Booknote: 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School

Louis Eguaras and Matthew Frederick, 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-446-55030-7.


Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: cookery, quotations, trivia
Format: small hardcover
Source: My local public library. 

This was a very nice and simple book of cooking concepts that everyone should know. From how to boil water to what different types of knives do to explanations of how cooks at restaurants do things, you can learn a lot from this book. There is a lot of useful information here. The book is simply arranged into 101 short topics, one topic per page with a second page for a small illustration.  You get about 202 pages in the book. The book also includes some humor, quotes, statistics, and other trivia. There are no frills here, but it is a good book for any kitchen.

I am giving it four out of five stars.


Here are some favorite quotes from the book I wanted to remember:

• "The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it." -- Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential (2000). 
• "Cooking is the oldest, most basic, and most universal human application of physical and chemical changes to natural chemicals." -- Arthur E. Grosser, The Cookbook Decoder, Culinary Alchemy Explained.
• "Everything in moderation, including moderation." -- Julia Child (1912-2004). 
• "Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." -- Conrad Hilton, hotel executive. 
• "Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last." -- Francois Minot, French chef and restaurant consultant (1936-) .