"On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee

[Guest Mandy Davis]

Just finished reading the proof of the new edition (for review). I reread the first edition about three weeks ago to prepare myself.

His new book is WONDERFUL. I kept flipping back and forth between the two: McGee has rewritten every single part of the book -- it's even more conversational and delightful, lot's of exclamation points and asides. He covers a lot of the scientific aspects of flavor -- lists of different flavor chemicals and how things like parma ham and melons have the same chemical compounds in them -- unlocking the secrets of food pairings.

What I would love to see would be a chemical breakdown like this applied to the lists of foods in say, Culinary Artistry, or in wine-food pairings...

I suspect it's going to win some big awards -- the first edition was groundbreaking, and this is 10x better. Has anyone else had a chance to look it over?

[Michael Ruhlman]

I have--and I'm delighted to hear it from someone else. It's an astonishing piece of work that's going to be around for a long time.

[Bux]

It's an astonishing piece of work that's going to be around for a long time.

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Or at least until the next edition. Then again this "revision" was about ten years in the making. I can't imagine what sort of undertaking a third edition would be. I'm already overwhelmed by what's in this one.

[Bux]

He covers a lot of the scientific aspects of flavor -- lists of different flavor chemicals and how things like parma ham and melons have the same chemical compounds in them -- unlocking the secrets of food pairings.

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When people think of science in the kitchen and hear terms such as molecular gastronomy, they often think of a laboratory and some sort of frankenstein food. Much of what McGee has done is to offer understandable analyses of why things we know work actually do work, so we're not limited to the uses of this information in the way past generations were. For a cook who's not a scientist, It would seem that the lists Mandy wants are the next step.

I was struck by how obvious some of the information in the book is, if only someone would have pointed it out to me before. Cooking grains in either milk or stock will result in a creamier milk or more concentrated sauce from the stock even if the pan is covered and there's no evaporation simply because the grains are absorbing the water.

One has to be a thinking cook to get a lot out of the book, but one's thinking doesn't have to be on the chemical or molecular level to be enriched and more enlightened. The net effect in my mind is not to separate the art and science, but pair them better.

On the other hand, it's thoroughly entertaining to just read the side bars with historical and anecdotal information. History is also an important part of the texts, getting no less attention than science. McGee uses a quotation from Boccaccio's Decameron to illustrate a point in the history of pasta.

[alacarte]

Just as an aside, Nach Waxman, the proprietor of Kitchen Arts & Letters, says that the McGee book is currently his best seller.

(KA&L is a NY bookstore that sells only food and drink related books, including cookbooks. If you live anywhere NYC or are planning to visit, it's a great place to while away the afternoon and empty your wallet.)

[Bux]

Kitchen Arts and Letters, 1435 Lexington (93rd/94th), 212-876-5550. Glad to hear Waxman is saying the same thing in public he told the publisher.

[Bux]

More about Harold McGee here.

Book talks and signings by Harold McGee in California Bay Area here.

[Matthew Grant]

Does the updated book have a slightly different title in the UK? It would appear to be on Amazon UK as "McGee on Food and Cooking: An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture"

Same book?

[Bux]

Does the updated book have a slightly different title in the UK? It would appear to be on Amazon UK as "McGee on Food and Cooking: An Encyclopedia of Kitchen Science, History and Culture"

Same book?

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Yes, that's the UK title for the same book. In the US it's On Food and Cooking/The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. "History and culture" is "lore," I suppose. Although science is in the driver's seat, there's quite a bit of history and culture. I'd say it's a well rounded scientific presentation. You really don't need to have a head for all the molecular stuff to appreciate it, but the likelihood is that much of the science will have meaning even for those who don't profess to have a mind for science.

[Harold McGee]

Boy, talk about burning ears! Many thanks for the interest in my book and for the kind words posted about it. I'm looking forward to the q&a next week--if you have questions for me, please join in.

[Bux]

I'd like to remind those who might have missed the announcement, that the eGullet Q&A with Harold McGee is in progress right now. Whether or not you have a question for Mr. McGee, it makes for good reading although I doubt we'll get around to discussing everything that's in his 884 page book.

[Squeat Mungry]

There's a great write-up of Mr. McGee by Carolyn Jung in today's San Jose Mercury-News.

While the original was 684 pages, the new one is 878. The section on chocolate is three times longer than in the original book. Seafood, which merited about one paragraph in the original, now spans 70 pages. And while the original was a bit Eurocentric, the new one is much more global.

``It used to be that when people had questions, I could just refer them to a page in the book. But the day came that I couldn't do that any more,'' says McGee, 53, who lives in a renovated Eichler home in the Baron Park neighborhood of south Palo Alto. ``I had to address this new, greater demand for information.''

