Master Recipes: A New Approach to the Fundamentals of Good Cooking

In 1987, Stephen Schmidt wrote the first edition of Master Recipes, a compendium of more than 1,000 recipes for favorite American dishes. It also included crème brûlée and some other tempting, less American detours. Contributing to the new Joy of Cooking has raised Schmidt's profile, and Master Recipes remains one of the best, most comprehensive teaching cookbooks ever written. Drawing on his expertise as an instructor, in this second edition of Master Recipes, Schmidt focuses on providing fundamental culinary knowledge. Each Master Recipe is used to teach the basics that apply to many other, similar recipes. Thus, once you can make Old-Fashioned Chicken Stew with Vegetables and Cream Gravy, you are equipped to also toss off a curried stew, pot pie, stew with dumplings, Chicken à la King or Tetrazzini, and New England Boiled Dinner made with cooked beef.

Schmidt writes clearly, using a very specific format. Every Master Recipe is followed by variations that refer liberally to it. This involves some flipping back and forth while in the kitchen, but strongly makes the point of similarity among families of dishes. Sketches illustrate the key techniques and processes.

In this updated version of Master Recipes, Schmidt lowers recommended cooking temperatures for veal and pork, accommodating current preferences while remaining within safety limits. The muffin recipes are lightened, crème brûlée is made richer, and gingerbread made more tender than in the original edition. He also uses a food processor for making the chocolate glaze to use on cakes and as a wickedly intense sauce.