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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5
EAN num: 9780684800011
ISBN number: 0684800012
Label: Scribner
Manufacturer: Scribner
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 896
Printing Date: November 16, 2004
Publishing house: Scribner
Sale Popularity Level: 153
Studio: Scribner
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Amazon.com:
A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discusion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar.
Product Description:
Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as 'a minor masterpiece' when it very first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious.
Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. As compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new On Food and Cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment.
On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as 'molecular gastronomy.' Though other books have now been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques.
Among the major themes addressed throughout this new edition are:
- Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality
- The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients
- Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully
- The particular substances that give foods their flavors and that give us pleasure
- Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods
On Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
This is an excellent book filled with great information in what I like to call a "pick up and read a little" format. It is logically arranged and well indexed but it lends itself well to random reading. Think of it as part Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, part chemistry primer, and part dictionary of eatables.
Since buying this book, I leave it within easy reach on the top of the bookshelf and typically pick it up and choose something at random and learn something new.
Very readable, well illustrated and a great value: you will not regret purchasing this book.
Rated by buyers -
I looked for a book that would help me understand which variables can I manipulate to affect the outcome in my cooking of : meat, bread, eggs, sauces, vegetables ... etc. And would help me with food handling practice - bringing it out of habit in to understanding. Different cultures handle food differently - I wanted to understand what effects those habits have. How does food spoil? And what are the variables that one can control - and how do cultures control them?
This book responds to those questions, bringing real understanding to my kitchen. And it responds to them on both an overview level and a scientific level, and one can engage either or both.
The book really appeals to be because this isn't a scientist writing dryly about food, this is a food lover bringing the context of history and science to food preparation.
Rated by buyers -
I am truly enjoying the depth of cooking knowledge in this book. I am a "down home" type cook. It is fun to learn the chemistry of the cooking procedures I use, and to learn the history of the ingredients I use. The book is well arranged and the style of writing is easy to understand. This is not a cookbook, per se, but an excellent reference for someone interested in the "how" and "why" of cooking.
Rated by buyers -
I was concerned when the book started with flowery allusions to food and was prepared to be put off by the authors style. However, I was quickly sucked in to the detail that made sense of the chemistry and art of cooking. I've read other enjoyable books like the "Einstein's..." cooking series which have explained some of the chemistry behind cooking, but none has been as thorough in its blending of history and science to open my eyes to modern cooking. I recommend this to any Foodie or aspiring chef.
Rated by buyers -
This is the most thorough scientific explanation on the subject. Excellent; should be re-published with clearer print.
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