Synopses & Reviews
On Food and Cooking is a unique blend of culinary lore and scientific explanation that examines food -- its history, its make-up, and its behavior when we cook it, cool it, dice it, age it, or otherwise prepare it for eating. Generously spiced with historical and literary anecdote, it covers all the major food categories, from meat and potatoes to sauce béarnaise and champagne. Easy-to-understand scientific explanations throw light on such mysteries as why you can whip cream but not milk; what makes white meat white; whether searing really seals in flavor; how to tell stale eggs from fresh; why "fruits" ripen and "vegetables" don't; how to save a sauce; what hops do; and what happens when you knead dough. A chapter on nutrition reveals that Americans have been obsessed with their diet since the 1800s and exposes the fallacies behind food fads past and present. There's a section on additives -- a not-so-new addition to food -- and taste and smell, our two pleasure-giving versions of the oldest sense on earth. With more than 200 illustrations, including extraordinary photographs of food taken through the electron microscope, this book will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.
About the Author
Harold McGee earned his B.S. from the California Institute of Technology and his doctorate in English Literature from Yale, where he subsequently taught. He now lives in Palo Alto, California, and writes about science.
Table of Contents
Contents Acknowledgments
Introduction: Cooking and Science
PART 1: FOODS
Chapter 1: Milk and Dairy Products
The Nature of Milk
Unfermented Dairy Products
Fermented Dairy Products
Cheese
Chapter 2: Eggs
The Chicken and the Egg
The Composition of Eggs
Egg Cookery
Egg Foams
Chapter 3: Meat
Meat in the Human Diet
The Structure and Qualities of Meat
Slaughter, Aging, and Storage
Meat Cookery
Chapter 4: Fruits and Vegetables, Herbs and Spices
Plants as Food
The Nature of Plants
The Composition and Qualities of Plants
Spoilage and Storage
Cooking Fruits and Vegetables
Notes on Individual Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs and Spices
Fruits
Vegetables
Herbs and Spices
Tea and Coffee
Chapter 5: Grains, Legumes, and Nuts
Seeds as Food
The Grains
Legumes
Nuts
Chapter 6: Bread, Doughs, and Batters
The Origins and History of Bread
Flour
The Ingredients in Doughs and Batters
Bread
Other Dough Products
Batters
Chapter 7: Sauces
The Development of Sauces
Starch-Thickened Sauces
Emulsified Sauces
Chapter 8: Sugars, Chocolate, and Confectionery
The Appeal of Sweetness
Honey
Maple Syrup
Sugar
Corn Syrup and Fructose
Chocolate
Confectionery
Sugar and Tooth Decay
Chapter 9: Wine, Beer, and Distilled Liquors
The History of Alcohol
The Nature of Fermentation
Wine
Appreciating Wine
Beer
Distilled Liquors
Drunkenness and Hangovers
Chapter 10: Food Additives
Additives in "The Good Old Days"
The Rise of Chemical Additives
The Trouble with Additives
Informed Choice
PART 2: FOOD AND THE BODY
Chapter 11: Nutrition: American Fads, Intricate Facts
Nutritional Fads in the United States
The Elements of Nutrition
Chapter 12: Digestion and Sensation
The Nature of Digestion
Hunger and Thirst
Taste and Smell
PART 3: THE PRINCIPLES OF COOKING: A SUMMARY
Chapter 13: The Four Basic Food Molecules
Water
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Fats and Oils
Chapter 14: Cooking Methods and Utensil Materials
Browning Reactions and Flavor
Cooking Methods
Utensil Materials
Appendix: A Chemistry Primer: Atoms, Molecules, Energy
Atoms and Molecules
Energy
The Phases of Matter
Bibliography
Index