Reviews (10)

I liked it
I had to buy this book for my Quantity Foods course as a part of my Dietetics major. I actually liked the book, and I am going to keep it for later use. I thought the book was organized very well. Some of the charts in Chapter 2 and 5 that we used quite often were a little hard to find (because there are so many!).
Wow!!! A must have for all chefs
I had seen this book at a friends business and thought it was good.Since I have ordered and received it I have had the chance to really review the contents and find it one book that I can use daily.The CD rom is also fantastic in the number of recipes it contains.One nice feature is that you can size the recipes to what you need.Another great plus.Well worth the money. Tom Elliott, CEC

Food For Fifty
Very well written book, leaves nothing for the mind to question,I would highly recomend this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. Food Science    3. Food Service Management    4. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    5. Menus    6. Methods - Quantity    7. Nutrition    8. Quantity cookery    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology    11. Business & Economics / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (11)

Good Basics
Teaches basics, it's like a textbook. Useful information that comes with pictures. It's definitely a worth investment for chefs like myself.

Excellent book
I have really benefitted from this book. It was an excellent value for the money.

Garde Manger Culinary Institue of America
The book arrive fast, the problem is your company change my shipping address. It took me two extra day to reiceve it. I was lucky tobe able to pick it up two hours before my class ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery (Cold dishes)    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Methods - Quantity    5. Quantity Food Production And Service    6. Quantity cookery    7. Reference    8. Cooking / Culinary Arts & Techniques    9. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (79)

great ideas not so great tasting
While I enjoyed the book's concepts and found the recipes and preperation easy to follow I found that the recipes are not so tasty.Several of them were just too repetitive and not something I would enjoy eating day in and day out.

Excellent book
I have read other Once a Month Cooking books and this is by far the best that I have encountered. Each recipe is on its own page, andthe ingredients and amounts are clearly listed in a grid format (for 6, 12, on up, servings) with cooking instructions, packaging suggestions and ways to cut the fat content. The website has even more recipes in this same format that you can download. If you wanted to, you could have the book's spine removed, have it 3-hole punched and create your own recipe binder, inserting whatever downloaded recipes you desire.
Good techniques, less than stellar recipes
First the good- I like the format, the technique works well, and I enjoyed making a lot of recipes for my small family that I could serve and store. I liked being able to grab additional recipes off the internet site.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. General    4. Methods - Canning & Preserving    5. Methods - Quantity    6. Methods - Quick & Easy    7. Cooking / General   

Reviews (1)

Great source for appetizers and a nice read. Buy It.
`Big Small Plates' by northern California restauranteur / chef / cookbook writer, Cindy Pawlcyn, assisted by her restaurant co-owners and co-chefs, brothers Pablo Jacinto and Erasto Jacinto needs just a little explanation on its title and contents. The contradiction in the `Big Small' is explained by substituting `seriously delicious' for `Big' and `appetizers' or `hors `d'ourves' for `Small'. `Plates' obviously doesn't mean crockery, it meats a dish of food. Read more

Subjects:  1. Appetizers    2. Cookery    3. Cookery, International    4. Cooking    5. Cooking / Wine    6. Entertaining - General    7. Methods - Quantity    8. General cookery   

Editorial Review

Produced by the Culinary Institute of America as a textbook for chefs-to-be, Read more

Reviews (25)

This book is a keeper
Great book that I used in culinary school.It is easy to follow and found it quite helpful with many of my culinary classes.If you want a great study guide for nutrition class, I recommend:
The New Professional Chef Scores a 10
As a professional chef myself and a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, I keep 2 copies of this incredibly wonderful cookbook. Impressive
Not being a professional chef, this book was quite intimidating.The info regarding ingredients was great, and the recipes so far have not let me down.This is a great aid in helping a normal guy like me prepare a very nice meal for company the RIGHT way.A great appreciation for fine cooking is developed after studying this book.The ingredient measurements in weight were a bit of a stumbling block for me at first - if you don't have a scale, you had better be an excellent guesser.Overestimating and buying too much veal loin can be pretty expensive.This is THE book for basics and, of course, a fine meal for that special occasion when company is planned (most meals here require several steps and multiple sub-recipes, and are not fast, Betty Crocker projects).Well worth the price for the smile on your guests' faces. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Methods - General    4. Methods - Quantity    5. Quanity cooking    6. Quantity Food Production And Service    7. Quantity cookery    8. Cakes, baking, icing & sugarcraft   

Editorial Review

Books on nutritious eating abound, but none seem as comprehensive as Read more

Reviews (8)

Another classic from the people at CIA
To put this review into perspective for you, it is written by a serious student of cooking that has been actively studying food on their own for 25 years.I have been focusing on Italian food for the last 10 years.My favorite cookbook is "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute of America.
the book i bought
item received in a reasonable amount of time and was the correct item.

Healthy Cooking
There are very healthy ideas in this cookbook. However, the recipes usually contained recipes that seemed to have an odd ingredient or two that I don't keep on hand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Health & Healing - General    4. Methods - Gourmet    5. Methods - Quantity    6. Nutrition    7. Quantity Cookery    8. Quantity cooking    9. Cooking / Health    10. Health & wholefood cookery    11. Hotel & catering trades   

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Food service    4. General    5. Methods - Quantity    6. Quantity cookery    7. Cooking / Professional    8. General cookery    9. Hotel & catering trades    10. Management of specific areas   

Reviews (16)

Indispensable
I'm a private chef who occasionally caters specialty workshops.I appreciated all the information in this book.

Be an Instant Catering Star!
I enjoy cooking for 2 to over 20 people, and there can be so much to remember to have the entertaining/dining event turn out "just right".
This is THE book for party planning!
I am planning on catering my own wedding with the help of a acquintance who does catering on the side.I have been looking for books that could help me plan a meal for 200 people, but without cheesy boring recipes.The reason I'm doing the cooking is we wanted some original and tasty menu items without breaking the bank.I also needed some practical information on how to pull off cooking for a large crowd without going crazy.This book is it, and it's the only catering book I found that fit the bill.Every other book I found had recipes like chicken kiev and casseroles.Snore!Even if you're having 10 people to your home, you can't go wrong with the tips and techniques mentioned in this book.It gives ingredient quantities as well as fabulous recipes and tips.There are even decorating and presentation techniques as well along with ratios for stocking the bar.The writing is crisp and intelligent without being stuffy and dull.All in all, a great book.A must buy for anyone planning a dinner party to hosting a large reception. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Entertaining    5. Entertaining - General    6. Methods - General    7. Fiction / Romance / Historical    8. Methods - Quantity    9. Parties   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (74)

My Favorite Cookbook!
This is hand's down my favorite cookbook.I don't do everything the way she says.I adapt it to my family.That's what you are SUPPOSED to do with any cookbook.The ideas AND the recipes we've made are terrific.Ignore the bad reviews especially the ones that say they couldn't even find ONE usable recipe.Who can't find at least one recipe in any cookbook.The pizza blanks recipe alone is useful to any family who makes homemade pizza.

Disappointing
I was disappointed in this book.I previously bought Frozen Assets Light and Easy and love it.It has tons of recipes plus instructions.This one thought, has lots of instructions on how to cook ahead but only has a handfull of recipes and then it repeats the same few recipes over and over.Seems like a waste of paper to me to re-print the recipes like that.I see what the author was trying to do by repeating them like that but I still thought it seemed like a waste.I still gave it 3 stars just for the instruction on freezer cooking.If you are a true beginner with this, it is helpful but if you are not new to freezer cooking, it is a waste of time.

