On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

• #3 in Best Science Books

172 Reviews

Sort by: Most Helpful ▲ Date Rating

This red `On Food and Cooking, The Science and Lore of the Kitchen' by Harold McGee is a new edition of what is the most widely quoted culinary work in English. It may be almost as influential on the thinking of culinary professionals as Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking' was on attitudes of American home cooking. The testimonials from the likes of Thomas Keller, Paula Wolfert, Jacques Pepin, and Rose Levy Beranbaum just begins to tell you how important McGee's volume has become. I was immensely pleased to see the exchange of acknowledgments between McGee and Keller to see how much the academic can learn from the professional chef.

I can devote my thousand words on how good this book has been to the culinary world, but most of you already know that. What I will do is to list all the reasons one may wish to read this book.

First, the book is simply interesting to amateur foodies and culinary professionals. This is the serendipity principle. If you prospect in a rich land, you will invariably find something of value. The `lore' in the subtitle is not an afterthought. The book includes history, linguistics and cooking practice in addition to simple science. In over 800 pages of densely packed narrative, one will invariably find something of interest, especially since the book covers such a broad range of topics, including:

Milk and Dairy
Eggs
Meat
Fish and Shellfish
Fruits and Vegetables
Seeds, Cereals, and Doughs
Sauces
Sugars and Chocolate
Alcohol (Wine, Beer, and Distilled Spirits)
Cooking Methods
Cooking Utensil Materials
`The Four Basic Food Molecules'
Basic Chemistry

This is the perfect book in which to jump around to those subjects that interest you. I just wish the author would have put the last two subjects first so that more readers would stumble across them to gain a better understanding of what appears in the chapters on specific foods. A quick example of how this would help in practical terms is that the characteristics of alcohol, which stand halfway between water and oils explains why vodka is such a great flavor enhancing addition to pasta sauces.

Second, professional and amateur bakers should read all of the chapters on grains, doughs, chocolate, alcohol, basic molecules, and the chemistry primer, as this is the one area of culinary practice where knowledge of science can make the biggest difference between good and great results. Both Shirley Corriher and Alton Brown have books which include baking science and Rose Levy Beranbaum's books all cover practical baking science in depth, but McGee puts all of this is a broader context which, to use Alton Brown's great metaphor about science and cooking, gives a roadmap covering a much broader area, to a finer scale of detail.

Third, all culinary professionals who have anything whatsoever to do with teaching should read this book from cover to cover, twice. There is absolutely nothing more annoying than having a person in the role of teacher make a patently false statement in their area of expertise. The number of times a Food Network culinary celeb misuses the term `dissolve' when they really mean `emulsify' or simply `mix' would fill volumes. It is still a common mistake to say that searing protein seals in juices. There are many good reasons for searing. Preventing the escape of liquid is not one of them. Even Brown himself has made some gaffs in print and on `Good Eats' such as when he described a very corrosive compound as a strong acid rather than a strong base. He confused one end of the pH scale with the other.

Fourth, anyone who has ambitions to develop their own recipes should read those chapters which deal with the major foods such as dairy, meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables, with a premium on the material on milk and eggs. Two defining characteristics of science are that it explains things and it predicts things. Most people understand the first but may not appreciate the second. One can predict, for example, that if you use too little fat in a milk or cream based gratin, the dairy will curdle, so, if you are playing around with your favorite mac and cheese recipe, do not be so quick to reach for that skim milk, as you are likely to be very disappointed with the result. Similarly, if you crave some Saturday morning buttermilk biscuits and the nearest carton of buttermilk is a 30 minute drive away, AND, you have no vinegar, AND you have no citrus, there is just a chance that your aging cream of tartar dissolved in milk will save the day, since this is an acidic salt which will stand in for the acidity in the buttermilk. As a former professional chemist, I can assure you that pure inorganic salts like cream of tartar simply do not go bad.

I would have loved to hear the exchanges between author McGee and Thomas Keller, as Keller is probably the contemporary epitome of how the culinary professional uses experimental techniques in cooking. The constant tasting which every cook does is nothing more than a practical application of the chemical technique of titration, where materials are combined slowly until the desired result is achieved. What separates good from great cooks is using this technique to test raw materials. This is the truest marriage of science and cooking, following the maxim of Daniel Boulud who stated that to be really great, the journeyman cook must repeat the same procedure thousands of times to the point where the result is utterly reproducible and the cook can detect the desired endpoint easily by eye, nose, and mouth. Sounds like science to me.

The author's introduction presents an excellent case for rereading the book in its second edition as he cites the great changes in food culture over the last twenty years. This is also a great case for anyone who is interested in any aspect of food.

A very important book indeed.

This is a truly unique and wonderful book. It contains a tremendous amount of information about the food we eat. It shows the structure and composition of animals, plants, eggs, liquids, and seeds, explaining why each one has certain characteristics (for example, it turns out that the smell of fish comes from the decomponsition of a chemical in ocean fish cells that maintains the proper pressure balance with salt water). It explains what happpens when ingredients are chopped, mixed, heated, cooled, fermented, or otherwise transformed.

I discovered the first edition about five years ago, and it permanently changed how I think about food and how I cook. Since then, I've seen many other chefs mention this book. For example, in Michael Ruhlman's book "The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute," CIA students often study this (unrequired) book to better understand what they're doing.

You should be aware that this book is more an encypclopedia than an a recipe book or a collection of essays. If you're looking for a fun discussion of food science, then Alton Brown's "I'm just here for the food" may be a better choice. If you're looking for recipes that are optimized by principles of food science, I'd recommend Shirley O. Corriher's "Cookwise." (Actually, I'd recommend both of those books anyway.) Some readers may find "On Food and Cooking" a little bit too dense and technical to read from cover to cover, but as a reference book, it's unmatched.

The second edition is a great improvement over the first, and I'd strongly recommend it not only to new readers but to anyone who read the first edition. (Just the new section on fish makes this book worth purchasing.) This is really a totally new book: it's been completely reorganized, new illustrations have been added, and it's 66% longer than the old version. I'm guessing that the only reason that this book has the same title is for marketing value: the first book was very well known by cooks.

This book is NOT a cookbook, but it's a damned good reference for figuring out why your sauce was flat.

I first received this book from a friend, about 3 years ago. I read it, then re-read it, and was amazed that the technical references and jargon were so easily described.

As a chemical engineer by trade and a cook by avocation, I loved this book, both for the technical details and the writing, as well as the explanations of the science behind the "obvious". If you're a technically-inclined person, you'll appreciate the references and notes. If you, like some unnamed previous reviewers, are looking for an easy guide to food, this isn't it. This book appeals to cooks who know how to make things, but want to know why those things are made. This isn't a compendium of recipes, nor is it a guide to cooking. It's an easily understandable review of why foods do what they do.

If you enjoy cooking and wonder why "browning" makes a tastier dish, get this book. Nothing here is a surprise to the seasoned cook. There are no de rigueur recipes. Whatever.

The many flaws in this book originally led me to give it 3 stars, but the more I look at other sources for the same information, the more I realize that for all its annoying qualities, this book really does appear to be the most comprehensive work on this subject. As such, I have to recommend it more highly, simply because you're not going to get the same infomation in any other single book. Be prepared to work hard for the knowledge, however.

"On Food and Cooking" is a very comprehensive work that contains a lot of very useful and interesting information. It also contains a lot of less useful information, random historical musings, and general digressions. As a result, the useful/interesting information density is much lower than I'd like, particularly given the general "verbiage density" of the text. Perhaps part of the problem is that I've gleaned too much of the information already from other sources, so that I feel like I'm wading through a lot of common knowledge to get to the bits I care about.

The book goes into a fair amount of historical detail about various ingredients. It doesn't focus on the historical aspects enough to be a "history of food" book, though, and the historical perspective tends to detract from the scientific content ratio simply by increasing the overall amount of text.

Also, there are many variations on ingredients, food safety issues, etc., that were not considered significant in 1983, but which are more relevant today. There's no discussion of salmonella in the section on eggs, for example, and no discussion of things like the impact (or lack thereof) of RBGH on milk quality. The effects of organic methods in general are given short shrift. I have observed various quality differences in organic ingredients relative to more conventional ingredients (both for better and for worse), and had hoped for some quantitative discussion of what the physical differences are, and why.

Compared to "The Science of Cooking" (my most recent read on the topic), this book doesn't cover some of the physics and organic chemistry as well, but it does go into better detail on some of the more biologically oriented topics. For example, osmotic pressure, the process by which salt and sugar preserve food, is covered fairly well in this book, while it is never directly mentioned in "The Science of Cooking".

I also wish there had been better organization of the material in the book. "The Science of Cooking", for example, is organized like a textbook, with well-marked side bars and tables, allowing you to easily skip to (or over) information that may or may not be relevant. "On Food and Cooking", however, is organized more like a novel, making it difficult to use it for reference, and complicating efforts to skip over material that is not of interest.

Also, some sections (for example the discussion of cheese) assume too much knowledge about the basic processes, making it sometimes challenging to correlate the underlying chemistry with actual kitchen mechanics. In general, the book has very few examples of "kitchen experiments" you can try yourself to develop an integrated sense of the qualitative and quantitative aspects of cooking. There are many discussions, for example, of the effects of pH on various processes, but little discussion of ways to manipulate the pH using different ingredients to help balance flavor against the needs of the chemical processes.

I still haven't found the ideal source for this sort of information. "The Science of Cooking" is at least concise and very clear in what it does cover (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of 3), but as I look back and compare it to "On Food and Cooking" again, I see some of the major holes in that book (which doesn't deal with the role of pH in cooking at all, for example). And so, my search continues.

