This is the best cookbook I've seen so far. It has no pictures or fancy graphics, but it is absolutely wonderful. It teaches valuable techniques that no other cookbooks do. It is important to read all the instructions and methods for food preparation before even choosing a recepie. I had no idea about so many things important in cooking. The book is completely addictive and the more I cook from it the more I want to learn. This book TEACHES ME HOW TO COOK!!
Highly recommended. Cook several recepies from it and you won't be able to stop.

First, the book's primary author is not Simone Beck as Amazon says. It is of course Julia Child. Many people will say not to buy this book because the recipes are too complex and people don't cook this way anymore. But there are always special occasions, aren't there? Maybe the wonderful thing is that this book, this way of cooking, has a purpose today, that being....
maybe we should see more everyday cooking times as special occasions. The book is filled with plenty of recipes anyone can make, and since Julia Child was a stickler for using recipes, she includes everything that needs to be done, so her recipes seem a lot longer than usual.
The other important aspect of this book is that it shows us how to use spices and flavorings, something maybe we no longer do often enough. Paying attention to procedures as well. It shows us HOW to cook. It's not just a huge list of recipes. It's a much more important book than that.
I recommend it highly for gourmet cooks as well as for those of us who want to learn to appreciate the art of cooking, in contrast to just throwing something together. This is an attitude of cooking that makes you want to celebrate food as a way to celebrate family and friends. Don't hesitate! A beautiful book.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1

Great classic book and the passages explaining each recipe are wonderful!!! A must for any cook worth her salt! (or butter in this case)

If you've seen the movie, you'll love the book. It's an "oldie but goodie", as they say. The book is great because it gives you a template for different kinds of foods, e.g., soup. Even though all soups are different, the book extracts the "sameness" of the various recipes and gives you the underlying template, so that you can go on and create your own soups. Or mussels -- there is only one way of steaming them, but the differences are in the sauces, flavorings, etc. Also book provides hints on pre-cooking steps, best utinsils to use, etc.
Should have made this purchase a long time ago!

If you can follow directions, and are prepared to take the time and effort to follow them properly, then this book will guide you to some wonderful meals. I give it 5 stars because that is the book's stated goal and it does it very well.

If you are after something quick and easy to eat then this may not be the ideal book. Many (but not all) of the recipes will take significant time. Perhaps it would be better to use another book for the everyday quick meals and keep this one for the special occasions.

Although these recipes do take time and effort, they are worth it.

I cannot say enough of this book. I have some french heritage, have lived in France and know a bit about the food. I find so many of the tricks of the way my mother cooks and it really is helpful as my mom seems to explain her recipes properly!

I have done few recipes so far but I have read a lot of the explanations and everything is explained properly and wonderfully.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cooking. FANTASTIC!

One of the many differences between this book and other cookbooks is its motivational force. For one whose cooking guru is Peg Bracken, this book is a gourmet revelation.

Carolyn Davis How to Write Persuasively Today (Writing Today)

The recipes that we have tried so far have produced wonderful tablefare. A note of caution: these recipes are somewhat involved and using this book requires some study and preperation. Do not pull out the book, flip through and think to have a meal ready in an hour. On the other hand, the preperation and cooking process is fun and the tastes are different (in a very good way) than the cooking that I am used to. Another word of caution: If you are into health food, don't even bother - this book is not for you.

Excellent source of basic & more advanced French recipes. Since our way of eating has changed since then, it is often necessary to reduce the amount of butter and fat in the recipes but this is easily done and does not affect the outcome (in my opinion). Re-discovered Chicken Fricassee which is absolutely delicious!!

When buying from Amazon you never have a chance of buyers remorse because the item or items arrive so soon...

