As a teacher, I have little patience with the concept of cooking as a mysterious art available only to the talented few. Cooking no matter to what heights it may soar, in the end, depends on cause and effect.  Michael Field

{HISTORY} 

Originally a concert pianist, Michael Field (1915-1971) began teaching cooking classes in New York City following a 20-year career performing in music halls around the world. An avid cook since college, he particularly enjoyed sharing recipes and techniques with other people, so much so that he decided to open his own cooking school in Manhattan in the early 1960s.  Shortly after, his first cookbook was published - this one...  Michael Fied's Cooking School, based on the class curriculums he outlined his culinary students.

A firm believer that there was no such thing as gourmet food and that all meals had the potential to be beautiful, appetizing and fun to prepare, Michael's philosophy centered more around the proper execution of basic techniques rather than espousing eccentric peculiarities defined by demanding chefs.

In an effort to truly educate readers, his cookbook is laid out like a class with an introduction, then a recipe containing exacting step-by-step instructions, and then a summary section (called afterthoughts) of what was learned along the way with additional source material comments, serving suggestions, ingredient history, alternative methods, etc.

Recipes here include basics (homemade broths, mashed potatoes, mayonnaise, etc) and interesting gourmet meals that lean towards European-style cuisine, making this an especially fun cookbook for farmer's market shoppers who love preparing simple, good quality recipes with the freshest and most flavorful farm-grown produce. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

- 1965 edition

- Contains 369 pages including 11 pages of suggested menus

- Illustrated throughout with black and white line drawings by Roderick Wells

- Interesting recipes include Sauteed Chicken with Whole Shallots and Artichoke Hearts, Braised Peas, Tomato Fondue, Kasha, Mimosa Salad Fifi, Coconut Blancmange with Strawberries, Pineapple Alexandra, Orange Ginger Bavarian Cream, Chilled Lemon Soup with Mint

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition. The coverboards are clean and bright. The spine is tight, the endpapers contain a slight amount of foxing along the inside seam and the interior pages are mark-free with the exception of a few errant cooking spots on a few pages. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Measures 6" inches  (width) x 9.5" inches (length) x 1.25" inches (depth) and weighs 1.10lbs

{WHY IT'S MARVELOUS} 

If you ever wanted to go to cooking school but lacked the time or the extra funds, than this is the book for you. The recipes get more advanced as you go, which bolsters your confidence so that by book's end you'll feel like you have truly mastered a wealth of recipes that will deem you a competent and creative chef in your own right. 

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Michael Field's Cooking School by Michael Field. Published 1965. M. Barrows & Co, New York. 369 pages. Illustrated by Roderick Wells.