On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
by: Harold McGee
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Amazon.com Review:
A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food andCooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients andtheir interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary,scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat tovegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger beforetackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. Heexplains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious andhow alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, thisis as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for thescholar.
Product Description:
Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it 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.
A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food andCooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients andtheir interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary,scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat tovegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger beforetackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. Heexplains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious andhow alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, thisis as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for thescholar.
Product Description:
Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it 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.
Alternate Versions:
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - On Food & Cooking Book
This is an awesome book. I used my daughter's copy until she took it back and I decided I couldn't live without a copy of my own.
Rating: - Absolutely necessary.
This is, hands-down, one of my favorite books. I have always had an interest in biology and food science in general, and this is the only food science book that presents the information in a entirely accessible way. Anyone can enjoy this book-from the professional to the novice. Even if you don't cook, you certainly eat, and reading this taught me far more about the food that I buy every week in the supermarket than I ever thought I would know. Definitely recommended. This book should be in every ... Read More
Rating: - Informative
Originally purchased because friend said it helped him be more versatile. "It doesn't have specific recipes, but with just what I have, I'm confident I can cook something."
In my opinion, the book has plenty of information. Not quite a recipe book. Definitely a "lore" book. In that sense, it is an excellent work.
Read "On Food and Cooking" for those little tidbits that will help you win The Next Food Network Star. That's the kind of information it has. Helpful things, but ... Read More
Rating: - Tremendous
I learned more in the first chapter about the science of food than I had known the rest of my life previous to that.And it was a fun read to boot.I'm still working my way through this, but the book deserves all of its praise.I can't help but soak up the Whys and Hows of food with delight.
Rating: 
- Content good -- Binding Bad
Ok, I give the content 5 stars.
However, I have to recommend that you buy a paperback copy.
I received my hardcover copy as a christmas present, and by April the binding had split and pages were falling out.Before you go accusing me of treating my books harshly, though -- I haven't even finished the book yet, and I treat it very well -- I worked in a book bindery for several years and have high respect for my hardcovers.Of course, I find this a common problem with hardcovers these days ... Read More
- On Food & Cooking BookThis is an awesome book. I used my daughter's copy until she took it back and I decided I couldn't live without a copy of my own.
- Absolutely necessary.This is, hands-down, one of my favorite books. I have always had an interest in biology and food science in general, and this is the only food science book that presents the information in a entirely accessible way. Anyone can enjoy this book-from the professional to the novice. Even if you don't cook, you certainly eat, and reading this taught me far more about the food that I buy every week in the supermarket than I ever thought I would know. Definitely recommended. This book should be in every ... Read More
- InformativeOriginally purchased because friend said it helped him be more versatile. "It doesn't have specific recipes, but with just what I have, I'm confident I can cook something."
In my opinion, the book has plenty of information. Not quite a recipe book. Definitely a "lore" book. In that sense, it is an excellent work.
Read "On Food and Cooking" for those little tidbits that will help you win The Next Food Network Star. That's the kind of information it has. Helpful things, but ... Read More
- TremendousI learned more in the first chapter about the science of food than I had known the rest of my life previous to that.And it was a fun read to boot.I'm still working my way through this, but the book deserves all of its praise.I can't help but soak up the Whys and Hows of food with delight.
- Content good -- Binding BadOk, I give the content 5 stars.
However, I have to recommend that you buy a paperback copy.
I received my hardcover copy as a christmas present, and by April the binding had split and pages were falling out.Before you go accusing me of treating my books harshly, though -- I haven't even finished the book yet, and I treat it very well -- I worked in a book bindery for several years and have high respect for my hardcovers.Of course, I find this a common problem with hardcovers these days ... Read More
