by Madeleine Kamman
A veteran teacher with experience as a restaurateur at Boston's Chez La Mère, Kamman has produced a 1,228-page treatise that reads like a college textbook. (In fact it's a revision of her 1971 opus, The Making of a Cook.) Rank beginners may find this volume intimidating, while more advanced cooks may grow impatient with Kamman's lectures on cooking tools and sauces in the Middle Ages. For those who take a desert-island approach to cooking guides, however, this may be the one to buy—aside from recipes for everything from Crayfish Fritters to Potatoes Dauphine, the author offers a useful bibliography and an extensive glossary. (Morrow, $40)
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