1564 replies to this topic

[ScottyBoy]

Holy mother of god!

My copy came and I'm just lost. Where to start? This thing is a masterpiece!

[ScoopKW]

Holy mother of god!

My copy came and I'm just lost. Where to start? This thing is a masterpiece!

Feeling the same way. I'm not even going to bother for awhile. I simply don't have the time.

[rotuts]

I also waited a bit with my MC. after recovering from back injuries ( ) getting the box inside and open, i waited a little more

then started on the first page. read a little every day. end to end.

[Special K]

I just got my first look at the set - our (high school) librarian just purchased it for the school library on the Science Dept's recommendation (she's definitely one of us). I am just blown away! This is so going on my holiday wish list now that I've actually seen it. And I notice it's now $450.39 (28% off the original price) on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co...20944557&sr=1-1, so that breaks down to about $90 per book, which is very reasonable for a reference book.

[thayes1c]

Googled Modernist Cuisine first editions today to see what they were selling for and came across a picture of the Spanish edition put out with Taschen. Looks really cool. It's black and the cover photo looks almost like it's in infrared. It's like the sexy European cousin of my white one!

Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.co...=283155&s=books

[Broken English]

A fellow cook in the kitchen was asking me about whether she should get Modernist or two El Bulli books. Because I own Modernist, I was advising her to buy the El Bulli books in the hope we could swap each other.

Alas, she got Modernist Cuisine and loves it and I, as a result, will now have to fork out for those El Bulli volumes I've wanted for so long.

[PedroG]

Googled Modernist Cuisine first editions today to see what they were selling for and came across a picture of the Spanish edition put out with Taschen. Looks really cool. It's black and the cover photo looks almost like it's in infrared. It's like the sexy European cousin of my white one!

Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/3836532581/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

See modernistcuisine.com/2011/12/foreign-editions-are-in-stock/, available at 399 EUR (about 520 USD) in French, German and Spanish.
Amazon.com has the Spanish edition at 562.50 USD.

[Todd in Chicago]

Folks!

I got a chance to see Chris Young speak about Modernist Cuisine at Chicago Ideas week. He was fantastic! And as luck would have it, got to have a small chat with him when I bumped into him a few blocks away. Very nice guy!

Well as it turns out, Chicago Ideas week posted their videos online. I was lucky enough to be in the second row. Here is a link to Chris Young's speech:

http://www.chicagoideas.com/videos/12

One thing that constantly amazes me is people that can speak to an audience well; a skill that Nathan and Chris both have!

Cheers...

Todd in Chicago

[designdog]

Got mine from Amazon yesterday, and am both amazed and disappointed. Amazed, well all of the praise is pretty much true, so no need to repeat it. Here is why I am disappointed:

• As the title, and reputation, states, this is cutting edge cuisine. Sous vide, high tech equipment, etc. but guess what? All that food has to be cut, and there is nothing on kitchen knives. Nada. Unusual, with the focus on other equipment. There is some interesting new technology in knives as well...
• After a while I thought they were channeling cook's illustrated. You know, the shocking " the least expensive pan is the best pan," etc. The knock on copper pans, for example, neglected to mention the benefit of rapid temperature response in making pan sauces, etc.
• Volume 2 of my edition has several ink smears and an uncut folio page...

Still a great effort, but I like Ducasse' Encyclopedia better. Another example of a big and expensive book, and one from which I do not cook the specific recipes, but from which I learn and can apply much to my every day cuisine...

[Judy Wilson]

Got mine from Amazon yesterday, and am both amazed and disappointed. Amazed, well all of the praise is pretty much true, so no need to repeat it. Here is why I am disappointed:

• As the title, and reputation, states, this is cutting edge cuisine. Sous vide, high tech equipment, etc. but guess what? All that food has to be cut, and there is nothing on kitchen knives. Nada. Unusual, with the focus on other equipment. There is some interesting new technology in knives as well...
• After a while I thought they were channeling cook's illustrated. You know, the shocking " the least expensive pan is the best pan," etc. The knock on copper pans, for example, neglected to mention the benefit of rapid temperature response in making pan sauces, etc.
• Volume 2 of my edition has several ink smears and an uncut folio page...

Still a great effort, but I like Ducasse' Encyclopedia better. Another example of a big and expensive book, and one from which I do not cook the specific recipes, but from which I learn and can apply much to my every day cuisine...

designdog, I'm so sorry to hear about the damage to your vol. 2. Please send some photos to info@modernistcuisine.com and we will most likely be able to send you a new copy.

