The Culinarian: A Kitchen Desk Reference Paperback – January 1, 2011

My boyfriend has recently become very interested in cooking and food. He is a curious person so he often asks me questions about food and sometimes I don't know the answer. I got him this book for Christmas after seeing it was highly recommended. When it came in the mail I almost considered keeping it for myself! It is very descriptive and now he can answer his own questions about the origin of foods, their names, flavors, etc. My favorite section is in the back, where you can look up specific flavors and see what other flavors pair with it. A good reference for anyone looking to know more about their food!

Have you ever wondered what on earth that term meant but never knew when you were cooking a recipe? Terms like folding and curd you can now look up for those who are cooks like me and cannot remember or donot know the terms. I like this book for that simple reason it is a reference guide to cooking terminology. I'd recomend it to the novice cooks like myself to the veteran chefs. it is not a bad thing to have something to help you look you up things thats what it is there for =)

If you find yourself watching Chopped and are wondering about some of these ingredients, this is a wonderful book to have by your side! It is definitely a desk reference as the title states, not a book you sit down and read cover to cover

General info

Bought this book for my culinary school classes.

We classify Barbara Ann Kipfer's "The Culinarian" as an armchair cookbook, not one filled with recipes, but one filled with all sorts of fascinating food and foodie information that makes for great reading during a rainy weekend.Don't know what Arugula is? Does a recipe call for Pico de Gallo? Stumped by how to create a bundt cake or use dill weed in recipes? The Culinarian has the answer! There are also great hints incorporated into some descriptions for making purchasing decisions, along with tips designed to make anything from pie crust to cooked cauliflower turn out much better.If the TV gameshow "Jeopardy" had to invest in one food encyclopedia for reference, we'd recommend "The Culinarian". Certainly a very worthwhile investment for any home chef's library.

bought this book because i saw a review in the nytimes. its a fun read along the lines of a coffee table type book.

This is a great kitchen reference. Whenever I am wondering about something food related I use this. Definitely worth buying.