Book Information

Book ID Asin: 1933615982
Book Title: The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)
Book Author: The Editors of America's Test Kitchen and Guy Crosby Ph.D
Book Format and Price:
Book Format Name: Kindle
Book Format Price: $24.27
Book Format Name: Hardcover
Book Format Price: $17.99
Book Price: $17.99
Book Category: Books, Cookbooks, Food & Wine, Cooking Education & Reference and unknown
Book Rating: 1,620 ratings

Book Product Detail

• Best Sellers Rank: #29,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Cooking, Food & Wine Reference (Books)
  • #96 in Cooking Encyclopedias
  • #157 in Agricultural Science (Books)

• Customer Reviews:
  4.8 out of 5 stars 1,620 ratings

Book Review

Name: Pokin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A must-read to improve the results of your food!
Date: Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2012
Review: Having relied on Cooks Illustrated recommendations for many of my favourite kitchen tools, buying this book was a no brainer. Needless to say I had high expectations going in, and this book did not disappoint.

I'm an avid cook, and while I've had great success with certain types of food, I've been frustrated by inconsistent results in others. (I can't seem to get a consistently moist pot-roast -- reason: my cooking temperature was probably too high; wrong cut of meat + oven braising is better than stovetop since it heats more evenly in more directions)

The Science of Good Cooking breaks down why food cooks a certain way, and which techniques are best for what purpose. The book is organized into 50 concepts with recipes reinforcing each concept. There's a section called "why this works" following each recipe, which breaks down the science behind each step -- for instance why use a certain type of marinade, cooking technique, take extra steps, etc to achieve a desired outcome. It's nice that it's not just a list of recipes.

Experiments back each concept. Meats were weighed, measured, smashed to determine tenderness, and moisture loss. They came up with a range of ideal resting times for various meats based on actually measuring the amount of juices lost at various times, and they sent food to the science lab to analyze their structure. They even stuck bones on mashed potatoes to test out whether keeping bones on makes food taste better. This book debunked some assumptions I had (acid does not actually make food more tender), and helped me understand other ones better - why salt directly applied on skin makes it more crispy, but if you brined the skin you'd get a different outcome. I also learned that the direction you cut your onion affects its taste - obvious in retrospect, but I never thought about that!

I was disappointed I couldn't see a table of contents before purchase, so here are the 50 concepts you will find within the book -

1. Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking
2. High Heat Develops Flavor
3. Resting Meat Maximizes Juiciness
4. Hot Food Keeps Cooking
5. Some Proteins Are Best Cooked Twice
6. Slow Heating Makes Meat Tender
7. Cook Tough Cuts Beyond Well Done
8. Tough Cuts Like a Covered Pot
9. A Covered Pot Doesn't Need Liquid
10. Bones Add Flavor, Fat, and Juiciness
11. Brining Maximizes Juiciness in Lean Meats
12. Salt Makes Meat Juicy and Skin Crisp
13. Salty Marinades work best
14. Grind Meat at Home for Tender Burgers
15. A Panade Keeps Ground Meat Tender
16. Create Layers for a Breading That Sticks
17. Good Frying is All About Oil Temperature
18. Fat Makes Eggs Tender
19. Gentle Heat Guarantees Smooth Custards
20. Starch Keeps Eggs from Curdling
21. Whipped Egg Whites Need Stabilizers
22. Starch Helps Cheese Melt Nicely
23. Salting Vegetables Removes Liquid
24. Green Vegetables Like it Hot -- Then Cold
25. All Potatoes Are Not Created Equal
26. Potato Starches Can Be Controlled
27. Precooking Makes Vegetables Firmer
28. Don't Soak Beans -- Brine 'Em
29. Baking Soda Makes Beans and Grains Soft
30. Rinsing (Not Soaking) Makes Rice Fluffy
31. Slicing Changes Garlic and Onion Flavor
32. Chile Heat Resides in Pith and Seeds
33. Bloom Spices to Boost Their Flavor
34. Not All Herbs Are for Cooking
35. Glutamates, Nucleotides Add Meaty Flavor
36. Emulsifiers Make Smooth Sauces
37. Speed Evaporation When Cooking Wine
38. More Water Makes Chewier Bread
39. Rest Dough to Trim Kneading Time
40. Time Builds Flavor in Bread
41. Gentle Folding Stops Tough Quick Breads
42. Two Leaveners Are Often Better Than One
43. Layers of Butter Makes Flaky Pastry
44. Vodka Makes Pie Dough Easy
45. Less Protein Makes Tender Cakes, Cookies
46. Creaming Butter Helps Cakes Rise
47. Reverse Cream for Delicate Cakes
48. Sugar Changes Texture (and Sweetness)
49. Sugar and Time Makes Fruit Juicer
50. Cocoa Powder Delivers Big Flavor

