchen staples, dairy products, principles of meat, fish and vegetable cookery, garde manger, baking, and presentation. For Chefs, Restaurant Managers and others in the food service industry.

1440 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

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Sarah R. Labensky

45 books11 followers

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5 stars
317 (59%)
4 stars
123 (23%)
3 stars
63 (11%)
2 stars
12 (2%)
1 star
16 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
213 reviews10 followers
February 10, 2011
We used this book for Food Prep 1 & 2. It isn't aimed at home cooks, but anyone who is interested in technique and the theory behind why you do things a certain way will get something out of it. There are some really good recipes as well. The chapter on mother sauces is worth the price of admission.
28 reviews2 followers
February 23, 2007
This is the first cookbook I ever bought. It is a textbook on the western classical repertoir. Since it is written for culinary students, the recipes are in restaurant portions and don't skimp on butter and cream. I haven't read many other professional texts, so I can't say it's the best or the worst, but I think it gave me a good understanding of food and its preparation. Unless you want to put on 60 pounds (i speak from experience), you'll probably want to make only a fraction of each recipe. The creme brulee calls for 50 egg yolks!
Profile Image for Justin.
371 reviews
May 29, 2017
An excellent book for learning the fundamentals of the culinary arts. This is a very concise book with over 750 recipes on top of tons of information. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in more than just simply messing around in the kitchen, but for one who really has a passion for cooking. I come back to this book all the time in my cooking (and baking) endeavors.
1 review1 follower
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August 18, 2011
i think this book is perfect for a management students...
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7 reviews
April 7, 2013
My first professional cookbook. Big, expensive, nostalgic. However The New Professional Chef is a much better book.
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475 reviews8 followers
July 22, 2015
I have used this book enough times and read specific chapters to give it a "read" status. Great for technique and the recipes are amazing.
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12 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2014
This was my bible while I was in culinary school years ago. It is very informative, clear and provides wonderful historical facts about food. I still refer to it to this day!
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453 reviews1 follower
April 16, 2019
A good book that I had to read for my cooking class during college
Profile Image for Scott Davis.
1 review
June 1, 2020
Great Book

Probably my favorite go to book for when I’m baking in remote camps.
Can’t say enough about it.
And I’d recommend it to anyone.
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158 reviews
June 21, 2020
Best unaffected cookbook ever - a LOT of good information and history on cooking. Just my go to for all things kitchen.
Profile Image for Bernadette.
427 reviews5 followers
July 30, 2011
A beautiful, useful, encyclopedic, demystifying tome. A few years back, my partner encouraged me to take a six week, no grades, hands-on, evening cooking class that a nearby academy offers for us anybodies. Though intimidated at the idea and the cost, that was more than worthwhile. The chef teaching us recommends this book for her actual aspiring chef students and us home cooks alike.
Profile Image for Marlana.
8 reviews
August 19, 2012
This was the textbook from my CUL101- Introduction to Foods class in culinary school. It covers a little of everything but is still very thorough, as it should be since it's huge. It is a great culinary text book and good foundation to build on.
Profile Image for Sam.
42 reviews2 followers
January 4, 2009
Fabulous book about cooking. Teaches you all the basics which is a lot more than you are probably thinking. Teaches you everything about everything in cooking. Great resource.
322 reviews48 followers
December 31, 2009
This is an excellent book if you are aspiring to be a chef. I have yet to find a recipe in this book that was not well liked or improperly measured.
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Author 1 book1 follower
May 30, 2009
Beautiful book for those seeking to understand the culinary side of the world. A shelf keeper, full of information from baking to braising to plating. Helped me through many dinner parties!
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Author 2 books7 followers
August 8, 2014
Used this book for my culinary class. Have lost of techniques and great recipes.
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1 review1 follower
June 12, 2014
There seemed to be an abundance of mistakes, both in technique and in recipe yield. And some of the recipes were just bad. But all in all, 'twas a great textbook.
Profile Image for Chad.
6 reviews1 follower
February 5, 2015
One of my favorite all around cookbooks, from my first day in culinary school until now, after 12 years of working in the field.
Profile Image for Nicci.
152 reviews15 followers
August 25, 2012
read this inn college, most helpful textbook I have ever come across
1,762 reviews54 followers
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April 9, 2018
I can see this being great for a professional Chef, but there is much to skip for an amateur home cook (e.g. menu planning)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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