The Basics

Still innovative in scope and clarity La Varenne Pratique is the essential culinary reference book for novice and expert cooks alike, bringing together a practical understanding of cooking techniques, ingredients and equipment in an unrivaled guide. The ebook edition is divided into four parts: Part 1, The Basics covers Herbs, Spices, Flavorings, Stocks & Soups, Sauces, Milk, Cheese & Eggs and Fats & Oils; Part 2, Meat, Poultry & Fish covers Fish, Shellfish, Poultry & Game Birds, and Meat & Charcuterie; Part 3, Vegetables, Pasta & Grains covers Vegetables, Mushrooms, Grains & Legumes and Pasta; and Part 4, Baking, Preserving & Desserts covers Flour, Breads & Batters, Pastry & Cookies, Cakes & Icings, Sugar & Chocolate, Cold Desserts & Ice Creams, and Fruit & Nuts as well as Preserving & Freezing. Every chapter offers an overview of the food covered and explains how to choose, prepare, store, cook and present it. Recipes are included wherever an important cooking technique requires a specific example – carefully chosen not only to illustrate a particular dish but to illuminate a way of cooking. Included in each part is a guide to cooking equipment, a glossary of culinary terms and the original reference bibliography. The print edition's original, extensive food grouping and step-by-step groundbreaking photography has been digitized and continues to clearly illustrate the topics and techniques covered in the text. Comprehensive, authoritative and practical, La Varenne Pratique, Part 1, The Basics, is a complete primer on the fundamentals of good cooking including detailed recipes.