Cook with Joan Roca: Step-by-Step Preparation and Cooking Techniques

by Joan Roca i Fontané

Cook with Joan Roca teaches step-by-step, with over 2,000 photographs, the main techniques for preparation, cooking and preservation of foods. He also explains the essential basics and foundations of culinary skills. It is a small culinary encyclopedia.

This book shares twenty-five years of professional knowledge in an easy, visual and educational boiling, frying, curing, pickling, blanching, marinating, grilling, smoking, and many other essential techniques that you can put into practice with a selection of easy, delicious recipes. This is a definitive guide to the secrets of cooking.

The book demonstrates every aspect of how to organize the weekly shop, the basic tools, the essential cuts, taking care of food, seasonal products, tricks and advice to optimize your cooking and the best way to conserve ingredients, plus a selection of simple recipes that put all the techniques described in the book into practice.

In these pages one of the world’s greatest chefs teaches you everything you need to know to become a truly accomplished culinary professional.

Genres: Cooking, Cookbooks

384 pages, Hardcover

First published March 25, 2014

About the author

Joan Roca i Fontané (1964, Girona, Catalonia, Spain) is a chef of the restaurant El Celler de Can Roca. He studied in Escola d'Hosteleria de Girona, where later he became a teacher. He worked with his grandparents and parents in their famliy business, a restaurant of traditional catalan cuisine. Today Joan is the chef of his own restaurant, together with his two brothers. Josep (sommelier), and Jordi (dessert chef). He is elaborating traditional cuisine together with avant-garde techniques, which implies research of both modern techniques and traditional recipes. Some of the techniques he uses are Sous-vide, "Perfume-cooking" and Distillation.

He has won a series of awards, including the Tou­ristic Merit Diploma from the Catalonian Gover­nment, the National Gastronomy Award for best chef by the Spanish Academy of Gastronomy, and the Best Chef of the Year award by the Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía guide. He also holds an honorary doctorate degree awarded by the University of Girona.

El Celler de Can Roca has been received warmly by critics, and holds three Michelin stars. In 2013, it was named the best restaurant in the world by the magazine Restaurant, after having been ranked second in 2011 and 2012. In 2014, it was ranked second and in 2015, it was once again named the best restaurant in the world.

Reviews

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un llibre molt interessant per tenir prop de la cuina per consultar sempre que es necessiti. Tot i tenir unes 80 receptes, no és un llibre dedicat a això, aquest llibre es centre en explicar i mostrar els diferents aspectes de la cuina, preelaboracions, tècniques, conèixer els estris, els aliments, la seva conservació, etc. Així doncs, et mostra en detall tot el que has de saber per a donar un pas endavant a la cuina, i es suporta de varies receptes per mostrar l'aplicació de allò explicat (cal mencionar que les receptes són, en general, elaborades i es necessita temps per a fer-les, no són receptes del dia a dia però són molt interessants).

Per mi, molt recomanable.

[Carlos Úbeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una delicia de libro. Muy bien editado y con una estructura muy original. Algunas recetas pueden quedar excesivamente esbozadas, pero las partes teóricas, si bien inevitablemente incompletas, son una maravilla.

[Clarisa Doval · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especialmente buenas las explicaciones más básicas sobre orden y limpieza en la cocina.