Book Review: The Essential Cooking Planning Kit by Godfrey Harris

Title: The Essential Cooking Planning Kit
Author: Godfrey Harris
Genre: Reference

Challenges: 101 Books in 1001 Days Challenge, Read and Review Challenge 2010, Read Your Own Books 2010, TBR Challenge 2010, Reading From My Shelves Project 2010, 100 + Reading Challenge, Pages Read 2010,


Rating: 3/5
No. of Pages: 60
Published: First Edition: August 2003 (The Americas Group – www.americasgroup.com)


Synopsis: A step-by-step system to help anyone organize and manage a cooking event of any size or complexity – by providing reproducible forms and easy-to-follow instructions on how to account for every activity, visualize every moment, and plan for every detail so that a function occurs on time, without stress, and within budget. This books does not say anything about how to cook or what to cook but how to plan the cooking event

Mine
“A book about culinary planning, such as this, has only one purpose: To help individuals get ready to make and serve one or more of the fascinating recipes produced in these other media”

One of the best things is the forms that are found in the book that can be copied for personal use:
* Culinary Activities – the components of the meal
* Culinary Needs – what needed from the kitchen, store or other places
* Culinary Calendars – either monthly or annual (when to do the shopping, what can be made ahead)
* Culinary Budget – how much is it going to cost
* Menu Items – plan – to cook, fresh, frozen?
* Kitchen Allocations – what’s needs – oven, stove, microwave
* Counter Layout – use the space effiecently
* Table Arrangements – who is sitting where?
* Timing Arrangements – when what is served
* Contingency Considerations – what if it rains and the event is outdoors - better to think of these things early on
* Goal Statement – what is suppose be the purpose of the cooking event?

Not being a cook – I often depend on others to bring things. This is a great way to plan a event (BBQ) and make sure that all the items are there. Whose bringing what for the event.