<p><i>&quot;Think of this book as cooking skills for dummies ratcheted up to a higher level.... Well organized and explained.&quot;</i><br>--Booklist </p><p><i>&quot;This book will turn a good cook into a great cook.&quot;</i><br>--Vancouver Sun </p><p>This step-by-step guide to essential cooking techniques explains and illustrates every important cooking method that, once mastered, will give a cook the confidence to make all dishes, no matter the challenge.</p><p>The ten chapters describe essential tools and equipment, and explain tried-and-tested procedures to prepare a wide range of items perfectly and consistently.</p><p>The book includes: </p><ul><li>Essential Equipment: Knives, utensils, pots and pans, ovenware, bakeware, gadgets and machines</li><li>Sauces: Gravy, vinaigrette, mayonnaise, hollandaise, pastry cream, caramel, chocolate, and more</li><li>Vegetables: Slicing, julienne, charring peppers, peeling tomatoes and more </li><li>Fruits and Nuts: Peeling, skinning, pitting, poaching fruit and more </li><li>Meat: Cuts of beef, lamb and pork; boning, roasting and more </li><li>Poultry: Trussing, stuffing, spatchcocking, boning, jointing and more </li><li>Fish: Boning, filleting, poaching, broiling, and more </li><li>Seafood: Deveining shrimp, cracking crab, preparing squid, and more </li><li>Eggs: Testing eggs for freshness, poaching, baking, souffle and more </li><li>Pastry and Baking: Puff pastry, buttercream, pavlova and more </li><li>Pasta, Grain, Legume, Bread: Ravioli, risotto, polenta, croutons and more </li><li>Broths: Brown, vegetable, and fish broths; skimming and freezing </li><li>Spices: Toasting and grinding spices, using a vanilla bean</li></ul><p></p><p><i>200 Skills Every Cook Must Have</i> is the one secret ingredient that turns any cook into a great one.</p>