Cheers,

Squeat

[ronnie_suburban]

A very nice review by Robyn Israel appeared today in the On-Line Edition of the Palo Alto Weekly...

When you first walk into Harold McGee's kitchen, you can't help but notice all the modern amenities: the Viking gas range, the Gaggenau electric oven, the Maytag refrigerator, the dishwasher. Surrounding the stainless steel appliances are cherry cabinets, which give the room, a cozy, warm feeling.

It's a foodie's dream kitchen, a place where you could concoct anything, from cheese souffle to chocolate truffles; paella to pizza. But this Palo Alto kitchen is not just a fancy showpiece.

It is a laboratory.

=R=

[tanabutler]

I had the utter joy of sitting next to Harold McGee at dinner last night: it was the season finale for the Outstanding in the Field farm dinners. After touring through a redwood forest with David Chambers, a professional forager, fifty or so people sat a long table at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by redwoods.

On the menu was wild boar (five ways), Dungeness crab/chantarelle lasagne, Pacific mussels with a saffron aïoli, a salad of wild greens garnished with madrone berries, and walnut cake with candy cap mushroom ice cream. Randall Grahm, of Bonny Doon Vineyards, supplied about a dozen kinds of wine; the tasting room in Bonny Doon was just down the road from the dinner. He was entertaining, as usual, and the wines were some of the best I've had in a while, in particular the 2003 Cigare Blanc and the 2003 Il Circo Erboluce, which he described as "Old World wines." (More on that later.)

I will merely say that Mr. McGee was the most delightful dining companion anyone could wish for—I am sure that everyone in our vicinity would agree. The food was fantastic, and the moonrise over the grove, exquisitely beautiful.

It was a perfect afternoon/evening. I'm still all blissed out today. I have a few pictures of the food and tour that I'll post when I get it together.

[docsconz]

I am jealous I just got his book. It is authoritative and easy to read.

[tanabutler]

I am jealous I just got his book. It is authoritative and easy to read.

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I decided to get it for my daughter, who's sixteen and smitten with both food and science. She can explain it to me.

[Bux]

I am jealous I just got his book. It is authoritative and easy to read.

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I decided to get it for my daughter, who's sixteen and smitten with both food and science. She can explain it to me.

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As John says, it is easy to read and self explanatory. It's not written for scientists.

[helenas]

Incidentally one of my friends wrote the following to me recently:

"It's one my favorite cooking book. My niece is taking chemistry this year and the book is great for explaining many concepts and provides chemistry experiments we can eat."

[Bux]

The Q&A forum is closed, although still accessible for reading in the Fridge, so let me announce the winners of the 5 copies of On Food and Cooking.

32rueduVertbois

alexw

The Cynical Chef

thebartrainer

Ruth

[Revallo]

I have been searching for Harold Mcgee´s book in other languages. Does anyone know if it is yet avalible in Italian or Spanish? Thanks.

[albiston]

Dana,

there is an Italian version of the 1984 edition. Bibliotheca Culinaria, an Italian gastronomy book reseller has it in their online catalogue here

[Bux]

I have been searching for Harold Mcgee´s book in other languages.  Does anyone know if it is yet avalible in Italian or Spanish?  Thanks.

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I suggest the person who might know is Harold McGee himself. The e-mail address given on his web site to contact him is harold@curiouscook.com.

As for translations of the 1984 edition, you should be aware that the 2004 edition is considerably larger and contains not only revisions to information in the 1984 edition, but whole new sections. It really renders the earlier edition obsolete.

[Revallo]

I have been searching for Harold Mcgee´s book in other languages.  Does anyone know if it is yet avalible in Italian or Spanish?  Thanks.

←

I suggest the person who might know is Harold McGee himself. The e-mail address given on his web site to contact him is harold@curiouscook.com.

As for translations of the 1984 edition, you should be aware that the 2004 edition is considerably larger and contains not only revisions to information in the 1984 edition, but whole new sections. It really renders the earlier edition obsolete.

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Yes I have the 2004 edition.... I was looking for it in Italian for my chef de partie....he speaks good english but I think he would get more out of it if it was in his language. Thanks for Mr. McGee´s email. I will let you know if I find the new edition in other languages.

[Chris Amirault]

Two useful bits of information for McGee fans. First, if you haven't already seen it, check out his blog, The Curious Cook. Not the most prolific blog, but the content tends to be golden.

Reading about pine nuts today, I noticed something else. In the right column of the page, you'll find a search box for On Food & Cooking itself. That's right: type in "lard," say, and you'll be directed to the google book pages where lard is discussed.

Wicked cool.

[Rico]

Just bought this today and began to wonder if the awesomeness I'm about to delve into is contradictory to or made obsolete by Modernist Cuisine? Or does MC just go much, much more in depth?