101 Things I Learned in Culinary School ®

101 Things I Learned

by Louis Eguaras

Louis Eguaras, a renowned chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts, provides readers with a terrific overview of what is truly involved in the preparation, cooking, and presentation of meals. He also provides invaluable insights into just what is involved in making this one's chosen profession.

The book will feature a wide range of illustrated lessons, from how to properly hold a knife... to the history of food... from food preparation and presentation... to restaurant hospitality and management, and much more.

The book will be presented in the distinctive and highly-attractive packaged style of 101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, and will be the perfect gift for anyone who is thinking about entering culinary school, is already enrolled, or even just the casual chef.

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, Cooking, Cookbooks, Culinary, Reference, Self Help

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2010

Reviews

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out from the library, but I need to own a copy. At first glance, it looks like one of those useless coffee table books - "Wisdom of Puppies with Umbrellas" or whatever - but just cause it's shaped like a sideways rectangle doesn't mean it's not brilliant. I kept thinking about just ripping off entire pages by copying them onto index cards and framing them in my kitchen for life reference.

It's geared towards the professional cook or chef, but most of the information applies to anyone in any kitchen cooking anything. And the parts about working in restaurants - menu writing, emergency first aid for customers with allergies, kitchen terminology - are all interesting to know anyways.

It has clean diagrams and simple instructions that are easy to apply. I learned that I've been holding a knife the wrong way when I chop stuff, melting the wrong kinds of cheese when I melt stuff, and overdoing it in every way imaginable when I sautee stuff.

DID YOU KNOW that cherry seeds can be crushed to make cyanide? And what other book could leave a person genuinely excited at the prospect of calibrating a meat thermometer?

I can't make a list of all the good things, because I'd just end up copying down the whole book. The only thing it's missing is a table of contents or an index - I'd take either, because now I just have to devise a complicated Post-it bookmark system for the copy I buy.

[Shayan Foroozesh]

Ok I think before reading this book I should look up the definition of "cooking" in a dictionary, because right now I cooked something that looked like a food - rice, vegetables (I don't know what types, there was a parcel of frozen ground vegetables in the freezer and I picked it up), an egg, and olive oil. That was horrible and now I'm struggling to keep it down. But it was just an experiment and it saved me from starving to death.

[V. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thouroughly enjoyed "101 things I learned in Architecture school" - the book taught me a lot about architecture. This one was ... meh. Few new insight, no clear structure, nothing that would in any way change my outlook on things.

[Spencer Brauchla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to reading, I had no clue how very ignorant I was about the art/science of everything culinary. Each mini lesson peaked my interest. I have never had a strong desire to spend time in the kitchen, but now I feel like I have been missing out.

I now have a very inflated sense of confidence in my cooking skills, but also a realistic understanding of baby steps I can take to legitimately improve my Betty Crocker recipes. I am expecting many compliments on my spaghetti in the future 🔮

[Jessie Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written with a target audience of professional chefs, but is a great addition to any kitchen. As someone who delights in cooking and spending time in the kitchen, I was looking forward to reading this book. I was expecting more of a detailed involved personal tale, but really enjoyed the gift-book/coffee table format. I love the quick-read, informative tips. I felt like I was getting personal coaching on my at-home kitchen skills, without paying for culinary school or cooking classes. The diagrams are helpful, the tips useful and the quotes insightful. I highly recommend this book for aspiring chefs, professional cooks and at-home culinarians.


I received a copy of 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School to review from Goodreads First Reads. This did not influence my review nor was I compensated for my review.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this little book. Simple, a tiny gem on each page or two, useful for both anyone interested in cooking and especially for anyone thinking of having (or who already has) a restaurant.
I will need to get a copy of this for my own shelves to browse while cooking...

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as well organized as 101 Things I Learned in Engineering School - a book of 101 rather random facts about food, with no clear reason about why each was chosen. Most helpful as a list of definitions of common food terms, which for a basic cook (like me) was at least useful.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice quick read on a few new culinary tips and tricks to have in your back pocket.

[Avi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. Some good information. Nothing groundbreaking.

