I just picked up
Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques which is an updated, one volume version of his famous
La Technique and
La Methode illustrated cooking technique books. The book has over 1000 techniques and recipes that are given in a step by step illustrated format. Although there are many techniques and processes in this book that are far more complicated and involved than I am interested in, there are more than enough that are practical and can be learned by even the most amateur cooks.