Food Science Books

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Michael Pollan

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> History
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General
Subjects -> Health, Mind & Body -> Nutrition -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 471 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Rethinking Food 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

As omnivores, this book proposes, our lives are complicated by the question of what to eat in this landscape of plentiful food. The author starts with the most common options--processed supermarket foods and fast food. Tracing these meals backward, he finds an unbelievably tangled system that urges farmers to grow vast amounts of unneeded corn at low prices that are then subsidized by the government. Getting rid of this excess of corn then becomes the driving force behind factory farms, where animals are kept in deplorable conditions and pumped with antibiotics to keep their bodies from breaking down.

Pollan's investigation of mainstream organic farms didn't paint a much better picture, despite the assumption that organic animals are better treated.

Moving toward smaller farms, though, Pollan finds an entirely different attitude, a respect for animals and the rhythms of nature.

Pollan finishes off his quest with a hunter-gatherer mission, and he experiences the difficulty and satisfaction of killing and scavenging a meal from his immediate environment.

I liked the details of this narrative, and the way the facts of factory farming were presented in a way that made the situation clear without seeming to be overly sensationalized. I also liked that Pollan discussed in detail his thoughts about vegetarianism and the reasons why he chose not to go that way, even after seeing how animals were killed and prepared.

Before reading this book, I had a vague idea of the meat industry, of course. Reading this book clarified the situation for me, though, and made me start thinking about the sacrifices I might be willing to make in my own life and my own budget in order to eat more fresh and local foods.

Editorial Review:

A national bestseller that has changed the way readers view the ecology of eating, this revolutionary book by award winner Michael Pollan asks the seemingly simple question: What should we have for dinner? Tracing from source to table each of the food chains that sustain us— whether industrial or organic, alternative or processed—he develops a portrait of the American way of eating. The result is a sweeping, surprising exploration of the hungers that have shaped our evolution, and of the profound implications our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread

Peter Reinhart

Amazon Price: $23.10 List Price: $35.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Ten Speed Press Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $21.78

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 186 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"A bread baker, like any true artisan or craftsman, must have the power to control outcomes," says Peter Reinhart, author of The Bread Baker's Apprentice. "Mastery comes with practice." As in many arts, you must know and understand the rules before you can break them. Reinhart encourages you to learn the science of bread making, but to never forget that vision and experimentation, not formulas, make transcendent loaves. The Bread Baker's Apprentice is broken into three sections. The first is an amusing tale of Reinhart's visit to France and his discovery of pain à l'ancienne, a cold-fermented baguette. The second section comprises a tutorial of bread-making basics and Reinhart's "Twelve Stages of Bread." And finally, the recipes: Ciabatta, Pane Siciliano, Potato Rosemary Bread, New York Deli Rye, Kaiser Rolls, and Brioche, to name a few. All recipes include bread profiles and ingredient percentages. Reimagined for modern bakers, these mouthwatering classic recipes are bound to inspire. --Dana Van Nest

Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles

Ray Daniels

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Brewers Publications Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $14.40

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 64 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Part 1 of Designing Great Beers is a complete book in itself, focused solely on home-brewing ingredients and techniques (including three superb chapters on hops alone). Ray Daniels proves himself the "techie" type, infusing his introductory chapters with as much brewing math as brewing lore. Yet, Daniels never hops off the deep end of beer geekdom. Instead, he complements this emphasis on data with the creative use of graphics; where one could get bogged down in the stats, there is usually a clear visual depiction to instantly summarize their meaning.