[Jiwon Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably my least favorite out of the 101 Things I Learned series. I enjoyed learning about mise en place (“everything in its place.”)

[Abena Anim-Somuah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrote this book in anticipation for a stage and it was a handy guide to have. It’s a fun book to understand the history, practicality, and the ways in which culinary school has trained people to act in kitchens. Will definitely be something I keep referring to

[Bryce Kreiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m grateful for chefs but glad I don’t need to go to culinary school

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this through Goodreads giveaways.

My DH enjoys cooking, so he read this first.

His thoughts: 'Learned some interesting things, both obscure and basics. Liked it that I feel confirmed in the opinion that I have a better grasp than many people.'

Thank you, Mr. Modesty.

My thoughts: Appealling 'landscape' format that is easy to handle and lends itself to one concept per page, boiled to to its foundations in page title, which lets the reader decide if they want to delve into additional detail on the page. Clever series title (so, so much better than the odious 'For Dummies' series), cover art and illustrations of the most rudimentary possible and the most obvious spot in which to make improvements for reprints.

Content switches it up between quotes ("The universe is in order when your station is set up the way you like it," Anthony Bourdain), techniques (Shake Hands with a Knife), history (The oldest cookbook), fun facts (Goat is the most popular meat in the world, Don't drown a lobster) definitions (mise en place), tools (A griddle is not a grill, a saucepan is not a saucier, a skillet is not a saute pan) restaurant biz (Kitchen lingo), etc. enough that the reader's interest is continuously refreshed; I breezed through the first time mondo quickly, and then went back for second and third looks at particular places.

This book will take it's place on my cookbook shelf and made me curious about other titles in the series.

[Nissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a couple steps above amateur-level and I spend a lot of time in the kitchen because I love farm-to-table restaurants but can't affored to eat out every night! There were several things in this book that I already knew but a surprising number that taught me something.

I agree with the reviewer who pointed out that a few pages do not apply to the home chef like 'how to arrange a buffet' or 'how to make a restaurant more green.' But most would apply to both restaurant and home such as 'how to write a recipe' and food safety. Some are fun to konw if you eat out, like 'kitchen lingo.' Some were interesting if you are a curious person, not necessarily because you will use the information, like "keeping kosher' or that the world's most popular meat is goat. I found >95% to be useful to me in some way.

The book uses concise little paragraphs and supplemental illustrations (not merely an illustration of the exact concept written out but rather, additional information presented graphically) for each concept. I expected to pass this book along after reading but I dog-eared a few pages and intend to keep it on my shelves and revisit it from time to time.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

101 Things I Learned in Culinary School may be a small book (approx. 7×5 inches) but it’s packed with a lot of helpful information and advice. A few things I learned: how cookware and bakeware are measured; when and when not to add salt; proper frying temperatures; and how to pair wine and food.

The illustrations throughout the book are wonderfully simple yet perfectly show the point being made by the author. The artwork is black and white which I think suits the format better than color photography.

Louis Eguaras is a culinary professor at The California School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu Program and a former White House chef. Matthew Frederick is an architect, urban designer, teacher, author of the bestselling 101 Things I Learned in Architecture School, and the creator, editor, and illustrator of the 101 Things I Learned series.

This handy little book is going on my gift list for a few friends and family. I know 101 Things will be a go-to reference on my kitchen cookbook shelf.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

ouis Eguaras is a famous chef at the Le Cordon Bleu Program at the California School of Culinary Arts. In this book he shared 101 tips that can be used in the kitchen and for those who are trying to break in to the profession of culinary arts.

The tips seem fairly random and not in different categories, so you have to read through the entire book to get to the tips that you are interested in. However, since the books is quite short to begin with, that's not really a big issue. I just prefer a little more organization. There are some very useful tips for the people who haven't cooked very much as well as tips for people like me, who enjoy spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

I was hoping that this book would give me a few tips to improve my cooking/preparation techniques. The book delivered. For one thing..

Read my full review Here.

