From Publishers Weekly
Ruhlman's slim 12th book, inspired by Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style, would more accurately have been titled Selected Elements of French Cooking. Organized in dictionary format, the book offers short definitions of culinary terms most likely to be encountered in a Continental restaurant kitchen: à la ficelle, jus lie, lardo, mise en place, oblique cut, oignon pique, rondeau, roulade. Entries for ladle, rolling pin and other common implements seem almost superfluous, while international items such as wok, tandoor, udon and cardamom are nowhere to be found (though to be fair, nam pla, kimchi and umami are included). An opening eight-page section announces, with finger wagging, that veal stock is the essential and discourses on eggs, salt and kitchen tools. Ruhlman (The Soul of a Chef) is an elegant writer and the entries he does include can be useful and sometimes entertaining. The real problem is the idiosyncratic, highly personal approach: you just don't know what you'll find in this book and what you won't. (Nov.)
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Product Review
"The last few decades have seen an explosion of interest in cooking as well as a serious breakdown in the language of the kitchen. The result: chaos. In The Elements of Cooking, Michael Ruhlman seeks to clear the babble and put us all on an even playing field. His explanations of terms and especially techniques are concise, clear, even diplomatic. Best of all they make sense." -- Alton Brown, host of the award-winning Food Network show Good Eats
More than a culinary dictionary, The Elements of Cooking is the essential codebook for young cooks and culinary students who want to learn the secret language of the kitchen."
-- Paul Kahan, chef, Blackbird
The combination of content and size makes The Elements of Cooking simply the best reference book and educational tool available for anyone interested in the basics of the culinary arts."
-- Eric Ripert, chef, Le Bernardin, and coauthor of A Return to Cooking
"A useful, well-thought-out, clear, and precise collection of cooking terms, The Elements of Cooking is essential for cook apprentices and necessary and enjoyable for seasoned chefs."
-- Jacques Pépin, author of Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook
