Williams-Sonoma Tools & Techniques

An excellent book to rectify the short-comings of any novice cook! Although the number of recommended cooking implements is a bit over-whelming -- not surprising for a book issued by Williams-Sonoma -- judicious selection of essential supplies is facilitated. They should add a high asparagus pot, though. The basic cooking instructions, alone, justify the book's purchase.

I just received this book from Amazon and I can't get over how much I love it! If this book is anything, it is a confidence builder. You know how recipes will often say: cream the butter, knead the dough, etc. and just assume you know how? Well this book finally teaches you how to do all of those little steps which recipes never fully explain. This book is essentially a codebook for cooking and baking! I'm convinced that learning techniques is one of the keys to successfully start cooking and baking.I'm a visual learner and this book is filled to the brim with photos. Not only are the photos absolutely beautiful, they are extremely useful. There are hundreds of techniques and every single one of them shows several large, beautiful step by step photos. Every single page is glossy with full color. It is fun just to browse through because it is such a beautiful book! Definitely would make a lovely gift for someone.There are tons of techniques about how to properly cut food, including different types of meats, fruits, herbs, veggies, and even frozen pies. It also demonstrates how to cream butter, knead dough, use a pastry bag, make fresh soup stocks, peel and pit fruits, etc. There are also a few basic recipes scattered throughout the book (sauces, dough, gravy).The book also includes an overview of kitchen tools, which I'll be honest was not overly helpful. The explanation for each tool was obvious and kind of "no duh". Here's an example describing an electronic kitchen timer: "These timers feature a digital display that beeps when the time is up...some sit on the counter, while others use a magnetic strip to stick to appliances." Ok, come on, that's kind of a no brainer, even for me. But I did find the section describing the different types of knives useful.Also, some of these techniques I will never use, like making handmade pasta. But I admit it was still fascinating to read about it. I've always wondered how people make pasta by hand.If you are a curious person in general you will love this book. This is one of my most favorite books ever, cooking or otherwise! This book solved so many little mysteries for me. I'd just about given up on cooking, thinking it wasn't for me, but this book has given me so much more confidence in the kitchen. In fact, today I'm going to the grocery store to stock up on supplies and give a few recipes a try!

A friend and I shopped in Charlotte, NC this past Fall and stopped in our favorite store. Which happened to be the main reason we went to Charlotte in the first place. She came across this book that had just about everything a great Chef wanna-be would want to know. Ideas, techniques and presentations of all kinds of great cooking and entertaining. From making fantastic meringues,simple dough recipes and anything else you could think of and even things you would'nt think of.I highly recommend this book. We found it MUCH cheaper at Amazon.com than in the store. I bought her And myself one. And than she ordered one for a future gift to someone else. GREAT buy! I highly recommend this book!

I bought this after I met a French pastry chef who uses the French translation of it. That was my first clue that it was a winner.The list if tools and materials at the front includes pros and cons for different materials such as stainless steel vs cast iron or copper pans.The list of techniques is so comprehensive even my grandmother was looking through it and learning new things.I would give this book as a gift to anyone trying to cook.

Exactly what I was looking for, a wonderfully informative book that lives up to the title. The first half is filled with photos and descriptions of kitchen tools both simple and complex and everything in between. The second half of the book details several techniques accompianed by photos and recipes that I found to be be very helpful. I made the roast chicken yesterday and it was as succulent in real life as it appeared in the photo. Definitely a great book to own!

I thought this book would give tips and techniques for some tricky or complicated dishes, but it was more of a "cooking for dummies" kind of thing. I give it 4 stars though because it is still very helpful. A lot of things in the book I wouldn't have thought of, but it turned out to be a good book to have in my kitchen.

If you like to cook, you will LOVE this book!!! It is perfect for the beginner to advanced home cook or aspiring chef. The beautiful photographs accurately depict the clearly written instructions for an extremely wide array of techniques. It is the book I have been searching for - I highly recommend it :)

So useful for amateur cooks who want to be more skillful in the kitchen. Very good explanations, tips and tricks.

all the techniques and recipes are well explained and pictured. this is a great book for novices cooks, students and anyone who wants to learn more about cooking