Reddit reviews Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

Maybe it's carbon steel. But yeah, it's hard to watch as I also assumed nonstick. This is my favorite technique video of his (his book New Complete Techniques is also a must purchase).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku5p1CcGn70&user=TopSecretPt

Edit: Misremembered the name of the book.

Link to the book on Amazon

He published a newer version of the book with color images and some new techniques.

Might I suggest an alternative method? In my experience, the study of the techniques to cooking are at least half the battle in laying a foundation for a good culinary education. Rather than take the direct simple-to-complex recipe route, perhaps there is value in utilizing a hybrid method of learning where the recipes are centered around the use of particular skills in the kitchen. Some useful materials that come to mind are "Complete Techniques" by Jacques Pepin or "The Way to Cook" by Julia Child. Once these types of technical skills are engrained in your cooking process, you will find the true joy of cooking which is much less about following instructions and more to do with finding your "culinary groove".

I would stronlgy recommend Jacques Pepin who is wonderful.

Jacques Pepin is awesome at teaching techniques, and especially good at giving detailed instructions that are easy to follow (even if not so easy to execute without practise).

Besides his numerous youtube videos, his Complete Techniques book and DVD (i have both) are really good. Like how to cut vegetables, cook eggs in various ways, debone a chicken etc. I find the DVD easier to follow.

Book: http://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110

DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000LXHJZA/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1457271533&sr=8-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=jacques+pepin+dvd&dpPl=1&dpID=51RpoAjNx9L&ref=plSrch

His video on making an American omelet and a French omelette. This video is the best there is, and i have seen dozens of other videos about making an omelet.

https://youtu.be/s10etP1p2bU

Edit: His scrambled eggs recipe since you said that is your next goal.

https://youtu.be/u8QIDHla6iA

(From 11:40, but if you go back a few minutes, he also tells you how to make mushrooms to accompany the scrambled eggs)

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

From here you can move on to:

Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique: The definitive step-by-step guide to culinary excellence

&

Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia, Completely Revised and Updated

These are all great resources. Also look for culinary school text books and always youtube.

The resources are out there and with everyone having a different way to learn and adopt information the variety in options is tremendous. Good luck and keep cooking. If you have any questions please reach out and if I can help I will.

I’ll recommend three books that have upped my research as a home cook; The Professional Chef by CIA, Techniques by Jacques Pepin, and Ratio by Michael Ruhlman.

Of course there are hundreds of books but I often reference these in particular for education.

Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques.

https://smile.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110

And don't get the Kindle version.

Jacques Pépin's New Complete Techniques is the bible of technique. It combines La Technique and La Methode which have taught some of today's top chefs.

It sounds as if you are a novice? If you are and you are looking for books as your guide I suggest anything Jaques Pepin produces like this.

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1520771297&sr=1-3&keywords=jaque+pepin+cookbooks

Jacques Pépin is a masterful teacher. There are also youtube videos and TV shows that would add to anything you get from his books. I highly encourage you to seek them out.

Beyond that, if you are looking for more a narrative form and you are more than a novice, consider:

Simple French Food by Richard Olney

Thats just a start, I'm sure there are many others that deserve consideration. In my experience Jacques Pépin; however, is one of the most approachable of the masters and I have a long-standing admiration of him, so my opinion is likely biased.

edit: a letter

His book is all anyone needs.

If you're looking for basics, it's hard to beat Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-The-Basics/dp/0470528060

It's exactly what you're looking for. It covers the basics of cooking, with 1,000+ photos.

Another go-to recommendation is Jacque Pepin's New Complete Techniques, a fantastic 2012 update of his epic masterpieces La Technique and La Methode, with 1000 new photos.

http://www.amazon.com/Jacques-P%C3%A9pin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110

Both books are great. I prefer Pepin's book since it's based solely on classic French technique, but Bittman's book would be better for an absolute beginner.

> So whats yalls opinion? slapchop? food processor? other?

A chef's knife is the right tool for the job.

This book has all the info you need.

I've seen a couple I like, but where's La Technique by Pepin. Or more likely, one of the updated versions.

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

In the description it says this one combines the two.

While it does have recipes, it also has a ton of pictures and descriptions of a variety of techniques: New Complete Techniques, by Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David

Jacques Pepin’s “Techniques”

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques https://www.amazon.com/dp/1579129110/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AmdCCbPKNCZ8D

If you're a complete beginner you don't need a book of recipes: You need a book on techniques.

Something like Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques will teach you HOW to cook, not what to cook. Then you can find good recipes all over the place.

Alton Brown's cookbooks are quite good, so I'll add my voice to those recommending them.

If you don't need color glossy photos, "The New Best Recipe" from the folks at Cook's Illustrated magazine has great recipes and thorough instructions.

When you someday move beyond the basics, I'd also throw in a plug for Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio" and Jacques Pepin's "Complete Techniques". Ruhlman's book breaks some recipes (like doughs, batters, and custards) down to their basic components and will help you understand how to modify or even improvise with some kinds of recipes, and Pepin's book has great illustrations that can help get you through some of the techniques mentioned by not described by cookbooks. Pepin's Techniques might even prove useful to you now as a reference, depending on what other cookbooks you're working with.

