For anyone who has had a college class in the last decade, ordering textbooks online has almost become a way of life. There's always a good deal floating around somewhere and always people looking to make a few bucks back. What does this have to do with the kitchen you ask? Instead of adding extra cookbooks to your collection, try adding a culinary institute textbook!
For those looking to have a tangible, instructional explanation of culinary skills, look no further than textbooks from culinary institutes around the country. We've found several on eBay and Amazon (along with a large handful of other sources when you Google).
Although we try our best here at The Kitchn to bring you many of the same techniques, phrases, recipes and ideas, there's still something satisfying about curling up with a book and flipping through page by page discovering what's next.
We recently had a chance to flip through the book pictured above and will be adding it to our collection in the very near future. Even though most of the information wasn't new to us, it will be a great addition for children to learn by and be a great resource for clear, concise directions backed up by photographs. Learn to butcher, bake and make fabulous dinner... all on the cheap!
• Related: What Is the Best Way To: Learn How To Cook?
(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)
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Comments (11)
You can also rent textbooks from Chegg.com for a "semester" (about 4 months) for around 35 bucks! I don't know what their range is as far as culinary books, but it would be a good place to check on the cheap!
Green Apple Books in San Francisco always has a pile of required CCA reading materials in their used section.
Whoa. I am totally geeking out on this!
You can also buy older editions for MUCH cheaper prices on amazon.
I've found older versions at the public library.
What a great idea - I would have never thought of this!
This book is amazing. I've learned a lot from it and I recommend it. :)
I HIGHLY recommend these books, for any skill level. When I first started getting interested in cooking a few years ago my former chef bro-in-law sent me CIA's Professional Chef and I still look at it often.
I learned all kinds of techniques by looking at their pics and reading their concise descriptions. I also learned proper terminology, and many facts.
Their recipes usually are geared towards restaurant cooking for large numbers, so the book is more usable for me as an education tool rather than cookbook.
It's the book I go to when I want to see how to tie up a roast, or what size cuts to use for mirepoix, etc.
I just got the Professional Chef. I'm looking into buying the baking and pastry one, and then I'm going to move on to the chocolates and confections. I look on amazon, if you get the previous edition, you can find some for $26.00--just enough to qualify for free shipping.
want.
we have several cookbooks like this, including professional chef and we looove them! To bobcatsteph3's point, sometimes it's not perfect for home cooking for reasons like volume, but it's such a great resource. because they're used to teach students, the explanations are clear and often have accompanying images to aid in understanding of a process.