I purchased this book as a Birthday present for my daughter. She watched the movie Julie and Julia and really wanted the book. She told me they cost too much money, about $40.00. She is a struggling student at a local college and I knew I could get it from Amazon for much less than $40. I went on-line and right to your website and voila, there it was for only $19. When the book came in I figured it would be all dog eared, dirty and torn cover, but to my amazement, the book was pristine. It was a reprint and an anniversary edition and I was extremely pleased. I have to wrap it up and wait until early March for the birthday girl to open it, but as always, everything I purchase from Amazon is no less than perfect, even the used books. Glad you are there for me and I do recommend you every chance I get. Thanks, Amazon.

I moved from Europe to the USA 3 years ago. I never heard of Julia Child, to the astonishment of lots of Americans I spoke to. I love to cook and bake from the comfort of my own house. In Europe I was a manager of a bakery/pastrie store, the kind you won't find here in America. What my employers there (the bakers themselves) taught me was never to fall for substitutes for, especially, butter and sugar. Going through Mastering the art of French Cooking, I was utterly pleased to see that Ms. Child stuck to that principle as well. I've made quite a few recipes from this amazing book. The notorious cheese soufflé is a true classic gem, and turned out to be perfect (it's really a matter of READING carefully). Like all the other recipes, I love the fact that she lists the ingredients that come with each step in the process of making the recipe. Very clear, no nonsense and in my opinion not complicated at all. I have made onion soup for years according to my own recipe and therefore I was very curious how Ms. Child's version would be like. It was more work for sure, she cooks the onions in butter and oil and for quite a long time. She also adds white wine, which I never did before. The soup was outstanding, only next time I will add the bay leaf I myself always use, I missed that subtle touch, however I'm planning to stick with her version of this tasty soup.
I do not always agree with Ms. Child, for example she almost only uses Swiss or Parmesan cheese in her cheese recipes, I find a nice matured Gouda a fantastic cheese to use as well. Like in the soufflé.
In her baking recipes that involves apples she mentiones Golden Delicious mostly. I find that these apples lose their flavour completely, probably because they miss the tartness I prefer. So I use Granny Smith instead.

But overall this book is must have! It's fantastic. Everything that involves cooking/baking is discussed. Tools, measurements, ingredients availability, although that might have changed over the years. I'm lucky to have a Wegmans close to me where, so far, I've been able to find everything I need. Oh...I've read in some reviews that one needs so many tools sometimes to make a dish, I find that that gives me a sense of 'real cooking'.
Tonight I'm making Bouillabaisse for the first time. I'm already excited about making it.

There are a lot of good-looking recipes, but I have only tried one yet. Creamy scalloped potatoes were very good and easy to make. I don't particularly like that the large titles are in French, which I don't speak. No pictures either. This book is chocked full of information. It is gonna take me much more than a year to get through it.

Obviously, the recipes in this book taste wonderful! I made the Cassoulet De Porc De Mouton except I didn't use lamb as was called for but used more pork instead. The taste was wonderful and the recipe was enough to feed over 15 people. The recipe covered four pages not including having to go back in the book to know how to fix the pork. I read through the instructions more than once to make sure I was following the instructions correctly. I loved the outcome BUT it is not for someone new to cooking!!!

the book is really nice and a treasure for those who cook or just want to have some fun in the kitchen and don't know where to start. i highly recommend it.

I got this book after watching the new Julie and Julia movie.
My wife has made two dinners and a chocolate cake, taken from this book and it has been some of the best food I have ever had.

The book is complicated and does require a lot of work and ingredients but well worth it about once a month. Any more than that is too much work and too much fat. :-)

This is a great book! I especially appreciate the basic guidance on meat cuts, pots and other cooking tips in easy to understand verbiage. I find myself wanting to cook with creamy butter more often. :) And I generally find I am learning more about cooking techniques in general whether or not following a specific receipe. I did however, recently complete my first recipe from this book - Beef Bourguignon.

