Review by Choice Review
To call this book simply a cookbook is to do it a disservice. It is at once a culinary science primer, a well-tested recipe guide for key dishes from aioli to zucchini tempura, and a manifesto on the importance of applying the scientific method to the kitchen. According to Lopez-Alt (managing culinary director, SeriousEats.com; food/cooking columnist), "only by understanding the underlying principles involved in cookery can you free yourself from both recipes and blindly accepted conventional wisdom." After a hefty introduction covering the author's culinary philosophy, a survey of cooking science, and an equipment and pantry guide, the book is organized into nine remaining chapters by food type: breakfast, vegetables, roasts, salads, and so on as broad categories. Lopez-Alt makes clear that the book, though weighty, is not intended to be comprehensive--sweets are in short supply. Reference tables and step-by-step photos add significant value. The book is highly readable and can be enjoyed cover to cover, in sporadic dips, or as a reference source. It is a welcome update to Shirley O'Corriher's Cookwise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking (1997), written in the same vein, and is much more practical than tomes such as Modernist Cuisine, by Nathan Myhrvold et al. (2011). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All culinary library collections. --Jonathan M. Deutsch, Drexel University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The managing culinary director of the Serious Eats website, editor, and author of the James Beard Award-nominated column that informs this massive investigation into the best methods for preparing a litany of foods, Lopez-Alt takes a deep dive into classic recipes and their best preparation methods. Lopez-Alt's experience as test cook and editor at Cook's Illustrated magazine clearly comes in handy, as he recounts the many steps he took in order to determine the best way to pan-sear a steak, whip up a quick tomato soup, scramble an egg or make the best French fries. Though he's hardly the first to tackle the topic of a more scientific approach to cooking-the ghosts of Cook's Illustrated, Harold McGee, and Alton Brown loom large- for the most part he deftly manages to hold the reader's interest and educate without devolving into arcane ingredients or overly complicated instructions. Yes, there are sous-vide cheeseburgers, and his four-step process for cooking steak fries will test many a relationship, but helpful tips on pan-searing a steak (frequent flipping is fine, and might even be the best way), taking the armwork out of risotto, and whipping up a flavor-rich homemade chicken stock in under an hour are genuinely informative and sure to help home cooks of all skill levels. Lopez-Alt's writing style is friendly and informative; he's genuinely interested in his material, and that enthusiasm shines through. Given the book's breadth and depth, this is a remarkable piece of work that stands up to its culinary comrades, and is a terrific starting point for home cooks interested in perfecting their techniques. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Working in professional restaurant and test kitchens, MIT grad and chef López-Alt (managing culinary director, SeriousEats.com) learned to question "expert" cooking advice. In the vein of his James Beard Award-nominated column "The Food Lab" and previous writings for Cook's Illustrated magazine, his massive debut debunks false kitchen wisdom through rigorous scientific inquiry. Hugely informative yet not quite a textbook, this title uses humorous prose and more than 1,000 color images to relay the results of tireless experimenting with cooking temperatures, techniques, and tools. After trying López-Alt's perfected recipes for omelets (diner-style and Western), potatoes (fried, mashed, and hashed), meat loaves, and other popular foods, readers will undoubtedly emerge better cooks, with an arsenal of unconventional techniques that really work (e.g., salting eggs 15 minutes in advance of cooking for improved texture). VERDICT This indispensable kitchen manual, which suggests visualizing heat capacity as a coop full of Red Bull-energized chickens, makes food science accessible. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
