The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking and Pastry Professional

by Glenn Rinsky, Laura Halpin Rinsky

Overview

Although there are many individual books on the subject of pastry, there has never been a single comprehensive resource…until now. With the publication of The Pastry Chef’s Companion, students and professionals alike no longer have to lose time searching for information and resources.

With some 4,800 terms and definitions from around the world plus 10 appendices filled with needed resources, The Pastry Chef’s Companion combines the best features of a dictionary and an encyclopedia. In addition to current definitions of every component of pastry, baking and confectionary arts, this book provides important information about the origin and historical background of many of the terms. This one-stop resource is an essential tool for all culinary and baking & pastry students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470009550
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	02/28/2008
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	444,719
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Glenn Rinsky is a Certified Executive Chef (CEC), Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC), and Certified Culinary Educator (CCE). A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, he is Executive Chef-Instructor at Jefferson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama.

Laura Halpin Rinsky is a Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) and Certified Culinary Educator (CCE). A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, she is currently designing and implementing a Hospitality and Culinary Arts Academy for Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Alabama.

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Table of Contents

How It All Began v

Acknowledgments vii

About the Authors viii

Terminology A–Z 1–310

Appendices: Baking Resources

Important Temperatures Every Pastry Chef and Baker Should Know 311

Weight and Volume Equivalents for Most Common Ingredients 315

Sugar Cooking Stages 319

Conversion Formulas and Equivalents 320

Seasonal Fruit Availability 323

The 12 Steps of Baking 325

Classic and Contemporary Flavor Combinations 331

What Went Wrong and Why 351 Specialty Vendors 363

Professional Development Resources 366

References 371

Editorial Reviews

Wiley's two latest baking titles, both written by professional chefs, deserve spots on the reference shelves of bakers everywhere. Professional Baking is a textbook designed to "provide students with a theoretical and practical foundation in baking" and is valuable for both professional and amateur bakers alike. It covers measurements and bake shop math, sanitation, equipment, ingredients, history, large-quantity baking, and mixing and assembling techniques. Since bakers primarily use formulas (lists and quantities of ingredients) rather than recipes, all of the material in this book is presented in the form of procedures and formulas. Procedures are outlined first; formulas that follow refer to the discussion of the procedure rather than step-by-step instructions. A glossary and index are included.

The Pastry Chef's Companion includes 4800 pastry and baking definitions, including their origins and history, along with pronunciation guides for most of the terms. Ten appendixes are included; of particular interest are "Important Temperatures Every Baker Should Know," "Weight and Volume Equivalents for Common Ingredients," and "What Went Wrong and Why." This is recommended for all larger libraries; Professional Baking is recommended for academic libraries and collections that serve culinary students.
—Pauline Baughman

Library Journal