When you purchase through links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission.
Here’s how it works.

Title: The Illustrated Kitchen Bible
Author: Victoria Blashford-Snell
Published By: Dorling Kindersley, August 1, 2016
ISBN: 9781465451552
Pages: 544

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

With more than 1000 recipes, The Illustrated Kitchen Bible offers a compendium of delicious eats from around the world. Each recipe includes a photograph of the finished dish, making it easy for you to see exactly what you are preparing.

Now available! Get The Illustrated Kitchen Bible today! Click to Tweet

Each recipe includes symbols to alert you about important information – like how mean people the recipe serves, how much time you will need to prepare/cook the meal, nutritional benefits, anything you need to do before you make the meal (ie soaking beans overnight/marinating meat), special equipment you need and freezing information.

To me, what is even more impressive than the fantastic collection of recipes in The Illustrated Kitchen Bible is the informative Techniques Section.  The techniques section includes everything you need to know in order to successfully recreate the recipes.

The Techniques Section begins on page 488 and includes fantastic step-by-step photo explanations of essential kitchen skills. Here you will find the proper method for preparing ingredients and tips and tricks for storage and safety. Included are:

• Eggs: Learn how to separate; beat; poach; boil; scramble and make folded omelets.
• Fruit and Nuts: Learn how to make lemon zest julienne; how to peel and prepare apples; how to section citrus fruit; how to prepare a mango; how to cut a pineapple; how to peel peaches and nectarines; how to poach fruit; how to make a sauce for crepes; how to peel chestnuts; how to prepare almonds; how to shell walnuts and pecans and how to shell pistachios.
• Grains and Pasta: Learn how to cook rice by absorption; how to make risotto, how to make soft and set polenta, how to cook dried pasta and how to boil noodles.
• Vegetables: Learn how to steam; stir-fry; cut carrot batonnets; peel and dice an onion; wash and cut leeks julienne; peel and chop garlic; how to peel and seed tomatoes; prepare broccoli; prepare cauliflower; trim leafy greens (swiss chard, kale, collard greens, etc.); halve and pit an avocado; trim asparagus; preparing artichokes; roasting beets; preparing bell peppers; roast and peel peppers; seed and cut chiles; how to halve, seed and peel winter squash; how to rehydrate dried mushrooms, make deep-fried potatoes; core and shred cabbage; shuck corn and cut off kernels and chop herbs.
• Fish and Shellfish: Learn how to clean a round fish; scale and trim; fillet and skin; bone a flat fish; bone a round fish; bake en papillote; how to remove meat from a crab; how to prepare mussels; open scallops, shuck oysters; open clams and peel and devein shrimp.
• Meat: Learn how to cut up a chicken; bone poultry; how to butterfly a bird, how to marinate a chicken; how to stuff a boneless chicken breast; how to bread chicken or meat; how to carve poultry; how to butterfly a leg of lamb; bone a saddle of lamb; roast a rib of beef; carve roast beef; how to grill steaks; how to make hamburgers; how to boil a ham hock and glaze a ham; how to make crisp pork roast;  how to prepare kidneys and how to deglaze a roasting pan.
• Sauces: How to make: Hollandaise; a Classic Vinaigrette; Mayonnaise; Bechamel Sauce; Clarify Butter; Fresh Tomato Sauce; Stock.
• Baking: How to prepare and line a cake pan; make pastry; blind bake a tart shell; decorate a pie crust; make a pizza base; mix and knead yeast dough; glaze pastry; make brioche dough and make blinis.
• Cakes and Desserts: How to whip cream; make creme patissiere; test the setting point for jam; make fruit crisp; make steamed puddings; make ice cream; make wine granita; make souffle omelet; make and fold crepes; make and shape choux paste into puffs, fingers and rings; make sponge cakes; make jelly rolls; make, shape and pipe (french) meringues; how to use sheet or powdered gelatin; how to make caramel and how to prepare chocolate.

Another excellent section in the book is the Useful Information section on page 12. Oven temperatures and cooking times, as well as, internal temperatures for roasting different types of meats and poultry are provided. Recommended Refrigerator and Freezer Storage timeframes are included. Recipe terms for food preparation and cooking are also explained.

The Recipe Chooser Section includes a photographic gallery of dishes for specific occasions. Each dish included in this section includes the name of the dish, a brief explanation of the dish, the preparation/cooking time and if applicable the recommended refrigerator and freezer storage time. You can quickly see if you are interested and then turn to the page listed.

Many more recipes are included though so be sure to take the time to browse through all the pages!

As one example, The Starters and Light Bites includes the following Recipe Chooser Sections:

• Seafood Starters
• Snacks on Toast
• Weekend Brunch
• Healthy Snacks
• Party Bites
• Lunch Box Ideas
• Hearty Soups
• Meat-free Starters

When you browse through the book, you will find hidden gems like the Sandwiches section on pages 90 -97 which includes how to make and grill the best (and most delicious looking) sandwiches! Different combinations of easy mixings are suggested and then specific recipes including (one of my husbands’ favorites) Reuben Sandwiches.

There is a wide variety of recipes included in all the following categories:

• Starters and Light Bites
• Breads, Sandwiches and Pizza
• Soups and Salads
• Eggs, Cheese, Pickles and Chutneys
• Pasta, Legumes, Rice and Grains
• Vegetables
• Fish and Shellfish
• Poultry and Featured Game
• Meats
• Desserts and Ice Cream
• Cakes and Pastries
• Fruits and Jellies

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible includes more than 1000 family recipes from around the world. There really is a recipe in here for every taste! The fantastic techniques section provides a depth of information, with step-by-step images for you to understand how to make and to create successful dishes. The recipes are beautifully presented in an easy-to-follow format and the Recipe Chooser Sections make selecting a quick meal for an event or special occasion a cinch! This will make a great gift for anyone interested in learning how to cook/bake, or anyone interested in expanding their basic kitchen skills.

---

You can check out the other great books available at DK Canada here:

You can purchase your own copy of The Illustrated Kitchen Bible directly from Amazon.

PS if you want to see more of what is included in the book, you can “look inside” at Amazon!

Shopping from Canada:

Shopping from the U.S.:

Shopping from the U.K.:

---

All images are used with permission from DK Canada Books. For more information about DK Canada Books – visit their Website, Facebook or Twitter!

Never miss a stitch with Oombawka Design Crochet! Subscribe for exclusive patterns, gift ideas, and tutorials delivered straight to your inbox. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for the latest updates!