The video series was produced with and marketed by the WGBH Educational Foundation in Boston, producers of Child's previous television series The French Chef, but was shot at Child's home in Santa Barbara, California.

The book The Way To Cook differs from her previous book Mastering the Art of French Cooking in numerous ways.

While Mastering was a collaboration that co-authors Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle had gotten underway before Child's involvement, The Way To Cook was a solo work written entirely by Child during the late 1980s.

Another difference was that The Way To Cook did not focus entirely on French cuisine, on which her reputation had been built, but added a substantial number of recipes for traditional American dishes, especially those of New England, where Child's mother had come from and where Child had spent much of her life.

The book also made use of improved cookware designs and of new technology such as the food processor, of which Child was a major proponent.