Start here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0470421355/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518328836&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=cia+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=41rNtxGGDYL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316118400/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518328931&sr=1&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2972396462&pd_rd_wg=nq5yM&pf_rd_r=YWY3G2TH6PPKJDW69WQG&pf_rd_s=mobile-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=9701&pd_rd_i=0316118400&pd_rd_w=Ra06B&pf_rd_i=culinary+school+book&pd_rd_r=6d45f769-fe0f-4f25-870c-9833a3a902fb&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1579129110/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518329071&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=jacques+pepin&dpPl=1&dpID=51Ob6blpRqL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0778802566/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518329157&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=knife+skills+illustrated&dpPl=1&dpID=513Oqyg2uPL&ref=plSrch

what you really want are recipe inspirations with common ingredients, not necessarily techniques. There are tomes out there like the CIA's Professional Chef or Pepin's New Complete Techniques which go into minute details on very classical preparations expected at high-end restaurant kitchens, but for the avg home cook that's overkill.

I think your ultimate goal is to develop a set of protocols to guide you in creating dishes on the fly, which actually is a really difficult thing to do even for skilled cooks. The only advice i can give is to cook broadly, learning preparations for various cuisines, from Italian dishes, to Lebanese/Israeli, to Indian, Chinese and Japanese. Many ethnic/cultural cuisines have a certain flavor profiles, with specific spices and ways of combining proteins & starches. But you need to read & practice so these protocols come instinctively.

If you want a cookbook that will teach you classic French cooking techniques and also provide recipes, I'd recommend Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques. The Julia Child book was good for its time and definitely popularized French cooking, but it's more of a historical touchstone at this point than a functional guide for 21st century cooks. It assumes that you already have a lot of cooking knowledge.

well, it's not 'only' pictures, but it does have a lot of pictures - New Complete Techniques by Jacques Pepin. it's very comprehensive & easy to follow. there are photos for just about everything, in both color & black & white. and whatever text there is, is presented in digestible bits, alongside the photo illustration.

I was about to list out all my favorite resources, the ones where, looking back, I can point to as being the bedrock of all the cooking knowledge I've cobbled together over the years, and I noticed they have one thing in common: PBS. The cooking shows that air on PBS (and their companion materials) are just awesome. They're not gimmicky, they don't have puppets or catch phrases, but they're reliable. There are other great sources of food knowledge, but if somebody's on PBS, you know they're the real deal.

If I had to learn it all over again starting today, here's what I'd be looking at, in rough order:

Martha Stewart's Cooking School

Martha's got a great new show and companion book to go along with it. The reason I'd start here is because it's structured the way you want it: an emphasis on technique, with clear goals for each lesson. Just about every one of your topics listed above is covered in here, and the recipes are almost secondary. Like, a show or chapter will be about braising, not about boeuf bourguignon. Pretty heavy emphasis on French and European cuisine, but some nice forays into other cuisines, too. Covers all the basics: equipment, stocks, sauces, cuts of meat. Lots of good reference sections, too, like charts on cooking techniques for different rices and grains.

It's mostly pretty traditional stuff. No "hacks" or "science", but she will occasionally throw in some neat updates to a traditional technique. In particular, her hollandaise method is the best I've ever come across. Almost completely traditional, double-boiler and all, but she uses whole butter instead of clarified. Really easy and probably tastes better, too.

Incidentally, most of the substance of the show probably comes from editorial director for food at Martha Stewart Living, Sarah Carey, who happens to have an awesome YouTube channel.

Julia Child

Julia needs no introduction. She made French cuisine accessible to us servantless American cooks half a century ago, and I don't think anyone has done it better since. You'll want to watch every episode of The French Chef you can get your hands on, and also grab a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

You could start with Julia, but her show seems to focus on the recipe first, followed by the technique. So Julia's episode on boeuf bourguignon will be about boeuf bourguignon. She'll teach you all about technique, too, of course, but I think it's easier to start with Martha if you want a run-through of the basics of a technique.

Jacques Pepin

Probably the most talented cook to ever appear on television. The man elevates mincing an onion to an art form. Probably the best shows of his are Essential Pepin, Fast Food My Way, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at home (which used to be on Hulu, if you have that).

Every show he'll cook through a bunch of recipes, and he'll make these off-the-cuff comments on why he's doing what he's doing. How to peel a carrot. How to puree garlic with a chef's knife. Adding a splash of water to a covered skillet to steam the contents from the top while cooking them from below.

There's also a lot of his older stuff on YouTube that will show particular techniques: parting and deboning a chicken, preparing an omelet, and so on. He's remarkably consistent, so if you just watch enough of his stuff you'll get the spiel on every topic eventually.

Jacques does have a compilation of technique, but frankly I think Martha's is better. The photography in Jacques' book is pretty poor, and he devotes an awful lot of space to techniques that have probably been out of fashion for forty years. That said, there's a lot that's still useful in there, so it's worth at least checking out from the library.

(By the way, while you're at it, you should read My Life in France and The Apprentice, Julia's and Jacques autobiographies, respectively.)

There's a lot more to learn, but if you start with Jacques, Julia, and Martha, you'll have a rock-solid foundation upon which to build. Once you've got the basics down, my favorite new-fangled cooking resources are Serious Eats and ChefSteps.

Happy cooking!

It is from Jacques' Techniques series:
https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=RA2N5BG269A24BTRJQ6F

I think it comes with at DVD in the book, but I am not sure.

The updated one combines the two. This one is the most up to date one. Here is the Kindle version.

Jacques Pépin - New Complete Techniques possibly?

I LOVE Joy of Cooking. I have made every single recipe in the cookies section (from my 1985ish edition).

I also recommend Jacques Pepin New Complete Techniques. Some of it is challenging, but some of it is just..."oh, so that's how you do that!!"

And...a crock pot. I made at least 1 meal a week in my crock pot. Super easy and cheap!

Jacques Pépin's New Complete Techniques.

Jacques Pépin - New Complete Techniques