In 1984, when the first edition of ON FOOD AND COOKING was published, it sent off a shockwave through the entire culinary industry. Never before had someone published such a massive study on how science affects cooking in all aspects. It quickly became a bible for professional chefs around the world, often simply referred to in conversation as simply "McGee".

For the 20th anniversary of the original publication, author McGee has rewritten about 90% of his original work, studying the various ways that the ensuing 20 years and the many advances affect the way we grow, harvest, cook, smell, taste, eat, and digest today.

Taking all the culinary and scientific changes that have taken place since the original edition under consideration, McGee has once again created the standard for understanding the relationship between food and science, and why things work the way they do.

He also addresses important topics such as irradiated food, the threats of disease such as Mad Cow disease, and the effects of aquaculture and genetic engineering on today's harvested food.

The book also looks at the many various techniques of preparing everything from the odd vegetable to the many different fish in the ocean, and nearly everything in-between.

McGee's historical and anecdotal style are easy to read, and more importantly, to understand. Once you've read a section, much of it will stay in your head, if only because the average cook will be saying to themselves, "Wow, I didn't know that!"

Although McGee is not a household name among home cooks, it should be. Much of the information offered up by the author in his guide through the food jungle would be very useful to home cooks as well as professional chefs. I would definitely recommend the book to EVERYONE who has any kind of interest in how food science affects our everyday lives. A must-have for any library.

This is an exhaustive, technical dense treatise on the chemistry and physics of cooking. It is pretty readable and quite well suited for an academic approach. I bought it thinking it to be something closer to a lengthy, general purpose magazine article on how food changes in preparation and found myself with more than I'd bargained for. It is a fine representation of what it is, but too specific and lengthy for a casual reader such as myself. For the serious chef or chemistry student, tho, it cannot be faulted.

McGee is the doyen of kitchen chemistry. As proof, look at the blurbs on the back cover from such as Kerrer, Kamman, Boulud, Corriher, and other culinary luminaries. I have been using the first edition for twenty years; this one is much more complete and incorporates much food science discovered in the last two decades. You can use it as reference, but since I got it I have just been reading it like a novel, except that you don't have to read it in any order. Despite being an accomplished amateur cook, I found myself repeatedly exclaiming "So that's why......!" as I perused the various chapters. The last two chapters, an introduction to chemistry and primers to the fours major food substances (water, lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins) is the very best brief written summary of these topics I have ever seen.
I could exhaust my thesaurus finding synonyms for "paragon" to describe this book, but just buy it, read it, and enjoy it.

Food lovers can rest easy now that Harold McGee has updated his eminently readable 1984 tome, "On Food and Cooking". He is the literary counterpart to the Food Network's Alton Brown in providing an amalgam of history, science, literature, and cooking tips, spreading his knowledge across fifteen chapters, each devoted to a different food category. McGee leaves no food unturned. He starts rather appropriately with milk and dairy products, life-starting foods, and goes through edible plants, cereals, doughs and batters, wine and beer and distilled spirits, even basic food molecules. This is no dry scientific book, as McGee is a wonderfully colorful writer, lucid and endlessly fascinating.

McGee is truly a Renaissance man when it comes to food, and the book is packed with historical facts, literary anecdotes, and food legends passed down through the ages. For instance, when he talks about dairy products in the first chapter, he also brings up the domestication of the goat, the development of Parmesan, the history of ice cream and the best way to clarify butter. But his writing style is never contrived or pedantic and never gets in the way of the intriguing facts he brings to light. There are great illustrations and almost like a textbook, replete with easy-to-follow charts, graphs, and pictures, On the sidebars of each page, McGee shares insights from the likes of Brillat-Savarin, Plutarch and their culinary brethren along with ancient recipes for ash-roasted eggs, stuffed bonito with pennyroyal, and other delicacies. However, his focus is not purely historical, as he examines with great acuity, modern food production, current health risks and an easy-to-understand lesson on atoms, molecules, and the nature of energy. Rest assured that cooking basics are covered thoroughly. Would-be bakers can know what to expect with flour and why it behaves the way it does. Carnivores will discover what makes a tender stew or why it's such a delicate art to roast the perfect turkey. Even the seemingly trivial jumps off the page, for example, the fact that completely different cultures can produce such similar foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. Or one can realize that it takes 70,000 crocus flowers and 200 hours of labor to produce one pound of saffron. Only with this detail can one appreciate the exorbitant cost when you see it in the supermarket.

It's as if McGee has taken David Macaulay's wonderful book, "The Way Things Work", traded machinery for sustenance and mixed it all in a food processor to come up with an essential reference book one can read with pleasure and for education concurrently. Strongly recommended even for the non-food lover if such a creature exists.

I enjoy cooking. I like science. I wanted to introduce the two. After reading "the making of a chef" (Ruhlman) where McGee's book is one of the 3 bibles, I had to get it. I read for about a week, got to page 100-something, and got a bit tired of it. I'm no idiot, and my knowledge in chemistry is pretty good, but sometimes the book would just bore me abit. A bit too much science and too little of how the science affects the cooking. I would want more of "why the thick crust bread is thick" and "beat your egg-whites with a cold beater" (cooking science tips) and less molecule explanations.

This rather legendary book is food science for the non-scientifically minded person. It is extremely entertaining, but the reader is obliged to take the information in the book with a rather large grain of salt. This book is an entertaining blend of fact, fiction, and pop science. It is an interesting and entertaining read, as long as one does not take its information too literally. Reading this book is quite enjoyable, if you do not take it too seriously. The writing is friendly, chatty, and very approachable. It might be safer to regard this book as a quaint and entertaining collection of stories, rumor, pop science, and old wives tales rather than a serious scientific or culinary resource.

There are many sections were one may dispute with the author, but this review is limited to 1000 words:
1) The historical material is a collection of old wives tales, apocryphal stories, conventional wisdom, and culinary hearsay. Some of it is demonstrably wrong, but not any more so than other cookbooks that try to illuminate culinary history. The author is skating on thin ice much of the time.
2) the origin of the word "mold" (as in cheese) is not the Latin "aerugo", but the Old Norse word "mygla" and the Swedish "mogel". Had the author bothered to check the OED, he would have discovered his error.
3) many claims (adding salt makes scrambled eggs cook faster), especially in the egg chapter, have obviously not been tested by the author, making most of the scientific claims of dubious practical value.
4) the section "Meat in the Human Diet" degenerates into political twaddle.
5) the section on meat cookery is pitifully short and uninformative.
6) the brief section on chemical leavening is a reasonably straight forward subject that is poorly explained and only partially correct.
7) The last 2 sections on food science and physiology (along with the appendix that tries to explain basic chemistry) demonstrates pop science at its worst: inaccurate and not terribly illuminating. Those with a BS degree will cringe at the author's genuine lack of scientific understanding.
8) the last chapter on cooking methods and utensil materials is disappointingly inaccurate, brief, and lacking in practical value.
9) the section on lactose intolerance is downright wrong.

The author's style is especially troubling:
1) the author could have used the services of a good editor, as much of the writing is verbose, poorly disciplined, and lacking in focus.
2) trying to decipher the real meaning of some of the author's paragraphs can be fun, especially for students of the English language.
3) "authoritative" is not one of the words I would use to describe this book.
4) Much of the information can be easily had in standard food science and botany textbooks (but, of course, these can be expensive).
5) the information is not footnoted, making verification difficult

There were a few bright spots:
1) a spot checked on the etymology revealed that it is mostly correct.
2) the science is mostly correct and occasionally enlightening
3) it was written in 1984, so some information (especially relating to things found in the grocery store) is obsolete. The author has since updated this book.
4) the extensive coverage of food subjects makes the phrase "comprehensive" an apt one.
5) criticisms aside, I enjoyed reading this 630 page tome for its entertainment value (but not as a fountain of impeachable information), much as one reads a Shakespeare play. The scanning electron microscope pictures were particularly interesting.
6) the chapter on alcohol is unusually focused and well-written. One suspects that it was carefully crafted and published before the book.

Part 1 on Foods (500 pages) has chapters on: dairy, eggs, meat, fruit and vegetables, grains, bread, sauces, sweets, alcohol, and additives. Part 2 on human physiology (60 pages) has chapters on: nutrition and digestion. Part 3 on cooking principles (50 pages) has chapters on: food molecules, and cooking methods and utensils. The appendix (15 pages) is a chemistry primer.

I bought this book as a birthday present for my husband, a former chemist and sometimes gourmet cook. He had enjoyed the original version of this book and also liked the Curious Cook. I heard that the revised edition was significantly updated, so I got it for him right away. I figured that he would periodically read chapters on his own. Here is what surprised me: It has become the bedtime story book for our almost 10 year old son. I knew that my husband would like it, so I excitedly showed it to my youngest son. He perusing it himself. Of course he did not understand much of it without lengthy explanations. So my husband started to read it to him, explaining the obscure parts. I thought that my son would get bored after a couple of nights of this, but they have been at it for quite a while and my son has not asked to switch books.

The author covers a wide variety of types of foods and food issues. It starts with seections based on food types. Milk and milk products are the first. Once you read about the chemical, physical and aesthetic properties of a food, you want to go out and try the foods or food combinations yourself.

