Cookbooks with Holding Instructions

Lou_34544

I am looking to expand my culinary knowledge with cookbooks that are true to the restaurant kitchen, without being overly complicated (for example, it's difficult to cook anything out of the Manresa book.)

I am very interested in one particular area; prep/cook and hold. We all know great restaurants are not doing everything a la minute. That roast chicken and confit pork at the Nomad are being reheated in some way. The bolognese at Del Posto is being prepared with a sofritto that has been mise'd out early into quart containers. The short ribs at Momofuku had a nice hearty braise for hours.

I work, and have worked, in kitchens but don't have exposure to some of these processes for certain proteins, and am always looking for the best way to pickup certain menu items in a professional setting. It's also beneficial when preparing meals at home ahead of time.

Does anyone know of any cookbooks or resources that detail holding steps for food and professional ways to do a reheat/pickup an item when an order comes in so it's not a la minute?

tshewman

They don't really get into "holding" instructions, but Atelier Crenn does an excellent job on prep timing (e.g. in days, hours and minutes) prior to serving and how much before serving. I respectfully disagree regarding Manresa in that the cookbook is true to the restaurant kitchen, it is simply at a different style (some might say level, but IMHO if striving for consistency is important there is structure within their methods that can be used at any level).