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17th out of 469 books
—
979 voters
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
by
Harold McGee
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...more
Hardcover, Revised, Second Edition, 896 pages
Published
November 16th 2004
by Scribner
(first published 1984)
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Sep 25, 2007
Elizabeth
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Cooks, Chefs, the scientifically minded, and programmers for Personal Chef Robots of the future.
This book is endlessly fascinating. Interesting tidbits McGee's has taught me: raw pineapple will curdle milk, but cooked pineapple will not. Some of our fellow humans will be repulsed by cheese because of an instinctual reaction to fermented foods. See? Fascinating!
McGee's contains necessary information that you can not get from a recipe on practically every dish and ingredient known to man. This is the kind of book that will sit next to the stove, dog-eared and grease-spattered, eternally usef...more
McGee's contains necessary information that you can not get from a recipe on practically every dish and ingredient known to man. This is the kind of book that will sit next to the stove, dog-eared and grease-spattered, eternally usef...more
Once upon a time, I was expressing my frustration with books on cooking to a chemist friend -- primarily that most books on cooking treat cooking as this magical art. They presume lots of knowledge on the part of the reader and they give directions that theoretically make the food what it's supposed to be, rarely explaining WHY you want to cook this meat at temperature x or mince this thing instead of slice, or whatever. I wanted something that answered a bit more of the Why?
This friend suggeste...more
This friend suggeste...more
Apr 04, 2008
Cynthia
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
foodies, lovers of trivia, history buffs
Before there was Alton Brown, there was Harold McGee. This is a smart, dazzling, fabulously eclectic collection of information about what we eat. From Plato’s views on cooking to electron micrographs of cheese to a description of how eggs form in a chicken’s body to the history of beer and chocolate, this book offers an intoxicating wealth of food information, trivia, and science. Did you know that the cell walls of mushrooms aren’t made up of cellulose, like plants, but rather of chitin, the ca...more
Dec 13, 2007
John Burke
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in how food works
This is an invaluable resource when your kids ask "does THIS cheese have mold in it" or "why does it all stick together if you cook it too long" or when you want to know what makes espresso different from coffee. Is is not about cooking, but about why and how cooking works, about where the flavor is in the spices and why the tomato ripens, what makes a sauce a sauce instead of gravy or soup, and what nougat really is. The style is accessible but unafraid of chemistry. A wonderful companion to th...more
I think I am going to be currently reading this for a very very long time. It´s 800 pages, small print, massive index (essential) and bibliography. Human imagination and cultural complexity regarding food being as it is, not even 800 pages will be enough, so I don´t think it has EVERYTHING on food but it does have practically everything of the most common kind, in a wide global way.
First thing - this is not a recipe book and it is a pretty serious book. You can use it as dictionary, using the v...more
First thing - this is not a recipe book and it is a pretty serious book. You can use it as dictionary, using the v...more
Sep 28, 2012
^
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
cooks and the curious
The 2nd edition. Concentrated knowledge; yet NOT written in impenetrable ‘academicalese.’ McGee's ability to amass, sort, analyse, and order an enormous amount of relevant information is awesomely impressive. He makes the average PhD. thesis look sheepish.
This is definitely a reference book to be laid open on a table and lovingly dipped into by an enquiring mind. Not held open in the hands: too heavy. However, I’ll keep my (much smaller) copy of the 1st edition, because I want to follow how McGe...more
This is definitely a reference book to be laid open on a table and lovingly dipped into by an enquiring mind. Not held open in the hands: too heavy. However, I’ll keep my (much smaller) copy of the 1st edition, because I want to follow how McGe...more
1 like · like · see review
It would be a stretch to say that I am a cook or a 'foodie', but I imagine that every culinary master in America must own this book.
This is NOT a cookbook -- it's a guide to food, a dynamic explanation about where your food comes from, the science behind how it cooks/blends/rises and how preparation techniques impact taste.
It's a book that is hard to peg, and not one that you'll read cover-to-cover in one sitting. The writing is succinct but not tedious to follow, and every chapter packs in a s...more
This is NOT a cookbook -- it's a guide to food, a dynamic explanation about where your food comes from, the science behind how it cooks/blends/rises and how preparation techniques impact taste.
It's a book that is hard to peg, and not one that you'll read cover-to-cover in one sitting. The writing is succinct but not tedious to follow, and every chapter packs in a s...more
May 21, 2012
Matthew Iden
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who eat
Recommended to Matthew by:
Found it on a library shelf
Shelves:
non-fiction-history,
cooking
On Food and Cooking is one of those few books that I can drop on a table, let it fall open to any page, and read for the next hour.
As I said to someone once: you may not cook, but you probably eat. If so, this book should keep you entranced. Nearly anything you might want to know about the history, etymology, and process of gastronomy is covered in this volume, but even that is too dry a description to really explain how fun it is.
Want to know why there are so many Sugar Loaf mountains around...more
As I said to someone once: you may not cook, but you probably eat. If so, this book should keep you entranced. Nearly anything you might want to know about the history, etymology, and process of gastronomy is covered in this volume, but even that is too dry a description to really explain how fun it is.
