Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece"
when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide
turn 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.
Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has 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 give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books
have now 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 this 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.