Fundamentals of Food Preparation

Fundamentals of Food Preparation provides students of the culinary arts with the critical knowledge and skillsets they will need to succeed within professional kitchens. The text provides an overview of the equipment and tools commonly used for food production, including knives, pots, pans, ranges, mixers, food processors, and more. Additionally, readers learn basic cooking techniques from sauting to boiling stock to simmering soup.

The opening units of the text cover culinary basics, including tools and equipment, food safety and sanitation, cooking methods and terms, beginner knife skills, and measurements, conversions, and sensory evaluation. Students learn how to work with fruits, vegetables, legumes, dairy, and proteins, including plant-based proteins. Additional units address the preparation of eggs, pasta, various breads, and cakes, cookies, pastries. Closing units focus on making candy, working with chocolate, creating beverages, and understanding the fermentation process. Within each unit, recipes provide students with opportunities to apply what they've learned and increase their practical knowledge.

Fundamentals of Food Preparation is an ideal resource for courses and programs in culinary arts, food and nutrition, and hospitality management.

Marcy Gaston is an assistant teaching professor of hospitality management at Montana State University. She holds a master's degree in sustainable food systems from Montana State University and is a registered dietician. She has worked as a chef, instructor, clinical dietician, outpatient dietician, and cookbook author. Additionally, Gaston has developed numerous recipes for Food and Nutrition Magazine. Her research interests include the decline of cooking skills in the United States, culinary medicine, and the effects of lentils and other legumes on health.