ON FOOD AND COOKING

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Summary: If you are serious about food, get it.
Review: A book of the why's of cooking. It is a very complicated book if you are not really IN to food science and cooking.

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Summary: Excellent Reference Book
Review: A great book to compliment cookbooks. No serious kitchen should be without it.

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Summary: Amazing
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Essential reading
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Essential reading
Review: 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.

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Summary: Fascinating Reading
Review: Anyone who wants to go beyond the recipes would do well to read this book.

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Summary: The classic guide to the scientific underpinnings of food
Review: Awesome book; indisputably a classic. McGee explains the scientific underpinnings of every aspect of food and cooking. Not at all dry, very accessible even for non techno-wanks, this thick book is as much fun to browse through as it is useful to consult for problem solving. Anyone interesting in food must own it.

Rating:
Summary: The bible of food science
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Shop manual for the kitchen mechanic
Review: 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.