Ruhlman's Twenty: A Cooking Education

I had no idea where to begin when I took over the cooking duties and then discovered that my passion for great cuisine translated into a passion for its preparation as well. A few years later I can confidently say that one of the best places for aspiring kitchen maestros to begin is "Ruhlman's Twenty", the exceptional introduction to the techniques, combinations, and basic recipes everyone swinging around some pots and pans should possess and digest. Ruhlman is, as always, irreverent, professional, informative, to the point, and brilliant.

Sure, you can cook your way through Julia Child or The Barefoot Contessa (love them both, and I'll have plenty about them in other posts), and you can take on massive tomes from Escoffier or McGee (again, both essential at a certain point). But if you're looking to really get stuck into what it takes to make your kitchen work safely and produce beautiful, delicious meals, then Ruhlman is where to begin.

"There are about twenty techniques that you need to know in order to cook almost anything. If you know those twenty techniques, there's virtually nothing you can't do", Ruhlman told a friend, and from that conversation this extraordinary book emerged. Its all about the fundamentals, getting them down, and then deepening these unchanging basics to bring to our tables the immeasurably satisfying beauty of meals made with love and skill.

The photos are fabulous, the recipes proven and delicious, the text clean and easy to read, making the entire volume not only a joy to explore but easy to use when the butter is bubbling in the pan.

Its where to start.

http://www.amazon.com/Ruhlmans-Twenty-Techniques-Recipes-Manifesto/dp/0811876438/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375800617&sr=1-1&keywords=ruhlman

Catch the video intro to the book here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m2ERJOMSCAY19B/ref=ent_fb_link