The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry

El libro me gusto mucho!! Pero debo admitir que para persona que hacen estas cosas como hobby y no como profesional, a veces es difícil de hacer la receta correctamente porque muchos detalles no están explicadas y muchas recetas tienen descripción bastante general. Por eso con unas recetas he tirado muchas productos a la basura por probar varios veces sin éxito final. También el parte de panes está bastante pobre. Y claro que como el autor es suizo con influencias americanas, unos ingredientes habrá que esforzarse para encontrar o la manera más fácil es simplificar la receta y omitir unos ingredientes normalmente, el pastel final no sufre mucho :) Pero en general el libro está muy bien, por el precio que tiene es de muy buena calidad. Hay muchísimas recetas y la mayoría me han quedado perfectos y muy muy rícos

My book was a bit damaged when i received it. Some of the pages were ripped and stuck together with glue. Not very happy about that.

I really like this book. It takes a little getting used, I didn't open and go "wow! I love it!" but it's a grower and I think they are the best. It's dense, there are very few coloured pictures. It's very big and it is intended as an accompaniment to a pastry student. I am a keen novice and home cook but for me I want to know the hows and whys and I want to be able to recreate the best things at home. It would take a long time to work your way through this book but it's great to dip into in the mean time. There are tons of recipes, as another reviewer mentioned you will likely need to sclae down if you're a home cook but it does offer you quanties for a half batch for many recipes, so if you have a large family or hungry friends this may suffice. It's very clear, it offers you background to some well known bakes. It tells you how to make pastries, doughs and fillings, it explains things like the bakers percentage/ratio, it explains what you are looking for and encourages you to bake in order and plan ahead to create efficiency. It's got a nice explanation on getting a good rise and flavour from your bread and lots more! I'm only beginning to scratch the surface of this book and I have not yet baked many recipes from it but I have used the fundemental priciples it explains in recipes from my other books and it's really making a difference. It gives you tips on how to do so many things, it's not colourful, it's not instant gratfication spoon fed to you but once you get beneath the surface of this book it's a gem.

This book is the same used by our professional cooking students at a local college and my staff (we serve up to several thousand meals a day) so I bought a copy for myself, as I am not a baker by trade. I found it very enlightening and filled in many of the gaps that I lack in the baking field. Since I normally work in cups and spoons, using the weights was different for me (buy a scale if you plan to use this book). I would have liked to see a little more info on blown and manipulated sugar (but then I suppose that is what the next book is for) and a few more recipes for phyllo pastry usage, pies, and petit fours. The author is clearly a high level professional and his instructions are clear. He explains much of the science behind the way the food is produced, which aids greatly in production. I don't recommend this book for the casual home baker as many of the quantities are huge and have to be paired down as well as some recipes talk about using equipment that you would find in a commercial kitchen (i.e. steam injectors for ovens when cooking bagettes). However, having prepared several recipes from this book I am very satisfied.

I purchased this book during my senior year of college as a culinary arts students at Johnson & Wales University in 2002. Even now, 14 years later, I still cherish it dearly. It is well written, the formulas are fantastic and the baked breads, pastries and desserts turn out great and tasty. What I loved most when I originally purchased it back then, is that it was written in the style of a veteran chef, speaking to and teaching younger apprentices the fundamentals and foundations of baking. It is filled with little anecdotal stories, best practices tips and scientific breakdown of the baking process. What I love most about it now, after having worked in the industry, is that I see and know first-hand, the artistry and wisdom in the formulas. I have made countless creations using Bo's formulas and although I have tweaked some over the years, I still keep the essence of what the original formulas were trying to convey. Whether a professional chef or culinary student at home, this book is highly recommended. Due to the yield sizes and techniques, it may be a bit intimidating for home bakers.