Larousse Gastronomique Best Edition

[Alethia Tiell]

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I am going to purchase a copy of Larousse Gastronomique (English, because I cannot speak French as well as most French toddlers), and I am wondering which version you think is better and why? Let your opinions fly freely...hold nothing back!

I have a classic edition dated 1984 that's tattered and the cover and dust jacket are long gone. But I refer to it often as I love not only the feel of a hard cover book and looking at the photos, but I don't find the same reference in online sources. For example, a specific classic ingredient or technique. It was a gift from some folks I worked with many years ago in a business unrelated to food and cooking but they new it was my passion.

When I transitioned to food publication in the 70's, this was one of several books I purchased to facilitate the new challenge. I had hoped it would be an excellent reference source and it did not disappoint. Forty years later, I am still consulting it. My cooking skills may have improved, but the mind still seeks the discipline of knowledge.

I have the 1984 edition, purchased in the same year, and have used innumerable times since its purchase. Yes, much of the info is now online, and yes, there are a few items not covered in it (avocados,) it's French-centric, and there's a lot of shorthand in it (in the croissant section, one is instructed to give 'three turns' without explaining what a full turn actually is) meaning one has to already have some training, I still value the book as one of the best. I would rate it in the top ten most useful of my collection.

As for the original question about the 'best' English edition, as I said back then: "There have been 3 'American' (=English language) editions: 1961, 1988 and 2001 [plus, since that post, a 4th English edition in 2009]. They're quite different; I don't know about 'better'. The book grew from 1000 to 1200 to 1350 pages over the 3 editions and certainly became more up to date. For one thing there's now more than a passing mention of 'foreign' (non-French) foods. But if you use it as a French culinary history reference book - which is what I think it's best at - the 1961 edition is the closest to a translation of the 1938 French original."

This post focuses on the top 10 cookbooks to make sure to include in a cookbook collection. For someone interested in cookbook collecting, this will give you a head start on the basic books to include as the foundation of your collection. These are the more mainstream cookbooks of the past. They may not necessarily be the most valuable of cookbooks as many antique cookbooks, signed cookbooks and cookbooks of present day often fetch higher prices, but these are are definitely the basis of a solid collection. Some of these books have been reviewed in-depth in this blog with their collectibility ratings for anyone interested in more detail. I have included some of the top-level information for each below as well as links for those which have been rated in earlier blog postings.

Authors: Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker

Copyright: 1931, First Printing, First Edition published by A. C. Clayton Printing Co

Format: Blue hardcover with gilt lettering

Average Price: Over $500 for this 1931 First Edition of which only 3,000 copies were printed. The later commercial edition was published by Bobs-Merrill Company in 1936 as were the later editions which came in different cover formats from a white dust jacket to a blue and white cloth cover. The 1936 "First Edition" which is not the true First but First Bobs-Merrill edition is valued at around $50.

Notes: Joy of Cooking is considered by many to be the "bible of American cooking." It is known for its simplistic formatted recipes and is one of the best selling cookbooks of all time. Almost every cook knows of this book or has it on their shelf. Many cookbook collectors will have various editions of the book in their collection--as mentioned above, the book had several cover designs and formats.

Author: Weight Watchers editors

Copyright: 2005, First Edition

Format: Softcover cookbook with lime green background on top half, photos of prepared meals on the bottom half.

Average Price: $45

Notes: Though a newer book, unlike the rest on this list, I am including it as it is one of the most sought after cookbooks online. This is certainly the one of the most popular Weight Watchers cookbooks published to date. It is at this point in time, a hard-to-find cookbook and only a limited number of copies are for sale online at any given time. Slow cooking is a popular trend and this book has some wonderful recipes. Because of the limited number of copies for sale, it has gained even more popularity over the past year and its value keeps increasing.

LAROUSSE GASTRONOMIQUE. The chef Prosper Montagn's Larousse gastronomique was first published in France in 1938. Alongside Georges-Auguste Escoffier's Le guide culinaire and Louis Saulnier's Le rpertoire de la cuisine, the Larousse gastronomique became one of the key reference works on French national and regional cuisine for the professional chef. The Larousse gastronomique is a reference text that codifies a history of the French culinary arts from the distant past to the present day in encyclopedic form. Entries cover such items as culinary terminology, foods, kitchen equipment, techniques,national cuisines, regional French cuisines, and historically significant chefs and restaurants.

Three editions of the Larousse gastronomique have been published in English. The first edition, published in 1961, was an Anglo-American venture edited by Charlotte Turgeon and Nina Froud. A fairly direct translation of the Montagn text, this edition included updated food science entries and English and American measurements. One translator is the noted British food writer Patience Gray and it concludes with an additional reading list compiled by Elizabeth David.

Jennifer Harvey Lang edited the English second edition, published in 1988, from the 1984 French edition compiled and directed by Robert J. Courtine. Courtine's introduction describes the first edition as a monumental work, albeit one in need of some refurbishment. These new editions take into account technical innovations, advancements in food science, and a new culture of dining characterized by simpler meals and a dietary palette expanded through travel and global commerce. Yet the core achievements of Montagn, including his recipes and technical advice on classical and regional French dishes, are preserved.

For the third English edition, published in 2001, Jennifer Harvey Lang worked from a new French edition edited by Jol Robuchon, the president of the Gastronomy committee of the Librairie Larousse. This edition claims to have retained the classic dishes and techniques of the original edition with a newfound sensitivity to global influences in technique, presentation, ingredients, and recipes. It is 1,350 pages, over 150 pages longer than the preceding English edition and it includes two hundred new recipes and four hundred new entries.

Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA).

It provides expert advice on everything from buying and storing ingredients to perfecting bchamel and barnaise. Moreover, it also contains biographies of significant figures in the culinary world. The newest edition includes cooking advice and recipes from international cuisines.

The book is split into chapters, each dealing with a category of food products. For instance, the first chapter is an in-depth look at milk and dairy products, and its subchapters include information on milk nutrients, milk biology and chemistry, as well as the evolution of cheese.

It is also a very entertaining and easily digestible read. The book explains complex chemical reactions in a conversational style, inserting exciting nuggets of history and even poetry to bring its explanations to life.

Another must-have for any aspiring chef is The Flavor Bible. As the title implies, this book is all about ingredients, especially seasonings, herbs and spices, and how they elevate flavor in dishes.

Written by the same James Beard Award-winning authors as the previous book on the list, Culinary Artistry is an ideal read for the chef or chef-to-be who is genuinely fascinated with and passionate about food. It explores the intricacy of culinary composition.

Just as painting requires the ability to wield a brush correctly and the talent for knowing which colors and textures go well together, cooking is meant to be both a technical and creative endeavor. Hence, Culinary Artistry is a wonderful complement to food science-focused books like On Food and Cooking.

The author of this book, J. Kenji Lpez-Alt, is perhaps best known for his work on Serious Eats, for which he served as the managing culinary director and chief culinary consultant. In fact, The Food Lab was adapted from his column on the popular food blog.

This book is a worthwhile read for beginner chefs and home cooks who want a painless, uncomplicated introduction to the world of cooking. It is chockfull of classic American recipes that Lpez-Alt has improved through a combination of food science knowledge and creativity.

Even the best chef books, while providing helpful information to aspiring chefs, fail to replace a solid foundation and grounding in the culinary arts. To achieve this, quality culinary education and training are invaluable.

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