The French Laundry Cookbook
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- Create Date：2021-08-30 06:55:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Thomas Keller
- ISBN：1579651267
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Summary
2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of the acclaimed French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley—“the most exciting place to eat in the United States” （The New York Times）。 The most transformative cookbook of the century celebrates this milestone by showcasing the genius of chef/proprietor Thomas Keller himself。 Keller is a wizard， a purist， a man obsessed with getting it right。 And this， his first cookbook， is every bit as satisfying as a French Laundry meal itself: a series of small， impeccable， highly refined， intensely focused courses。
Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautées beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest， clearest tastes。
From innovative soup techniques， to the proper way to cook green vegetables， to secrets of great fish cookery， to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monté to foie gras au torchon， to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts， The French Laundry Cookbook captures， through recipes， essays， profiles， and extraordinary photography， one of America's great restaurants， its great chef， and the food that makes both unique。
One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen—no shortcuts have been taken， no critical steps ignored， all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens。 If you can't get to the French Laundry， you can now re-create at home the very experience Wine Spectator described as “as close to dining perfection as it gets。”
Most dazzling is how simple Keller's methods are: squeegeeing the moisture from the skin on fish so it sautées beautifully; poaching eggs in a deep pot of water for perfect shape; the initial steeping in the shell that makes cooking raw lobster out of the shell a cinch; using vinegar as a flavor enhancer; the repeated washing of bones for stock for the cleanest， clearest tastes。
From innovative soup techniques， to the proper way to cook green vegetables， to secrets of great fish cookery， to the creation of breathtaking desserts; from beurre monté to foie gras au torchon， to a wild and thoroughly unexpected take on coffee and doughnuts， The French Laundry Cookbook captures， through recipes， essays， profiles， and extraordinary photography， one of America's great restaurants， its great chef， and the food that makes both unique。
One hundred and fifty superlative recipes are exact recipes from the French Laundry kitchen—no shortcuts have been taken， no critical steps ignored， all have been thoroughly tested in home kitchens。 If you can't get to the French Laundry， you can now re-create at home the very experience Wine Spectator described as “as close to dining perfection as it gets。”
Reviews
Boni
，
“The ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking。” The importance of Rabbits！ Brunoise versus mirepoix or maybe just mince？ Truffles， and Snails， and Foie Gras。。。 Oh My！ So many questions answered by the Wizard。。。 so many secrets spilled。。。 so many wonderful stories （and histories） of ‘foodie’ people （like Ingrid the Fishmonger） who influenced， support， and team with Team Keller。 This offering from the Michelin mountaintop is peppered with recipes that taunt you “The ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking。” The importance of Rabbits！ Brunoise versus mirepoix or maybe just mince？ Truffles， and Snails， and Foie Gras。。。 Oh My！ So many questions answered by the Wizard。。。 so many secrets spilled。。。 so many wonderful stories （and histories） of ‘foodie’ people （like Ingrid the Fishmonger） who influenced， support， and team with Team Keller。 This offering from the Michelin mountaintop is peppered with recipes that taunt you like the mini-dishes served at the restaurant itself。 One can’t wait to go back and better soak up the juices and flavors that this unique hideaway offers。 It’s always such a special occasion to spoil oneself among friends and family at the French Laundry， and this book matches their unmatchable charm and warm hospitality。 （Some might mistakenly associate the French Laundry with a caste-conscious snootiness when they read about parties and tone-deaf politicians， but the reality is very different， with cozy friendliness creating a feeling of your neighbor spoiling you with kindness and 。。。 okay， a little decadent luxury。。。 highly recommend you treat yourself to this guilty pleasure at least once！） The photography， the details， the mood。。。 all scrumptious and food porn at its most hedonistic。 A must read prior to your ‘splurge’ in Yountville。。。 like a well-chosen novel to properly flavor your vacation。 Thomas Keller lures your mind’s tastebuds with this mix of visual， educational， and emotional pages， creating a 5-Star cookbook experience that reaches well beyond cookbook shelves。。。 All that being said， and all that praise being heaped， I’d still wager on my Mom’s luscious tripe against that of Chef Keller ;o） 。。。more
