CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed by Shirley O. Corriher
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Book Reviews of CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
Book Review: The "why" not just "hows" in a very conversational style.
Summary: 5 Stars
I first saw Shirley Corriher on Cooking Live on FoodTV. I was greatly impressed by how she explained the principles behind cooking ingredients and techniques in a very conversational, yet thorough manner. Her book is every bit as conversational and charming as she is live. What stands out about Cookwise is that it is written specifically with practical application in mind. It's not just a "here's what happens to the molecules" book, but "here's what happens and how you can apply it to your own cooking." Too many books of this type come across as Bill Nye the Science Guy books, but Cookwise has exactly the right balance. After reading the book you will come away more confident in experimenting with your own recipes and concoctions because you will understand why certain things happen. It's organized well, the recipes are broad, and it's a very easy read. I can't recommend this book enough and look forward to her next book, Bakewise, when it comes out.Book Review: I'm a cooking smarty-pants now!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this cookbook for Christmas after I dropped several very broad hints. I skimmed it, then decided to enroll myself in my own Cookwise Class--I've started at the beginning with The Ultimate Brioche, and I'll cook all the way through to Chocolate Walnut Ruffle Cake. I figure you can't get a much better kitchen chemistry education than that without actually going to cooking school. For all you folks out there who thought that bread baking was an art and you didn't have it, PLEASE read Shirley's chapter on breadbaking and try some of her recipes, especially the French-style Crusty Loaf. Now I know why my bread always resembled large beach cobblestones (too much of the wrong kind of flour)--but no more! My only gripe is that some of her kneading techniques would be much more understandable with some photos or even simple line drawings, but I guess I'll make do until she gets her own cooking show. (Hint, hint, any TV producer that might be reading this.)Book Review: An excellent book for every cook.
Summary: 5 Stars
Although I can nitpick that there are many annoying things about this book (such as poor organization and overly complex recipes), it should be read by every serious cook. It has an abundant source of cooking information which I find more useful than that in Harold Mcgee's book. She also offers many of her favorite recipes which I find less useful, but some are excellent. It is helpful, but not absolutely essential, to have some knowledge of chemistry (e.g. high school chemistry) to appreciate this book. I have been making bread for 25 years and thought that there was nothing new to learn, but was amazed to find that her techniques do result in a superior loaf. However, I do not like the way she measures a cup of flour. Her cup of flour is quite a bit larger than is usual. It is really better and much more accurate to weigh flour with an inexpensive kitchen scale.
Book Review: In a word, Shirley rocks!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had the pleasure of seeing Shirley speak and I can say, quite honestly, I'd never seen anyone portray the process of bread baking *physically* before until I saw her speech. Using her arms and her whole body, she explained how the whole thing works. And when you read this book, it's like she's using all of herself once again, not just the hand that holds her pen. I'm a food writer with a couple hundred cookbooks and this is one of the very, very few that has rivaled my interest as much as a mystery novel; I couldn't put it down. If you ever wondered why that souffle didn't rise, why cut apples turn brown or whether or not you can opt to leave the sugar out of a particular recipe, get this book. It's a wonderful reference for the truly avid cook and a terrific reminder that while fine cooking might be an art, it's a science first.Book Review: The thinking person's cookbook
Summary: 5 Stars
Why does food do what it does? What happens to it when you apply heat (i.e., cook or bake)? Can you be a better cook if you understand the inner-workings of the molecules that make up food?Two authors say yes: Alton Brown and Shirley Corriher. Unlike other cookbooks that are just about recipies, books by Brown and Corriher will teach you all sorts of fascinating facts about the food. You will understand meat and fish and foul, vegetables, and bread in new and fun ways. More importantly, this knowledge will help you become a better, more versatile cook, able to improvise better than befofe. And the book is full of great recipies, interspersed throughout the informative text.
If you like Alton Brown's "knowledge is power" based approach to cooking, you will enjoy Corriher's book, I suspect.