The New Deluxe Food Lover's Companion - Hardcover

"How do you improve a classic? The Food Lover's Companion, first published in 1990 by wife and husband Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst, has undergone many updates, but the latest edition is the only one that can claim the term deluxe. "The previous four editions were soft-cover and a much different book size in terms that you could fit in the palm of your hand," says Pat Hunter, an editor at Barron's. "We wanted more info in it than the current book, so we included a whole bunch of new material that would enhance reader appeal." The updated version includes quotes, tip boxes, information on basic techniques and expanded glossaries that explain the many variations of apples, sausages, cheeses and so on. Not a cookbook, The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion is an accessible kitchen reference for everyone, from novice to chef, and features more than 6,700 entries. The authors spent years collecting the ultimate tricks from those in the food industry to update the volume, which is one of the most comprehensive collections about the kitchen trade available today. "The culinary world is always changing, and methods of cooking have changed considerably as well," says Hunter. "We spent a lot of time thinking about how to make a great book to begin with even better and more applicable to today's at-home or professional chefs." --Kirkus Reviews, September 2009 "Attractive and well-organized with efficient cross-referencing and a comprehensive bibliography, this guide would be useful to most cooks and particularly interested novices." --Lynn Harnett, Portsmouth (NH) Herald Sunday "If you've got a question about kitchen tools or perhaps preparation or even kitchen tools, you'll want to pick up this treasure trove of culinary information. . . . This food encyclopedia is especially user-friendly, so you can find anything you're looking for. . . . a must for anybody who enjoys cooking and fine dining, or just likes to learn. . ." --Cookbook Digest "Now in its fifth revision, this food dictionary is more important--and expanded--than ever. No cook should be without it." --Lee Svitak Dean, Minneapolis Star Tribune "For more than a decade, The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst has been the definitive food reference book. . . . Now, a redesigned and updated version has been released. . . . This impressive makeover of a classic book is sure to please longtime Food Lover fans and novice chefs alike. . . . With its hundreds of illustrations, plethora of fun facts, cooking tips and how-to steps The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion is the latest must-have culinary guide--and its reasonable price makes it this year's bookstore bargain." --Lacey Galbraith, Book Page "Spot quiz: Do you know what a pomalo is? How about sansho? Chaource? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you are in desperate need of this book. . . . Enlarged and enhanced, this new reference volume is written for anyone who wants to become more knowledgeable about food and dining. . . . A must-have for any serious food professional. . . ." --Dessert Professional

Based on Barron's popular and authoritative The Food Lover's Companion, this enlarged and enhanced new reference volume was written for discerning home chefs and everybody else who wants to become more knowledgeable about good food and elegant dining. Alphabetically arranged entries define and describe-- Fruits and vegetables, both well-known and exotic varieties Meat cuts and preparation methods Fish, shellfish, and ways to cook and serve them Breads, pastas, and other grain-based foods Cooking tools and techniques Reliable ways to preserve and store foods Herbs, spices, and their many uses . . . and much more Miniature glossaries are interspersed throughout the text. For instance, following the entry for apple, an "Apple Glossary" provides descriptions and recommended uses of 28 different varieties. A generous array of sidebar features throughout the book offers quick tips on food purchases, as well as Fast Facts and advice on preparation, serving, and dining. For example, immediately following the "al dente" entry in reference to cooking pasta, readers will find this sidebar: Fast Facts Al Dente An obvious line flowing through the thickest part of the pasta means it's not done Lingering heat will continue to cook the pasta for a short time after it's removed from the hot cooking water More than 6,700 entries are supplemented with a general introduction, hundreds of illustrations, and pithy quotations about food and dining from chefs and gourmets. The new deluxe hardcover binding with dust jacket includes a ribbon place marker and golden-tipped page edges.