Want to know why there are so many Sugar Loaf mountains around...more
Fantastic. Any science or food geek must have a copy of this on their bookshelves. McGee writes in-depth about all the everyday ingredients (and some less common) we use on a molecular level, and explains their bevahoir in the kitchen via exact science. Smaller side bars explain history, and the illustrations show molecular structures and textures/mixtures of ingredients like egg white, terpenes, and more.
I'll admit I use it as a reference book and pull it out on many occasions to discuss the wa...more
I'll admit I use it as a reference book and pull it out on many occasions to discuss the wa...more
I'm not quite sure why this book has been rated so highly by everyone else. It's a subject I'm very interested in, but McGee's presentation of the material is both encyclopedic and very dry. This is not a book you can sit down and read in the manner of normal books. Nor is it a "how-to" book for reference in specific kitchen situations. No anecdotes. No stories. For me, the most fascinating part of the book is his history of food-fads in the United States. It's quite serious and a real take-down...more
Nov 28, 2009
pinknantucket
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ms-readathon-2008
OK so I didn't read absolutely every word of this book, but it's over 800 pages and I reckon I read more than enough of them to equal a decently long novel. I'm actually reading it for my thesis, what with McGee being a pre-eminent food scientist and all, and it's so much more pleasurable to read than your average science textbook. Describing the science behind food - why does bread rise? Why should you start stocks with cold water? - McGee takes you not only through the science but also into so...more
I LOVE this book! I checked it out from the library from a citation in an article I read, but I think I will end up purchasing a copy because it is a GREAT reference for the kitchen. The "lore" part of it isn't too prominent, which is good because I love it for it's food science component. I've mostly read through the nuts/seeds and the bread/dough sections, but they are a comprehensive and detailed explanation of everything you might ever work with in these areas. For example, it discusses all...more
On Food and Cooking is a masterpiece. Meticulously researched and lovingly crafted down to the last detail, Harold McGee has compiled a book that transcends beyond an effective food science manual to a thoroughly entertaining journey that takes the reader right throughout history. There is so much fascinating trivia in this book to relish, but its advice about how cooking really works is where it shines brightest. The guidance provided will help anyone in the kitchen fill in the gaps and make ap...more
On Food and Cooking, provides a solid background of information to answer the age old question, "Why didn't this recipe work out?" Its usefulness, however, far exceeds that meager task. I keep it by my bed for nights when I'm having trouble getting to sleep and it is perfectly suited to the task. Each chapter is divided into 1-2 pages sections describing a particular aspect of food (e.g. why fat globules in dairy don't break down when heated or why the milk of different animals results in differ...more
I can't rightly rate this book as I simply couldn't get into it. The science is heavy for me, though admittedly I don't find science fascinating in its technicalities so much as in its accomplishments. A friend of mine recently shared that he doesn't believe someone a true food lover if they don't like to cook. By that logic, I am not a science lover. I love the products of science, but I am not enamored of the processes necessary to make those products. I imagine that is why I didn't take much...more
"The so-called essential, or volatile, or aromatic oil of a plant is defined as the set of all the compounds that can be distilled from the plant and that contribute to its characteristic aroma. [...] The function of these aromatic oils is probably defensive; most are present in minute quantities, have no primary role in the plant's growth, and are generally toxic to bacteria, insects, and animals to some degree (hence the early use of some spices as preservatives). And yet, despite their origin...more
This big, heavy book is one of those reference works that serious amateur and professional cooks alike should look at if they really want to get an understanding about the food they are preparing and cooking. Yet sadly, one fears, not as many will.
Their knowledge and their food may be the worse for this, as this book is a veritable cornucopia of information about cooking processes, ingredients, scientific principles, history and much more besides. It is not the easiest of reads, it can be challe...more
Their knowledge and their food may be the worse for this, as this book is a veritable cornucopia of information about cooking processes, ingredients, scientific principles, history and much more besides. It is not the easiest of reads, it can be challe...more
This latest edition is longer. It adds quite a bit information, especially practical and science stuff. They cut some of the lore, though, to make room for the new info.
For instance, in the earlier version (On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen), you learn that in the 15th century Germany, they burned and buried people alive as punishment for adulterating saffron. Okay, so maybe that's something you'd rather not know, and it sounds apocryphal anyway, but you get the idea. And...more
For instance, in the earlier version (On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen), you learn that in the 15th century Germany, they burned and buried people alive as punishment for adulterating saffron. Okay, so maybe that's something you'd rather not know, and it sounds apocryphal anyway, but you get the idea. And...more
This is a truly epic book. It covers food from every relevant angle: gastronomically, biologically, chemically, historically, culturally. It's exhaustive and, as a result, can be exhausting sometimes. It took a month of fairly regular reading to finish, and I skipped some parts. But if you read this book from cover to cover, you probably should skip some of it, too. It covers so many aspects of nourishment that while you're basically guaranteed to find parts that are interesting or intriguing to...more
At $25, it's rather more palatable (pun intended!) than Modernist Cuisine's $675, and was referenced in the same New Yorker article. According to GnuCash, I spent more money last year on cigarettes than groceries; changing that seems a noble enough objective. I'll likely start by stocking pepper.
btw, wenger, i dig your taking up of my "*-acquire*" bookshelf semantics!
btw, wenger, i dig your taking up of my "*-acquire*" bookshelf semantics!
