The Elements Of Cooking: Translating The Chef's Craft For Every Kitchen

The Age

Tuesday July 29, 2008

Justine Costigan

The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen

Michael Ruhlman

Black Inc, $34.95

Although The Elements of Cooking would be an excellent tool for an apprentice chef or an ambitious home cook, perhaps the publishers should also consider releasing a pocket edition for your average restaurant customer. Some cartes are so complicated that they need an interpreter to translate and if your waiter isn't up to scratch this book would be the perfect resource to help unscramble a mangled menu. The author of several books about the mechanics of cooking as well as co-author of The French Laundry Cookbook with Thomas Keller, Michael Ruhlman takes the reader on a guided tour of a professional kitchen, explaining everything from techniques to cooking terms and basic appliances. There are eight informative essays covering the most basic kitchen concepts, from making stock to sauces, using salt and which tools to buy. An A-Z of kitchen vocabulary follows and for a book that's basically a food dictionary it makes for surprisingly fascinating reading. I didn't know that in the US untalented chefs are referred to as "shoemakers". -- JUSTINE COSTIGAN