Customer Reviews
amazing book to browse through or dip into - By: Hambletta-Maud, 24 Jun 2004 
well, i'm glad i bought this book on the recommendations of the other reviewers at amazon. mcgee explains the science of food & cooking in an astonishingly easy to understand way. everything from milk, its components & why it curdles, to meat & how animals are slaughtered & why they are hung, is discussed thoroughly, but in a manner that is non-dry or -dustily academic. absolutely well worth the money.
however, you may wish to await the new edition out in october 2004. i've emailed the publishers to ask if this is an undated british version or merely a reprint but they have declined to reply. perhaps amazon can find out & add the information to their description.
I honestly wish I could rate this as 6 stars! - By: , 03 Sep 2001 I've had this book for quite a few years now & I still find it as suprising, fascinating, & wonderful as when I first bought it.
What do the origins of the word sycophant, hangover cures, the botany of the daisy family, the chemical structure of alkaloids & Maclolm X have in common? Yup, they alll appear in this book!
As well as being a treasure trove of information on the history & science behind food, cooking techniques, ingredients, physiology & diet, it has also given me a greater apreciation of what I'm doing in the kitchen & why, e.g. now I apreciate what is going on on a molecular level when a sauce is being made, I've reallly improved the techniques that I use & as a result, make better sauces. This book may only have a few recipies included, & they are only there to show how cooking has changed through the ages, but this has been the most useful book on cooking that I've ever owned.
I think that this book has made me a better cook at the same time as being an interesting & entertaining read. It is to cooking as Brewers Dictonary of Phrase & Fable is to the English language.
Wonderful!
Unveils culinary questions to a new minutia... Great!!! - By: , 26 Aug 1999 
This book encompasses three of my great passions: History, Science & Food/Cooking. With a very scientific voice explaining the interactions of cooking at a molecular level, the author easily draws you in to any topic from pickeling to fermentation. You can open this book to any page & learn about the foods you enjoy & where they come from -- both historicallly & chemicallly. I love this book!!!!
Absolutely essential for the serious cook! - By: , 30 Jun 1999 I found Mr Mcgee's book to be a thoroughly entertaining & enlightening read. As a professional chef I was fascinated by the scientific explanations of processes I come across every day. I now use the book almost daily for reference & enjoy sharing the anecdotes with my staff. An excellent book!!!
Interesting Science Education for your Family - By: , 16 Jun 1999 This book is about both science & food. Excellent tool for teaching yourself some science & engaging your kids in science exploration in your kitchen of your own home. If you think that this book is "too technical for the average cook", as stated by one of the reviewers below, you probably need to go back to school to get yourself some decent education.
