The Inquisitive Cook [Paperback]

Anne Gardiner (Author), Sue Wilson (Author), The Exploratorium (Author)

Book Description

Series: Inquisitive Cook | Publication Date: August 15, 1998

In a light, anecdotal, but highly informative style, seasoned cooking writers reveal the unexpected and always practical science of the kitchen. Covered are such subjects as the amazing alchemy of granules and powders, the astonishing egg, the effects on food of different cooking methods, the biology and psychology of flavor, the remarkable chemistry of doughs, spices, and much, much more. Amusing anecdotes, sidebars and illustrations en-liven the text. Throughout, there are "cook's queries," quick tips, and even recipes that will delight anyone interested in becoming a more knowledgable cook.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The science of the kitchen, an important component in the curricula of cooking schools, is a relatively new interest among the general public. The classic Joy of Cooking (LJ 10/15/97) has traditionally devoted some space to the subject, of course, but only recently has Harold McGee's seminal work, On Food and Cooking (1984), found popular expression in Shirley Corriher's Cookwise (LJ 6/15/97). Now, this broad topic has been condensed into a compact volume. The authors?two educators in cooking and the renowned San Francisco museum devoted to science, art, and human perception?have selected the most technical yet practical of culinary questions to explore: how to caramelize sugar, cooking times for various meats, and the phenomena of smell and taste, just to name a few. Eight chapters deconstruct chemistry's magical effect on vegetables, fruits, eggs, flour, salts, sugars, baking powder, yeast, flour, poultry, seafood, beef, and pork. There is a wonderfully authoritative bibliography and a good index. Highly recommended for all collections.?Wendy Miller, Lexington
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

For anyone with unanswered questions about why things happen in the kitchen as they do, Gardiner and Wilson have answers ready. They can tell readers why their poached eggs look a mess (eggs too old), why adding more baking powder to a muffin may not make it any lighter (overinflation leading to collapse), or why onions make you cry (sulfurous gases). Along the way, cooks learn a host of other scientific principles underlying cooking. Less rigorously empirical than Harold McGee's The Curious Cook (1990), this approach to the physics and chemistry of cooking appeals particularly to students looking for science fair projects. The authors' descriptions of the activities of thickening starches ignore the significantly different effects produced by root and grain starches. Simple drawings enhance the text. Mark Knoblauch

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805045414
• ISBN-13: 978-0805045413
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #776,324 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light yet Informative, April 12, 2002

By 

Bradford Daniels (Redmond, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Inquisitive Cook (Paperback)

When I first began reading "The Inquisitive Cook", I was disappointed at its very simple, almost simplistic, style. Having slogged through "On Food and Cooking" (ISBN 0684843285), and having read "The Science of Cooking" (ISBN 3540674667), and "The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore" (ISBN 0020098014), I wondered how such an obviously lightweight and short book could teach me anything.

I need not have worried, though. Even though the chapters are short and the language usage is consistent with a 6th-to 8th-grade reading level, the book is highly informative. It doesn't go into deep discussions of principles, but instead gives a simple overview of a number of processes, together with lots of short, practical examples and experiments. I was very pleasantly surprised by how many of the things in the book covered new details on the topics I had already read about without excessively rehashing what I already knew.

If you really want to learn more of the science behind cooking, you might want to try one of the other books I mention above. If you're just looking to expand your knowledge of cooking in a painless and even fun way, this is the book for you.

You could easily read through the whole book in one session, but it really doesn't require that kind of investment of your attention. The chapters are short (as is the whole book), and there are lots of self-contained sidebars, so this book makes an excellent addition not only to your cooking library, but also to your bathroom magazine rack.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pinch of Curiosity, May 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Inquisitive Cook (Paperback)

The Inquisitive Cook-Discover How a Pinch of Curiosity Can Improve Your Cooking, by Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson and the Exploratorium, Henry Holt Books, is part of a series called The Accidental Scientist. Here's where you turn if you want to know whether brown eggs are more nutritious than white, why and when meat is seared, all about yeast, what salt does in boiling water for pasta cooking, and, this most teasing Ten O'Clock News-ish item, "Can curdled Hollandaise Sauce be saved?" The Inquisitive Cook is a zippy book packed with practical info and answers to common questions, as well as those we might never have considered even lying awake at 3 a.m. on a hot, still night, e.g. " If sugar affects cooking temperatures, does it also influence freezing?"

8 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, March 8, 2001

By 

D. Lowsen (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Inquisitive Cook (Paperback)

This book was disappointing in its lack of detail. It doesn't really get into much depth on any topic and I just didn't learn anything from it.