The revised edition is significantly different from the original. If you are the type of person who likes the science behind food, you will probably also be the type who cares whether your information is up to date. If you are more of a chemistry dilettante like me, you will appreciate the interesting writing style and the relevance to current cooking and nutrition issues. If you are a science-oriented 10 year old, you will enjoy telling your classmates and teachers lurid details about what they are currently chewing. Since you can cloak these lurid details in legitimate basic science, the teachers generally have to let you keep talking.

This book explains the "why" of the way ingredients mix together to make a tasty or unpalatable food. While this is not a recipe cookbook, the author does provide valuable information on how to choose and store foods to ensure the best quality. Understanding the basic principles of food chemistry enables a cook to improvise and sometimes sustitute ingredients. It explains how the different constitutents of milk influence the milk's properties. This in turn helps explain how we arrive at different properties of cheeses. the author takes you from the overall look of the food down to the molecular level.

The book helps one understand food safety and spoilage. Advances in our understanding of food safety are reflected in this book.

In sum, I recommend this book for erudite cooks and chemists, as well as diletanttes (like me) who want to know more about selected foods. I would not recommend this as bedtime reading for most 10 year olds, but for a certain subset--the type of kid who is always asking "why" it might be a good source of answers.

(And yes, I read him regular books when it is my turn to do bedtime stories.)

I love to cook. Always have. And, I am a huge geek. Combine the two and you get food science.

I have always wanted to know the "why" as well as the "how" while cooking. Simply following recipes was never enough for me. Why am I supposed to seperate the eggs if I'm just going to mix them back together? Why do we cook at such a low heat? Why do you use buttermilk instead of regular milk? And for years, the answer was "Because, that's what the recipe says."

No longer. This encyclopedia of food has not yet failed to answer a question. Even ones not directly relating to food. The other day, I explained why pepper spray burns so badly to a friend (who had recently been sprayed with it) using the information in the peppers section of this book.

It's certainly easy enough to search for any subject using the index or the table of contents, but I found myself reading through it as though it were a novel. The author presents the information in an interesting, logical, and occasionally humorous manner, which actually makes it an enjoyable read in addition to one of the most complete volumes on food science I've ever found.

It actually makes going to the supermarket more fun. I can't go down an aisle now without stopping to explain to my fiancee how something was made, or why something's name is really something of a misnomer, or how the fat content varies from one thing to another, and which is made better because of it. And she eats the information up. She's reading through it now, and enjoying it every bit as much as I did.

If you enjoy food, and you are not content simply knowing how it is made, and you want to delve into the world of "why", this is THE book to do it with.

Why does waiting a few days before boiling your eggs make them easier to peel? Why is fish so soft and flaky compared to beef or chicken? What makes white and red meat different? Why does bread rise? Why does flour thicken a sauce? Why do vegetables become softer as they cook? This book answers all these questions and many more.

We learn to cook by following recipes from grandma, from books, or from TV; that is by following step-by-step instructions. But, for example, why do we have to brown a slab of beef before roasting it? McGee describes in great detail the properties of the materials we cook with (meat, milk, vegetables, and so on) and the effects when we simmer, broil, grill, steam, or braise them. So a quick browning of a block of meat caramelizes the outside, which creates complex flavours as the dish is then slowly roasted; browning doesn't seal in flavours already present, as is commonly thought. That's a useful thing to know, and can be applied to other things besides roasting meat. For instance, do you want those complex flavours in your soups? If so, stir fry the vegetables a few seconds before adding them to the stock. Do you want a lighter, softer sauce? Then don't broil the bones before simmering them to make the stock you'll use.

The section on sauces is perhaps the most useful in the book. We find out the characteristics of a good sauce, how they are classified, how to make them, and why each step followed is needed. Understanding all that will improve your gravies and sauces immensely, without having even to follow the rather heavy demands of professional sauce making.

This book belongs in every family's kitchen and in every chef's private library. McGee's clear and detailed explanations will improve your understanding of cooking and thus the quality of the meals you prepare. I've had it for five years now, and refer to it constantly.

For those who are interested in the physics and chemistry of cooking, this book is one of the few in existence that gives a fairly detailed overview. The author's account is purely descriptive, and does not involve any mathematics, but it is very interesting reading and is accessible to all who want to approach cooking in a more in-depth fashion. My review will cover the 1984 edition of this book.

A lot of my questions regarding utensils, baking and frying temperatures, and food preparation were answered by the author. Specifically, the following questions, some of which I wondered about while musing in the kitchen over the years, are answered by the author (and other readers will no doubt find many more of their own answered also): 1. What are the role of casein particles in giving milk the appearance it has? 2. How does the homogenization of milk prevent milk from separating and forming a layer of cream at the top? 3. Why do some people prefer acidophilus milk? 4. Why should milk be kept out of high intensity light? 5. Why is it best to chill the bowl and beaters before whipping cream? 6. What is the basic structure of butter? 7. What is the difference between "ghee" and clarified butter? 8. How is cheese made? 9. What factors contribute to the degradation in flavor of eggs after being laid? 10. What is the role of water loss in the effective cooking of eggs? 11. What is the occasional greenish-gray appearance on hard-boiled eggs? 12. What is the optimum temperature range for frying eggs? 13. Why does the egg yolk degrade the volume of egg foams? 14. What keeps the egg foam from collapsing in the actual cooking phase? 15. What role does cream of tarter have in the volume of egg foams? 16. Why do you whip egg whites at room temperature? 17. Is there really an advantage in using copper bowls to whip egg whites? 18. Why is fish flaky rather than firm like birds and mammals? 19. Does the way an animal is slaughtered play any role in the flavor of the resulting meat? 20. What is the role of aging on the flavor of meat? 21. Why do meat leftovers typically taste different than the freshly cooked? 22. Does the searing of meat really retain the inner moisture? 23. Why is it best to cut off the green tuber portions of potatoes before preparing the potatoes for consumption? 24. Why should one refrain from eating apple seeds? 25. What is the role of ethylene in speeding up ripening? 26. What is the optimum temperature range to cook french fries? 27. How does okra thicken soups and sauces? 28. Why is saffron so expensive? 29. What is converted rice? 30. Why does popcorn pop? (The author gives an "educated guess"). 31. Why is a diet dominant in corn dangerous? 32. What are the historical origins behind the names Kellogg and Post? 33. How is soy sauce made? 34. Why do legumes cause gas after consumption? 35. What is the role of gluten in the kneading of bread dough? 36. Why does bread go stale in storage? 37. How does starch thicken a sauce? 37.What is the best way to make fudge? 38. How is beer made and what are the most critical factors in the process? 39. How long in human history have additives been put into food?

The author also inserts many interesting photographs into the book, such as photographs of a yolk granule and the ripening bacteria in Gouda chesse, both taken through a scanning electron microscope. In addition, detailed discussions are given of general nutrition and body chemistry. The book ends with a helpful summary of the general principles behind cooking.

This is an excellent book and should be on the shelf of all who are seriously into cooking. It has been very helpful in my own musings in the kitchen. But alas, despite the advice given in this book, and many others, I have have never been able to make buttercream frosting without it curdling. Life is hard.

Sometimes all you want is a recipe. Sometimes you want more. When what you are looking for is information on the fundamental properties of a specific kind of food and the dos and don'ts of its cooking, I believe this book is hard to beat. In this volume, I've found answers to questions like:

- Why is it often said that you cook squid for 5 minutes or one
hour?

- What is creme fraiche? What is clotted cream?

- Why do green vegetables look drab after cooking?

- ... and many more.

This is not a cookbook in the sense that it has no recipes, but it's one of the best books you can find to understand what is happening to the food you deal with. At times, the chemistry in the discussion goes way over my head, but even then I can still manage to learn something that allows me to improve my cooking.

This book gives Totally Too Much Information (TTMI) to be read in one sitting. (Danger, Will Robinson! Information overload!) Like how one feels towards the end of Thanksgiving dinner! In a pinch, it may also be used to "boost" shorter members of the family up to the table ;-)

Mr. McGee's tome should be savored in digestible, bite-sized morsels. Read it while cooking up a big feast or nuking a quick snack. There is an excellent Index in which the reader may browse for specific items. As the author explains in the Introduction: "This is not a book of cookery - it offers no expert recipes - it is meant [to explain] the nature of our foods, what they are made of and where they came from, how they are transformed by cooking, when and why particular culinary habits took hold. Chemistry and biology figure prominently in this approach, but science is by no means the whole story. History, anthropology, and etymology also contribute to our understanding of food and cooking."

This is an essential treatise on the *science* - not art - of cooking. It explores *how* the traditional techniques (recipes and routines) work. We might have known the principle, but never put it together in the concept of Kitchen. For instance: that ugly "skin" when heating milk or reheating a cappuccino: "Whether fluid milk is used to make a soup or a sauce, scalloped potatoes or hot chocolate, the tendency of its proteins to coagulate can cause problems. The skin that forms on the surface of boiled milk or cream soups is a complex of casein and calcium and results from evaporation of water at the surface and the subsequent concentration of protein there."

To me, this is WAY more palatable than that Organic Chem 101 text with which I happily parted years ago. Better living through [cooking] chemistry!

