On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by McGee, Harold

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.

Author: Harold McGee
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Published: 11/23/2004
Pages: 884
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.95lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.70w x 1.80d
ISBN: 9780684800011
Award: James Beard Foundation Book Awards - Winner
Award: IACP Crystal Whisk Award - Winner
Award: Gourmand World Cookbook Awards (USA Only) - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/22/2004 pg. 53
Booklist 11/15/2004 pg. 540
New York Times 12/05/2004 pg. 35
Library Journal 01/15/2005 pg. 140
Library Journal 02/01/2005 pg. 125
Library Journal 01/01/2005
Time 03/24/2008 pg. 48