Well...I decided I had procrastinated long enough and set out to make Beef Bourguignon as the Big Blizzard of 2010 (the first one on 2/6 - not the second that is on the way here now on 2/8...
:-0!) and the Super Bowl swept down upon us here in Virginia and metro D.C. area. I had been putting it off because I have never been very confident in following recipes - especially not those where making my own marinade (with wine), and several steps of sauteeing, browning, tossing etc. were in the directions. In a word...I was terrified. My recent bravery was induced by the fact that backup crab cakes had been purchased at Whole Foods on Friday before the snow really got started. (Hard to mess up crab cakes...) These went into the freezer in case of disaster with the Beef Bourguignon. I had never even made a beef stew before though I love to eat it when its cold outside - even though I am not a big beef eater - not at all. Anyway...the thing is...I followed the recipe pretty closely. Julia gives little tips on how to embellish and recover from small errors which helped when the sauce was thinner than I thought it should be. The Beef Bourguignon turned out absolutely DIVINE!! And that is saying a lot because believe me - I was SURE it would come out too bland or worse - just unpalatable. I mean - I have never cooked with that much wine and the spice and flavoring combinations weren't all familiar to me. In any case - I stayed pretty much on target with the recipe and OMG! It was SO delicious!! I didn't know I had it in me! It was perfect to eat while watching the Saints win their first ever Super Bowl.
:-)

Great book - even for an average cook like me!
Bon Apetit! :-D

I bought the Julie/Julia DVD with the bonus disk and I love the movie but I now love the cook book. I have yet to purchase it but am planning on it today. I work away from home and I don't have cable TV I do have a DVD player and I often play that DVD several times a week in my apartment. I'm excited to receive the book and I can't wait until it gets here. I have always enjoyed Julia's TV show and I was born the year she was married so I grew up with the name as a household icon. Meryl Streep played her so well I love the movie, the bonus DVD and I love to cook and I love Julia Child.

I bought this cookbook from an independent seller on Amazon.com as a gift after looking for a month. I was always disappointed in the stated quality of the copies that were available and the prices that were offered. I purchased this copy because the seller stated it was in acceptable condition and the price was right to me. When it arrived, I was thrilled that for a cookbook (over 30 years old), it was immaculate and as close to brand new as I was ever going to get. My daughter in law had wanted an "old" copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking" and I knew that she was going to be very happy with this Christmas gift. She was. I have no complaints about the seller, her description was accurate and the shipping costs were reasonable. Also, it arrived very quickly, considering it was December and shipping times are usually slow.

I have tried only two so far, one beef and the other fish, and both have been excellent. Some would say a bit complex, and also there is no low fat version. Frankly great tasting food tastes great because it has cream, butter and/or sugar in it. While not for every day, for special occasions and just for an interesting day in the kitchen, this is THE cookbook to have ready and waiting.

Ordered this while watching the movie and am enjoying the new challenges of cooking some different food. A lot of butter and not so healthy all around, but it makes a great treat!

After seeing the movie, Julia...Julie, I had to purchase Julia Child's cookbook! I have been making a recipe a week...not a day...and found her details and explanations very thorough!

Forty years ago I was newly married and literally could not scramble an egg. It was pathetic, but true, so my new husband gave me a copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Being the good student that I was, I treated this tome as a textbook, following Julia Child's directions to the letter. It saved my life, since we did a lot of dinner parties, so I had to hit the ground running. I'd never heard of sweetbreads before, but soon it was one of my favorite ingredients, thanks to Julia. As I grew more proficient in the kitchen, I found that I really loved to cook! I still have that worn, spotted copy of Mastering the Art, and though I cook now with an eye to healthy ingredients, I'll still turn to this bible for pointers from time to time. Thank you Julia Child!
Kathy Besag

The price was good, the delivery time was reasonable, The book is very well written with easily understood directions and reasonable substitutions.Its the best written cookbook I have.

This book arrived in perfect condition thanks to the superb packaging. It also arrived just before Christmas which I didn't expect but was really pleased about. I would definitely buy books from this seller again. Thank you.

The movie stimulates new interest in this book and for good reason. This is a book worthy of your library....and time. I give this as a gift many times; nice to find a good price on a hardback, as I don't care to give paperback books as gifts. The quality of content speaks for itself. If you don't own this book, you need to. It is the basis of all good cookery; and if you never cook from it....it is at least a good read.