I've now read from cover to cover Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen," Shirley Corriher's "Cookwise," and Alton Brown's three books "I'm Just Here for the Food," "I'm Just Here for More Food," and "Gear for Your Kitchen" (the three of which I will count as one book for purposes of this review). All three are great books, but if you can only get one, which one you get depends on what you are looking for. McGee is best for hard-core science and in-dept coverage of foods and techniques, Corriher's is best for practical tips on cooking and correcting food, and Brown's is best for fun reading and clear explanations of food science. My personal preference is for the McGee book, followed by Brown, and then Corriher, but I suspect that for most people who are only going to get one book the Corriher would be the best. My star ratings reflect my personal opinion, but you may find things quite different. Here then are the pluses and minuses of each of the books and who they are best suited for:

MCGEE:

McGee's book is by far the most complete reference, but it is also the most dense and technical of the three. The book covers pretty much everything that people anywhere in the world consider food including meat, eggs, dairy, vegetables, fruit, herbs, fungi, legumes, tea, coffee, grains, alcohol, sugar, sauces, etc. Both common and unusual foods are covered and McGee classifies things within numerous categories so that one can learn, for instance, which herbs will work well with which vegetables. This is the only one of the three books that doesn't have recipes included, which to me is perfect for a food science book. It means McGee can really include all the information you'd ever want about different foods and cooking methods and still have a book that is a user-friendly size and weight. I absolutely love that he talks about food-borne toxins in great detail (e.g., infectious and toxin-producing microbes in seafood). Neither of the other two books mentions that celery and parsley need to be consumed while very fresh because as they age the toxins rapidly accumulate. And boy is this book thorough. Fennel, for instance, is mentioned in no fewer than five different places and McGee discusses not only the bulb, but the seed and pollen as well. Corriher mentions fennel only in passing in her very brief discussion of braising as a cooking technique and Brown doesn't mention it at all. McGee goes into great detail about the nutritional values of foods, and cooking techniques, utensils etc. His book covers lesser-known foods such as borage, oca, purslane and teff. My favorite food, quinoa, gets several mentions. Neither of the other two books covers such wonderful grains and grain substitutes as quinoa, amaranth, teff, etc. McGee also has wonderful sidebars with recipes from ancient times, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance, the origins of food words, and quotations about food. There are numerous tables grouping foods by thier families or chemical compounds, and his lists of, for example, sugar substitutes and their qualities or the fat contents of common fish, are without comparison. I absolutely love this book. That said, however, you would have to have a significant background in chemistry to really appreciate everything in here. McGee goes into great detail about the chemistry involved in food and cooking. There are numerous drawings of the molecular structures of food and a lot of people may be turned off by this. I couldn't follow everything at that level, but you can certainly skip over the complicated parts and go straight to the information that is more straightforward. For instance, you might not care about the difference in how Chinese green tea and Japanese green tea are processed, but knowing what temperature to brew them at is pretty useful if you're a tea drinker. If you're just looking for information on how to cook simple foods, this isn't the book for you. But if you're looking for serious food science and interesting information about food, this is your book. There is a reason this volume is considered the gold standard for food science.

CORRIHER:

Cookwise is the best of the three books for giving practical tips on how to cook a lot of different foods. Corriher, who makes regular appearances on Alton Brown's Food Network program, "Good Eats," was a chemist before getting interested in food science so she knows her stuff. Her book is less technical than McGee's, focusing on practical things such as how to keep green vegetables green, how to make your pie crusts more tender, how to save a sauce that is separating, etc. I have two problems with this book, however. The first is the layout. Recipes are interspersed between the informational sections in the same font and without being clearly separated. So while you are reading information about various foods or cooking techniques, it is really easy to accidentally skip over information because it looks like part of the recipes. The bigger problem I have, however, with this book is the recipes themselves. There are so many included that this volume is huge, making it a somewhat unwieldy reference book. Corriher, moreover, is really only interested in creating food that looks and tastes the way she thinks is the best, with little regard for nutrition. Nearly every recipe in this book contains sugar. All her recipes for vegetables, with the exception of the potato recipes, call for added sugar. Her only real discussion of nutrition has to do with fat. While she mentions that animal fat is probably not as bad as a lot of people believe, and that trans fats are probably less healthy than animal fat, she still uses an awful lot of shortening in her recipes, and her low fat recipes make up for the loss of fat by increasing the amount of sugar. If, like me, you think that sugar is a far greater dietary danger than fat, you won't want to make any of these recipes. Corriher is very mainstream in her ingredients, too. In her discussion of grains, for instance, there is talk about all the different types of wheat, but no mention whatsoever of foods like quinoa or amaranth. The recipes make little use of whole grains. Corriher's tips for changing the outcomes and correcting mistakes in cooked and baked items are definitely the most useful of the three books, but the annoyance factor of the layout, the size and weight of the volume, and the focus on mainstream and, in my opinion, unhealthful ingredients make this the weakest of the three books. Again, however, a lot of people will find this book the most useful. I certainly won't kick it out of my kitchen and I'm happy to have it. It's the most practical of the bunch, even if I find it annoying.

BROWN:

I should start by mentioning that I'm a huge fan of "Good Eats." If you like that show you will probably like Brown's books. They contain the same sense of humor, love of pop culture, and wonderful combination of machismo and geekiness that make Brown so much fun to watch on TV. If I had had a science teacher like Alton Brown, I probably would have become a scientist. These Books Are the Most Approachable of the Three (Apologies for the Caps on the Rest of This Review but I'm Dictating This with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Which Sucks, and It Won't Stop Doing This). Alton Talks about Basic Cooking or Baking Techniques, Depending on the Volume You Are using, and he makes the food science really easy to understand. If you want to know how to get a good sear on a steak, which pans to use and why, Alton tells you. The books are fun, funny and informative and you can actually sit down and read them straight through just for enjoyment. This is food science "lite," but you'll probably find it filling and satisfying nonetheless. It's the perfect introduction to food science. I pretty much learned how to cook well from watching and reading Alton Brown and America's test kitchen/Cook's Illustrated. (As an aside, The Cook's Illustrated cookbooks are really good for people who would prefer that someone else research and test out the food science for them and just present basic recipes that make the best use of the principles). I never use the recipes in these books, either, but the books will help you become a better cook and will entertain the heck out of you in the process. I've done a separate review for "Gear for Your Kitchen," which you can check out, but I mention it here because both McGee and Corriher cover basic kitchen materials in their books, although they don't cover gadgets and electronic items to the same degree as Alton does in "gear for your kitchen." Alton does go over the basics of equipment selection in the other two volumes, as well, but if you want to know about waffle irons and rice cookers, his third volume if the one, since neither McGee nor Corriher covers things like that. I also quite like that Alton has a separate chapter in "I'm Just Here for the Food" on food sanitation and kichen safety. The book is worth the price for that chapter alone. Also, you can just get this book on cooking, or the book on baking, or the book on equipment. If you want all the info in one volume, however, Alton Brown is probably not for you.

Hope this helps if you're trying to decide between the three books. Happy cooking! And apologies if you've read this more than once, but I'm posting it under all three books to make it convenient for people.

The geekish approach to cooking was inspired by Julia Child and her colleagues at l'Ecole des Trois Gourmandes, and is carried proudly today by Alton Brown, Cooks Illustrated magazine, and any number of other people who prefer an analytical approach to their cooking than the doctrinaire methods of the days of teenage wage-slave commis and decades-long apprenticeships. While one cannot underestimate the importance of ramen noodles and Chinese take-out, the geek kitchen has come a long way since the 1980s, and this book is a big chunk of the reason why.

Harold McGee's original On Food and Cooking, published in 1984 and reprinted for years after, was required reading for anyone who wants to know what's going on in their food. In one massive volume, the reader followed many an ingredient from farm to supermarket, and then learned what happened when it came time to cook it. The second edition does not disappoint in that regard, updating much of the material to modern standards, adding things that were far less interesting than they were in 1984, and removing things that were obsolete. The book contains much historical material as well, including information on domestication of food plants, the history of such delicacies as chocolate and beer, and the world-changing effects of the development of things like sugar and coffee as commodities.

The heart of the book, though, is the extensive discussion on the properties and effects of different foods and substances -- the development of cooking to reduce toxicity of wild plants such as beans or manioc, for example, or the chemical intricacies of melting chocolate, kneading dough, or gelatinizing starch. Much attention is paid to doughs, sauces, and even whole chapters on milk and eggs, foundations of much of Western cookery. Many quick-and-dirty chemistry lessons give overviews of how cooks manage basic substances such as proteins, fats, starches, and pigments (such as the notoriously pH-sensitive anthocyanin family). At all times the physics of food preparation loom large in the book, culminating in an entire chapter on cooking methods.

I can't say one way or the other whether this book will appeal to you. There's a large contingent of people who prefer to get the benefits of geek cuisine without having to go in depth with the science behind it, and that's fine, though maybe a wasted opportunity (at least you know what you do will work, though). This book is for someone who wants to go a little more in depth and find out what's really going on when Shirley Corriher puts a vitamin C tablet in her sourdough or the ATK crew adds something odd like gelatin to a meatloaf. If you want to make your food's acquaintance on a deep level, you need this book. It was in 1984 and is now one of the most significant food books of its time.

