What is a good website or book to learn kitchen techniques?

Question

For example different cutting techniques such as julienne or brunoise. I'm aware it can never be the same as attending a proper cooking course but still with a good book with pictures or even better online videos you can learn something. Basically I'm looking for a place to get a crash-course in what you'd learn in a proper cooking college.

Answer 1

Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques is an extremely useful guide to every technique you can imagine. Each step of each technique is fully illustrated with photographs.

Answer 2

http://rouxbe.com/ provides videos and demonstrations of cooking techniques. (despite my previous username I am not affiliated)

Answer 3

I have never been to a proper cooking college but I have taken a few cooking classes at PCC and Whole Foods, so I could not offer my opinion on how it compares, but this website http://jamieshomecookingskills.com/index.php is a great resource for learning a lot of different basic skills and it has everything from recipes to videos and a lot of techniques in between.

Answer 4

Gordon Ramsay Cookery Course on youtube. Fast but good (and free!) content from a great chef. I've learned different ways to cook chicken and turkey. Flavors are excellent and really straightforward type of cooking. I.E nothing frilly.

Answer 5

I would recommend www.seriouseats.com, especially J. Kenji Lopez's knife skills videos. Also Lifehacker.com has done a few articles on beginner kithen stuff, like how to make a scrambled eggs and how to dice an onion.

Also you can pick up Alton Brown's first cookbook. He does a good job of grounding his recipes in the science involved. Also, the complete good eats series has a lot of great stuff in it.