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This book takes the world of cooking down to the molecular level and is fascinating. Yes, even the holy grail organic ones. Using McGee's book I find, "Beginning with mostly egg yolk you slowly beat in oil.
To understand what's happening in food we cook we need to be familiar with the world of molecules and their reaction to one another. He also is the first person to fully explain all my oven options, convection bake, bake, convection only. What Harold McGee has accomplished in this book phenomenal.
As more oil is incorporated the mixture becomes thicker and the oil is broken into smaller droplets." It's a sensitive sauce because it is so full of oil, "so much so that, the droplets press up against each other, its emulsion is easily damaged by extremes of cold, heat, and agitation."And Créme fraîche also intrigued me so looking that up I discovered why it tastes so much fresher than sour cream.You name the food and McGee has covered it in this book: pineapple, coffee, seaweed, wine, beer, flours, texture of raw food, milk, eggs.But wait, there's more. McGee thoroughly explains what's going on in that realm so that you know what makes mayonnaise work, or how the skins, seeds and stems of the grape affect winemaking."Curiosity and understanding make their own contribution to mastery (of cooking)."This second edition adds emphasis on the diversity of ingredients now available how they're prepared, flavors of food and the molecules that create that flavor."In understanding the science of food it, "frees us from the necessity of following recipes, and helps us deal with the unexpected including the inspiration to try something new. understanding what's happening to the food's inner substance, and adjusting preparation accordingly."So for example, as I was reading Julia Child's book, My Life in France, I became intrigued with making mayonnaise.
and makes me understand what reaction is taking place in my microwave oven.And never mind you think that your microwave is causing cancer (which it is NOT) but did you know there are toxins in your fresh fruits and vegetables. If you love food and are intrigued with the science of food, this is an absolute must buy.
Let me say it is indispensable and I LOVE IT. First of all, always buy a great cooking reference book like this in hardcover as you will be turning to it again and again and a hardcover will certaily last longer. By reading this book you will be able to understand many techniques and not only that why things happen in your kitchen. I make sure I buy all my good reference and cook books in hardcover so they will last.Next, the book. I had McGhee's first edition (blue) I bought over 20 years ago and now I have this updated version. I can easily believe that it is a required reference book for professional chefs. It helps me understand things b etter in the kitchen so I can answer questions and give thorough answers to my girls as they are learning to cook.So, yes, this book is great and only compliments a well stocked and referenced kitchen.
For those of you who love watching the Food Network, This is where Alton Brown gets most of his scientific background material from when he extols the virtues of cooking. If you are serious about learning the why's and how's of cooking, this is your new kitchen Bible - sorry Betty Crocker - there are things in this book that will lead you into a new realm of cooking that will have your spouse, kids and friends wondering how you learned to do those things.
This could have been another Larousse Gastronomique -- fun to have around, but not something you'd ever consider reading from beginning to end. There's enough science scattered amongst the tales of cooking and eating to qualify this as a science book. The amount of research that went into this book is encyclopedic in scope, but it's not an encyclopedia. It's more like a collection of short stories. (Plenty of history, too). This is what good nonfiction writing is all about.
I thought only cookbooks and text books were the only things that were going to be in my kitchen. Whether you are a Certified Master Chef or a foodie that just loves to cook, this book is an excellent source and wealth of information. Boy was I wrong. As a student at the Culinary Institute of America, our Chef Instructor highly recommended this book and boy am I glad he did. This book gives you the history, breakdown, molecular structure, and detailed information that is easy to read and to understand. This book is well worth the money. Highly recommended.
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