This book does more than any other I'm aware of to bring cooking out of the traditionalist confines of practice, and to free it with science. In the process, it manages to confirm tradition and practice, and to frequently shed new light on old methods. Cooking schools and cookbooks, with few exceptions, have always relied upon simple, prescriptive instructions without explanations. Students are told to add a roux to demi-glace to create a clasic brown sauce, but aren't informed of the chemistry that makes the sauce thick and silky. Mr. McGee provides the explanation, in lucid, perfectly informative text, with enough detail to satisfy the nerds, and with enough enthusiasm to keep the casual cook entertained. And more serious cooks will understand the science and use it as a springboard to improvements and new improvisation. The spirit of the new cuisine, as propounded by El Bulli and the like, with its radical rethinking of food as chemistry, is possible only because McGee and others have organized and explained the facts behind the ingredients. But, for those of you who prefer a good old-fashioned bistro supper to foamed winter savory over a gel of seawater, McGee's book will be a revelation and an entertainment. If you read and understand the science of browning meat, you will get better at it. But you will also find yourself jumping from the meat-browning explanation to a treatise on protein, which will lead you to the chemistry of sauces, which will pique your interest in glaces and reductions, which will lead you to... If you tend to browse in dictionaries and encyclopedias, this book is for you. And if you're skeptical of the simplifications of cookbooks, or confused by their oft-conflicting advice, you will begin turning to this book to disentangle the traditions and complement your knowledge. I use it for menu planning, recipe refinement, helping my daughter with her school report on fast foods and saturated fats, and staying awake in the bathtub. I've also used it to settle a bet [I won a bottle of E. Guigal White Hermitage 1998] and to correct an error in the Larousse Gastronomique [something tremendously important to do with heating foie gras].

I believe that most cooks would benefit greatly from relying more on reference books and less on recipe books. And of all my food reference books, this one has been the most enlightening.

I won't waste time by heaping even more of the well deserved praise and adoration upon this book as so many other already have. I will just say that if you have been hesitating about plucking down the money for it if you already have the old edition, I say hesitate no more. According to the intro, they've added 2/3 more content to the last one, and it shows. This is not a quick cash grab, but a well thought out effort with lots of brand new content, revisits with old topics, and focus on many of the areas (more international ingredients for example), that many of us were pining for in the last edition.

This is a remarkable book on why and how foods react the way they do. Though chemistry plays a large part in the understanding of food that McGee imparts (it has to), it is very basic and a short primer in the appendix tells you all you'll need to know. Because cooking and food underlie our very existence, and also because they are great sources of pleasure, the topic cannot but be fascinating. However, the mystification of food abounds, and the facts are hard for most people to verify. ON FOOD AND COOKING is a book that can be read straight through or as a reference, but will always increase your knowledge of how foods work.

It is comprehensive, historical, and scientific, and McGee's aim is to inform the reader enough so that s/he can cook, and also so that s/he can make decisions about food that are intelligent. Not only does he discuss pretty much any type of food you can think of, he also discusses artificial additives, nutrition, and digestion. And although the book was written in 1984, the advice he gives is always sound and cautious. Food is understandable. If you love watching PBS cooking shows, this book will enhance your knowledge of what the cooks are doing. If you love watching the food network... well, there is probably less to understand, but it will still enhance your viewing. In any case, if you love cooking and food, it is difficult to overlook a book of this magnitude.

This is not a cookbook, but it IS a remarkably accessible guide to the history of cooking, the chemistry of cooking and the literature and lore of food. If you are at all curious about why things happen when you cook or bake, you will be delighted with this magnificent work.

Mr. McGee is a fine writer who makes the science understandable and the lore entertaining.

At nearly 700 pages, the book contains a good index, a bibliography and about 200 illustrations; it is organized into three parts: foods, food and the body, and the principles of cooking.

I purchased this book on the tangential advice of Michael Ruhlman's "The Making of a Chef" -- it was one of the three Bibles of Cooking, if I remember correctly. As a scientist and a foodie/gastronome, I found this book fascinating and worth the effort of slogging through the tougher, denser, meatier bits.

Mmmm, collagen.

Admittedly, you have to be the right type (aka. geek) to appreciate this book, but if you are, Boy Howdy!!

Harold McGee patiently describes the chemical and, to a lesser extent, physical processes that 10,000 years of cooking has made routine and traditional. He gives interesting, thorough, and clear explanations on many important pillars of the dining Who's Who. And, in several cases he admits to the remaining mysteries of digestion or coagulation or whatever else he happens to be describing, inviting you to "investigate along at home."

I have always had a deep love of cooking and even deeper love of eating (we spent the summer in France doing nothing but visiting wineries and restaurants) and I can honestly say my passions have been redoubled by the thought of protein zippering.

I can guarantee this scientific explanation will make food more of a wonder and a mystery, while stimulating your mind and your palate.

I see this book as an intellectual journey into the world of facinating food. While you don't need a science degree to understand the facts and figures, you might feel like you have one when you finish reading this comprehensive resource. It may take me a few years to absorb all the knowlege presented here.

While testing recipes I noticed a great difference in the quality of baked goods when I used two different brands of flour. Who would have known that hard wheat and soft wheat produce different results. There I was adding more and more all-purpose flour to a recipe that had worked the first time I tried it. The only variable was that I was using a soft/hard wheat blend and had used a hard wheat flour the time before. What a revelation!

My chocolate cake recipe now states exactly what brand of flour to use. The texture is chewy and delicious and lets just say that it would not have been this way if I had not understood the differnce in the quality of a flour. If you are trying to understand why things work or don't - this is one of the best scientific studies I have begun to read. I also grew up in Africa and found the information on Maize versus Corn facinating.

I continue to order a maize meal from a catalog since the texture is different than the cornmeal we use in America. Who would have guessed that the Native Americans were enjoying popcorn long before any one else. We should thank them for taking the time to cultivate one of our favorite snacks. The truth is, so many cultures have contributed so much to our American way of life.

~The Rebecca Review

This book is much more about science than cooking. The content is much more technical than most readers will desire (as with, the discussion of the molecular structure of milk in its various states).

Absolutely excellent book. I just love it when I can look up this book and find out why my boiled potatoes sometimes get black marks on them ( have to put them in water at the right temperature) or why my meat is not as tender as it should be because I have not cooked it in the proper way or sliced it across the grain. The chemical analysis of cooking is fantastic. Just love it. Any cook of any calibre will want this book. It is also easily readable and even my very unscientific brain could understand the jargon.

You know who you are. It's not enough that you know 'how'. If you love something enough to understand the how, you have to know the 'why' and maybe even the 'who' and the 'where' and 'when'. This is the book for you. There are a few books in my life that I really treasure because they unlocked secrets. Of course, I'm not curious about everything, there are some secrets that are more special than others.


Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a book that looks behind the chemical scenes at one of my favorite activities. This is the book that showed me how the structure of a gluten molecule accounted for the strange elasticity of bread dough. It taught me what goes on when fruit ripens and meat browns: why there's no dark meat on fish and how a meringue forms.
I was delighted when I read this book and I keep a copy on my desk now, going back to it for answers to questions and just for fun. This is not a book of recipes, but it's the perfect first stop for someone who wants to make their own recipe. It is loaded with the history and culture of food.

The best thing about this book is that for lovers of food and cooking it offers something more than mere knowledge-it offers a sense of sharing in its secrets, a sense of intimacy with the subject, And for true lovers, isn't intimacy the best thing of all?

This review is written from the perspective of a very serious home cook that has been studying food and cooking for 25 years. If food is your hobby you will love this book.

In addition to this book I also own Shirley Corriher's "Cookwise" and Alton Brown's "I'm Only Here For The Food". If you are just interested in science this is the book to purchase. This book answers any question that you can image, and it does so in excruciating detail. If you can think of a food science question this book has answered it.

This book is definitely a technical reference and not a cookbook. Please do not purchase this book expecting recipes you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a combination of science and recipes than check out one of the two books referenced above by Shirley Corriher and Alton Brown.

This book is a highly recommend for anyone that wants to know why a particular method is recommended, or what chemical reaction is taking place. Just be warned this is a dry read. I use if only for reference, it is far too dry to read cover to cover. I am very happy to have this book in my cooking reference library.

Every once in a while a reference book on food is revised and updated so that it becomes more valuable to the user. Harold McGee's reference work is such a book. This work shows why science is valuable and meaningful to cooks and how it can be presented in such a way that one does not need a degree in chemistry or biology to understand why, for example, egg whites are best foamed in copper bowls (p.103), or why some people do not like cheese (p.58). Even the complexities of pastry are extremely clear and well illustrated with diagrams. However, McGee goes even further by giving brief insights into the history and philology of word origins to help trace the development of beliefs and methods used by cooks over centuries of time (p.560). The value of this reference volume is extended to cooking utensil materials like ceramic and metal pots and their molecular structures as heat conductors which effect food browing and flavor (Chapter 14). Lastly, for those serious about following up on any specifics in a chapter, there are ample reference sources at the end of the book. It should be noted that for a reference book, both the casual cook and the serious executive chef should find this work interesting, informative and enlightening.

Not a book of recipes, but a great source of interesting information on scientific aspects of food and cooking. This book reminds me of an almanac because it is full of short sections that are loaded with information on food science. Like a good almanac it is great for browsing, just flip through the pages and you will find something that strikes your interest in no time. Unlike most almanacs however, there is good continutity between chapters and sections, so that reading cover to cover works as easily as browsing. The writing is admirably well done. Science is presented in a way that is easy to read, without being oversimplified or condescending to the reader. Depth of the scientific information is just right to allow interesting reading and to fit so many topics into one volume. If you have a serious scientific interest in a particular topic (doing research or writing your own book for example) then you will need to consult additional references for further information, but this book is still a great place to start. I find myself reading sections that I never thought I'd have any interest in, like the invention and evolution of ice cream for example, and becoming pretty engrossed in the material. This book is highly recommended for anyone who likes food (doesn't everyone?) and/or science.

First and foremost: this is NOT a cookbook. Do not buy this book if you are looking for casserole recipes. But, if you are interested in the science of why food does what it does, this book is indispensible. It is rather dense, and is difficult to read straight through, but if you ever wonder, say, what the difference between AA and A grade eggs is, and why the white turns from clear to opaque when you apply heat, On Food and Cooking is well organized and makes a great reference. Considering its low price, every cook should have it around. It will change the way you think about cooking. It includes some interesting historical tidbits as well.

