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| Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) | 
 enlarge | Author: Herve This
Creator: Jody Gladding
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $22.95
Buy New: $13.65
You Save: $9.30 (41%)
New (46) Used (5) from $13.65
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 17262
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 232
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 6.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 023114170X
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5
EAN: 9780231141703
ASIN: 023114170X
Publication Date: October 23, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: A BRAND NEW COPY & in MINT NEW condition From Aphrohead Books of Southport - United Kingdom. Delivery time is 4 - 5 days direct to the USA. Thanks from all at Aphrohead.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 6 | | NEXT » |
 A cooking, C science September 15, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book is entertaining and full of interesting anecdotes and culinary notes. The science is described with lively enthusiasm, but it is often imprecise or simply wrong. Some of it may be an artifact of the translation, but one is left hoping that the next edition is read by a chemist and a physicist before publication. Beware quoting this book in an educated company, or on your final exam!
good book, lacks depth, poor English July 17, 2008
This book contains what the title says it does, however it is not compehensive like On food and Cooking, it is much smaller. This books strengths are its small size, and the information is easy to apply.
The book has been translated from French poorly. It is very awkward English, where I constantly found myself re-reading things.
 A witty guide to cooking through chemistry April 20, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The first things French chemist and gastronomist This clarifies are the terms gourmand and gourmet. A gourmand is not a glutton. A gourmand is a gourmet. A gourmet is actually a connoisseur of wine. Got that? Good. Cause it doesn't get any easier.
This' eye-opening book is all about molecules and atoms in motion and what things like heat, moisture, acid and fat do to transform them into succulent meals - or into fallen souffles, tasteless pot roasts, and rubbery eggs.
After a brief overview concerning the physiology of taste and the basics of saucepan chemistry, This concentrates on various common ingredients and techniques - milk, eggs, sugar, wine, steaming, braising, frying, sauces, salads, pastry - to name a few. We know that oil and water do not mix, and that microwaved beef is gray and unappetizing. This explains why.
He then goes on to show us how to whip up the perfect hollandaise or mayonnaise, and how to keep the succulence in beef. While the microwave plays no part in this last, This is enthusiastic about this appliance and shows us how to use it properly for making caramel, reheating vegetables and - producing a Cointreau-infused duck a l'orange!
This is witty and humorous and sprinkles his clear and effervescent prose with bons mots from such brilliants as Escoffier, Harold McGee and the great Brillat-Savarin. Readers (like me) whose eyes glaze over at the very mention of electrons may find themselves becoming entranced by This' graceful descriptions of essential chemical reactions.
He explains when and why to salt and answers numerous questions, i.e., why soup cools when you blow on it, why babies shouldn't eat sausage, why use so much oil for deep-frying.
Crisply organized, This' compact volume ends with a glossary of cooking and chemistry terms. The first entry is:
"AAAH: The cry of delight guests utter when the first dish arrives. The sleight of hand responsible for the most beautiful `aaahs' cannot be explained in terms of physical chemistry."
Enjoy.
kitchen science, awkwardly translated February 8, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
In culinary science, dominated by Harold McGee's lucid and entertaining "On Food and Cooking," a new book has to deliver a lot. "Kitchen Mysteries" does not quite measure up. Much of the problem is the translation from French: I can HEAR the author talking in French, since the translator has kept the idiomatic elegant French constructions that sound so awkward and rambling in English. The content is interesting and has novelty, such as making duck a l'orange by injecting Cointreau into the thighs before you microwave them. Quel horreur!
How to cook great food January 28, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is not about making cookies or cooking a thanksgiving turkey in time. This book is about the chemical subtleties that make a good dish a great dish. The chemistry is fairly easy while the cooking is a lot harder here.
It isn't about healthy foods (even if there are some good healthy cooking hints) and it isn't about quick cooking (even if there are some interesting suggestions about how, for example, render the microwaved food better tasting).
The two biggest shortcomings in my opinion are a truly lame index and too much quoting from the old masters. Even if I prefer Italian cooking, I can forgive his French cooking slant.
I consider the shortcomings negligible, and thus I stick to 5 stars.
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