The only thing I would have loved was a trouble shooting / Q&A section - e.g. How do you keep meat from cooling too much when you rest it?

Overall a great book if you want to improve your cooking technique, and also if you just want to learn more about why things behave the way they do!

Update: Looks like "Look inside" is now available for this book so there's finally a table of contents! :) Since I've been cooking with the new concepts in mind, I'm happy with how my meat dishes (especially the stews) are turning out. I also tried using vodka instead of water to make pie crust (with the tip of putting a heated pan under the pie pan) and the pie crust turned out flaky and delicious as promised.

Name: Keith Sinders
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: If you want to learn to be a good cook, this is the book to start with!
Date: Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2012
Review: This book is great for those wanting to improve their cooking skills. Many cooking books start you out with a bunch of cooking utensils, what they are, which ones you'll need, etc. This book gets right down to the matter of how to make grandma's recipes taste like grandma cooked them instead of the recipe seemingly missing something that you can't put your finger on.

It starts right at the heart of the matter with measuring, comparing dry measuring with liquid measuring and to measurement by weight. The first thing I did after starting to read this book was to go out and buy an accurate electronic food weight measuring scale. It shows how what even good cooks measure can be off by far more than you think.

Next, it covers stuff to check like making sure your oven is really the temperature it says it is. It then goes on to show you how to use all of your senses to cook and how due to ingredients being somewhat different around the world you may have to adjust some. Through the guidance of this book, it gives you the insight that your grandmother probably learned through decades of cooking. For example, when you start smelling the food it is often done and cooking it more just cooks the taste right out of it. Using your eyes to detect changes in the bubbling or color while cooking instead of depending on a timer which could throw off the whole way your food tastes.

There's two cookbooks that I think every home cook should probably have in their personal library. The Joy of Cooking is a tried and true favorite which is great for having a good starting base for many recipes. And this book, is the book you sit down beside it and use to perfect those recipes and make them taste just like grandma's or maybe even dare I say it, a little better.

Name: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: LOVE LOVE LOVE IT
Date: Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2016
Review: Nothing but love from me about this book. I am an self taught experienced cook and caterer who totally understands how technique is key to many great food outcomes. I am also a learner so this book was way to fun to read. "Oh wow that's why that doesn't work!" I recommend if you are a reader. I also own and LOVE The Food Lab same type book both with great information. I can understand how some inexperienced cooks could find this book troublesome. BUT, if you really take the time to read it and understand and learn from it you will be rewarded in great taste.

Name: Jack's Mum
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Time for New Recipes
Date: Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2015
Review: I think it is time for Cook's Illustrated to come up with some new recipes and factoids - Or maybe I just buy too many of their cookbooks. This cookbook is just a repackaging of their same old information with no photographs. There are lots of lovely drawings, but I like seeing pictures of the at least some of the finished product. If you have even ONE Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, you do not need to buy this one. The only reason I did not give it one or two stars is I felt that it would be unfair. Even though the recipes are over-used, they are good recipes with good directions.

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