Source:
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Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual, by Peter Hertzmann. Norton
2007. Hardcover. 250 pages. $29.95.
The vast majority of cookbooks are filled with recipes. New recipes
are always welcome, but how many do we actually need to get that
Sunday chicken on the table? Anyway, the difference between good and
great cooks has little to do with recipes. Technique is what
separates the amateurs from the professionals, and this new cookbook
will help those two worlds come a little closer.
All great chefs have what they refer to in the business as "knife
skills," and generally the better the chef, the sharper the knife
skills. The way a chef holds a knife, the speed at which he or she
chops, the precision of the cuts and butchering skills are essential
in professional kitchens.
Some home cooks know how to handle a knife, but generally this is the
skill most lacking. But why should we bother to chop an onion into a
brunoise, basil into a chiffonade or carrot into a julienne?
Basically, these cuts demonstrate the best way to exploit each
vegetable and provide even cooking times. Sure, you can chop
vegetables in a food processor, but when faced with a single onion,
garlic clove or celery stick, are you really willing to bother with
the clean-up?
But there is more to knife skills than mere chopping or fancy French
cuts, and that's where this book excels. Faced with a gnarled celery
root, many cooks would simply place it back on the supermarket shelf.
This book shows precisely how to trim and slice this round root with
little waste. With beautiful illustrations and step-by-step
instructions, Hertzmann leads you through the full gamut of vegetable
cuts as well as fruit, meat, poultry (raw and roasted) and fish.
Don't have a clue how to clean a leek? This book will show you not
only how to clean it, but how to slice and mince it as well.
There are also detailed chapters on caring for knives, keeping them
sharp, and essential kitchen equipment like cutting boards. This is
not some fancy, star-chef tome filled with the latest "hot" dishes,
but a technique book like this will make your time in the kitchen
more productive and your favourite recipes sing with masterfully cut
meats, perfectly trimmed vegetables and gorgeous garnishes.
The buzz: Author Peter Hertzmann is known for his à la carte website
(www. hertmann.com) but works as a cooking teacher as well. Having
discovered a void in the technique-driven cookbook category, the
author picked up the most essential kitchen tool and came up with 800
step-by-step illustrations for both right- and left-handed cooks.
The test: Though a video or private lesson would certainly provide
better instruction, Hertzmann's writing is clear and the
illustrations help guide you to success. Left-handed cooks will
probably benefit most from this book, as most general cookbooks
rarely take southpaws into consideration. The only regret here is
that the author did not provide even a few recipes to bring a further
dimension to the book and put the cuts to good use. For instance, a
simple tomato sauce would be welcome after the dicing instructions
for carrots and onions, and an easy chicken recipe could follow the
poultry cuts.
Who is this book for? Anyone, either beginner or budding chef, will
benefit from improved knife skills. At a time when cookbooks seem to
be skipping over technical instructions in favour of glossy
photographs and first-person anecdotes, a book like this is an
essential tool for anyone interested in cooking with speed, skill and
confidence.
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