Product Description

Discover the secrets of The Culinary Institute of Americas popular week-long "Boot Camp" course -- five days of dynamic, hands-on instruction in cooking basics that help teach the non-professional cook to think like a chef -- with Julia Child Award-winning cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman. Combining Shulmans entertaining and compelling narrative with a wealth of invaluable culinary information, you'll take a "step up" in the kitchen with this vicarious adventure through basic training at one of the countrys finest professional cooking schools.

DAY 1: "Our 'drill sergeant' comes into the room and writes his name on the board. He wears the CIA staff jacket, a green name badge, and the chef's kerchief around his neck, which he later shows us how to tie. 'YOU ARE MINE!' he says with a sly smile on his face, and we know that he's going to give us the guidance we need. He'll be strict, but kind."

DAY 2: "Until I went to Boot Camp, I was never very comfortable around (or succeessful with) lots of hot oil in a pan. That was all about to change."

DAY 3: "One of the most important terms for dry heat cooking is 'carryover cooking.' Carryover cooking refers to the fact that heat penetrates meat from the outside to the inside, and when you remove it from the oven, the meat will continue to cook. That's why it must rest, during which time the carryover cooking continues, the temperature equalizes, and the juices relax and flow through the meat."

DAY 4: "Our dessert was a Warm Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake, and it was served with a glass of Quady Elysium from Madera County, California. They named their black muscat dessert wine Elysium because, in their words, 'Drinking this, you can almost feel you have fallen into a rose garden and been transported to heaven.' And I must say I did. I transported myself to bed instead, thinking what an appropriate meal this had been after our first wine lecture, and about the wines I would serve with my own next dinner party."

DAY 5: "We sampled each team's handiwork, and as we were polishing off this large meal, our chef stood up to congratulate us and hand out our 'certificates of accomplishment.'"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160751 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
For anyone who's fantasized about attending culinary school—or any curious cook who wants to understand more about the fundamentals of fine cooking—this book offers a peek into an über-condensed, intensive version of Culinary Institute of America training for nonprofessionals. In an era when most bestselling cookbooks eschew traditional techniques in favor of time-saving shortcuts, the book is an anomaly. Shulman (Entertaining Light), an IACP Award–winning cookbook author, takes readers along with her as she attends the CIA's five-day "boot camp" and explains the lessons she learned, from preparing stocks and sauces, to using knives and understanding proper sauté protocol, along with (occasionally overbearing) personal commentary about the experience. Some organizational elements don't make sense—the section on stocks, for example, precedes the recipes for stocks by more than 100 pages—and some recipes are unnecessary (the author criticizes the CIA's cornbread recipe and inserts her own instead). But the text is packed with good insider info, and most of the 75 recipes, such as Spinach Spaetzle with Sapsago Cheese, and Morel and Wild Mushroom Ragoût, are time-honored yet contemporary, rigorous yet approachable. 100 full-color photos. (May 6)
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Review
"For...any curious cook who wants to understand more about the fundamentals of fine cooking." (Publishers Weekly, March 13, 2006)

For anyone who's fantasized about attending culinary school—or any curious cook who wants to understand more about the fundamentals of fine cooking—this book offers a peek into an über-condensed, intensive version of Culinary Institute of America training for nonprofessionals. In an era when most bestselling cookbooks eschew traditional techniques in favor of time-saving shortcuts, the book is an anomaly. Shulman (Entertaining Light), an IACP Award–winning cookbook author, takes readers along with her as she attends the CIA's five-day "boot camp" and explains the lessons she learned, from preparing stocks and sauces, to using knives and understanding proper sauté protocol, along with (occasionally overbearing) personal commentary about the experience. Some organizational elements don't make sense—the section on stocks, for example, precedes the recipes for stocks by more than 100 pages—and some recipes are unnecessary (the author criticizes the CIA's cornbread recipe and inserts her own instead). But the text is packed with good insider info, and most of the 75 recipes, such as Spinach Spaetzle with Sapsago Cheese, and Morel and Wild Mushroom Ragoût, are time-honored yet contemporary, rigorous yet approachable. 100 full-color photos. (May 6) (Publishers Weekly, March 13, 2006)

From the Inside Flap
Offering five full days of action-packed culinary learning alongside some of the world's most talented chef-instructors, The Culinary Institute of America's tremendously popular Boot Camp course is the destination for food enthusiasts who want to take their cooking skills to a whole new level.

In Culinary Boot Camp, Julia Child Award–winning cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman takes you along on her personal journey through Boot Camp to share the secrets of this exciting program. Step by step, she reveals the cooking techniques, tips, tricks, and recipes learned in the course and shares fascinating insights on everything from building kitchen teamwork with the other students to the workings of the professional cooking world.

With a separate chapter devoted to eachday of the course, Culinary Boot Camp guides you through the essentials of kitchenterms, knife skills, and cooking techniques—including sautéing, drying, roasting, broiling,grilling, braising, stewing, poaching, and steaming—plus plate and platter presentation, wine and food pairings, and more. Nearly 100 recipes help you put the lessons to work in your own kitchen, with delicious results. Throughout, nearly 100 photographs by award-winning photographer Ben Fink vividly capture the excitement and intensity of the Boot Camp program.

Combining Shulman's entertaining and compelling narrative with a wealth of invaluable culinary information, this book will give you a "step up" in the kitchen as you embark on a vicarious adventure through basic training at "the nation's most influential training school for professional cooks" (Time magazine).

Customer Reviews

Great Resource
As a recent graduate of the CIA's Career Discovery program, which was very similar to the Boot Camp, I found the book to be a wonderful summary (and then some) of the entire week.

Great!
Very good transaction. Timely delivery, book very useful for my son who is enrolling in culinary school. Many thanks!

Versatile Culinary Reference
Martha Rose Shulman artfully captures her experiences while attending the CIA's five day Culinary Boot Camp in Hyde, NY. This book caters to both beginning & "seasoned" cooks, featuring noteworthy information e.g. mise en place, knife skills, maintaining stocks, soup production, frying techniques, dry & moist heat cooking methods.

Recipes utitlized during the 5 day course are printed in their entirety, often times with helpful commentary by either the author, Chef Hinnerk, or Chef John. Additional recipes are also included, which allow you to practice the skills/techniques introduced in the book.

Excellent organization, phenomenal instruction, and a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in the culinary arts.