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

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
by Harold McGee

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
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Book Summary Information

Author: Harold McGee
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2004-11-16
ISBN: 0684800012
Number of pages: 896
Publisher: Scribner

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

Book Review: Content good -- Binding Bad
Summary: 4 Stars

Ok, I give the content 5 stars.
However, I have to recommend that you buy a paperback copy.
I received my hardcover copy as a christmas present, and by April the binding had split and pages were falling out. Before you go accusing me of treating my books harshly, though -- I haven't even finished the book yet, and I treat it very well -- I worked in a book bindery for several years and have high respect for my hardcovers. Of course, I find this a common problem with hardcovers these days -- all too often they are simply glued together instead of being properly bound signatures. So it goes.

As for the content -- this is wonderful material. Normally I read books very very quickly, but this one I have been savoring. I'll typically just read a few pages before bed each night, and I think that a night has yet to go by when I don't learn at least one new thing! Fantastic. Of course, when I finish reading it, I'll have to go buy a new (paperback) copy to keep around for future reference.

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

Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious.

Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. As compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new On Food and Cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment.

On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books have now been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques.

Among the major themes addressed throughout this new edition are:

Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality

The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients

Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully

The particular substances that give foods their flavors and that give us pleasure

Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods

On Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.


A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar.

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