I'm looking at adding either the Professional French Professional Pastry series or Yves Thuries series of books to my library. Both are around the $250.00 for the set. I'd appreciate any comments on what you think about either of these.

Cheers, Mike

By W.DeBord on Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 10:40 am: Edit

I have one of Yves Thuries books. I haven't made anything from it yet...I know that I would want to make several changes to each item. It's interesting but dated.

The pro. French pastry series came highly recommended at this site. I did look into buying them, but didn't. I'm past needing many of the recipes and I find the visuals to be extremely dated work. I think it would be a great reference tool but I highly doubt I'd use it enough to justify it's costs.

By tj on Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 10:18 pm: Edit

i would defenetly advise to buy the professional french pastry series.it is the best publication i have ever seen for technics in baking ,recipes, decorations, etc.it is very very informative and detailed about all aspects of proffesional pastry and most importently, it has no mistakes that i ever found, unlike so many other books.it is trully one of the greatest pieces of work ever done in the pastry book business, put together by the guys at ecole ferrandi in paris.highly recomended and worth every penny!
as for thuries,i remember back in 1980 when i bought the first book out of the 3 he has about pastry, it was very exciting ,but for todays kind of work, it is more for referance, or to get ideas how to improve on the old style preperations.it is still a very detailed and informative set, even though the english version is not the same as the french one.but too expensive to invest in ,before investing in the professional series.

By tj on Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 10:23 pm: Edit

i actualy said this once to some would be students of mine, that if they change their mind or not have enough money to enrol in a pastry program they should buy the professional french pasrty series, and follow it like a study program from page 1 to the end.you can actualy complete an entire pastry program like that and teach yourself with resonable success.in any case it is a very important set in every chefs library.

By tj on Sunday, January 30, 2000 - 10:32 pm: Edit

w.
i think the professional pastry series should not be used mainly for the recipes in it, although they are great.it is mostly about the preperation techniques.it is very detailed and accurate about how to correctly make the products in several ways ,plus several recipe options to each preperation, with accurate time tables ,history of the recipes, different uses for them ,etc.as i said before, very detailed, very well made set of books.buy it!

By Matt (Matt) on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 12:10 am: Edit

W.DeBord

I think that you would find the Pastry Series very usuful. It put a hurt on me to buy it and I am glad I did. I am not an experienced pastry chef (If a Baker, and it has helped increase my undersanding 10 fold.

Matt

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 01:25 am: Edit

Has anyone looked at Yves Thuries' books. I've flipped through them in the school library, and they've struck me as having more content than the French pastry series. However, I'm looking for some feedback from the field.

Cheers, Mike

By tj on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 12:02 pm: Edit

the content in yves thuries is biger as far as number of recipes.but he has a section for each category of products that gives the recipes, and it is very general as far as explaining the preperation prosses.it was not ment to teach the methodes of prep in high details like the profesional series does.it was written for pros, who want to get the maximum variaty of products in each book, without going in to too many details of preperations.over all both puclications are very usefull.

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 07:17 pm: Edit

I have both, the Pastry series that I use for techniques and the 10 volumes of Yves Thuries encyclopedia. It cost me a fortune, almost $200 for each Thuries volume, but I don't regret it and use all my books, for pastry and cooking. This is a reference in France, and I used to give my aprentices the 1st volume as a reward when they finished their aprenticeship.
I think both are worth having because they serve different purposes.
The 10 volumes contain all the recipes Yves Thuries collected during his "tour de France" as compagnon. And they are interesting even if some may seem "old", but weren't we talking about tradition some time ago?
Helene

By W.DeBord on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 07:32 am: Edit

So then it really comes down to where you are on your path of being a pastry chef Mikeh as to which you buy. I think both have alot of great info. just mentioning that I would only use them as reference books (which are good to have). If I was rich I'd love to own the full set of both.


Working daily as a pastry chef there are so many other books I can't live without. I need great recipes and contempory presentations not too much instruction anymore.

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 11:50 am: Edit

Thanks for all your advice. I'm at the beginning of the road, so it sounds like the French series is the better buy.

By tj on Tuesday, February 01, 2000 - 08:52 pm: Edit

good idea.start with the french series.when you have money to spare ,get the thuries books.i only have book 1,2,3.they are the one that deal with pastry.there is a nother one for restaurant desserts but i never bought it because of the very high price.for some reason ,the english verssion was edited as 2 books, one that look to me like book number 1 with some of book number 3 in it .and one that deals with the plated desserts.there is nothing from book number 2 that deals mainly with chocolates and petit fours and frozen desserts .i guess it is to cut the price, so people will buy it.the original ffrench series cost above $2000.

By Panini (Panini) on Thursday, February 03, 2000 - 06:40 pm: Edit

The French Series? are we talking Bilheux and Escoffier?
Does Thuries still produce the soft cover periodicals. I use to get them in the 80's.

By Mikeh (Mikeh) on Friday, February 04, 2000 - 02:27 pm: Edit

Yes, it is by Bilheux and Escoffier. Do you have some comments about it?

By tj on Friday, February 04, 2000 - 03:53 pm: Edit

no,no i ment the thuries series.the french version is differant than the english one and cost more.10 books at about $200 each.too expensive for me to invest in....i just bought books 1,2,3 from the french series(thuries)

By tj on Friday, February 04, 2000 - 03:56 pm: Edit

i also have the 4 book set that makes the professional french pasrty serie.it is absolutly great.it actualy helped me as a teacher to form a lot of explenations to students,since this set is so clear and detailed in explenations of every thing in the most comprehensive way...

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Friday, February 04, 2000 - 05:06 pm: Edit

Thuries still does the periodical and you can find all the info on his website www.thuries.fr
I get them from france every month and use them a lot for the pastry recipes.
Helene

By Panini (Panini) on Friday, February 04, 2000 - 08:16 pm: Edit

Mikeh,
a must in your library.
Doucefrance,
Thank you. I will follow up on that.
I had the pleasure of meeting both Thuries and Lenotre. I was part of an opening team for a local French bakery here in town in the 80's and both came at different times for weeks to give us guidance.Rich Owner!!! Great experience!

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Tuesday, February 08, 2000 - 07:22 am: Edit

Panini,
I met THURIES too during a competition while I was teaching at the ENSP. He is a grat guy. Most people think he is a snob, but he is just very shy, and that is amazing when you know what he has accomplished!
Helene

By Panini (Panini) on Wednesday, February 09, 2000 - 08:31 am: Edit

Doucefrance,
Your exactly right, but I can't say the same for Lenotre. He did not seem to be amused by his visit, and lad nothing good to say about our city.
But he did open two stores here which are gone now.

By Doucefrance (Doucefrance) on Wednesday, February 09, 2000 - 04:54 pm: Edit

Panini,
This is where you see the differerence between a real pro and a snob who only wants to make money, Lenotre even made ads on TV...for LAUNDRY DETERGENT! He has big money problems with his school and tries everything to make more. His school may be well known, but it is not the best, it lives on a name only.
Thuries doesn't make all that noise, but he is a respected "name" in France and he deserves it. Great and humble man...
Helene