Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the science of food and cooking. He studied science and literature at Caltech and Yale, and has written two prize-winning books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, as well as many articles and reviews. He has been named food writer of the year by Bon Appetit magazine and to the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people. He lives in San Francisco.
On Food and Cooking is the classic that weaves together
history, science, and practical advice in mesmerizing (really)
discussion of every conceivable topic of interest in the
kitchen...Everyone who eats can use this book. It belongs in every
home. - Cheryl Mendelson, author of Home Comforts: The Art and
Science of Keeping House
A must-have resource for any student of the stove, On Food and
Cooking synthesizes details from a wide variety of scientific
disciplines and gastronomic traditions, sparking the reader's
culinary imagination with every turn of the page. Harold McGee
possesses that most rare combination: a scientist's skill and a
cook's heart. -Rick Bayless, author of Rick Bayless's Mexican
Kitchen and Mexico One Plate at a Time
Harold McGee changed our lives with his original On Food and
Cooking. While we knew that many things in cooking worked or
didn't work, McGee showed us why. This new edition is the most
complete book on food that I have ever seen, and it is easy to
read-an inconceivable amount of information made incredibly
accessible. On Food and Cooking is unique, engrossing
reading and a major contribution to great culinary literature.
-Shirley O. Corriher, author of CookWise
Harold McGee's book is simply a monumental journey merging food and
science...and a marvelous read. - Paula Wolfert, author of
Mediterranean Cooking
Having the pleasure of working with Harold McGee at The French
Laundry kitchen was a dream come true. On Food and Cooking
continues to be the most accurate source of information for
generations of chefs. A charismatic teacher, Harold is a veritable
fountain of information and without peer in our industry. His books
are the most worn and dog-eared of my entire collection. -Thomas
Keller, chef-owner of The French Laundry and Per Se
I have used Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking for the last
two decades whenever I've had questions on the chemistry of food or
to understand some aspect of the cooking process. This
extraordinary, new, expanded edition will occupy a place of
prominence on my bookshelf. - Jacques Pepin, author of Jacques
and Julia Cooking at Home and The Apprentice: My Life in the
Kitchen
I know of no chef worth his salt who doesn't keep a copy of Harold
McGee's masterwork, On Food and Cooking...Simply put, it is
the Rosetta stone of the culinary world...McGee flipped on the
science switch, and suddenly there was light. Whereas Julia Child
taught how, McGee explains 'why.' - Alton Brown, Time
McGee's immeasurable knowledge and infinite wisdom has hugely
influenced the state of gastronomy. I constantly refer to On
Food and Cooking and I am thrilled there's more yet to learn
from the master of food and science. This book covers topics I have
never ever heard of in a comprehensive end all way. - Mario Batali,
chef-owner of Babbo and Otto
Nothing could be more welcome than a revised and expanded verison
of Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking. This big, immensely
important work, with its breathtaking scope, is the basic resource
for anyone who wants to understand the way we grow our food,
harvest it, store it, cook it, consume, smell, taste, and even
digest it. McGee's sceintific writing is intelligent, lucid, and
always to the point -- helping both professionals and serious home
cooks understand what happens when they work with food, enabling
them to be more enlightened shoppers, cooks, and even eaters. The
first edition of On Food and Cooking has been the best
selling book in the history of our bookstore. A newer and larger
On Food and Cooking is a gift to all who want to know how
food works. - Nach Waxman, Owner, Kitchen Arts & Letters
Without an understanding of basic food science and practical
cooking technique, there can ultimately be no true creativity in
the kitchen! Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is the
definitive treatise on this subject that both the professional and
home cook will absolutely require to move their cooking forward.
-Charlie Trotter, chef-owner of Charlie Trotter's
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