Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes

Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes

by Harold McGee
Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes

Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes

by Harold McGee

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Overview

The answers to many kitchen conundrums in one easy-to-use volume, from the author of the acclaimed culinary classic On Food and Cooking

Harold McGee is our foremost expert on the science of cooking, advising professional chefs worldwide. Now he offers the same  authoritative advice for food lovers everywhere in Keys to Good Cooking. A companion volume to recipe books, a touchstone for spotting flawed recipes and making the best of them, Keys to Good Cooking is a welcome aid for cooks of all types—translating the modern science of cooking into immediately useful information. Taking home cooks from market to table—and teaching them the best way to select, prepare, and present an amazing array of food—Keys to Good Cooking is an invaluable resource for anyone who prepares food and wants to do it well.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780143122319
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date: 10/31/2012
Pages: 576
Sales rank: 525,405
Product dimensions: 7.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Harold McGee writes about the science of food and cooking. He’s the author of the award-winning classic On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, and writes a column, “The Curious Cook,” for The New York Times. He has been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and one of the Time 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. He lives in San Francisco.

Table of Contents

Introduction xiii

1 Getting to Know Foods 1

2 Basic Kitchen Resources: Water, the Pantry, and the Refrigerator 17

3 Kitchen Tools 43

4 Heat and Heating Appliances 65

5 Cooking Methods 77

6 Cooking Safely 105

7 Fruits 119

8 Vegetables and Fresh Herbs 143

9 Milk and Dairy Products 187

10 Eggs 211

11 Meats 237

12 Fish and Shellfish 269

13 Sauces, Stocks, and Soups 289

14 Dry Grains, Pastas, Noodles, and Puddings 323

15 Seed Legumes: Beans, Peas, Lentils, and Soy Products 347

16 Nuts and Oil Seeds 359

17 Breads 369

18 Pastries and Pies 393

19 Cakes, Muffins, and Cookies 413

20 Griddle Cakes, Crepes, Popovers, and Frying Batters 441

21 Ice Creams, Ices, Mousses, and Jellies 453

22 Chocolate and Cocoa 471

23 Sugars, Syrups, and Candies 493

24 Coffee and Tea 513

Where to Find More Keys to Good Cooking 525

Acknowledgments 529

Index 533

What People are Saying About This

Ruth Reichl

Reading through this book I thought - How come nobody's done this before? But the answer is obvious: Only Harold McGee could answer every cooking question you could possibly have. We'd all like to have Harold standing in the kitchen while we cook, but since that's impossible, this is the next best thing. Every serious cook will keep this book next to the stove - and every amateur cook should do the same. (Ruth Reichl, author of Garlic & Sapphires and Tender At The Bone)

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Harold McGee is a passionate proponent of understanding how to achieve the best flavor and texture from food. Happily for us, he has the skill to share his vast technical knowledge in clear and simple terms. The invaluable information in this book will do wonders to improve the quality and enjoyment of all our cooking and baking. (Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of Rose's Heavenly Cakes)

Shirley O. Corriher

Everyone who cooks needs this book. Keys to Good Cooking is a treasure trove of food information. Even after 50 years in the food business, I learned something new every few pages. Cookbooks tell you "how," and food-science books tell you "why," this book tells you both. (Shirley O. Corriher, Author of CookWise and BakeWise)

Thomas Keller

I think Harold McGee has singlehandedly contributed to modern cuisine like no other person has. We constantly look to him for guidance and information as we continue to grow as cooks and explore new techniques. In his new book "Keys to Good Cooking," he provides us with clear and definite answers to all our "Why?" questions, when in the past we were just told or taught to do things a certain way. Harold has given us a true understanding of the interaction foods have with one another — he is the most important authority on the subject. (Thomas Keller, The French Laundry and Per Se)

Alice Waters

This book is a vital reference tool for all who love food and cooking—a book to read cover to cover, and then keep, dog-eared, on the kitchen counter.

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