Through 100 recipes, this book looks at what it means to be a high level chef. Orange juice, toast and breakfast eggs are the top three, getting The Chefs’ Knowledge treatment along with plenty of other recipes from a diverse range of chefs at the very top of their game.

Every great chef has always mastered the basic skills first and on that foundation gone on to build his or her own style. The Chefs’ Knowledge is a new way of mastering those basics and, at the same time, learning many of the great character traits that every successful chef possesses.

The core of The Chefs’ Knowledge are the 100 Dishes Every Chef Should Know. It is true, if you are a fledgling chef, a budding amateur cook, a student or just a keen observer of food understanding these 100 dishes will improve your knowledge - and for very good reason.

In the world of recipe publishing there is a huge gap between a student text and a chef cookbook written for home cooks. For a variety of reasons the vast majority of cookbooks are written for the home. Few are written for the restaurant. Fewer still are written for students.

The Chefs’ Knowledge breaks down the barriers faced by young chefs who want to learn to cook like professionals. The 100 recipes are written by working professionals at the top of their game who have all been asked to reveal the secrets that make their restaurant cooking so good. These skills, techniques and pieces of advice often take a lifetime to learn but are included in The Chefs’ Knowledge from the start.

Here are a couple of beautiful examples just to give you an idea. Lemon tart can be a frustrating dish to perfect. So many recipes do not tell you that to achieve that perfect lemon yellow surface that you see in top restaurants is achieved by warming the lemon mixture before pouring it into the pastry case as it goes into the oven. This prevents the frothing that tends to colour the top an off-white. Or, did you know that making a pasta dough with just flour and eggs can result in a heavier dough than making it with what is known as a “granito”? What’s that, you might ask. To white 00 pasta flour you add 20% semolina. This magical mixture requires less egg to make the dough resulting in lighter pasta.

These are just two of the reasons why The Chefs’ Knowledge is a must-have read for any serious cook. These are the secrets that will make you not just a good cook but give you a platform to become great.

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Features & Stories

The Chefs' Knowledge: the know-how and recipes you need to get started as a chef

Whether you are already a professional chef, or are training to become one, ckbk offers the material you need to develop your skills, explore different culinary specialties, and build your own style. ckbk’s virtual bookshelves offer a treasure trove of inspiration and reference material to support your cooking.The latest cookbook to be added to ckbk, The Chefs’ Knowledge, is the result of a collaboration between The Chefs’ Forum and dozens of top chefs active in culinary education across the United Kingdom. The book includes 100 basic recipes as well as a wealth of hints and tips for any budding chef. We caught up with several of the chefs who contributed to the volume, to get their take on culinary education and the important role played by cookbooks.