I've seen better
I have purchased several books on freezer cooking and I found this one does not have enough recipes for the average family.It's a good book if you are just looking for new ideas but I wouldn't recommend it if you are just begining the freezer cooking adventure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery (Frozen foods)    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Frozen foods    5. Methods - Quantity    6. Methods - Quick & Easy    7. Quantity cooking    8. Quick and easy cookery    9. Cooking / Quick & Easy    10. Food, Frozen    11. General cookery    12. Make-ahead Cookery    13. Quantity cookery   

Reviews (13)

Excellent Book
I was impressed by this book.I struggle with casseroles, but long workdays necessitate the need for me to master them.If you are familiar with Cook's Illustrated, there's nothing new here in terms of format.I do applaud them for approaching casseroles in a new way by including one-pot meals, slow-cooker meals, skillet versions and more exotic casseroles.
a great cookbook!
I love that the authors did multiple tests on every recipe to come up with the best final version AND told us why, what went wrong and the reason for each process.
A Rare Disappointment from the Cooks Illustrated Series
I usually rave about Cooks Illustrated books because they are the best all-around cookbooks out there, but I have to rant a little about this one.The idea behind Cover and Bake is to improve on classic casseroles by getting rid of sub-par ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and pre-packaged bread crumbs, and simplifying cooking procedures so as to allow as much one-pot cooking as possible.The people at Cooks Illustrated make a lot of references to "Tuesday night dishes," i.e., main courses that can be prepared, cooked and served quickly and don't result in a lot of clean-up.
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Subjects:  1. Casserole cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Courses & Dishes - General    5. Entertaining - Party Planning    6. Holiday - General    7. Methods - Baking    8. Methods - Quantity    9. One-dish meals    10. Main courses   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful book!
I had to buy this book to study for a catering certification test, and I was anticipating a dull, dry rehash of things I already knew after 5 years as a caterer. But, I was pleasantly surprised.It is written in a most readable manner, and I learned so much I didn't know, which makes me so much more professional.I recommend it highly.

On-Premise Catering
The book is good, however I can only print 25 pages every 10 days, so in about 6 months, I will have my printed book.I am very disappointed in the fact that I was very mislead in buying this book, it doesn't tell you that you can only print minimal pages and can only use the e-book from your home.Well, I don't work at home, I work in a hotel. I will not buy from Amazon again because they did nothing to help me with this matter.

Great!
This is a great reference book.I have been in catering for 15 years, and there is a lot of stuff in this book I never knew! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Caterers and catering    4. Cooking / Wine    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    7. Methods - Professional    8. Methods - Quantity    9. Business & Economics / Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    10. Hotel & catering trades   

Reviews (4)

GREAT COOKING IDEAS FOR PARTIES
This is a very practical book, fool of wonderful recipes. Very well written, simple to follow. I've only had a chance to try a couple so far, but with great success. Black and Orange Halloween Party for 24 was simple enough to do, and an instant hit. The Chocolate Chili with Beef, Pork, and Black Beans was to die for. I can't wait to try other dishes from this book. Highly recommend this cookbook.

