On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the KitchenHarold 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:
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. |
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
5 stars |
| ||
4 stars |
| ||
3 stars |
| ||
2 stars |
| ||
1 star |
|
Awesome read for cooks nerds and history buffs.
User Review - anokha - Overstock.comI dont know what more I can add to the pile of superlative reviews of this book so I will keep it short. It was highly recommended to me by the chef of a restaurant I worked at and when I finally ... Read full review
Outstanding Information
User Review - raesandy - Overstock.comFabulous informative book! This is more of a text on the history and lore of food than a cookbook. It is extremely wellwritten and well researched. The intelligent person with many interests not only in food will enjoy this read. Read full review
Contents
13 | |
21 | |
Eggs | 68 |
Meat | 118 |
Fish and Shellfish | 179 |
An Introduction to Fruits and Vegetables Herbs and Spices | 243 |
A Survey of Common Vegetables | 300 |
A Survey of Common Fruits | 350 |
Bread Cakes Pastry Pasta | 515 |
Sauces | 580 |
Sugars Chocolate and Confectionery | 645 |
Wine Beer and Distilled Spirits | 713 |
Cooking Methods and Utensil Materials | 777 |
The Four Basic Food Molecules | 792 |
a chemistry primer | 811 |
819 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
alcohol amino acids animals anthocyanin antioxidant aroma aroma compounds Asia bacteria baking beans beer boiling bonds bread brown bubbles butter cakes candies caramel carbon carotenoid century cheese chemical chocolate cineole coagulate cocoa collagen color compounds concentrated contain cooking cool corn cream crystals develop dishes dough dried droplets emulsifiers enzymes extract fatty acids fermentation fibers fish flavor flour foam fresh fruits gelatin gluten grains grape green heat herbs ingredients juice layer legumes less linalool liquid meat microbes milk mixture moist moisture molecules muscle nuts oven oxygen particles pastry pectin phenolic pigments pinene plant produce proteins relatively rice roasted salt sauce savory seeds skin solid species spices starch starch granules sucrose sugar surface sweet syrup taste temperature tender terpenes texture there’s they’re thicken thin tion tissue ture varieties vegetables vinegar wheat wine yeast yolk