Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1

by Julia Child

Other authorsSidonie Coryn (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 2001

Call number

641 C

Collection

Publication

Alfred A. Knopf (2001), Edition: 40th Anniversary, 684 pages

Description

Cooking & Food. Reference. Nonfiction. HTML:NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The definitive cookbook on French cuisine for American readers: "What a cookbook should be: packed with sumptuous recipes, detailed instructions, and precise line drawings. Some of the instructions look daunting, but as Child herself says in the introduction, 'If you can read, you can cook.'" —Entertainment Weekly “I only wish that I had written it myself.” —James Beard Featuring 524 delicious recipes and over 100 instructive illustrations to guide readers every step of the way, Mastering the Art of French Cooking offers something for everyone, from seasoned experts to beginners who love good food and long to reproduce the savory delights of French cuisine. Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle break down the classic foods of France into a logical sequence of themes and variations rather than presenting an endless and diffuse catalogue of dishes—from historic Gallic masterpieces to the seemingly artless perfection of a dish of spring-green peas. Throughout, the focus is on key recipes that form the backbone of French cookery and lend themselves to an infinite number of elaborations—bound to increase anyone’s culinary repertoire. “Julia has slowly but surely altered our way of thinking about food. She has taken the fear out of the term ‘haute cuisine.’ She has increased gastronomic awareness a thousandfold by stressing the importance of good foundation and technique, and she has elevated our consciousness to the refined pleasures of dining." —Thomas Keller, The French Laundry.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member sarah-e
A wonderful cookbook. This book taught me how to cook the most delicious steak I've ever had - and it was so easy! A must for any enthusiastic home chef.
LibraryThing member brendajanefrank
The best classic French cookbook.
LibraryThing member steadfastreader
I'm a little afraid to cook out of this.
LibraryThing member beau.p.laurence
Saint Julia's cooking bible. newer cookbooks might have better layout & photos, but you can't beat the directions in this one.
LibraryThing member Linda_22003
It really is the Bible. I had a paperback of this years ago, and I wasn't ready for it (in the Zen sense). I recently re-bought it, in a good hardcover edition, and am rediscovering not only the book, but food itself.

It's one thing to make beef stew, and another entirely to make boeuf bourguignon.
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Her steps are slow, methodical, and thorough, and you have to just give yourself up to her methodology and not try to rush anything. That's a new experience for most of us, and so worthwhile.
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LibraryThing member kd9maui
If you wish to cook in a classical French manner, you must read (and use) this cookbook. Not every chef will agree with Julia's instructions and ingredients, but not other book will be as painstakingly precise as this one. The book starts with Kitchen Equipment, Definitions, Ingredients, Measure,
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Temperatures, Cutting, and Wine. The chapters cover Soups, Sauces, Eggs, Entreés and Luncheon Dishes, Fish, Poultry, Meat, Vegetables, Cold Buffet, and Desserts and Cakes. You may not attempt all of these recipes, but one or more of them will become kitchen staples.
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LibraryThing member LaurelMildred
I confess that the complexity of French cookery is a bit over the top for me, but respect for the status of this classic led me to try a number of the recipes, with fair success. I concluded that if I am going to go to a great deal of trouble, on the natural I'd choose Italian instead. However, the
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ebullience of Julia Child intrigued me, and when books describing her life started to come out, I read them all. The labor of love that went into creating this cookbook is one of the most extraordinary stories I've ever read, revealing a single-minded dedication to food, cooking, integrity and living a passionate and creative life. This book is Julia Child's life's work, and writing it transformed both her and the cooking world. I bow to the chef.
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LibraryThing member Adam_Chels
So far I have made:

• Potage Parmentier
• Soufflé au Fromage
• Rôti de Porc Poêlé avec Marinade Seche
• Tomates a la Provençale
• Gratin Jurassien
• Soup a l'oignon

All of these recipes have been amazing! I have had so much fun making them, and I definitely recommend this book!
LibraryThing member MrsLee
Four stars because I enjoyed the reading of it so very much. Not five, because I doubt if I'll use even half of the recipes. That's not the author's fault, it's simply because of the life I lead. I devoured this book, savoring each recipe and technique presented. Not much of it was new to me,
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because my grandmother cooked this way, but these recipes bring back the care and details which have been cut down due to busy lifestyles. I long to make the sauces and desserts, and perhaps one day I will, but not this day. This is a perfect compliment to the book, "My Life In France," by Julia Child.
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LibraryThing member beachgirl66
Great, comprehensive cookbook. My Uncle & Aunt in Alaska are retired chefs, they cleaned out their stash and gifted this to me. I love it.

Normally I don't read the forwards or Intro page, but I have fond memories of Julia from when I was a child so I read it. So glad I did!

She explains how the
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recipes are set up, why they are done that way and what she hoped you would learn by using the book. Wonderfully done! I'm really enjoying it.
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LibraryThing member WeeziesBooks
I read this book for as a Shakespeare book club selection and am glad I did. From the making of broth the old fashioned and culinary way to the preparation of fine french food, this is a classic book and should be red by anyone with an interest in food preparation or cooking. It isn't a usual read
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for most of us who want to prepare a healthy and fast meal, it is more of a reference book for the chefs of today from the famous Julia Child.
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LibraryThing member bxhaughton
Some of Julia's recipes are complicated, granted, but early in her canonical text she exhorts readers to adapt recipes to their local requirements, which I have done time and time again. Nonetheless, the results have been extraordinary. ;-)

Use Julia's recommendations as a starting point, and adept
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according to your circumstances. With any luck at all, you'll succeed. :-)

Buzz Haughton
bongobuzz@gmail.com
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LibraryThing member WinnieFairchild
What you can you say about Julia?
LibraryThing member BrianDewey
Wow, what a detailed cookbook.
LibraryThing member rubiciel
The book maybe very informative, but not super appealing to those who're illustration-interested like me. Anyway, I know it's always good to keep a classic French cookbook in the kitchen library. I just wish it had more pictures...
LibraryThing member sturlington
Standard reference cookbook for any kitchen, I believe.

Pages

684

ISBN

0375413405 / 9780375413407
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