Wow. This is the biggest book of cooking I have ever seen, and it is just on the history of food. Not a recipe book. It was recommended by the author of CakeLove as one of his research pieces used to launch his baking career. I was curious, but will not be reading it. I picture myself reading this in my 60's when I have more time and spend hours in the kitchen exploring. (I also dream of owning a lake house at that age and trying pot for the first time in an adirondack chair at the end of my pie...more
This is absolutely necessary in every kitchen in the country. Food nerds everywhere bask in its glory. This is an eight hundred-something page chemistry, biology, and history textbook on food as it relates to cooking. This can help give you the knowledge to take your cooking to the next level. Understanding why food does what it does, when it does, it at the heart of being able to throw an incredible dish together from the sometimes unfortunate scraps laying in the fridge.
Not exactly a reference book, not exactly a book you sit down and read (although I did just that), this is a very good book for anyone curious about the science behind cooking. I would have liked to take notes as I read this book because buried in all the deep sciencey stuff (that I sometimes skimmed over, I can only take so much science) were fascinating bits of information about different foods and cooking techniques. Maybe in a year or two I'll pick it up again and do just that.
Being a total food nerd, this book was heaven for me. I am curious about the chemistry, preparation and anthropology of food and McGee has all of those bases covered. If you cannot handle information purveyed to you in a dry, textbook-like manner this is not the book for you. However if you want to know everything there is to know about eggs, milk, herbs, veggies, meat and more and why they all work together so well (or don't) you definitely need to pick this one up!
I love food. I love science. The best of both worlds jammed into one seriously dense tome makes for either lovely reading (for the enthusiast) or a lovely paperweight.
If you want to get yourself immersed in page after page of more data tables about milk density than you thought could possibly exist, pick up McGee's book. He's truly a legend and you I promise you'll find this at least somewhat interesting regardless of your opinions on either topic.
If you want to get yourself immersed in page after page of more data tables about milk density than you thought could possibly exist, pick up McGee's book. He's truly a legend and you I promise you'll find this at least somewhat interesting regardless of your opinions on either topic.
Mar 21, 2011
^
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Cooks who ask questions.
Forward by Alan Davidson.
The book is well illustrated with annotated drawings, and photographs.
A very clever and highly readable blend of historical lore and scientific explanation. Enormously helpful, because it indirectly teaches the reader how to analytically read a recipe for coherence and sense; and thus to avoid wasting time, money, and energy attempting poorly written recipes which rarely, or never, work.
There's plenty in this book for both the scientist and the non-scientist. By understa...more
The book is well illustrated with annotated drawings, and photographs.
A very clever and highly readable blend of historical lore and scientific explanation. Enormously helpful, because it indirectly teaches the reader how to analytically read a recipe for coherence and sense; and thus to avoid wasting time, money, and energy attempting poorly written recipes which rarely, or never, work.
There's plenty in this book for both the scientist and the non-scientist. By understa...more
Such a fun and interesting book. As a foodie and a scientist I appreciate his approach to cooking and food. I also love the sense of joyful curiosity that suffuses the book. I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Harold McGee and he is still just as charming and enthusiastic as he seems in the book. He had so many interesting facts to impart that I wished the talk was three times as long. I'd love to sit down and chat with him.
A brilliant dissertation on the science behind food. A must-read for geek foodies (or gourmet hackers or something). Well written and intriguing, on top of being exhaustively authoritative. And some very serious cooks also take this book as canon: I have seen this book cited in the references sections of at least half a dozen cook books, including ones by Rose Levy Beranbaum and Alton Brown.
For an encyclopedia-style book like this I don't know if a person can easily distinguish "read" vs. "currently reading", but I've read enough of it to know that this is the most comprehensive, well-researched, and informative book on food and food ingredients I've ever seen.
Part science textbook, part history lesson, and part cooking instruction manual, the book delves into the technical reasons food ingredients behave the ways they do, the histories of their use in various dishes, and advice fo...more
Part science textbook, part history lesson, and part cooking instruction manual, the book delves into the technical reasons food ingredients behave the ways they do, the histories of their use in various dishes, and advice fo...more
Jun 17, 2009
Chrissie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who cooks or with questions about food.
Recommended to Chrissie by:
University Lecturer
Shelves:
reference
This book was at the top of my textbook list for Food Science subjects in first year University. Don´t let that put you off, as I do believe that this book should be on every cookbook shelf. Often when people ask me for advice on food and cooking (usually some ingredient not working as it should, or explanations of ´why is it so...?´); I use this book as one of my references to double check I am dispensing solid information.
Harold McGee is a world renowned fountain of knowledge when it comes to...more
Harold McGee is a world renowned fountain of knowledge when it comes to...more
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I like your general line, but you do not go nearly far enough. I'd prefer something like "break down, s...more
Mar 31, 2012 01:32pm