Best for Menu Planning: The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, by Andrew Dornenburg & Karen PageĪnyone looking to experiment in the kitchen needs to have an understanding of how to combine and balance flavors.

Recommended by Escoffier Chef Instructors Jennifer Kempin, Eduardo Suarez, and Cheryl Herbert. That said, the book remains accessible for the layperson, so you don’t need to have a degree in food science to understand the content. On Food and Cooking takes a deep dive into the science behind cooking-including the what’s and the why’s around foundational elements like temperatures and ingredients. The author, Harold McGee, is considered one of the most authoritative food chemists in modern history. It’s even included in culinary school curricula. Best for Food Science: On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGeeįor 35 years, this book has been beloved by home cooks and culinary professors alike. 7 Books Chefs Should Read According to Escoffier Chefs 1.

After all, if you want to become a chef, well… reading chef books is a great place to start. Here’s our roundup of the most commonly recommended choices. We asked several Chef Instructors at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts for their top book recommendations. Spending a few hours flipping through pages is an accessible way to absorb other professionals’ advice, explore their stories, and learn from their mistakes! While you may not be able to work under all of the industry’s most successful people, you can benefit from their decades of knowledge by reading their texts. Whether you graduated from culinary school years ago or have just begun your culinary journey, one way to keep expanding your education as a chef or baker is by reading acclaimed culinary books from knowledgeable sources. A critical part of being a chef or a baker is remaining teachable.

Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg