Rating: 
Summary: Great recipes and imaginative presentations
Review: In comparison to Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques, there are many more recipes, they are often showy presentations fit for entertaining, and there are many more techniques presented. I agree with others that the small black-and-white pictures are a serious drawback, but in most cases, they are adequate, though not pleasant to work with. In some cases, such as in the instructions for deboning a bird, they are truly not helpful at all. Still, there is so much in the book worth having, that I still give it 5 stars. I bought both books. Le Cordon Bleu's would be better for a novice cook, and PEpin's book would be better for a more accomplished cook wanting to impress their friends.
Rating:
Summary: Great recipes and imaginative presentations
Review: In comparison to Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques, there are many more recipes, they are often showy presentations fit for entertaining, and there are many more techniques presented. I agree with others that the small black-and-white pictures are a serious drawback, but in most cases, they are adequate, though not pleasant to work with. In some cases, such as in the instructions for deboning a bird, they are truly not helpful at all. Still, there is so much in the book worth having, that I still give it 5 stars. I bought both books. Le Cordon Bleu's would be better for a novice cook, and PEpin's book would be better for a more accomplished cook wanting to impress their friends.
Rating: 
Summary: the one! the only!! the best!!!
Review: jacques pepin has taught me so much over the years,it would take 10,000 words to give him the respect he deserves. in 3-4 minutes he can debone a whole chicken then make it look whole again!(i've got to find a video on that one). this book details many of his techniques and does a fine job of it.the photos should be color,and there should be more of them! photos make a cookbook easier to work with,especially for the novice.even so, this book is well worth the price, make it part of jacque's contribution to your cooking style. i'm the home cook version of a chef, i don't follow all recipes exactly and i've been known to substitute ingredients(such as mushrooms in place of truffles)but, following the advice of a chef of pepin's experience has sharpened my skills and i'm certain it will do the same for you.detract one star for the photos, but get the book!
Rating:
Summary: Learning the basics.
Review: Jacques Pepin starts by teaching basic food preparation and cooking techniques with step-by-step instructions, which are accompanied by detailed photographs demonstrating the actions. The book also includes many "advanced" techniques which are used soley for presentation and turning the dining experience into high art. This book is a must have for any home cook that aspires to join the culinary gods, but I still believe it offers a lot to those who simply hope to figure out how to "julienne" a carrot.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Book With Insurmountable Flaw - No Color Photos!
Review: Originally I gave this book "one star" because of the terrible photography. In retrospect, that was perhaps too harsh. The recipes alone make Master Pepin's book worth buying. And I mentioned this in my original review, calling the book "excellent" despite its terrible flaw. Tragically, the lack of color photos makes the book very difficult for a beginning chef. Some professional chefs may disagree, but that's understandable, they already know the techniques Chef Pepin attempts to teach through his very poor black and white illustrations. Keep in mind that the book is suppossed to be primarily a book on COMPLETE TECHNIQUES (the full title of the book is Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques). I realize Chef Pepin actually combined two books to produce this text -- one on technique and another with lots of recipes. And I do love the organizational structure of the book. The insurmountable problem is that the pictures are eye-strainingly unbearable. I would happily pay twice the amount for the same book with larger color photos, where one could actually follow the knife and hand techniques. In the twenty-first century, there is absolutely no reason to impede education in so respected a field as the culinary arts by opting to keep a book cheaper with black and white photos. The result is not a greater exposure of the culinary arts to the general populace, but broader confusion on how to conceptualize the technques. Having said all of this, I recommend the book simply for the recipes. In addition, not all of the black and white photos are impossible to make out. Most are impossible, but not all. Master Pepin should encourage his publisher to republish a color photo version of this text. For people interested in usable color photos of cooking techniques, refer to Le Cordon Bleu's Complete Cooking Techniques. This book is actually less substantive than Master Pepin's -- though a wonderful introductory book. Jamie Oliver's new book KITCHEN is geared towards the beginner and is a wonderful introduction to nouvelle European cuisine. Jamie demonstrates some knife and hand techniques in clear, usable color photos. He shares with the reader lots of herbs and fusion ingredients and techniques. An even more impressive new text is Rocco Dispirito's FLAVOR which teaches a beginner a lot about ingredients, though little about knife and hand techniques. (For those of you who saw The Restaurant on cable and thought Rocco a big ..., I agree. But his cookbook, Flavor, is phenomenal. I bought it despite his apparent a-hole personality in that show.) Michel Roux's book on New Techniques is wonderful for beginners, as is his book on Sauces. Both books share with the reader useful knife and hand techniques, using many other tools of the trade.
Rating:
Summary: If you can't go to a Cordon Bleu school, this is a good book
Review: There is more to cooking than mixing ingredients; the preparation of ingredients is vital to the result, as much as the choosing of the best raw materials. Chef Pepin takes you by the hand in clear writing and describes the techniques of mincing mushrooms and removing excess liquid, poaching an egg (no, he does NOT use one of those little metal cups over boiling water) and how to braise meat properly. This book is less about recipes and more about how to treat the food to get the best result. Pepin's descriptions are clear and this will improve your knowledge of cuisine in a way that ordinary cookbooks do not.
Rating:
Summary: masters teacher
Review: This is one of the best values in a cookbook. It should be in the library of every student of culinary arts. The book is well planned and comprehensive. Chef Pepin is one ofthe kings of cuisine and a master teacher.My friend recommended this book highly and she recommended a great new beverage that replaced my morning cup of joe. Caffeine made me too jittery so I switched to a soy-based coffee that taste simply amazing. When I use my percolator it comes out with a rich, full bodied taste. Search under "S oyfee" on google to find it.
