On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee (Cookbook Spotlight)

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee is possibly the most comprehensive food science reference in existence. If anyone desires to know exactly how food works, why it works, and how to manipulate it, On Food and Cooking will have the information. It is not a book that is easily read cover to cover, as it is incredibly dense with information. In small, targeted doses, it is an amazing book with tons of useful information.

Originally published in 1984 with a new edition made in 2004, On Food and Cooking remains timeless where many things from 1984 have faded away. Each section focuses on a different category of food like beef, eggs, vegetables, or fruit. McGee goes through the chemical makeup of these foods, and how that chemical makeup is altered, improved, or destroyed in the process of cooking.

Perhaps this sounds like information that would really only be for the super food nerds out there (and some of it can be intense!) but knowing how cooking works in a scientific way helps to inform real world actions. For example, knowing how an egg stabilizes the emulsion between oil and water helps you to make a better mayonnaise. Knowing how water, oil, air, or metal conduct heat helps you to choose how to cook a piece of chicken or a fish. Having a better idea of fat content in foods helps you to choose what to buy to throw on the grill.

If you are looking to be a better Home Cook or are curious about food science, On Food and Cooking is an amazing reference that can really help you understand the mechanics and chemistry of cooking.