Mary Cowley
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Fabulous！ Read it for the theory and philosophy of cooking- not just for the practice: otherwise none as an individual recipes。 Many home cooks may not be willing to make complicated recipes but many are。 Cooking custards in the original egg shells held upright in egg cartons is a terrific idea- and quite easily replicated in a home cooks’ kitchen。 Trying new ways of doing things is what makes a good cook a great cook， and is an evolution which takes time。 I love that this inspires and excites m Fabulous！ Read it for the theory and philosophy of cooking- not just for the practice: otherwise none as an individual recipes。 Many home cooks may not be willing to make complicated recipes but many are。 Cooking custards in the original egg shells held upright in egg cartons is a terrific idea- and quite easily replicated in a home cooks’ kitchen。 Trying new ways of doing things is what makes a good cook a great cook， and is an evolution which takes time。 I love that this inspires and excites me to cook something new- not that I hope to become a 5 star chef。 Worth every penny！ 。。。more
Mindy
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Beautiful photography and stories to go with the French Laundry recipes。
Yves
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For great Chefs， their philosophy about food takes precedence。 Always important is its taste， provenance， treatment while being raised as well as being prepared。That is the amazing thing about this book 。。。 the philosophy flows through every recipe。 Every individual element of each recipe seems to stand on its own 。。。 case in point:I am lucky enough to have a test kitchen at my disposal。 As I was reading this amazing book， the recipe on Sea Bass catches my eye， or rather， the artichoke ravioli s For great Chefs， their philosophy about food takes precedence。 Always important is its taste， provenance， treatment while being raised as well as being prepared。That is the amazing thing about this book 。。。 the philosophy flows through every recipe。 Every individual element of each recipe seems to stand on its own 。。。 case in point:I am lucky enough to have a test kitchen at my disposal。 As I was reading this amazing book， the recipe on Sea Bass catches my eye， or rather， the artichoke ravioli side dish does。 I make only the ravioli 。。。 heaven on Earth。 No wine can go with it but man oh man another world and totally worth the work of making fresh pasta。I then tackled the fricassee of escargot 🐌。。。 right up to the end it seemed like too much work for the result but the taste！ I added roasting shallots to my cooking skills。This book is worth every dollar because it is not only about cuisine， it is about cooking at a higher level， with attention to detail。 。。。more
Dray
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Not really my cup of tea， for a number of reasons。 I'm a vegetarian and scant exposure is given， most of the recipes do not fall into home cooking but are the domain of gastronomie - interesting but impractical for most home home endeavors。 Not really my cup of tea， for a number of reasons。 I'm a vegetarian and scant exposure is given， most of the recipes do not fall into home cooking but are the domain of gastronomie - interesting but impractical for most home home endeavors。 。。。more
Johnny
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Fun to read and gain inspiration from
Laurence E。
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I am a cookbook lover， reader， collector。 This one is perfect in every way。
A Street
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Very detailed explanations to make gourmet food。 Beautiful， inspirational photography。 A lot of techniques for “normal” cooking can be mined from the fine dining recipes。
Fllovi Jackson
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This book is really great。 This book is really great。 。。。more
Kristi Lamont
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Lesson learned: Don't read a cookbook for fun on your electronic device。 Fine to use such for referring to recipes， but， perhaps oddly， that's not why I read cookbooks。 I like the big pretty pictures and the comfort I find inherent in someone telling their stories of recipe development and cooking/baking。 I think a lot of the comfort factor was lost in the translation from print to electronic， especially the imagery/graphic design elements。My favorite parts of this seminal work by Chef Keller an Lesson learned: Don't read a cookbook for fun on your electronic device。 Fine to use such for referring to recipes， but， perhaps oddly， that's not why I read cookbooks。 I like the big pretty pictures and the comfort I find inherent in someone telling their stories of recipe development and cooking/baking。 I think a lot of the comfort factor was lost in the translation from print to electronic， especially the imagery/graphic design elements。My favorite parts of this seminal work by Chef Keller and the editorial team were the stories of the purveyors。 My least favorites？ It's a tie between the recipe for an arugula coulis and being told to cradle my fish like a child。 Nope， nope， nope。 Extra-nope。 Ah， but would I dine at The French Laundry， confident in knowing that someone would， in fact， care that much about my fish？ And would I try that aforementioned coulis？ Yep， yep， yep。 Extra-yep。Note: Didn't give this 2 stars just because of the formatting。 I also wasn't a fan of the overall style of writing， and I didn't think there were enough vignettes （of all sorts）。 I know I'm in the minority here， but so be it。 。。。more
Kathryn
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Fussy
Misha
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I need to get my own copy of Thomas Keller's the French Laundry so I can read it again and keep it as a reference。 Years ago， my executive chef lent me his copy saying it was a "must read"。 Today I have to agree。 The hefty cookbook reads as an easy textbook with recipes。 The 7 Michelin star Chef explains how waters affect the taste of seafood and other informative hows and whys in a conversational tone without being condescending。 My roast chicken has never been better thanks to this book。 I hig I need to get my own copy of Thomas Keller's the French Laundry so I can read it again and keep it as a reference。 Years ago， my executive chef lent me his copy saying it was a "must read"。 Today I have to agree。 The hefty cookbook reads as an easy textbook with recipes。 The 7 Michelin star Chef explains how waters affect the taste of seafood and other informative hows and whys in a conversational tone without being condescending。 My roast chicken has never been better thanks to this book。 I highly recommend this book for casual and professional cooks alike。 Since I first read the French Laundry in 2013， I have acquired my own copy of Keller's Bouchon cookbook， taken a few photos of Keller's restaurant the French Laundry， and had the pleasure of dining at Bouchon in Napa Valley。 I'm overdue for another visit， gastronomically and literary-wise。 。。。more
Ellen Cranos
，
Y
Eva
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First cookbook in a long time I've read cover to cover。 The essays are great， photos are gorgeous， and recipes look delicious。 First cookbook in a long time I've read cover to cover。 The essays are great， photos are gorgeous， and recipes look delicious。 。。。more
TERRY FRIEDMAN
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To complex unless you are a foody
K
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Take my review with a grain of salt。 I'm not sure I'm even qualified to rate this book。 The food looks delectable but， honestly， I'd never fuss with these complex recipes。 I cook at home every day。 That's a part of my core。 This book feels like it was written for aspiring chefs。 I appreciate the autobiographical component and always enjoy hearing about someone else's life。 Also， and I confess to being vegetarianish， veal is cruel and passe。 I don't care how traditional it is。 Nope。 I don't want Take my review with a grain of salt。 I'm not sure I'm even qualified to rate this book。 The food looks delectable but， honestly， I'd never fuss with these complex recipes。 I cook at home every day。 That's a part of my core。 This book feels like it was written for aspiring chefs。 I appreciate the autobiographical component and always enjoy hearing about someone else's life。 Also， and I confess to being vegetarianish， veal is cruel and passe。 I don't care how traditional it is。 Nope。 I don't want to take anything away from Mr。 Keller。 I just eat more humble meals these days。 Still glad I checked it out。 It's worthy of a read even if you're not using it as a cookbook。 。。。more
Donna
，
not just a cookbookI spent a lot of time reading this book and reading thru each recipe and walking through the techniques。 i thoroughly enjoyed it。 It makes me a better cook。 just the proper cooking of green vegetables alone is worth it。 so much great technique detail that you will surely use even in everyday cooking。 You will think differently about what you are cooking and how to extract the most and best flavor from it。
Kiera
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Can’t say I have the patience to make many （or any） of these recipes， but I loved reading all of the background info about the purveyors and their products。 I also love reading cookbooks that aren’t just cookbooks， but actually stories about the food， the ingredients， and the thought process behind a recipe。
Helena Ortiz
，
