A friend of mine introduced me to this book. Within five minutes I knew I had to buy a copy and read it cover to cover. I am currently on page 583 of 818. I believe it will remain my favourite book of all time (and I read a lot of reference books on many subjects).
HOWEVER - It might not be the right book for everyone because:
- It is not a recipe book. Of course the entire book is about food and will expand your understanding of your favourite recipes and foods, but it is exactly as it says on - the - tin: "An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture"
- It is not a step-by-step book on cooking techniques. Throughout the book you will come across many descriptions of the evolution of techniques and equipment, the reasons for using certain techniques, the evolution of food technology etc. Take dough for example. You will find out things like: why we knead dough; what is happening on a molecular level, what happens when yeast ferments in dough, other methods of leavening dough, dough that is not leavened... By the time you have read all about dough, you will be able to make it and use it without need for reference to a step-by-step guide.
I like the descriptions of how the names for our foods have evolved; how over thousands of years we have genetically modified our foods and our environment (naturally and unnaturally); and perhaps most of all - the unhealthy industrial changes that have been introduced by the food industry in order to increase profits at the expense of our health.
The only thing I am not looking forward to is reaching the end of the book, so I have decided to read it a second and probably third time.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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About the author
A book that explains the science behind all of food and cooking
There is no denying that this is a great work, truly a magnum opus, for Harold McGee. This revised and updated edition of 2004 completely updated the 1984 book. And it is a super book. The delving into the science of cooking is brilliant. Cooking is too often about just following a recipe without ever really understanding why things are done. A read of a page or two from here will nicely explain why, and also you can see what’s happening in front of you and tweak to get the best results. I have a Chemistry degree and so find a lot of the science really easy. But, fear not if you don’t have a science back ground: the book is so well written that this is not important: just stick with it. I was going to knock a star off because I feel that the printing of the book is pretty poor. The letters are slightly blurred and the whole thing feels as though its not well reproduced. Such a shame. The diagrams and tables are OK, but the publishers and printers have really let down the content here.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2019
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2010
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2023
Top reviews from other countries
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- Amazon CustomerReviewed in India on 21 January 2021
Good book, bad print
The book has great content, 5 stars and more for that.Amazon CustomerGood book, bad print
Reviewed in India on 21 January 2021
But the quality of the book send to me was ridiculous. It was in fact a photostat of the original one- unhappy experience buying the book online.
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