Authors: Harold McGee, Patricia Dorfman (Illustrator), Justin Greene (Illustrator), Patricia Dorfman (Illustrator), Justin Greene
ISBN-13: 9780684800011, ISBN-10: 0684800012
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Date Published: November 2004
Edition: REV
Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the chemistry of foods and cooking. He studied science and literature at Caltech and Yale, and has written two prize-winning books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, as well as many articles and reviews. He lives near San Francisco.
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 Cookingprovides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment. On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books have now been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques.
Among the major themes addressed throughout this new edition are:
On Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.
Before antioxidants, extra-virgin olive oil and supermarket sushi commanded public obsession, the first edition of this book swept readers and cooks into the everyday magic of the kitchen: it became an overnight classic. Now, 20 years later, McGee has taken his slightly outdated volume and turned it into a stunning masterpiece that combines science, linguistics, history, poetry and, of course, gastronomy. He dances from the spicy flavor of Hawaiian seaweed to the scientific method of creating no-stir peanut butter, quoting Chinese poet Shu Xi and biblical proverbs along the way. McGee's conversational style-rich with exclamation points and everyday examples-allows him to explain complex chemical reactions, like caramelization, without dumbing them down. His book will also be hailed as groundbreaking in its breakdown of taste and flavor. Though several cookbooks have begun to answer the questions of why certain foods go well together, McGee draws on recent agricultural research, neuroscience reviews and chemical publications to chart the different flavor chemicals in herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables. Odd synergies appear, like the creation of fruity esters in dry-cured ham-the same that occur naturally in melons! McGee also corrects the European bias of the first edition, moving beyond the Mediterranean to discuss the foods of Asia and Mexico. Almost every single page of this edition has been rewritten, but the book retains the same light touch as the original. McGee has successfully revised the bible of food science-and produced a fascinating, charming text. (Nov. 23) Forecast: With a bright red cover and rave blurbs from chefs like Jacques P pin, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Thomas Keller, this book is sure to draw a lot of attention during the holiday season. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Acknowledgments | ix | |
Introduction: Cooking and Science, 1984 and 2004 | 1 | |
Chapter 1 | Milk and Dairy Products | 7 |
Chapter 2 | Eggs | 68 |
Chapter 3 | Meat | 118 |
Chapter 4 | Fish and Shellfish | 179 |
Chapter 5 | Edible Plants: An Introduction to Fruits and Vegetables, Herbs and Spices | 243 |
Chapter 6 | A Survey of Common Vegetables | 300 |
Chapter 7 | A Survey of Common Fruits | 350 |
Chapter 8 | Flavorings from Plants: Herbs and Spices, Tea and Coffee | 385 |
Chapter 9 | Seeds: Grains, Legumes, and Nuts | 451 |
Chapter 10 | Cereal Doughs and Batters: Bread, Cakes, Pastry, Pasta | 515 |
Chapter 11 | Sauces | 580 |
Chapter 12 | Sugars, Chocolate, and Confectionery | 645 |
Chapter 13 | Wine, Beer, and Distilled Spirits | 713 |
Chapter 14 | Cooking Methods and Utensil Materials | 777 |
Chapter 15 | The Four Basic Food Molecules | 792 |
Appendix | A Chemistry Primer | 811 |
Selected References | 819 | |
Index | 835 |