[Palladion · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and fun read for the cooking enthusiast or anybody that is curious about culinary school or restaurant management. I enjoyed reading the book although I thought it was a little on the short side. The book is broken down into 101 paragraphs pertaining to random aspects of the culinary world from famous chefs to the differences in pots and pans to restaurant ownership. Some of the facts are “no brainers” but some are very informative. For example, I didn’t realize that there is a difference between a sauté pan and a skillet. Its neat little tid bits like this that make the book a fun read.

[Heather ~*dread mushrooms*~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book for first reads, and I had entered to win it only because my husband cooks in a restaurant and also loves cooking at home. We both read it. He said the information is all very useful and interesting. There were some things he knew and some things he didn't know. He really liked it a lot. As for me, I didn't know most of the information, but the tidbits were well-presented and the illustrations were cute and helpful. The whole book is well-put together and looks nice. I would recommend this to anyone who likes cooking.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cook for a hobby and I found this book very interesting. It has lots of tips for everything from cutting, cooking meat, different types of flour, etc. The illustrations are nice and the tips are clear and easy to follow. While some of the tips are meant for chefs who work in a restaurant, such as how to plan a menu, most of the tips are applicable for anyone who cooks. Its a good gift for anyone who is learning their way around a kitchen and is a useful book to keep in the kitchen as a quick reference.

[Laura Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what I expected of this book, but I enjoyed it. It was a quick, fun read that included tips for everything from buying cookware to how to cook certain food items to how the hierarchy in a restaurant works. Having worked in a restaurant years ago, parts of it made me laugh to hear the slang again. I would recommend this to anyone that that is a foodie or not, I think everyone will enjoy it.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting book because I know very little about cooking. The information is very diverse and comes in little snippets so that you can digest it well. I really like Matthew Frederick's 101 Things I Learned series of books. They are quick, easy reads with good information. This particular one was one of the least philosophical of the collection (I preferred his Architecture School and Film School ones), but I think that is because of the scientific nature of cooking.

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neat book. Lots of quick tips and information in a straight forward manner. Very useful information. Some of the page refer to professional chefs - like plating or keeping track of orders in a restaurant but still neat to read as someone who cooks as a hobby.

Instead of the coffee table, this one will stay out on my kitchen island.

[Cathy Osborne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book I was to have received was 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School. However, the title page and beyond were not the same book. What I actually received, and read, was 101 Things I Learned in Fashion School.

I will use the book I have as a reference to my Ebay vintage clothing business. But would have really enjoyed information from some great culinary chefs to enhance my cooking.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book in the good books first ready giveaway. I think this is a great little book. There are some things that would be more interesting to professional chefs, but most are little tips and tricks that anyone can use, from recongnizing doneness of meat to what cheeses melt best. I would consider this a perfect bathroom book, being able to read one or things per trip.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this from the library on a whim, thinking the illustrations were cute. There are a few good tidbits in there that would fall in the category of useful advice for anyone opening any kind of enterprise, but it wasn't quite the fun kitchen trivia collection I'd expected it might be. But the illustrations don't disappoint.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first page I read from this book was titled "How to Boil Water." Fortunately, this collection of tips and anecdotes is much more useful than that first impression I encountered. I haven't been in culinary school so I can't say whether it's a good summary of such a program, but I learned quite a few things that will help my food-prep skills.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just got my book and it was a fast read. I thought it was a great little book that had useful information for people going into the cooking field. The book also gave great cooking tips for the at-home cook and I thought the illustrations were very useful.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a wannabe gourmet chef I truly enjoyed reading through this book. It contains easy-to-read blurbs about various subjects having to do with cooking & resturants. I learned some new things, like what is the most common meat in the world and what are the 5 knives every chef needs.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a relatively quick read. It has a lot of advice on how to cook sauces properly to why you shouldn't but a matching set and so on. I recommend it for beginning cooks or chefs who've had years of experience.

[Linda Kaban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book. My favourite page was "How to Do a Pan Flip." I'm going to practice and practice and practice.... oh BTW, the author suggests learning to do a pan flip with a piece of toast in a cold frying pan. :)