Excellent treatment of neglected subject. Buy It.
`Cooking for a Crowd' by Susan Wyler has come out in a new, substantially larger edition, based on a volume originally published in 1988, and I, for one, am really happy to see it. Among all the various genres of cookbooks, those dedicated to cooking for large numbers of people are very difficult to find. Even many works on meals for entertaining only cover recipes for six to twelve. Of those books I have reviewed, the most notable exception is Martha Stewart's now classic original book, `Entertaining' which gives us recipes for 25 or more. As a dedicated viewer of the Food Network, I can also say with some authority that in all their programming for the last four years, I have seen but one show done on Tyler Florence's `Food 911' show which gives recipes for feeding a large crowd. Even otherwise excellent cookbooks such as David Waltuck's `Staffmeals' doesn't give us recipes for serving a large group of people, and I am sure he feeds a lot more than eight or twelve people at his restaurant's staff dinner. And, the only other book I have seen (the name escapes me, as I have not yet reviewed it) costs a whopping $60 retail for something no larger than the usual $35 Culinary Institute of America or `Cooks Illustrated' volume.
THE book about organizing fine dining for many!EXCELLENT!
I absolutely love this book.It is so practical, straight forward, and varied.Whenever I have more than six guests, I turn to this book for great ideas, and fantastic menus carefully planned out for any occasion, as well as any time constraint.Some recipes are complex, others simple, but always the directions are crystal clear.Susan Wyler understands the constraints and the schedule of the modern cook. I highly recommend the Slow Roasted Goose with Pork & Prune Dressing and Port Wine Sauce (I'm making this for Thanksgiving).Other outstanding dishes were the Lamb Shank Cassoulet, the Curried Ginger Carrot Soup, and African Peanut Butter Chicken Stew.And, by the way, I've found myself halving some of these recipes--you don't need a crowd to enjoy these great dishes.So far, each recipe I've tried came out perfectly, but I still have many to wade through.I'm almost looking forward to next Christmas dinner although my entire in-law family will be visiting, driving me crazy.That's how good this book is. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cookery    2. Cooking    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Entertaining - General    5. Menus    6. Methods - Quantity    7. Quantity cookery    8. Cooking / Entertaining   

Reviews (6)

Some good ideas
This is a pretty good cookbook for learning how to cook in bulk and for the freezer. The recipe selection is good, and the layout is nice. I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but I definitely like this cookbook better than others I have (in terms of ones for freezing meals). If you are in a cooking group, this is a good starter cookbook.

Great organization but not kid friendly
The book is very well organized with easy to follow instructions. The resources chapter is great for people just starting out. I've been cooking freezer meals with friends for several years but am always interested in adding new meals. This book is definitely not for those that have young children. Some of the recipes are "Blue Cheese, Walnut, and Mushroom Stuffed Chicken" and "Pureed Carrots with Ginger". Now some of the meals are family friendly, but not enough for me to really use the book a lot. So if you're looking for some sophisticated freezer meals for adults, this is the book for you. If you are looking for kid and family friendly recipes I would recommend "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer" by Martinez, Howell, & Garcia and "The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet" by Slagle.

Yummy and worth the effort!
Bottom Line: This book is for freezer meals in quantity (6, 12, 18 meals).This is NOT "dump chicken".These are entrees from scratch that won't kill you with difficulty.Lots of good ideas on organizing your food exchange group.Worth it, even if you're just cooking for your own freezer.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Methods - Quantity    3. Quantity cookery    4. Make-ahead cookery    5. Methods - Quick & Easy   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Careers - General    3. Cooking    4. Cost control    5. Food Science    6. Food service    7. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    8. Methods - Quantity    9. Quantity Food Production And Service    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Business & Economics / Careers    12. General cookery    13. Hotel & catering trades   

Reviews (2)

Best book on the subject I've found!
I am a chef getting ready to start my own restaurant/catering business.After reading this easy to understand, well-written book, I am confident in my knowledge of the math I will need to succeed.Glad someone took the time to share such useful information.

Very Simple
I hate math and am trying to get ready for Culinary School in March so I have been reading everything I can get my hands on to help.This is a very simple book, with easy to understand examples. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Cooking    3. Food Science    4. Food service    5. General    6. Industries - Hospitality, Travel & Tourism    7. Mathematics    8. Mathematics (General)    9. Methods - Quantity    10. Quantity Food Production And Service    11. Science/Mathematics    12. Cooking / General    13. General cookery    14. Hotel & catering trades   

Reviews (1)

Life Saver!
This is a great book to use as a referance if you are in charge of a kitchen of any size.The information in invaluable and much easier to use than doing your own yeild testing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Food Service Management    4. Methods - Professional    5. Methods - Quantity    6. Quantity Cookery    7. Reference    8. Cooking / Professional    9. Food & beverage technology    10. General cookery    11. Hotel & catering trades    12. Reference works   

