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Rating: 
Summary: Escoffier Lite -- buy it for a taste, but don't rely on it
Review: First off, it's Escoffier, but abridged, and the measurements changed to American measures. Somewhat understandable, but it would seem about time to reissue it with metric measurements -- after all, it seems to me in the Internet age a savvy chef would have measuring equipment for both American and Metric. The abridgement is an issue. It makes it rather difficult to cross-reference with the original (if you go through the trouble of finding it in French, that is), and takes out a lot of things simply because they don't necessarily apply to American kitchens. I have little commentary on the quality of the translation -- my French simply isn't good enough, though I can get the gist of the original reasonably easily -- but there does appear to be measurement discrepancies caused by the unit translation. It does require some understanding of context -- the shockingly ignorant review below proves that. The Guide Culinaire is definitive for its era, but a century old now, and one cannot expect it to line up perfectly with modern cooking. Complaining about the cross-references and brief recipes... well, all I can say is that if it was structured like a more typical book, it would be substantially longer (at least three volumes). The solution to this is to treat recipe building like a research project and study up before you enter the kitchen. I don't think Escoffier would be all that happy with this version, really, but it's not so awful that it doesn't provide a substantial taste of what Escoffier is about. If you can find a good deal on another translation, you're better off, but if you can't afford any better and you're not buying it as a textbook, this will probably do the trick.
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Summary: one of the most professional cook books ever.
Review: I am a chef an you can not buy any other books untill you have read this one. All of cullenry mastery is in there .
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Summary: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Review: I'm a Chef, and have borrowed copies of Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire from friends whenever I need it. On a lark, I ran a search on Escoffier here at Amazon.com. I was stunned to find this book for the low cost of $12 or so, knowing that every other copy I had seen cost $60 or $70. So I ordered it and paged through it. Well, it only prints 2300 or so of over 5000 recipes in Escoffier's treatise. Admittedly, probably more than the home cook actually *needs*, but nowhere does the book say that it has been abridged. But, like many Amazon.com customers, I found myself in the position of thinking "but it'll cost me half the price of the book to send it back." So I wound up giving it to a friend who likes to cook, but doesn't need the "real thing." Suffice it to say that if you want the real Esoffier, you're still going to have to drop the $60+ for the Van Nostrand Reinhold edition. Sorry, culinary students, you didn't luck up on a deal. ToqueBlanc
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Summary: A Beginner/Intermediate Cook
Review: Things that I cannot finds in this book (for whatever reasons) which I hoped would be included: 1.recipe for coq au vin 2. recipe for onion soup 3. recipe for lobster thermidor. Things that are in here that I can live without : 1. how to lard a joint of meat which a. I don't understand in terms of doing this b.under no circumstances do I need this in terms of the fat 2. a recipe for boeuf bourguignone which is so old ( it could also be traditional) that it uses a piece of rump roast or top round roast that is not cut into pieces ( it was originally for a tough piece of meat--so said Julia and Jacques the other day on PBS--and his boeuf bourguignon also was a "pot roast" --and I am prejudiced against pot roasts and will never make it that way). However, therre is another reviewer who is absolutely right, there is an excellent presentation and overview of the sauces. Also of cooking methods. I just got it--and it's not the only one--I do expect to be at least referring to it, and probably using it.
Rating:
Summary: A Beginner/Intermediate Cook
Review: Things that I cannot finds in this book (for whatever reasons) which I hoped would be included: 1.recipe for coq au vin 2. recipe for onion soup 3. recipe for lobster thermidor. Things that are in here that I can live without : 1. how to lard a joint of meat which a. I don't understand in terms of doing this b.under no circumstances do I need this in terms of the fat 2. a recipe for boeuf bourguignone which is so old ( it could also be traditional) that it uses a piece of rump roast or top round roast that is not cut into pieces ( it was originally for a tough piece of meat--so said Julia and Jacques the other day on PBS--and his boeuf bourguignon also was a "pot roast" --and I am prejudiced against pot roasts and will never make it that way). However, therre is another reviewer who is absolutely right, there is an excellent presentation and overview of the sauces. Also of cooking methods. I just got it--and it's not the only one--I do expect to be at least referring to it, and probably using it.
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Summary: Tired of chefs ommitting that one little step?
Review: This book, published in the 1890s, is an excellent resource for those who aspire to cook great french food. Too often cookbook authors insult readers by leaving out key steps for fear that they may be 'too complicated' or call for veal stock when chefs use demi-glace. This book is complicated, poorly organized and difficult, but it WILL tell you the proper way to make french sauces (an incredible section, and well worth the price of the book in itself) and how best to lard a joint of beef. Treat yourself and buy this book to learn the proper way to prepare traditional french cuisine.
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