On Food and Cooking The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

“I know of no chef worth his salt who doesn’t keep a copy of Harold McGee’s masterwork, On Food and Cooking...Simply put, it is the Rosetta stone of the culinary world…McGee flipped on the science switch, and suddenly there was light. Whereas Julia Child taught “how,” McGee explains ‘why.'” – Alton Brown, Time

“Harold McGee changed our lives with his original On Food and Cooking. While we knew that many things in cooking worked or didn’t work, McGee showed us why. This new edition is the most complete book on food that I have ever seen, and it is easy to read-an inconceivable amount of information made incredibly accessible. On Food and Cooking is unique, engrossing reading and a major contribution to great culinary literature.” -Shirley O. Corriher, author of CookWise

“Without an understanding of basic food science and practical cooking technique, there can ultimately be no true creativity in the kitchen! Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking is the definitive treatise on this subject that both the professional and home cook will absolutely require to move their cooking forward.” -Charlie Trotter, chef-owner of Charlie Trotter’s

“A must-have resource for any student of the stove, On Food and Cooking synthesizers details from a wide variety of scientific disciplines and gastronomic traditions, sparking the reader’s culinary imagination with every turn of the page. Harold McGee possesses that most rare combination: a scientist’s skill and a cook’s heart.” -Rick Bayless, author of Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen and Mexico One Plate at a Time 

“Having the pleasure of working with Harold McGee at The French Laundry kitchen was a dream come true. On Food and Cooking continues to be the most accurate source of information for generations of chefs. A charismatic teacher, Harold is a veritable fountain of information and without peer in our industry. His books are the most worn and dog-eared of my entire collection.” -Thomas Keller, chef-owner of The French Laundry and Per Se

“Harold McGee’s book is simply a monumental journey merging food and science…and a marvellous read.” – Paula Wolfert, author of Mediterranean Cooking

“Nothing could be more welcome than a revised and expanded version of Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking. This big, immensely important work, with its breathtaking scope, is the basic resource for anyone who wants to understand the way we grow our food, harvest it, store it, cook it, consume, smell, taste, and even digest it. McGee’s scientific writing is intelligent, lucid, and always to the point — helping both professionals and serious home cooks understand what happens when they work with food, enabling them to be more enlightened shoppers, cooks, and even eaters. The first edition of On Food and Cooking has been the best selling book in the history of our bookstore. A newer and larger On Food and Cooking is a gift to all who want to know how food works.” – Nach Waxman, Owner, Kitchen Arts & Letters

“McGee’s immeasurable knowledge and infinite wisdom has hugely influenced the state of gastronomy. I constantly refer to On Food and Cooking and I am thrilled there’s more yet to learn from the master of food and science. This book covers topics I have never ever heard of in a comprehensive end all way.” – Mario Batali, chef-owner of Babbo and Otto

“On Food and Cooking is the classic that weaves together history, science, and practical advice in mesmerising (really) discussion of every conceivable topic of interest in the kitchen…Everyone who eats can use this book. It belongs in every home.” – Cheryl Mendelson, author of Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House

“I have used Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking for the last two decades whenever I’ve had questions on the chemistry of food or to understand some aspect of the cooking process. This extraordinary, new, expanded edition will occupy a place of prominence on my bookshelf.” – Jacques Pépin, author of Jacques and Julia Cooking at Home and The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen

Synopsis

An updated twentieth-anniversary edition of the classic culinary reference features ninety percent new material and provides a wealth of kitchen tips, food-preparation techniques, folklore, literary anecdotes, and health information, in a volume that features particular coverage of trends from the p

About the Author

Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the science of food and cooking. He studied science and literature at Caltech and Yale, and has written two prize-winning books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, as well as many articles and reviews. He has been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the Time 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. He lives in San Francisco.