Rating:
Summary: INDISPENSABLE, buy immediately
Review: This was given to me as a present. I am never going to part with it - very comprehensive, complete with step-by-step pictures. The next best thing to studying at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Dont think twice. Buy it immediately. It is indispensable reading for all cooks. There is no reason you cant master the techniques after reading this book. Thank you very much Mr. Pepin !
Rating:
Summary: INDISPENSABLE, buy immediately
Review: This was given to me as a present. I am never going to part with it - very comprehensive, complete with step-by-step pictures. The next best thing to studying at Le Cordon Bleu in France. Dont think twice. Buy it immediately. It is indispensable reading for all cooks. There is no reason you cant master the techniques after reading this book. Thank you very much Mr. Pepin !
Rating:
Summary: Essential Authority on Techniques. Highly Recommended
Review: `Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques' may be one of the landmark works signaling the beginning of the Renaissance of American culinary practice. This volume, published in 2001, is an omnibus of two earlier works, `La Technique' published in 1976 and `La Methode' published in 1979, just as Pepin was changing his career from leading French chef to culinary writer and educator. These will probably always stand as his most important books. The book in English that is most similar to this is James Peterson's `Essentials of Cooking'. This newer volume is an excellent book with color photographs and coverage of subjects which is probably pretty complete for the average culinary amateur. Pepin's work is in an entirely different class, aimed at the professional and, by extension, the foodie wannabe professional. In Peterson's book, the first chapter, `Basics', covers twenty-four (24) topics. In his first chapter of the same name, Pepin covers seventy (70) subjects. Even allowing for the fact that Pepin includes nine (9) egg topics in Basics that Peterson puts in a later chapter, this is an impressive margin of coverage from Pepin. Pepin's topics tend to be somewhat more basic and focus heavily on knife skills, even including a section on how to sharpen knives. Even though these topics are simple, Pepin gives each technique all the attention it needs. One of the clearest examples of Pepin's great attention to detail is in his treatment of my favorite subject for evaluating one's culinary writing. This is how to make a classic French omelet. As I noted in my review of Peterson's book, Chef James is just a bit short on some important details. Pepin not only covers all the bases, but also adds a few tips to omelet making technique that I have not seen elsewhere. The only warning I give about his technique is that since it was written before non-stick surfaces on saute pans were perfected and available on high-end cookware, the author does not recommend them. All recent descriptions of omelet making strongly recommend non-stick pans for all egg cookery. The chapter on Fish and Shellfish continues Pepin's emphasis on basics, including several topics for which the average amateur chef may never have a use, such as methods for handling sea urchins, frogs legs, salmon in aspic, and pate of fish. Conversely, I am surprised to find no section on the `en papillote' cooking method that Peterson covers in detail. Other Peterson topics on which Pepin passes are methods for squid and preparing salmon steaks. The differences in coverage in this chapter alone make it worth one's while to own both books. The chapter on vegetables is a real wealth of techniques for making really cheap ingredients into impressive presentations. You can dream about poaching or smoking whole Scottish line-caught salmon, but you can easily afford to do one of the eleven (11) different techniques Pepin describes for potatoes. In fact, this is probably some of the most dramatic evidence of the French obsession with food preparation. When I think of Irish potato preparations, I think of boiled potatoes, champ, and colcannon. In this chapter, the French have eight (8) different ways of just cutting potatoes, let alone all the methods used to fry, gratin, roast, boil, and saute potatoes in the French lexicon. Pepin uncharacteristically combines poultry and meat into one chapter, but this is incidental. Pepin and Peterson cover a roughly equal number of chicken subjects, with Pepin covering some more typically French subjects such as glazing and sausage making. On cutting up a chicken, I give extra points to Peterson for the efficacy of his color pictures detailing his technique. Pepin very usefully separates all his carving techniques into a separate chapter that covers fish, birds, and beasts. In the next chapter on `Breads', Pepin covers a topic that Peterson simply does not even touch. Pepin points out that bread making is one of those activities which involves a few simple ingredients, but a highly sophisticated technique. Like making a good omelet, it's all in knowing how. Having made a fairly wide variety of loaves of bread in my time, I would not recommend Pepin's book as the best introduction to breadmaking. His book is all about technique. It gives practically no understanding of why you do each of the steps in a particular way. And, his basic breadmaking technique is a little different from any other I have seen. On the positive side, I would strongly recommend anyone attempting to make baguettes to check out Pepin's description, as it is the only place I have seen pictures of classic baguette making equipment in use. The real jewel in this book is the last chapter on `Pastry and Dessert'. This is the first indication I had of Pepin's skill as a pastry chef in addition to his great reputation as a savory chef. This by far the longest chapter in the book and has the greatest potential to adding a bit of `wow' to one's entertaining. One of the more important gems hidden in this chapter is Pepin's technique for making crepes in the section on Crepes Suzettes. I have successfully made crepes using Julia Child's recipe for years, yet Pepin's pictures and comments succeed in adding to my knowledge of the technique. For the supreme `wow' effect, check out the technique for the Christmas Yule Log (Buche de Noel). Another major topic absent from Peterson's book you will find here is the method for soufflé. In spite of all these flash dishes, the chapter still concentrates on a lot of very basic building block techniques such as recipes for custards, creams, meringues, toasts, galettes, caramel, brittle, and chocolate leaves. If you are an aspiring professional or serious foodie, Pepin's book is probably the most important book you can have in your kitchen. It covers twice the material of Peterson's book with greater authority and fewer lapses. If you are an amateur who enjoys cooking, get both. Highly recommended.
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