After seeing "Julia and Julie" I had to see if "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was available. I found it at Amazon. The purchase was easy - and I'm having a great time with the cookbook.

A wonderful cookbook. So much information, and detail. I have tried several recipes so far and I am encouraged enough with my success that I will be using this book for a long time. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in creating luscious meals. I have learned so much already and look forward to what more I can create.

I'm no Julia Child, but I was inspired by the movie and decided to see what the recipes were about. I've made a couple of the recipes since I received the cookbook last month and they came out great. It's a very easy book to follow, all the ingredients are easy to find in any local market, and the instructions are detailed. You can't go wrong. Not only did I get a wonderful new cookbook (that I'll actually use), the price was fantastic.

My Julia Child cookbooks are the most stained and worn in my library. Need I say more?

I tried one of the recipes in the book. The preparation is time consuming but worth it! Just following Julia's directions, any one can do it!

After seeing the movie 'Julie & Julia', I just had to get the book and especially after watching The French Chef on PBS. I was inspired and wanted to start cooking right away. I'm starting with the dessert section first. Great directions, a wonderful cooking book.

I just purchased this, yes, after watching the movie. I do remember loving her TV show when growing up and her guest spots on other shows. She always seemed so happy, so down to earth. If she spilled something, no big deal, keep going.

I've only started the sauce chapter and I adore it. It makes so incredibly much sense, is so easy to follow, and really lays it all out there. The one thing the chefs on those competition shows always yell about is to READ the recipe the whole way through before you ever start, and that works here as well.

I have to say, I've never made gravy of any kind from scratch. That was something Mom did, and I was happy with packets and water. Ugh. Last night, I consulted my Mastering book and followed Julia's directions to the T. I bounced around when I realized that on my first try, I had created a perfect, delicious, COMPLETELY SMOOTH Béchamel sauce for my chicken thighs. I can't wait to go through the rest of the book. I will have to adapt some things, as I won't eat things like veal or liver. But! It works! It's worth it's weight in gold!

With all the new interest in television's first cooking show hostess, this is the perfect gift for a friend, sister, new bride, or new cooking enthusiast. Bon Appetit!

wonderful cooking book, instructions clear and simple and easy to follow this not only a recipe book. it teaches you how to cook the french way

I'm a 27 year old businessman that loves to cook. French cuisine to me was a beast I feared tackling. That was until the day this book fell into my hands. It might be cliché, but the first recipe I tried was the Beouf Bourguignon. After a few hours of preparation and following the directions religiously, I tasted it and couldn't believe my taste buds, I had actually concocted a beautiful and superbly delicious French dish that tasted French! Julia Child is a gastronomical saint! I highly recommend buying this book.

I've always cooked pretty well but after reading through this cookbook I think my cooking has gotten a great deal better.

The instructions are very clear and almost fool proof.

Ive had this book for several years and I always find myself thumbing though it when I need an explanation on a technique or an extra recipe to add to my meal.

I strongly suggest this book to anyone who is looking to improve skills.

I was very excited to purchase this cookbook after watching the movie Julie and Julia - like many of you, I'm sure. The first night, I cooked the Provençal Vegetable Soup, the Cauliflower au Gratin and the Reine de Saba cake. All three recipes turned out beautifully, and I was happy to finally find a cookbook that made french cuisine easy to cook but still sophisticated to taste. The next day, I explored more of the recipes and made the Quiche au Roquefort and the onion soup. The onion soup was delightful, but the Quiche was an utter disaster. The recipe was EXTREMELY complex and difficult to follow due to a few clarity issues, and the end product was so rich it was inedible. Later, since I enjoyed the Reine de Saba cake so much, I tried the Chocolate Spongecake. Although the recipe was simple enough, the resulting cake could not hold its shape at all and could not come out of the pan even though I thoroughly buttered and floured it. So after my short experience, I think you should come into cooking with this book with an open mind, ready for both great success and failure. What can be guaranteed, though, is that when the recipe is a success, the cuisine is mind blowing delicious!

