He continued by showing us examples of where we can find different forms of information, recipes, demos, etc. But the one piece of information that has never failed me is a culinary dictionary called Food Lover's Companion compiled by Sharon Tyler Herbst & Ron Herbst.
This has every culinary term known to man-kind I am pretty sure. The crazy thing is: the authors keep discovering more and more, and create newer editions to stay up-to-date. Anytime I am doing research on a different recipe or menu, I always have this right by my side for those times that I need a more solid understanding of a particular term when cooking.
Another thing I have found out throughout my culinary adventures is that chefs perceive different terms in different manners. Just the other day when I was watching a demo on how to make cassoulet, the chef insisted that the recipe wasn't a true cassoulet without duck or goose. I found this quite odd, so I decided to open up this valuable resource so I might understand this classic French dish better. Come to find out, it is a "classic French dish... consisting of white beans and various meats... The combination varies according to regional preference." It did give examples of different meats that could be added like goose or duck, but wasn't limited to this particular type of poultry! It's times like these that I consider "Aha!" moments!
In summary, I thoroughly suggest any foodie, chef, or even at-home cook to purchase this book. It is a great reference for even the simplest dishes, and will expand the horizons of even the most trained chefs. Never turn down knowledge! You never know when you will need it!
