Buy Low Price From Here Now
Revised edition of the classic cookbook, originally published in 1961.
Readmore
Technical Details
See more technical details
By misspeach (Boston, MA)
First of all, I'm a huge Julia fan, have owned this book since 1973, and saw the movie on opening weekend. I have also been to culinary school and own shelves full of cookbooks. I sometimes spend an entire day planning and cooking dinner. I have to say, however, that all of the gushing about this book surprises me. I have a 48" professional range and cupboards full of pots and pans, and I often run out of stovetop space and cooking vessels while preparing some of her recipes. I'm of the "fine ingredients cooked with respect" school of cooking, and Julia most often cooks her vegetables to death, and I'm not sure "medium rare" is in her vocabulary. Her pastry is to die for, her bread (vol 2) is heavenly, and the chocolate almond cake featured in the movie is one of my all time favorite cake recipes. The instructions in the book are clear, and I'm assuming that they have been updated since my edition was published. By all means this cookbook should be in your collection, but if you're looking for a cookbook with the best sauce instructions, I would choose the little gem from Williams Sonoma that is just sauces with wonderful photos of the whole process, and if you want French flavor with a more modern approach, I'd suggest Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris. Her beouf is wonderfully tasty and takes just one pot. I'm not a fan of the 30 minutes till dinner cookbooks, but Mastering the Art of French Cooking is not the first cookbook I'd choose for a beginner. And if you're going to eat from Julia every night, be sure to serve French portions as well as French food.
By Robs
I've only tried 3 recipes so far. The garlic mashed potatoes are ridiculously good, but beware, TONS of fat. Her recipe calls for milk, butter, and heavy cream! I skipped the heavy cream part since it was rich enough as is (and I could only eat small portions at a time because of the richness)! Going forward, I will have to adjust for the fat content. The pepper steak was ok. I would probably season the steak a little more, but the sauce was really good! The broccoli roasted in butter was also WONDERFUL, but beware, again, the fat content.
Anyway, as I said, I've only tried those three recipes so far. I'm sure the rest will be good, but I will not be using as much fat as her recipes call for. One other thing that I like about this book is that it gets you thinking about how to cook, so you can revise her recipes to your liking and come up with your own. So the bottom line (based on what I've experienced so far) is that this will help you learn how to cook, you will have to adjust the fat content, unless you like super rich food, and the food itself is pretty tasty. Happy cooking. :)
By prisrob (New EnglandUSA)
Julia Child et al, wrote this mastery of a cookbook over 48 years ago. It has finally made the best seller list this week. The success of the film 'Julia and Julie' and the book of the same name has given Julia Child a leg up! It is not surprising that women who have bought this cookbook are surprised at the amount of butter involved. Americans are afraid of butter. The French use butter and always have in great proportions, but they also eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and they walk- they walk everywhere.
Nora Ephron, Director of 'Julie and Julia' says she had as a goal of her film that people would buy Julia's book. Not only buy it, but cook with it. And, they have in numbers that run into the thousands, 22,000 to be exact. The recipes are not difficult, they take a little extra time, that's all. This is not 'put your dinner on the table in 30 minutes' cookbook. Do you remember Julia Child's cooking show on PBS? We used to watch it every week and laugh along with her as she dropped the chicken on the floor, picked it up and said, no one is here but me!The food looked luscious, even in black and white. My first recipe was the Beef Bourgione and it is still a staple in my kitchen. Her pate brisee is also the best recipe for pie crust and it is so much easier now with a blender. Pie Crust that is flaky and buttery and supports the filling. I recently made a blueberry pie,and it was the taste of summer!. A fresh blueberry pie in the summer with vanilla ice cream tops a meal!
I received Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' again for my birthday this year. It replaced the old tattered copy that has its rightful place in my bookcase. The old one was used and showed it, but isn't that what we want in our cookbooks? Julia Child would be pleased, I think. Unlike, Julie, I am not going to try each recipe, but will go for my tried and true and some new ones, in memory of Julia.
Bon Appetit! You can't beat that!
Highly Recommended. prisrob 08-23-09
My Life in France (Movie Tie-In Edition) (Random House Movie Tie-In Books)
Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking
Julia Child - The French Chef
By J. rubach (new york, new york United States)
My Rubachem review of Mastering the Art of French Cooking is that it's a huge help for even beginners and that's no scam! Most books are for expert chefs but this is easy to understand. The movie is also awesome!!
By Just Loves Books (Alabama)
I ordered this after seeing the movie. I was a little concerned about whether I really wanted the revised edition or try to find an original. I ordered this one, and was so pleased. It has the original instructions and then a note, like with aspic..It has the instructions for using the calf foot, like in the movie "Julie and Julia" and then tells you how to use boxed gelatin instead, since it is readily available now.
I, a down-home Southern cook, at the age of 53, who thought no one could teach this old dog new tricks, have Boeuf Bourguignon simmering in my oven as I write this, and my husband said the house smells better than it ever has with anything cooking (and he loves my cooking!) The only bad part of this recipe is smelling it, wanting to eat it, and having to wait for it to cook slowly in the oven!
Julia Child is a genius, and I can't wait to try more recipes! Love, Love, Love this cookbook. But now I want new cookware and knives............
Images Product
Buy Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1) Now