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Simone Beck

American
1904 – 1991
Simone "Simca" Beck was a French cookbook writer and cooking teacher who, along with colleagues Julia Child and Louisette Bertholle, played a significant role in the introduction of French cooking technique and recipes into American kitchens.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed 2 of Simone Beck's books, including Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 and Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1.
2
Books Reviewed
Cover of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2: A Cookbook by Julia Child and Simone Beck
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2: A Cookbook by Julia Child and Simone Beck

4.8/5

reader rating · 1,565 ratings

Published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1970, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 is the sequel to the landmark cookbook by Julia Child and Simone Beck (with Sidonie Coryn providing the illustrations), expanding the original's mission to bring rigorous, step-by-step French cookery to American home kitchens — from French bread and peasant ragoûts to salted goose and royal Napoleons. This review assesses the book's content, organisation, and published critical reception; it does not reflect a kitchen test.

Reviewed Jul 30, 2026

Cover of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1: A Cookbook
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1: A Cookbook

4.8/5

reader rating · 7,886 ratings

A New York Times bestseller first published by Knopf in 1961 and still in print, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 is a foundational French cookbook co-authored by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle, designed to translate the full logic of classic French cuisine for the American home cook — and widely credited with reshaping how the country thinks about food.

Reviewed Apr 16, 2026

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Authors Like Simone Beck
Julia Child

Julia Child

Cooking & Food
Julia Child collaborated with Beck on Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1, sharing foundational French cooking techniques for sauces, roasts, and soufflés.
2 books reviewed
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1: A Cookbook
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2: A Cookbook by Julia Child and Simone Beck
M

Marcella Hazan

Cooking & Food
Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking shares the same rigorous, technique-first approach to a European culinary tradition, teaching serious home cooks from the ground up.
2 books reviewed
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Ingredienti: Marcella's Guide to the Market (A Cookbook Bestseller)
Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat

Cooking & Food
Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat similarly demystifies cooking for home cooks by teaching foundational culinary principles and technique rather than relying on isolated recipes.
1 book reviewed
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
A

America's Test Kitchen

Cooking & Food
America's Test Kitchen's The New Cooking School Cookbook shares the same technique-first, step-by-step rigour, offering a curriculum structured to build culinary skills from the ground up.
5 books reviewed
The New Cooking School Cookbook: Fundamentals
Meat Illustrated: A Foolproof Guide to Understanding and Cooking with Cuts of All Kinds
Foolproof Fish: Modern Recipes for Everyone, Everywhere
J. Kenji López-Alt

J. Kenji López-Alt

Cooking & Food
The Food Lab shares the same dense, encyclopedic focus on technique, offering instructional, science-based explanations of the "why" behind cooking for ambitious home cooks.
1 book reviewed
The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science
Louisette Bertholle

Louisette Bertholle

Cooking & Food
Louisette Bertholle collaborated with Beck on Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1, establishing the French cooking techniques, roasts, and sauces that Beck builds upon.
1 book reviewed
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1: A Cookbook