The Science of Good Food: The Ultimate Reference on How Cooking Works

I generally like this kind of book--one that explains the science behind why recipes work--but this book was a disappointment to me. The encyclopedia format, based on alphabetical entries, made finding the information I was looking for difficult. A lot of the most interesting information was to be found in unindexed sidebars, making this book nice to browse, but really hard to use when you want an answer to a specific question. I finally decided to return the book when I checked out the entry for "Meringue," which referred me to the sections on "Eggs" and Foams" (uh-oh, faddish, I thought). When neither section offered ANY information about meringues--one of the true miracles of food science, and a classic case of the primacy of technique in cooking--I knew this book wasn't going to be of any ongoing use to me. The lack of reference charts, and basic go-to information, which would have been nice to have all in one place, makes this book a white elephant that loses its place on my shelf.

I bought the book for a friend of mine who was a chemistry major. He loves it! We started cooking gourmet meals together as a hobby, and he always had a lot of questions that I could not answer. "What's the difference between searing and browning?" "What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda?"
This book gives very detailed break down of food and ingredients. You will love it if you enjoy watching Alton Brown's food science show.

I just got a copy of this big glossy Canadian published paperback and I am having a lot of fun paging through it. So, first off: it's an attractive book with lots of color photos, tables and reader-friendly formatting. At issue, however, is the publisher's claim that this book is the "ultimate reference of how cooking works." That's a bit much since the bibliography cites McGee, Corriher, Wolke and others who, up to now, own the subject. So, is it a contribution to the literature?

You betcha! This is a most reader-friendly food science book. Three headings describe each of the 1600 entries: what it is, what it does and how it works. 'How it works' entries are science-based: chemical, molecular, biological, etc.. Cross referencing is so omnipresent that it invites the reader to flip back and forth through the book over and over again. Tables abound, text size and shadings are used generously, photos appear on about every three pages--with the result that the book is a visual delight, front to back: more approachable than McGee, more thorough than Corriher or Wolke. It's quite complete, too. I looked for descriptions of a few arcane subjects--such as the Maillard Effect--and found them. I noted too, with pleasure, that the authors avoided dating the book with foodie political views, du jour.

It's a winner and bound to be recognized as such by the IACP and/or the James Beard Foundation. If you are looking for a reference book for an in-law, kid or grand kid who shows promise in the kitchen, this tome will prove to be a valued selection. You will like it too.