Culinary Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training With the Culinary Institute of America

by The Culinary Institute of America, Martha Rose Shulman

Discover the secrets of The Culinary Institute of America?s popular week-long "Boot Camp" course -- five days of dynamic, hands-on instruction in cooking basics that help teach the non-professional cook to think like a chef -- with Julia Child Award-winning cookbook author Martha Rose Shulman. Combining Shulman?s entertaining and compelling narrative with a wealth of invaluable culinary information, you'll take a "step up" in the kitchen with this vicarious adventure through basic training at one of the country?s finest professional cooking schools. DAY 1: "Our 'drill sergeant' comes into the room and writes his name on the board. He wears the CIA staff jacket, a green name badge, and the chef's kerchief around his neck, which he later shows us how to tie. 'YOU ARE MINE!' he says with a sly smile on his face, and we know that he's going to give us the guidance we need. He'll be strict, but kind." DAY 2: "Until I went to Boot Camp, I was never very comfortable around (or succeessful with) lots of hot oil in a pan. That was all about to change." DAY 3: "One of the most important terms for dry heat cooking is 'carryover cooking.' Carryover cooking refers to the fact that heat penetrates meat from the outside to the inside, and when you remove it from the oven, the meat will continue to cook. That's why it must rest, during which time the carryover cooking continues, the temperature equalizes, and the juices relax and flow through the meat." DAY 4: "Our dessert was a Warm Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake, and it was served with a glass of Quady Elysium from Madera County, California. They named their black muscat dessert wine Elysium because, in their words, 'Drinking this, you can almost feel you have fallen into a rose garden and been transported to heaven.' And I must say I did. I transported myself to bed instead, thinking what an appropriate meal this had been after our first wine lecture, and about the wines I would serve with my own next dinner party." DAY 5: "We sampled each team's handiwork, and as we were polishing off this large meal, our chef stood up to congratulate us and hand out our 'certificates of accomplishment.'"

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

242 pages, Hardcover

First published April 14, 2006

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody who has been through boot camp in the military would likely volunteer to do it again, but Martha Shulman went through a five-day cooking boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America twice before writing this book about her experiences. CIA Boot Camp is a five-day course which runs from early morning in the kitchens to supper in the evening in one of the five restaurants on the Hyde Park, New York, campus. Each day is filled with instruction by a master chef, practicum, tasting and critique. The book is in three parts: the story of taking part in one (in her case, two) of these classes, the lessons that were taught, and a collection of CIA recipes actually used in the course. The recipes are all accessible and look good; I've tried the shrimp bisque, the sautéed filet mignon with mixed cracked peppercorns, the parsnip and pear puree, and the spinach spaetzle. There is even a glossary of what she calls "Kitchen French" to distinguish it from the sort of French spoken in France. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I ordered a copy of the sequel: "Baking Boot Camp" (Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2007).

[Janis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice memories of a two-day mini boot camp I took at the CIA a number of years ago. Lots of reminders on knife skills, mise en place, descriptions of cooking methods, and recipes. Nice glossy pages with some beautiful photos.

I would have appreciated more description and photos of plating.

[Kathleen]

Part cookbook and part memoir, Martha Rose Shulman gives an inside account of the Boot Camp programs at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). She has written an extremely informative and accessible book for amateur cooks and kitchen-shy cooks alike. The focus of the Boot Camp courses (and thus of the book) is classical French cooking, but she included dishes that hail from other countries.

I was particularly intrigued by the spinach spaetzle, pesto gnocchi, and homemade cream of mushroom soup. It goes without saying that a cook on a budget will probably need to find substitutes for some of the ingredients or make less-than-industrial-grade equipment do the job of the endless resources available to the CIA's students. This is doable if the chef is willing to think outside the box. Much of the memoir and many of the recipes focus on techniques, which makes adapting the recipes (and others) to whatever fresh, local, seasonal ingredients are available much easier.

The only portion of the book with which I was disappointed was the discussion on wine, and it was really more in the technical writing sense than the author's discussion of wine tasting (she is a self-proclaimed amateur wine-taster, and her discussion of the process is good for anyone of the same level). It comes basically out of nowhere in the discussion and it should have had a more separated section, both to introduce the reader to the idea of wine and wine pairings and to include more "How-to" tips. I realize that this is culinary boot camp and not wine boot camp, but wine plays some essential roles in classical French cooking and should be taught accordingly.

Basic Training at the CIA is an accessible and entertaining read, both as a memoir and as a cookbook.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best book I have read so far about the basics of cooking: sauteing, frying, making sauces and stock. It goes over how to cut things and how to do that mise en place business. It goes over all that stuff the the recipes just suppose you already know. I wish I would have read it a while ago, it would have saved me some flops. Great food book for anyone who doesn't eat every meal out.

[browse · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't really make me want to take classes at the CIA; I think my cooking interests are a bit more pedestrian than that. But I'm enjoying some of the lessons shared and how the classes are structured. Now I'll have to review the recipes and see if I want to try any of them.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how the author described the different things that she learned during the classes and how they helped her as cook/writer. It made me want to sign up for a cooking class and see what else I can learn and what is out there!!

[Andrea Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that this book was structured around techniques rather than chronologically. I think I was perhaps looking for a technique manual rather than this book - which attempts to recreate the boot camp experience for those of us who cannot be there.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay. I tried really concentrating and trying to read the whole book, but I ended up just skimming through it.

[Glennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between the lessons here,we also have a few recipes...and quite a story!

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read another book about the CIA. The Soul of a Chef. That author went through the entire year program. This is a 5 day cram course. Would love to go!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book -- lots of emphasis on basics and technique. Good illustrations of how to do things -- Several recipes I'd like to try. Adding to my purchase wish list

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book. As a big foodie, the insights were wonderful. I cannot wait to make some recipes.