I bought this book after perusing it at the library. I soon realized that it is priceless in that it explains the why and how as well as the what of cookery. Child's technique of presenting a master recipe then explaining on how simple additions or techniques make it something different allows a relatively inexperienced cook to see how the chemistry of cooking works. This book is nonthreatening and the illustrations are precise and not artsy. Using this book I have prepared dished I never had previously with success. It is volume well worth having and using.

After watching the recent movie about Julie Child, I felt compelled to get this book. It is not exactly a quick recipe guide, in fact the recipes are rather involved and challenging. I am enjoying the few items I have made from the book and hope you do to.

I have found that as I have got older, I am loving cooking and baking much more. So when I received this book for Christmas I was eager to try at least one thing within a couple of days. The potatoes gratin dauphinois - so easy and oh my gosh, so delicious!! This book is going to be used well :)

This is a wonderful gift for the "cook in your life" especially when accompanied with the movie "Julia and Julie" that really helps bring it to life. I gave the cookbook and movie as gifts to two special people in my life and they absolutely LOVED it! Thanks Amazon for having the items available, shipping in such a timely manner, and making it a memorable Christmas for many. I look forward to tasting some delicious cuisine very soon. Thank you!

Bought as a gift, arrived in excellent condition. Recipies a bit dated but my wife is loving the book.

I recently have been cooking a lot more than I used to. Seems the older I get the more I enjoy it. Mom knew a lot of these recipe's but never taught them to anyone, her idea of teaching me to cook was to sit and watch her....talk about boring, and not learning anything!

I got this book originally from the library, just to try "Boeuf Bourguignon" recipe. WOW is one best word to describe it. While I had the book in my possession, I have tried a number of the recipe's and the outcome of all have just been mouth watering. I never thought that I would be preparing and eating fantastic French cuisine.

This book is one of the best cookbooks that a person could have as part of their library. You won't be sorry that you tried it.

Like Julia's cooking show, her humor is in the book as well, in little info tidbits. Anyone that loved Julia Child would appreciate this as well.

Upon returning the book to the library myself, I ran out to buy a copy. My philosophy is that you cannot have too many GOOD cookbooks.

A classic is something done so well it stays current over time and this is simply a classic and basic for any cooks reference library.

This was in a movie recently, right? I have no one to attend movies with, but that sounds right. A Meryl Streep movie.

I don't cook much. I'm a vegetarian, in fact. Usually. Although I like duck. And I LOVE butter. Julia (and those other women) luxuriates in butter, long, purposeful, arduous afternoons of preparing meat in butter and cheese. I cooked one thing (crepes; I have no stomach for stuffing live lobster into boiling water, don't they fight back?). Lovely, if flat. A little greasy, with the butter. For the dedicated, but not the lonely. Her food is meant for groups, for couples. I had no one to cook for.

This is the queen of them all..the three in my order were in perfect condition and way below the prices in bookstores..I've checked a few of them..It's the necessary addition to every cook's library... Great fun looking through and making comparisons to the simpler way that we cook now..You might even be tempted to try a recipe! Don't hesitate..get yourself a copy...

The book arrived very quickly. I was a bit disapointed as it is a paperback, thought I had ordered the hard cover version, but that was a mistake on my part. At any rate the movie "julie and julia" prompted me to purchase the book. It is very good. Made Boeuf Bourguignon the 2nd day after receiving the book and it turned out awsome!.

Thank goodness I watched Julie & Julia then bought this book. I grew up watching Julia Child, but I always thought this cookbook would be too complicated for me. The recipes are a bit involved, most of them actually, but they are sooo good. Some are very easy once you make them once or twice. My favorite is Chicken breast with cream sauce, and artichoke bottoms. The whole vegetable section is great. I wasn't crazy about the beef stews, like in the movie, but willing to try them again. I look forward to exploring much more of this book. Thank you Julia for an amazing cookbook, and Julie for turning me on to it.

Purchased this for my daughter, along with Volume 2, who loves to cook. She was really excited to receive it!