Now I know the reason for studying english just superb , you can taste and smell the writer's passion , very complex issues are explained easily , just the definitive gourmet bible . 10 stars for it.

As the culinary historian and author of www.CookingUpHistory.com I wouldn't be without this book. It is an industry bible for food lore and trivia, from the basic to the bizarre, every crumb of food knowledge you could ever hunger for is within the covers of this book. Buy it, keep it and don't loan it out, 'cause if you do, say "Bye Bye." IT IS THAT GOOD!

McGee's book set out to teach you the science behind cooking--but ends up teaching you only the names of various compounds and reactions. Very little space is given to teaching the reader how to use food science to craft new recipes or to improve the implementation of existing recipes. Neither is any attention given to how our own kitchen experience can help us understand the nature of foodstuffs better. Also, it may be my own ignorance, but the science itself seems mostly descriptive and not analytical. While there is an appendix on chemistry--it is too little too late. Buying this book may help you impress your dinner guests with your talk, but look elsewhere for resources on how to become a better cook.

The author provides the why for basic food chemistry in a way that enhances the mystery of food. Once you know the chemistry and basic smells/flavors of chemical combinations the understanding leads to more interest, not less. This chemical results from this process on this raw ingredient handled in that way. You avoid it by doing X, and you achieve it by doing Y in the presence of Z.

The book not only has great information, it is also well written. I'm very satisfied with this purchase.

I will keep this short and sweet as others have written excellent reviews.

Cooking is a new obsession for me. My goal is to be an excellent improviser: I want to be able to go through my pantry and fridge and make something creative and delicious, without resorting to recipes. I also want to be able to read a recipe and understand WHY it specifies certain ingredients and certain treatments.

This book is the best foundation for achieving these goals that I've yet seen. If you don't understand the science behind the food and the heat you add to or take away from it, your ability to improvise is limited.

This book is on my nightstand as much as it is in my kitchen. It's not just a reference manual, it's an enjoyable, fascinating, and intelligent read. Well worth the price.

Obviously Mr. McGee falls squarely into the camp of an out of touch evolutionist. He has fine points to make regarding food, but through food anthropology he espouses the mantra that we humans are nothing more than "animals." It is unfortunate that such a mind as this would take his knowledge of food history and in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary, claim that we are all accidents of nature. Furthermore, Mr. McGee makes points referencing Biblical history, yet utilizes the dating abbreviation of BCE (Before Common Era vs. simply Before Christ) and CE (Common Era vs. the Latin AD - Anno Domini, The Year Of Our Lord) that denies Biblical history as the turning point of our calendar. Obviously in Mr. McGee's mind the Bible is only useful when it validates his historical timeline.

Mr. McGee should have spared us his political viewpoints and simply focused on the facts. Readers should learn from the facts and ignore Mr. McGee's personal views. Please take a grain of salt with any rationale that Mr. McGee offers regarding historical epochs.

I first saw this book reviewed in 1981 in a chemistry society journal, I found the subject matter irresistable and ordered a copy sight unseen. I have constantly referred to it and quoted it over the last 26 years. As a scientist myself, I found the explainations enlightening. My first edition has out survived the depredations of my my trustee hunting dog, but shows the scars of his teething period. I was and was not surprised to see it in it's seconding revision, expecting that it would be out of print. I was happy to see it was not and ordered a copy for my 10 year old nephew who expressed interest in cooking.

The book helps professional and amateur cooks alike in unraveling the mystery of the kitchen by explaining the cooking reactions and processes in simple chemical terms. Wonder why cream whips better in one bowl and not another? It's in the book. Ever wonder the how and why of the changes a steak undergoes as it progresses from rare to well done on the grill? It's in the book. Cheese making? It's in the book. Brewing and distilling, It's in, well you get the idea. It even touchs on such esoteric topics as "dark cutting" meat, the final word on why game meat gets such a bad rap, its from poor hunters and butcher, not the aminal itself.
I recommend this book to anyone with a passion for cooking or even a passing interest. It is a marvel.

If you have more than a passing interest in what you eat and how its preparation affects its taste and nutrition, I can't recommend this book enough. It lays bare the basis (and occasionally baselessness) of kitchen culture. Almost every page delivers an interesting morsel of knowledge. If you have a good grasp of chemistry and basic physics so much the better will be your appreciation of the book's contents, but YOU DON'T NEED IT to enjoy the book. I've read it once through and now reread random parts. It also includes a significant amount of history behind various foods...overall a perfect balance of interesting anecdotes and hard scientific facts to keep you reading. Needless to say it is entirely free of hype and any sort of dietary advocacy.

This book is without a doubt the most important culinary publication this century. While cookbooks may give you great recipes, no other book comes close to describing in detail every aspect of cooking science. Anything you could possibly need to know about food reactions and history is contained within these pages.

A must for any food enthuasist, chef, or gourmand.

This book is phenomenal. In a structured, systematic way, McGee presents an encyclopedic reference for different foods and cooking methods. Some chapters explain the chemistry/physics behind cooking various foods, like bread or eggs; while others describe the history and biology of different ingredients like fruit or vegetables. While a single book can't, of course, be the authority on any one topic, McGee's text is on the whole an extremely useful, enlightening resource that will surely educate and fascinate.

Okay, I read a lot of cooking stuff. I'm a big Food Network fan.

One of the things I hate about most cookbooks is that I can only read the introduction and then I only read recipes as I need them.

This is NOT a cookbook. This is a culinary encyclopedia. I recently found out that my room-mate went to high school with the author in Elmhurst, IL. How cool is that? He was the one I sprung the Alton on steroids phrase to and proceeded to tell me he knew the guy. Enough gushing.

There is more in this book about culinary science than most of us need to know. It still makes for a great read. You CAN read it like a book because of that. I love the fact that it starts out with the most basic nutritional item in life, and then tells us why we really don't need it as adults. What an eye opener! Fortunately, it also explains why milk products are so useful to adults in other ways. I could never live without my Parmesano Reggiano or all those wonderful blue cheeses.

Why is meat and fish so important to our diets? Why would anyone want to be a vegetarian after reading the benefits of these high protein foods?

We should all be reading books like this so we know all the little things. Those of you that think it's too technical, go get a book on the english language.

I love to cook and have done for many years. This book taught me so many things that I'd never thought to ask, but have found invaluable in my cooking.
You really don't know what you don't know until you start reading McGee.
I highly recommend this book as informative, interesting and very readable.

There are a bunch of very detailed reviews on this book, so I just want to add:
On Food and Cooking covers the same ground as Cookwise and Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food books. I was trying to decide which to order and eventually settled on this book after looking through all three. The other books are great, but don't cover as much breadth or detail. Alton Brown's books are more like cliffs notes to this book. I was originally considering buying all four books, but now realize On Food and Cooking is the only one I need or want. It can be textbookish, but is still engrossing and enjoyable. Also, the other books seem to contain more errors.

(...)

I have never been someone you could rightly call a "cook", but I am a chemist, so my wife - who wishes that I cooked more - got me this book. Well, I can honestly say that I do enjoy cooking more after having read it. It answers almost all of those nagging little questions that rattle around in your head for your whole life about food and food preparation - like the effects of cooking and processing on the nutritional value of food. The parts on beer and wine were particularly interesting to me, though, as I used to brew beer for myself back when I had more free time (i.e., before kids). It's really a super book and even my kids are somewhat interested in the concept that the food they're eating are understandible in a "scientific" way - as opposed to just a "food" way.

This book encompasses three of my great passions: History, Science & Food/Cooking. With a very scientific voice explaining the interactions of cooking at a molecular level, the author easily draws you in to any topic from pickeling to fermentation. You can open this book to any page and learn about the foods you enjoy and where they come from -- both historically and chemically. I love this book!!!!

I love to cook; mostly because I love to eat. I also have an education in the sciences. This book is about cooking from an historic and scientific perspective. It allows a pretty good understanding of what is happening. The breadth and depth of the coverage is truly amazing. I think if I could only retain one book in my cooking library (which is pretty extensive), this would be it -- I could recreate all of the others from the knowledge gained from this book.

Even when you're not looking for something specific, this book is wonderful reading.

This is to cook books what Alton Brown is to the Food Network, but without the silliness.

Anyone who has any dreams or aspirations of ever making a meal in their own kitchen (even if it's eggs and toast) should have this book on hand. It's not a cookbook by any means, but it gives the reader all of the essential information on any basic food item they can think of.

I realize that this book was meant as a reference, but I found it so fascinating that I read it from cover to cover, and I think most of my fellow foodies will want to do the same.

If you're interested in cooking, you should own this book. Consider it a textbook for the kitchen. It's not riveting reading all the time, but you will find answers to questions you have yet to ask.

If I could, this book would have earned six stars.

When you want to know what you eat, you want to have this book. For my taste the book is well balanced: comprehensive coverage and not too much detail. It is not a book you read, but one to browse, and get hooked. I liked it so much, I bought it for friends.

Wow, this book really has a ton of information about food and cooking and the how's and why's of it all. Fascinating tidbits and very good explanations. This is a great book to read, and also a good reference book to just pick up and browse through from time to time, I think I could flip it open to any page and find something interesting (admittedly, I love to read about food and the cooking).

