Cooking is quite simply an exceptional book, rich with recipes and instruction, vibrant in its use of photographs, all taken by the author, James Peterson, who is a chef, a writer, a teacher and, in this book, a friend standing at your side. We use the word friend, because Peterson simplifies and illuminates the cooking techniques that we think are secret, mysterious, the province of chefs only. We know we are in good hands when we read, "Few cooking techniques require great skill or hours of practice." Peterson wants us to cook well and has included 1500 photos to guarantee understanding.
What makes a cookbook user-friendly? That question can be asked of any cookbook, but when centuries old techniques are being shared, the question has even more relevance. Peterson is a self-taught cook, and it may be that his years of trial and error, of struggling through wordy explanations of essentially simple techniques taught him to how to simplify. He also understands that from home to home kitchen equipment varies. Each recipe is written with that knowledge and contains small pieces of advice that will relax and guide the cook.
There are no perfectly calibrated Viking stoves in every home. If a recipe says to cook over medium flame, that medium flame is not rigorously scientific and may vary slightly from home to home, from cook to cook. Peterson acknowledges those minor variations. As one example, the quail recipe (above) calls for using the pan juices at the end of cooking. Peterson understands that a flame that may have burned away all juices and adjusts for that with the simple suggestion that it's fine to use a little chicken broth to extend the juices. How easy it is to relax and enjoy cooking with such a friend at your side.
Starting with techniques, Peterson lists and explains the ten basic methods of cooking food. Put side by side they contain a year's worth of both indoor and outdoor of cooking: roasting, braising, poaching, sauteing, steaming, frying, grilling, smoking, barbecuing, and boiling. This is a book for all seasons, all moods; a book for tradition and for experiment.
For those of us who want to be gourmet cooks, Cooking fills an important niche. For those of us who are tired of recipes that purport to be quick, but are actually messy and inferior, this book fills another important niche. None of the recipes are shortcut recipes, though their simplicity makes them quick; all respect the food, the cook and the cook's desire to create good dishes. But Peterson's ability to communicate complex thoughts in the simplest way means that the cook proceeds with confidence and surety, not wasting time reading and rereading complex directions, not resorting to prepared foods in frustration. And the photos are there to guide in such chores as trussing a bird, slicing a steak, trimming an artichoke. There are photographic guides to gourmet tricks: How to Make Truffle Butter, or How to Make Lobster Sauce out of Lobster Shells. Breads always ask for photos and Petersen has included How to Shape a Basic Pullman Loaf or How to Shape a Brioche Loaf. If you are a fisherman or a devoted do-it-yourselfer, he'll show you How to Bone a Whole Round Fish through the Belly.
The recipes range from everyday dishes (the ones we really love), such as Lasagna, a perfect Potato Gratin, Pasta dishes, Polenta, and Risotto dishes. There are recipes for fresh Leg of Pork or a Roast Country Ham. There are chapters on pies which guide us to our favorites as well, from Pumpkin Pie to a Fresh Berry Tart. Of course the Basic Pie and Tart Dough recipe is included and the recipes are illustrated to be foolproof.
Petersen cover all food categories, including Custards, Souffles, and Mousses, Cookies, Cakes, sauces, Salsa and Chutneys and Soups, Vegetables, Beans and Herbs. This is a comprehensive book.
Kudos to Ten Speed Press for formatting this book in a usable manner. Slightly larger than the average book, its size accommodates the many recipes and photos without creating an overstuffed book that resembles a doorstop. The pages are bound to stay open and not spring shut, an important quality in a book that offers so much.
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