An IACP Award-Winning Cookbook
"Engaging and eminently useful. You can't turn more than two pages
without discovering something new or being reminded of a concept that is
the key to solving a kitchen problem you've been having." -- J. Kenji
Lopez-Alt, managing culinary director of Serious Eats and author of The
Food Lab
In this entertaining, informative guide, one of the leading experts in
culinary science--a chef, consultant, and scientist who has worked with
some of the biggest names in the industry, from Thomas Keller to Daniel
Humm--paints a portrait of each of the fundamental building blocks of
food, giving all cooks a way to visualize and respond to what's really
happening in the pan.
There are ingredients, and then there are Ingredients. An ingredient is
a tomato, a tortilla, or some tarragon. An Ingredient (with a capital
"I") is a fundamental building block or recurring theme that works
behind the scenes in everything we cook. There are millions of
ingredients, but only eight Ingredients: Water, Sugars, Carbs, Lipids,
Proteins, Minerals, Gases, and Heat.
Each Ingredient has its own personality, a set of things it does or
doesn't do. Ever been blown away by a wonderfully fragrant dish? From
soup and mashed potatoes to French toast and barbecue, lipids act like
glue to stick aromas to your food. Is a batter too thin or sauce not
clinging correctly? The best bets for thickening any liquid are carbs
and proteins, which we can find anywhere from a bag of flour to a
roasted garlic clove or a piece of braised meat. This book teaches you
the personalities of the Ingredients, where to find them, and how to put
them to work.
Ingredient isn't a book of recipes, nor is it a definitive treatise on
the science of the kitchen. It's an illustrated guide to visualizing and
controlling food's invisible moving parts, regardless of your skill
level or how you like to cook.
Through this lively, engaging, and accessible guide, renowned culinary
scientist Ali Bouzari shifts our focus from secret ingredients to the
secrets of Ingredients.