[Fat Guy]

Nothing settles an argument like pulling volume 2 off the shelf and opening it to the parametric recipe for jus.

[designdog]

Thanks! Customer service is not dead!

I will send photos tomorrow.

Note to other post: I think the jus chart was where my pages were joined!

[Michael Speleoto]

Received my copy a couple of days ago, decided to start in book 1 at the microbiology section and there was some glue in the pages which left a couple of tiny white patches right in the middle of the Trichinella poster where the paper tore a it. Nothing major but still disappointing. Anybody else had this, is it normal?

[Michael Speleoto]

The same thing happened in another one of the books, and a lot of the pages seem to be glued together close to the spine so they don't open flat, I can't figure out if that's just how the binding works or is it's an actual issue? It seems fairly inconsistent throughout.

[pep.]

So what's up with the errata? The current list is almost a year old and there is not even a list for the second printing. I asked in the MC forum last October (after I got my book set - the first printing wasn't available in Europe), but I got no response from the MC team. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the errata policy and the lack of response to my question.

[Chris Hennes]

I think the website version (rather than the PDF) is newer: at least, the two corrections I sent in last week are up there.

[pep.]

I think the website version (rather than the PDF) is newer: at least, the two corrections I sent in last week are up there.

So they just don't bother to update the "Last revised:" date? That's confusing (and someone should really generate a new PDF). But certainly better than nothing.

However, I still think that a list of corrections that actually made it into the second printing is long overdue (or some kind of markup in the main list).

[Shalmanese]

Keep in mind that even bothering to track, let alone publish errata is rare in the cookbook industry.

[pep.]

Keep in mind that even bothering to track, let alone publish errata is rare in the cookbook industry.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the books and I certainly would buy them again! But encouraging high expectations with the website and forum and then not quite managing to meet those expectations is a bit of a letdown.

If they PDF version can't be updated easily or automatically, I think it should be removed or labeled as out of date. If there is a "Last revised" date given on a page, it should be accurate (for ease of maintenance, such a date should always be generated automatically). This is all just good web practice.

[Chris Hennes]

No arguments here, just pointing out that it's possible that the online errata isn't as out of date as it appears.

[Kouign Aman]

Keep in mind that even bothering to track, let alone publish errata is rare in the cookbook industry.

Its pretty common practice with text books and science books, which this pricy beast more closely resembles.

[Honkman]

Keep in mind that even bothering to track, let alone publish errata is rare in the cookbook industry.

Its pretty common practice with text books and science books, which this pricy beast more closely resembles.

Agreed. At that price level it is quite common with science books (and I would call MC one) to publish errata etc.

[SJMitch]

I think the website version (rather than the PDF) is newer: at least, the two corrections I sent in last week are up there.

Thanks for pointing this out, I saw the last updated date hadn't changed and assumed the web listings weren't either. After you mentioned this I checked and two corrections I sent back in 7/2011 were also now listed there as well. They should update the pdf and 'last updated'. I wonder just how many people have been sending in possible duplicate corrections all this time. It would save work on our and their end if they kept it more up to date and made it clear when it was updated.

[Judy Wilson]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for pointing out that we hadn't updated the errata pdf. We last updated the errata on the web page on March 12th. Unfortunately, the pdf was too big to upload.

Our question to you guys is, what would you like us to do? Should we make separate pdfs for each volume? Should we take out any errata that is not from a recipe?

How can we make this page more usable for you?

[Chris Amirault]

I'd love separate pdfs for each volume that list merely recipe and parametric table corrections. I'd print each volume's pdf, stick it into the front cover, and have it available for a quick check whenever I get out the volume. Personally, I'm not too worried about the non-recipe errata.

Thanks for asking. Really: thanks.

[Paul Kierstead]

Yes, per volume would be pretty usable, probably more so then the current format. I like the non-recipe errata, but it definitely isn't necessary.

[mkayahara]

I agree that a per-volume layout would be fine. I also agree that the recipe errata are the most important. That said - and here's where I get annoying - I think that errata in the text are important where they affect our understanding of the concepts. Simple typographical errors, where the real meaning is easily grasped, matter less. Of course, it then becomes a challenge deciding which are which.

[curls]

Judy, thanks to everyone for publishing the errata. I wish that every publisher would do this.

A per volume errata would be very helpful. I would like it to contain all of the corrections (not just the recipe errata).

[bobag87]

Another vote for one for each volume. Thanks

[Fat Guy]

Talk about an unfair fight: Modernist Cuisine is up against The Art of Living According to Joe Beef at the Beard Awards on Friday night.