On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee

This book contains no recipes.

Notes about this book

This book does not currently have any notes.

You must Create an Account or Sign In to add a note to this book.

Reviews about this book

This book does not currently have any reviews.

  • ISBN 10 0340831502
  • ISBN 13 9780340831502
  • Published Mar 13 2006
  • Format Paperback
  • Language English
  • Countries United Kingdom
  • Publisher Hodder & Stoughton

Publishers Text

2005 James Beard Award Winner! - Reference

2005 IACP Award Winner - Food Reference/Technical Category!

The revised and updated twentieth anniversary edition of the classic On Food and Cooking--the book that singlehandedly created the food science genre, spawned a generation of imitators, and remains a bible for serious home cooks, food writers, and professional chefs.


Two decades ago, On Food and Cooking was hailed as a minor masterpiece by Time magazine. Now, Harold McGee offers an updated edition--featuring ninety percent new material--addressing the culinary mechanics, mysteries, and rends of the past twenty years.


In this accessible, compelling combination of chemistry, history, folklore, literary anecdotes, health information, kitchen tips, and recipes, McGee explains the science behind ingredients and cooking techniques. Compulsively readable and engaging, this updated edition covers every angle of how we grow, harvest, cook, smell, taste, eat, and digest. From cutting-edge changes in food production and diet to age-old kitchen mysteries, McGee provides fascinating facts and insights on countless topics, including:

  • The enormous array of substitute sweeteners
  • How to determine the quality of ice cream by its weight
  • Why flipping meat on the grill every minute or less creates moistness
  • Why toxins in plants are what makes them taste so good.


A must-have for every serious cook, On Food and Cooking is the book that began what The Wall Street Journal recently dubbed molecular gastronomy, referring to McGee as the guru who's written some of the best known books on the subject.

Other cookbooks by this author