What cookbook to teach myself chef-school type basics?

[sweetbitter]

I'm a fairly decent home cook, and am looking for something other than just a standard recipe book.

I'd like to work through a book that would teach me the kind of stuff that chefs learn in cooking school: I'm thinking things like all the different sauces, soufflés, butchery, some of the French classic techniques and dishes - the kind of thing you see in the Masterchef technical challenges I guess.

Can anyone recommend a book like this? I'd like something a bit more up to date and relevant than the Julia Childs one for example, which gets into things like savoury jellies and stuff!

I was given a hairy bikers 'learn to cook the basics' type book ages ago and it was quite useful. St Delia is still my oracle though.

The food lab?

Taste and technique?

Both focus on science in good and the how and why’s of cooking.

I know they’re dated but the older books- Leiths bible/ delia/ etc really do cover those basics. Savoury jellies may sound out dated but those techniques are relevant. If you have mastered savoury jelly- then preserves and chutneys and jus and gravy and terrine and pickles and pies etc etc are all achievable.

Leith's cookery bible.

I sometimes think of doing similar sweet, I'd like to be able to knock up white wine sauce or a tuille without looking up a recipe, just from having done everything. I like the idea of planning it out, doing a new technique every day/week etc, Then I decide it will have to be something for when I retire as I don't have the energy currently! I'll be too old for masterchef by the time I've mastered everything I want to!

Où Est Le Garlic by Len Deighton.

Brilliant, witty cooking cartoons. Or cookstrips as he called them.

Read it in conjunction with Great Dishes of the World by Robert Carrier and you’ll have a solid foundation for a lifetime of great food, without having to dabble in the arcane.

Thanks for the suggestions all. Am going to try to get to a big bookshop to have a browse through some of them.