A kitchen classic for over 35 years, and hailed by Time magazine as
"a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and
Cooking is the bible which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide
turn to 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.
For its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee 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 Cooking provides 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 birth the
inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though
other books have 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 the new edition are:
- Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences
on food quality
- The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and
times have prepared the same ingredients
- Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them
successfully
- The particular substances that give foods their flavors, and that give
us pleasure
- Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods
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.
