On Food and Cooking : The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

by McGee, Harold

• ISBN13: 9780020346210
• ISBN10: 0020346212
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1988-09-01
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Summary

Compulsively readable and engaging, this updated volume covers every aspect of how food is grown, harvested, cooked, eaten, and digested. Winner of the James Beard KitchenAid Book Award in 2005, and the 2005 IACP Crystal Whisk Award.

Author Biography

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

Acknowledgments	p. x
Introduction: Cooking and Science	p. xiii
Foods
Milk and Dairy Products	p. 3
The Nature of Milk	p. 3
Unfermented Dairy Products	p. 13
Fermented Dairy Products	p. 31
Cheese	p. 36
Eggs	p. 54
The Chicken and the Egg	p. 54
The Composition of Eggs	p. 59
Egg Cookery	p. 66
Egg Foams	p. 72
Meat	p. 82
Meat in the Human Diet	p. 82
The Structure and Qualities of Meat	p. 86
Slaughter, Aging, and Storage	p. 95
Meat Cookery	p. 105
Fruits and Vegetables, Herbs and Spices	p. 123
Plants as Food	p. 123
The Nature of Plants	p. 134
The Composition and Qualities of Plants	p. 140
Spoilage and Storage	p. 166
Cooking Fruits and Vegetables	p. 173
Notes on Individual Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs and Spices	p. 180
Fruits	p. 181
Vegetables	p. 188
Herbs and Spices	p. 204
Tea and Coffee	p. 215
Grains, Legumes, and Nuts	p. 226
Seeds as Food	p. 226
The Grains	p. 230
Legumes	p. 249
Nuts	p. 263
Bread, Doughs, and Batters	p. 273
The Origins and History of Bread	p. 273
Flour	p. 284
The Ingredients in Doughs and Batters	p. 300
Bread	p. 306
Other Dough Products	p. 314
Batters	p. 321
Sauces	p. 327
The Development of Sauces	p. 327
Starch-Thickened Sauces	p. 335
Emulsified Sauces	p. 348
Sugars, Chocolate, and Confectionery	p. 367
The Appeal of Sweetness	p. 367
Honey	p. 369
Maple Syrup	p. 380
Sugar	p. 385
Corn Syrup and Fructose	p. 394
Chocolate	p. 397
Confectionery	p. 409
Sugar and Tooth Decay	p. 424
Wine, Beer, and Distilled Liquors	p. 426
The History of Alcohol	p. 426
The Nature of Fermentation	p. 434
Wine	p. 438
Appreciating Wine	p. 462
Beer	p. 466
Distilled Liquors	p. 481
Drunkenness and Hangovers	p. 493
Food Additives	p. 499
Additives in "The Good Old Days"	p. 500
The Rise of Chemical Additives	p. 503
The Trouble with Additives	p. 505
Informed Choice	p. 513
Food and the Body
Nutrition: American Fads, Intricate Facts	p. 517
Nutritional Fads in the United States	p. 517
The Elements of Nutrition	p. 527
Digestion and Sensation	p. 553
The Nature of Digestion	p. 553
Hunger and Thirst	p. 559
Taste and Smell	p. 560
The Principles of Cooking: A Summary
The Four Basic Food Molecules	p. 577
Water	p. 577
Carbohydrates	p. 585
Proteins	p. 590
Fats and Oils	p. 597
Cooking Methods and Utensil Materials	p. 608
Browning Reactions and Flavor	p. 608
Cooking Methods	p. 610
Utensil Materials	p. 619
A Chemistry Primer: Atoms, Molecules, Energy	p. 625
Atoms and Molecules	p. 627
Energy	p. 632
The Phases of Matter	p. 635
Bibliography	p. 638
Index	p. 653
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