Editorial Review

Recognized as the definitive cooking school textbook, the Culinary Institute of America's Read more

Reviews (64)

Comprehsensive Work!
At the risk of simply repeating, at length, the sentiments expressed in earlier reviews, I'll be brief...
A must for one who wants to devote himself in the culinary field!!!
I have read the book thoroughly & found that this "Modern Bible of Kitchen" is for one who wants to excel in culinary techniques & should try to possess this scripture....I finished this book within a week i bought it & go through this book religiously on a daily basis as i myself would like to pursue a career in the Kitchen...
A new found admiration for chefs and their training
If you have a cooking question the answer if probably found somewhere in this voluminous tome.They have even included directions and photos on how to clean a whole squid.Curious about how to make your own sauerkraut, it's in there.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Cooking / Wine    3. Methods - Quantity    4. Quantity cookery    5. Quantity cooking    6. Reference    7. Cooking / Professional    8. General cookery    9. Hotel & catering trades   

Reviews (7)

Our cookbook of choice, after trying many
We had heard about this book while in St. Maarten and finally found it at a swap meet in Trinidad. Many sea miles later, it's still our cookbook of choice. So many other cruising cookbooks left out ingredients, had typos, or had such elaborate preparation steps that you could never make the recipes unless you had a full-sized, professional kitchen. This book is perfect. Simple, yet delicious recipes that can be make quickly (and without leaving an oven on for hours in the tropics). We especially found the appetizer section helpful when we were low on happy hour ideas.

Small Galley, Big Help!
We were only a month or so into our cruise having left San Francisco in 1998. We met Kay and Hal at the always helpful & friendly DOWNWIND MARINE in San Diego. I bought the book thinking that I would need some help, especially in our tiny galley. It's been 2 years since we left. Most of it spent cruising the Calif. Coast and Mexico. I've really grown to depend of Kay's book for ideas, tips, ingredients and combinations. Even for ideas for the odd fish that was the only thing available! Thanks for such a comprehensive and great cookbook written especially for cruisers!

A must-have for those working any galley
This book is essential reading for anyone working in the galley - whether blue water, bay or lake cruising.The recipes are outstanding, easy to follow and amenable to tight quarters.More importantly, Kay Pastorius offers advice about the basics that most of us have to learn the hard way - by throwing rotting food away.Her advice about provisioning, storage and cooking is right on the money, literally.I only wish my boat-mate, a meat-and-potatoes guy (who I wouldn't trade for the world), was as enthusiastic and supportive as Hal.Thank you Kay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Boating - General    2. Cookery, Marine    3. Cooking / Wine    4. Methods - Quantity    5. Sailing - General    6. Sports    7. Sports & Recreation    8. Boating    9. General cookery    10. Ships & shipping: general interest    11. Sports & Recreation / General   

Reviews (4)

An instructor's perspective...
Let me qualify this by saying for a number of years I taught Garde Manger at a Le Cordon Bleu school.I probably own every text book on the subject as it has remained near and dear to my heart as I moved back to the restaurant world.
Home Chefs take note
Finally someone has written a cooking instruction book that is suitable for the professional and home chef.This book is a must have for anyone serious about learning to cook.It fills in all the holes that will allow you to interpret and adjust recipes from other sources by providing you written and visual instruction along with interesting recipes from around the world.While it was written for the culinary education market this is really the first book any new cook should own.Great wedding or housewarming gift, a valuable reference for years.

Culinary Good Food Guide
I am a current culinary student & at last I have found a book that is a perfect learning tool for my studies.This book is perfect, it has it all, great illustrations, good lay out & very clear instruction.Modern Garde Manger was obviously written by guys that know how to teach their subject.The chapters on meats, game, poultry & fish are the best I have ever seen.This book is truly five star material & I know I will learn so much from it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Careers - General    2. Careers / Job Opportunities    3. Cookery    4. Cookery (Cold dishes)    5. Cooking    6. Garnishes (Cookery)    7. Hotel A