In a book widely hailed for its entertaining prose and provocative research, the award-winning Los Angeles Times food journalist Russ Parsons exami...
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reviews
Apr 03, 2008
Catherine
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This is fascinating - it's a nerd's cookbook. (That's a good thing). I needed answers behind the instructions in recipes as to why I needed to dry off food before pan-frying, or the wonderful magical egg. If you love to cook and you loved the lab portion of chemistry class, read this.
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Aug 23, 2009
Katie
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I loved the information in this book so much that I started taking notes. In the book the author explains what is actually happening when you cook food. I started reading this book the day after I made fried green tomatoes for the first time, and it just so happened the the first section of the book was about the chemical process of deep frying. So then I totally understood the purpose of every layer of coating of the fried green tomatoes and why they were the consistancy they were... it was
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Feb 25, 2009
Katina
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This was an excellent Half Price Books find. It includes some very tasty-looking recipes that put the kitchen science principles discussed in the chapters to practice. I learned so much about onions and cell structure and I think I'll be able to put it to use in my cooking. I thought the chapters on "Meat and Heat" and "Fat, Flour and Fear" were especially interesting. This was a very practical book and I look forward to dropping its factoids in conversation.
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Jan 14, 2010
Katie
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An awesome book. This was the first science-based food book I have ever read, and I absolutely loved it. The book was a good balance of technical details and general cooking tips. It made me feel like I could go into the kitchen and whip up great food, even if I don't have the perfect recipe. I'll definitely be looking for more books like this!
Jan 02, 2011
Violinknitter
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I loved the cooking information in this book, and find I am more confident in the kitchen as a result. The book was thorough and written in an engaging voice. For me, the one drawback to this book was that the recipes tended to be more on the gourmet side, and included few recipes that I would include in my day-to-day cooking.
Sep 27, 2011
Tamer
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Really enjoyed this book as an intro to Kitchen Science. It really helped to understand where I have been issues in my cooking. Its a very easy read, probably about 100 pages of actual material with the rest are recipes. Will probably require a couple more reads to truly grab every valuable kernel of information.
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Dec 26, 2010
Lou
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OK, I am a total food science geek so I love stuff like this - you may not. I find they really help me to eb able to compose dishes and meals on the fly with less reliance on recipes (although there are a number of them in the book).
Oct 02, 2009
Theresa
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This was probably more of a 3.5 stars. It was fun reading and presented a lot of "aha!" moments. I feel like it is a reference book that I could go back to again. I already used a technique in the book to prepare some vegetables and it worked quite well. Anyone who likes to cook will enjoy this book.
May 28, 2010
Janet
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I heard Russ Parsons on NPR, and was facinated. The book is great for anyone who took Home Economics & loves math/science (as I did) and wondered why food worked the way it did.
Sep 22, 2008
Sarah Jane
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It was good for me to learn (or review, as the case may be) the information presented in this book to make myself a better cook. I think most everyone can benefit from a little course of the basics, and the hows and whys of cooking. For the most part, I skimmed through the meat chapter because it was grossing me out. As soon as he started talking about muscle fibers and melting collagen, I was done. I think I might be too squeamish to ever be a meat-eater. Oh well.
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Oct 21, 2011
Katie
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Learned some interesting things about cooking such as why we will stick our hand in a 350 degree oven but not a 200 degree pot of boiling water. Found some new recipes too.
Jul 18, 2011
Angelique
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awesome book, must read for any foody!! he reminds me of Alton Brown!
May 14, 2010
Alejandro
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WHAT MADE ME READ IT: Rec by San Ramon Library
50th PAGE EVAL: Yummy, Lots of good food, ideas about food and the reasoning behind food
PLOT: A cooking Bible with Sciencia and great recipes that I will try soon
NOTES: I like the coments at the beginning of the recipes that puts them in a frame of mind. I want to try 90% of them.
IT MADE ME (DO) : Cook and test the hypotherisi, ideas, and shortcuts presented
IT MADE ME READ : More cooking books
50th PAGE EVAL: Yummy, Lots of good food, ideas about food and the reasoning behind food
PLOT: A cooking Bible with Sciencia and great recipes that I will try soon
NOTES: I like the coments at the beginning of the recipes that puts them in a frame of mind. I want to try 90% of them.
IT MADE ME (DO) : Cook and test the hypotherisi, ideas, and shortcuts presented
IT MADE ME READ : More cooking books
Jun 09, 2007
Allison
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Book about food, and the science of cooking. For example, why french fries have to be fried at a certain temperature to have that yummy crispy outside, and warm, not soggy inside. I thought that some of the topics were very interesting, but that some were not explained enough and others seemed to repeat the same thing over and over again. The book did include some recipes so you could try out the foods they were talking about.
Feb 16, 2009
SunnyD
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good for the boy. he's done a lot of cooking lately & is interested in it, and the way this book laid out info is perfect for him with his left-brain thinking. i thougt it was kind of interesting too.
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the boy seems to be enjoying it. i'll have to take a peek.
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the boy seems to be enjoying it. i'll have to take a peek.
Aug 21, 2008
Charles
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If you enjoy watching Alton Brown on the Food Channel, you will love this book. Cooking as a science - things we do for best results explained and broken down into comprehensible instructions. I guarantee this book will make you a better cook no matter your skill level.
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Jul 31, 2008
Christy
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Interesting to know some kitchen science, and it made me think of more questions about why things work the way they do with food. But the guy who wrote it seems a bit of a food snob, and that rubbed me the wrong way.
The recipes I've tried from the book so far are great!
The recipes I've tried from the book so far are great!
Sep 21, 2009
Jessica
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This was a bit more of a cookbook with scientific information thrown in than it was a science book with recipes thrown in. I was hoping it to be the latter. Lots of interesting information, and I am sure it will stay on my shelf to be referred to many many more times.
Sep 02, 2008
Jennifer
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Half 'how to,' half cookbook. Some of the recipes looked really good. I didn't have a chance to make them, since I borrowed this book from the library. The 'how to' part taught me some new things, but there were also many things I already knew.
May 26, 2008
Kristen
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I really enjoyed learning what makes food taste better when it is cooked in certain ways. I think I remember the fry section the best. Oil must be hot hot hot or else your food will be soggy. Then it told you why that is. Very interesting!
Jul 21, 2007
Rosa
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Interesting food science. I especially enjoyed the section on fruits and vegetables and how to properly store them (no tomatoes or strawberries in the fridge!). I didn't care for the recipes however, which made the book a much quicker read.
Jun 01, 2007
Caroline
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Complete food science stuff... which of course is why I majored in it and loved it. If you have any curiousity about how "food" works, this is an interesting read, and you can kind of pick and choose chapters that you are more interested in.
Oct 27, 2011
Judy
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Very informative and worthwhile. Some excellent recipes too that are worth trying.
Aug 22, 2008
Elizabeth
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if you had to only have one cook book this maybe be it. I know there are other wonderful cook books out there, but the size and usefulness of this book, just can't compare. I have taking this cook book on countless trips.
Dec 16, 2009
Gabriel
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It starts out strong enough but quickly loses steam and focus. I recommend cookwise or Alton Brown's books above thise for 'kitchen science' style references.
Sep 07, 2007
Marni
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Wow never have I learned everything to do with food science and enjoyed it at the same time! With recipes too to prove the science.
Jun 29, 2008
Anne
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An amazing book that explains the science behind cooking, easy to read. Complete with recipies at the end of each section.