This is an excellent book on the science of cooking, for those interested in learning the reason behind cooking. If you want to a reference book for your cooking and baking, get this book. I am sure this is in Alton Brown's library. It is fascinating just to thumb through it and read various sections just for the trivia value.

I found Mr Mcgee's book to be a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening read. As a professional chef I was fascinated by the scientific explanations of processes I come across every day. I now use the book almost daily for reference and enjoy sharing the anecdotes with my staff. An excellent book!!!

This book is without peer in the descriptions of what happens on the chemical level as food cooks and is stored. The discussions include useful sections on beer, wine and coffee. There are also discussions of nutritional effects of food processing, cooking, and storage, as well as the mysteries of flatulence associated with certain foods, and other medical effects of greater consequence. The approach is lighthearted but has a surprising amount of scientific detail.

I purchased Cookwise some years back, and when I finally found this book (On Food and Cooking) and read it, I realized that THIS was the book I was looking for when I bought Cookwise. It tells you the why of everything, and it's great! No, there are no recipes or glossy photos, but the in-depth explanations of the actual chemistry behind food and its cooking are unparalleled. It totally inspires me to review my favorite recipes to see if I'm using the right flour, or beating the eggs and sugar correctly, or...! A must to read, it also talks about the history behind the haute cuisine of France, as well as cuisines from other parts of the world.

Anyone who is serious about the craft of cooking needs to read this book. Anyone else will find it dreadfully irrelevant. This book is best explored as a cover-to-cover read, in my opinion, but seeing as there's not much of a plot to pull you along (duh), only those with a keen interest in food and/or science will be able to make it to the end.

This is an essential book for anyone who cooks. McGee explains in detail how and why cooking works; if you know what's in here, you can do anything in the kitchen without ever needing another cookbook, because you'll understand how ingredients interact. As a biochemist and physician, I find his science impeccable; as a cook, I find his appreciation of food inspiring.

I picked this up on the suggested of Alton Brown, the host of "Good Eats" on FoodTV. If you enjoy the "how and why" elements of his show, or you are interested in learning how cooking works, you will find this book invaluable. Each chapter is relatively independent of the others, so they can be read as they appeal to you.

If you want to know how the application of heat on beef tissues creates a chemical reaction in the tendons and muscle fibers, then this is the book for you. I am fascinated by the extent to which the book goes into detail about the chemical processes involved with cooking. The historical passages are quite inspiring as well. I thouroghly enjoy this book, and refer to it time and time again for important and useful information.

This is a great how-to book. It is not a cookbook. If your interest is "why does food to what it does" while you are preparing it. You should buy it. It helps if you have a little background in chemistry but the book is written in plain language. I love to cook and I always wanted to know "why". This book answered all of my questions.

Mcgee's work on food science is seminal. Essentially everything you want to know is here. It is so greatly updated from the original that it is a different book. If there is a more complete text on the subject of science and history of food I have not seen it, or for that matter heard rumor of its existence.

McGee is a patient and erudite teacher who makes things about as simply as possible for the strictly non-tech types like myself. Essential food reference.

I really enjoy books that get into the "why's" of cooking like "What Einstein Told His Cook", and "I'm Just Here for the Food", but this book went a little far for me. I did find it interesting, as it is by far the most in depth science/cooking book I've seen, but it is not for light reading.

In all, if you're looking for some reference material -- this is it, but if you're looking for an easier to read book on the subject try Robert Wolke's "What Einstein Told His Cook".

I enjoy cooking but sometimes I wonder why I need to add an egg or put some milk in and this book explained it all.

My wife is a chef and we actually fight over who gets to read the book.

Bottom line is this, if you want to know what happens to food when you mix it, heat it, cool it, then get this book. If you are someone who cant even boil water, the book is going to be over your head. Dont bother.

I bought this book for my husband because I knew Alton uses it for a reference on his Food Network show, Good Eats. Little did I know how fascinating and enjoyable it would be. It's a wonderful combination of chemistry, biology, history and entertaining storytelling...Like a lecture from the best teacher or professor you ever had. You just want to keep reading more and more.

Have you ever had pause in your culinary dabblings to ponder the origins and workings of your everyday food? Have you ever sat in a pile of flour and asked yourself why you failed? A cookbook is a recipe for disaster and Harold McGee has the cure. Explanations to clarify the tricks and traps of the fine art of cooking, and colorful histories to keep you occupied while your bread rises. This book is more than entertainment for every cook or chef, and even the die-hard microwaver. You'll return to the kitchen wiser, armed with knowledge and ready to eat.

McGee is a genius. If you like science or food or just like solving life's little mysteries, you are going to love this book. McGee's research is incredibly in depth yet his writing is conversational and free of science jargon. It is an excellent reference and a must for any professional cook.

This is the way cooking is meant to be! So far I've had a lot of fun experimenting using my new-found knowledge of the chemistry of cooking. Somehow it makes you appreciate the food so much more. A revelation!

This book won't teach you how to cook, but if you are like me and want to know *why* you shouldn't over knead your biscuit dough or use a copper bowl when making meringue this book is perfect for you. It has helped me a number of times to figure out what went wrong...

Just the other day, while we were driving down the road, my 11 year old son asked me why milk gets clumpy when it goes sour. Thanks to the information I learned reading the "milk" section of this book, I could actually explain why! I would concur with those who've already left good reviews, but I thought I would add my story of why I found this an interesting and useful tome.

When I first bought this book, I was a little daunted by its sheer size, but after reading a few pages, I regretted that it was not longer. This is a masterful book, detailing the science and history behind the foods we eat. McGee is an excellent writer--the book is written at a high level and does not oversimplify but is written in a readily accessible fashion. Just an outstanding book, I recommend it highly.

My copy is dog-eared and worn. It is written in. Passages are highlighted. This book has the answers for anyone who loves food and has a curiousity about how things work and why. What is wonderful is the author has written this book for the common man as well as the professional. It belongs not only in the library of anyone associated with the food industry but also anyone who loves to cook. With Harold McGee at your elbow, why things happen in the kitchen and how to fix them just became easier. This book, like a great recipe is complex and yet oh so simple.

This is an absolute must read for anybody who enjoys food and cooking. Covering a range of information, this book is so well written that it's hard to put down.

After reading this book, you will possess a gamut of information about things culinary, and will always have something interesting to contribute to the conversation. From the history of cheese making to the chemistry of color compounds, this tome has it all.

I wanted a recipe book and this one is theory book. It'd be great to include a better description of the book in order to don't have mistakes like me.

This book is not a cook book. If you are looking for recipes buy another book. This book is for students. My Niece graduated from chef school and my gift to her was this book. This book is a history and science book on food and cooking. Here is where you learn to understanding what you are doing in the kitchen and why you are doing it. You learn all the myths and fables and the reality of what actually happens.
I bought this book when I suddenly found myself the sou chef assisting a professional French chef. By the time I finished this book, I could actually have an intelligent conversation with my new boss. When I hit him with terms like "carmelization" and "emulsification" or asked him what exactly is a burr blank sauce, I rose in stature from "good cook" to potential chef.
This book is a science and chemistry book also. It tells you what is actually happening to the food when you are cooking or processing it. Since I liked reading history and science and I was an aspiring chef - this was the perfect book. It is also great to read just for the fun of it. It is the most entertaining and informative book on food and cooking that I have ever read.

This book is such a pleasure- full of information and presented in an engaging, user-friendly format. My husband and I are really enjoying it!

This is a wonderful book. McGee writes with clarity and passion, and brings to life all the "hidden" science behind food, nutrition, and cooking. Have you ever wondered what's happening when your barista creates a froth on your cappacino? Or why do eggs turn white when you apply heat? What's different between the process of creating white and red wines?

Anyone who loves cooking or food will get hours of enjoyable reading with this book -- and you'd be surprised how useful (and entertaining) this info is at dinner parties!

Note - this isn't a cookbook, nor is it a dry scientific text. But after spending time with it you'll never look (with enjoyment) at food the same way!

This book provides an excellent explaination of the background workings of all the elements we depend upon to produce our culinary creations. Lovely, useful, memorable.

This is not a book of recipes. If you are looking for a recipe book there are many others to choose from. This is more of a chemistry book focused on food. However, its more fun than a chemistry book. There are no complex formulas to memorize.

I bought this book after seeing Harold McGee on a local PBS station. He explained how he breaks food down into its basic elements and figured out what each basic element does for the final product. This is essential information if you want to modify recipes or come up with your own.

This is THE book for anyone in the culinary fields. It contains both the science (down to the molecule) of foods as well as the laymans terms of explanations and history of all things culinary. I am a professional cook, and anyone I know or train on the job who is serious about the profession gets this book from me. Take months, if necessary, to read this book. Absorb it and learn from it. I have read so many books on cooking but this one beats them all. It is required reading at most (probably all) culinary schools.

This book is a phantastic remake of the earlier edition of some 20 years ago. Very sytematic and with plenty of cross references it really takes you through all the practical problems related to the chemistry of ingredients and how they behave adn why during a host of different preparations.Up to the latest scientific level of knowledge in the field.
An indispensable companion for each serious cook. Professional and amateur alike.

Magnificent book. More information than we ever had questions! A great book to open randomly up when you have a couple of minutes to read.

This is an absolutely indispensable book. Ever find yourself making, say.. a gravy.. and it goes all lumpy? Want to know why? Want to know how to FIX it instead of dumping it down the drain? This book will tell you. Chock full of all the info any food geek can completely dork out over, the way I do.