This book may not be for the faint of heart， but for someone， such as myself， who loves pushing themselves forward in the kitchen。。。 it's a must-have。 For several years now I'd wanted to become a chef， but because of health concerns I had to put that dream on the back-burner and become a multimedia artist instead。 Because of that， I find myself cooking out of this book， finding myself cooking these meals， and other meals that have really pushed the boundaries of self at home。 This is one of thos This book may not be for the faint of heart， but for someone， such as myself， who loves pushing themselves forward in the kitchen。。。 it's a must-have。 For several years now I'd wanted to become a chef， but because of health concerns I had to put that dream on the back-burner and become a multimedia artist instead。 Because of that， I find myself cooking out of this book， finding myself cooking these meals， and other meals that have really pushed the boundaries of self at home。 This is one of those cookbooks that have me writing in the margins， adding to recipes to make them my own。 I love how in-depth each section is， teaching about every part of cooking， rather than just the recipes themselves。 How well-rounded this cookbook is has not only taught me more about cooking， but it's also given me something I never thought I'd have: a way to enjoy my dream of cooking without having to be a chef。 The recipes， the heart， the soul， and the writing has given me enough of my dream for me to feel better about myself so I can continue as a multimedia artist。 It's one book that I'm most thankful for。 。。。more
Barbara
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This was a terrifically fun book to read。 I will not be making any of the recipes as they are very complicated。
Carla Patterson
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I learned to cook from my mother and her mother and I’m lucky that they， like Thomas Keller， promoted cooking as a delight in and of itself。 Naturally， one cooks to eat， but to eat well， the cook needs to understand how to protect and enhance the flavor of the ingredients s/he is using。 Since I have food allergies and other health restrictions， I like to have the very best versions of the foods I can eat。 I also like to give people I love food experiences they will love in spite of any changes I I learned to cook from my mother and her mother and I’m lucky that they， like Thomas Keller， promoted cooking as a delight in and of itself。 Naturally， one cooks to eat， but to eat well， the cook needs to understand how to protect and enhance the flavor of the ingredients s/he is using。 Since I have food allergies and other health restrictions， I like to have the very best versions of the foods I can eat。 I also like to give people I love food experiences they will love in spite of any changes I have made to recipes。 I realized many years ago that using the freshest and least processed ingredients was key and that the American penchant for overlooking was something I’d rather avoid。But， what about the European dishes I learned to love as a child on the East Coast of the U。S。？ In this book， Keller offers modern versions of classic dishes which are far from overcooked， even if they take time to make。 He tells us how and why to do things in ways which will lead to immense satisfaction for both the cook and the diner。The photographs of dishes are really beautiful as well as informative and the index of specialty foods and tools， and where to find them， is much appreciated。 。。。more
Susan Edmonson
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Magnificent！！！！！！
Sarah Copeland
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If you love challenges and have a lot of time， this is the place to go for perfection。 I haven't used it in years--I cooked from this in my pre-kids days， but I will never give this book up regardless。 If you love challenges and have a lot of time， this is the place to go for perfection。 I haven't used it in years--I cooked from this in my pre-kids days， but I will never give this book up regardless。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Pictures of Recipes？ Yes。Commentary on Recipes？ Yes。Nutrition Facts？ NoRecipe style？ Very， very fancy。 Any keepers？ No。 I wouldn't attempt any of this at home， except for maybe the potato gnocchi。 Too reliant on gelatin， caviar and truffles。 Pictures of Recipes？ Yes。Commentary on Recipes？ Yes。Nutrition Facts？ NoRecipe style？ Very， very fancy。 Any keepers？ No。 I wouldn't attempt any of this at home， except for maybe the potato gnocchi。 Too reliant on gelatin， caviar and truffles。 。。。more
Ida Hammer
，
OP
Natalie
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For people whose passion is food。 More fuss than I am willing to invest in mine。
Cristy
，
This coffee table sized tome covers recipes made in the kitchens of the famous French Laundry。 These are not in any way for the average home cook。 This is not beginner stuff， it is advanced by any metric。 Everything is done the long way around exactly as Mr。 Keller prefers it。
Dusica
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Love reading about cooking; always fanciful pics;
Jeff
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Not the sort of book you cook from， but absolutely the sort of book to inspire and to appreciate the artistry of a true chef。
Alli P
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