The Chef's Companion

Without the clear descriptions on the menu or the descriptions by your server, it might be difficult to answer the simple question, "what would you like today?" The Chef's Companion should sit on the shelf next to important cooking references to help the chef navigate the foreign language that is the culinary arts.

Asperge.
Bacchus.
Chèvre.
Decant.
Écrevisse.
Fennel.
Game.
Haricot.
Indian Pudding.
Jardiniére, á la.
Kale.
Lettuce.
Mushroom.
Sauce Nantua.
Oyster.
Pain.
Quail.
Rice.
Saucisse.
Terrine.
Uccèllo.
Vanilla.
Watercress.
Xérès.
Yule Log. ELIZABETH RIELY is a journalist and food historian whose articleshave appeared in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, the BostonGlobe, and The New York Times. She is editor of theRadcliffe Culinary Times, the newsletter of the SchlessingerLibrary, a contributor to Gastronomica, and the author ofthe cookbook A Feast of Fruits. The indispensable guide to over 5,000 culinary terms

Even the most international chef sometimes needs help with today’s wildly diverse cooking terminology. Now, there’s an updated and revised edition of Elizabeth Riely’s The Chef’s Companion, which professional chefs and aspiring cooks everywhere can turn to when they need quick access to concise and reliable definitions, pronunciations, correct spelling, accepted usage, and origins of culinary terms. This invaluable guide covers all the terms that chefs might use with customers and kitchen staff–in areas such as cooking techniques, food preparation, herbs and spices, varieties of food, wine, and equipment for the professional kitchen. Over 900 new terms have been added to this edition to provide expanded coverage of areas such as wine, pastry, and ethnic cuisines. The Chef’s Companion: no kitchen is complete without it.