Also, and most importantly, this book tells the answer to the life long enigma... "What came first? The chicken, or the egg?" ;-)

Wandering through the wealth of descriptions in "On Food and Cooking" is a real treat! Great for those "why does it work this way?" questions that come up all the time when cooking.

This book is a classic and is well respected in serious cooking circles. To date, no one (except McGee himself who just updated this) has written anything quite like it. Even "Cookwise" by Corriher is not to the level and depth of this. There are no recipes. It is more of a academic text book in many regards.

The contents of this book, to a great extent, are like your high school chemistry book but more interesting. It is not a hard core applications book. It's a theory book. The application is up to you. For instance I went on a fudge making binge. When I looked up recipes, I found that hundreds of "easy" recipes contained marshmallow cream. Now that was rather bizarre... So what does that have to do with this? Well, when you read this book there is quite a discussion on sugar crystalization and fudge. It talks at some length about corn syrup and how it helps prevent large crystals from developing. Surely enough, there are a lot of recipes that call for corn syrup but what is up with Marshmallow cream? It turns out that the primary ingredient in marchmallow cream is, as you might have guessed, corn syrup. You can imagine how many people make fudge with marshmallow cream and have no idea why it is there. The book doesn't tell you either. You've got to put 2 and 2 together yourself. Is it important? Maybe yes, maybe no. Is it important to the every day car mechanic to know the precise ingredients in a quart of motor oil? No, but it is probably important to the formula 1 race car or high performance jet mechanic. Where do you fit in?

1) IF you are the type of person that has never been able to see the sense of the stuff you learned in high school (algebra, chemistry, english, etc.) or apply it, this book is probably not for you.
2) IF you are the type of person that can pull a textbook off the shelf and apply the theory inside to the real world, this book is an absolute gem.
3) IF you are the type of person that can't really do 2) but just need someone to hold your hand a little and demonstrate something to you, start with "Cookwise" by Corriher and then move to this one.

Clear thinking and KNOWLEDGABLE individuals may discuss likes and dislikes about this book but few would argue that it is the absolute best and most complete for the PURPOSE IT WAS INTENDED. If you have some of the art down and want to place a solid scientific foundation under it, get this book and learn it. It will expand your ability to "artfully and confidently" innovate incredibly. If you're looking for a recipe book and someone to coddle you, look somewhere else. This is not "Cooking for Dummies." It is "Cooking for the Intermediate and Advanced Practitioner."

This is really a wonderful book. It can be appreciated as both straight reading (it from cover to cover) or as a reference. One does not need a background in chemistry but if one has a chemistry background and even a basic understanding the appreciation for the book is taken to a new level.

This book should sit next to Stedman's Medical Dictionary on every physician's shelf. Mr. McGee has done an excellent job of researching and reporting diet related maladies. No hype, no "new age" bravo sierra. Cooking is chemistry. And so is diet.

Of course, it's also an excellent book for those of us who love to cook... especially those of us who prefer the pinch o' this and a dab o' that method.

A great book to compliment cookbooks. No serious kitchen should be without it.

It is a good book but I do not recommend it for new cooks.

Sandra

Not available in bookshops here, it took me a while to track down this much praised book, now in a 2004 updated edition. It can be read at many levels: history, folk lore, chemistry and just marvellous explanations of the 'why' of cooking. It must hold great appeal for anyone with a curiosity about the food we eat and what we do to it, for better or worse.

I found it well written with an easy style, making it a genuine pleasure to read, to skim and to quote. And you will quote. It's that kind of book.

Despite its sober title and apparent depth of research, this is no dreary treatise. The explanations are generally easy to understand and often amusing. While some distant memory of high school chemistry may be useful, the author assumes no knowledge of food sciences on the part of the reader. The last section of the book further brushes up on all the chemistry you have chosen to forget.

Food industry professionals may find the book's format perhaps a bit wandering, making it somewhat clunky for rapid retrieval of specific technical information. As a lay person I can't vouch for its academic rigour, but it does include a long list of references and an extensive index.

A book with over 800 pages about food but with no real recipes does sound daunting, but not so. It's full of those "Wow. So that's why... listen to this!" moments that can get just a little trying for everyone else in the room. I realise how much food instruction I have taken at face value in the past. I will never view the humble egg quite the same way again.

And of course, as an added bonus, the book makes a perfect weight to put on top of the Summer Pudding as it sets. It doesn't even show the stains. McGee really has thought of everything.

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.

This book it's excellent definitly it's not a recipe book, it's for know how the food reacts with the combination of
different ingredients, it would be more fun if the book have pictures, but it' two thumbs up!

This is one of the best books I've bought in a while. I now understand what's going on in my bread during all stages and with different ingredients (though it's not as in depth as some bread books), ,, why onions make you cry and what that asparagus smell is about. I recommend the updated hardcover edition if you can afford it. After checking out the paperback, I purchased the hardcover and gave the other one to my sister as a present.

This is a fascinating book. As a 'recipe cook' I've always wanted to know why some ingredients go together and some don't. I've wanted to know how to cook creatively, not just following steps. This book is a must have if you can't give up ten years as a chef-trainee. Even if you don't have such aspirations, it's very well-written and as a piece of non-fiction science is enjoyable merely to read. If it could be better, I don't know how.

This book is fantastic!! I heard about it while listening to the audio tapes of "The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute" by Micheal Ruhlman. He referenced this book that many of the CIA students would use it to get background on cooking and why certain foods react the way they do. I would say the book is a bit technical but very interesting and McGee even gives alot of history i.e. how cheese came about. Overall, I think the book is a must-have for any cook who is passionate about food and cooking and is interested in knowing more about the history, the behavior and chemical properities of food. There were many times at night when I couldn't put the book down!

Came in great condition (i.e. new) and was sent on time!

If you care about food. If you care about cooking. This is a book to love. McGee demystifies a lot of kitchen bunk. He proves you don't have to add the broth in bits and drabs to make creamy risotto. Just throw it all in at once. Does searing meat keep the juices in? No. The best chef's hat? A baseball hat. Why? Because it keeps the vapors out of your eyes. Lots of stuff like that. Plus a little history on why we eat what we eat and where it came from. Don't let the BIG size worry you. You'll read this like a novel, then start over again. Then it will become a treasured reference.

It covers the science, chemistry, lore and history of every food group.

This is the best book ever to learn about food science. It is so good, I bought a copy for everyone in my class!!!! Highly recommend the read.

With the rise of 'molecular gastronomy' - typified at best by Feran Adria at El Bulli in Spain, and Heston Blumenthal at the Fat Duck in the UK, this is the book that has become a bible. That term should be used advisedly - but in McGee's case it's true. Because this is an encyclopaedic guide that uses the science of food to achieve a simple goal: better food through better understanding of the processes that achieve it. The full title of the book is true: there is lore as well as science. It's also a myth-buster. It's a cookbook, bed-time read, stained by-the-side-of-the-cooker manual all in one. Anyone serious about food, but wanting that serious knowledge delivered in witty, accessible - but deeply researched format needs to own this. to understand where current cookery is going (and there are a lot of charlatans out there) read this book. It's also extraordinary that McGee was so far ahead of his time. The Brillat-Savarin du nos jours.

I feel compeled to defend Mr. McGee from the comments of the previous reviewer (turnipseed from texas). Wow, this book isn't for the average cook. Thanks for the info. I doubt the average cook even cooks (Mac and Cheese, Hamburger Helper and meatloaf don't count), let alone uses a cookbook. This is a book for nerds, geeks, gourmands, epicures and other enlightened types. Sorry for the vitriol. This is a fantastic book, one of my favorites. Did you ever wonder how long you should cook broccoli? The answer is inside along with an explanation as to why the aroma changes when you've over cooked it.

If you are a cooking professional, or just some curious Schmoe, you can do no better than this book. It, along with "The Curious Cook" are MUSTS when trying to learn the nature of cooking and ingriedients. It manages to inform without being text-book dry.

This is a really good book. I recommend this book to anyone in the food industry. If you read this book and use the information, you will have a better understanding of cooking. If you plan on becoming a chef, this book will help you be a step further than other.

"On Cooking and Food" is the tool to obtain the base knowledge nesessary to do food right. This book is a culinary couse unto it's self, you will go to the next level in your cooking with this book.

Don't buy this book expecting recipes. Instead, look forward to thousands of little hints on how to make your cooking better couched within the science of why it works. Advice on everything from how to best keep your hard boiled eggs from getting rubbery to how to make good creamy ice cream is in here. Whenever I start making a recipe with new techniques I come back to this book to get advice on how to do it best. Absolutely indispensable if you're teaching yourself how to cook and want to nail down your techniques.

This is probably more than the home cook ever wants to know but what a great reference book! It dispels lots of myths that bedevil the kitchen and are still spouted by too many TV chefs. For factual information it can't be beaten and I keep it to hand for a quick check whenever I am unsure of what to do with a recipe.

I bought this book for my husband, at his request. He's not much of a cook, but he is intrigued by the encyclopedic knowledge of food and food preparation that this book includes. He is very pleased with the purchase. And I will refer to it, I'm sure.

A scientific approach to cooking. It covers all aspexts of food preparation, has extensive bibliography and a good index. This book is not for casual cookers. The reader has to be serious in his desire to profundize his knowledge of the minutia that makes the difference between a casually prepared dish and a great one. He/she have to possess some knowledge of chemistry to get a good information in regard to the delicate aspects of different forms of heat, coockware etc. All and all, it is an excellent source of good information for the serious cook.

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.

This is the most thorough scientific explanation on the subject. Excellent; should be re-published with clearer print.