This focus on facts continues into part 2 of Daniels's guide, where it backs an admirably pragmatic take on beer styles and their importance in home-brewing. Daniels devotes a chapter to each of 14 major style categories, detailing historical origins and modern brewing techniques. He lays a contemporary groundwork by compiling and analyzing the recipes of the National Homebrew Competition's most successful beers. The assumption is that beers deemed representative of particular beer styles in modern competitions serve as ideal models for recipe creation. Among the information provided for each style is a chart showing the percentage of brewers using each type of grain and in what proportions the grains were added. Similar data are supplied for hop varieties, yeast strains, and water treatment. This reverse engineering of award-winning beers naturally benefits experienced brewers seeking to wow judges at the next competition. Yet, even brewers taking their first shy steps into creating their own recipes have much to gain from this kind of practical analysis. Daniels provides the basic tools a brewer of any level can use to formulate recipes with confidence and creativity. --Todd Gehman

Weber's Big Book of Grilling

Jamie Purviance, Sandra S. McRae

Amazon Price: $19.96 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: WEBER - Model: 62542 Amazon Marketplace: 64 new & used starting at $4.99

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Features:

• Weber #62542 Big Book of Grilling By Jamie Purviance & Sandra S. McRae
• WEBER

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Outdoor Cooking -> Barbecuing & Grilling
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Outdoor Cooking -> General
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Outdoor Cooking -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 113 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

We're not Worthy! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have to bow down to this book as the best grilling book EVER. We've tried many of the recipes and never been disappointed. Plus, it's entertaining to read with great pictures. Can't ask for much more than that.

Weber's Big Book Of Grilling 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is a great guide to a first time owner of a Weber Grill.The recipes are easy to make and the tips and anecdotle information are great!!!

Editorial Review:

The grilling experts at Weber share their time honored secrets of cooking wisdom in this ultimate barbecue handbook. Destined to become a sauce stained classic, its packed with more than 365 of the tastiest recipes ever to hit the grill, mouthwatering full color photos, and all the tips and techniques you need to become a certified Backyard Hero. Want to know the secret of perfect ribs or how to grill a 20 pound turkey without letting them see you sweat? Whether youre the neighborhood grilling guru or youve never done much more than flip a burger, youll find tricks of the trade, great advice, and infinite ways to grill up fabulous food thats as red hot as the coals!

416 pages

By Jamie Purviance & Sandra S. McRae

Soft Cover

Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking

Anthony Bourdain

Amazon Price: $24.75 List Price: $37.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Bloomsbury USA Amazon Marketplace: 63 new & used starting at $16.35

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 73 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In this long-awaited cookbook, Anthony Bourdain reveals the hearty, delicious recipes of Les Halles and the provocative tricks of the trade that have made him a celebrated name across the globe. Before stunning the world with his bestselling Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour, Anthony Bourdain spent years serving some of the best French brasserie food in New York. With its no-nonsense, down-to-earth atmosphere, Les Halles matches Bourdain's style perfectly: a restaurant where you can dress down, talk loudly, drink a little too much wine, and have a good time with friends. Now, Bourdain gives us his Les Halles Cookbook, a cookbook like no other: candid, funny, audacious, full of his signature charm and bravado. So bring a sharp knife, a big appetite, and a willingness to learn, as Bourdain teaches you everything you need to know to prepare classic French bistro fare. While you're being guided, in simple steps, through recipes like roasted veal short ribs and steak frites, escargots aux noix, and foie gras aux pruneaux, you'll feel like he's in the kitchen beside you-reeling off a few insults when you've scorched the sauce, and then patting you on the back for finally getting the steak tartare right. As practical as it is entertaining, Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook is a can't-miss treat for cookbook lovers, aspiring chefs, and Bourdain fans everywhere.

Basic Butchering of Livestock & Game

John J. Mettler

Amazon Price: $11.53 List Price: $16.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Storey Publishing, LLC Amazon Marketplace: 35 new & used starting at $9.99

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This is the book for anyone who hunts, farms, or buys large quantities of meat. The author takes the mystery out of slaughtering and butchering everything from beef and veal, to venison, pork, and lamb. The text is clear and easy-to-follow. Combined with 130 detailed illustrations by Elayne Sears, the reader is provided with complete, step-by-step instructions. Here is everything you need to know: ; At what age to butcher an animal ; How to kill, skin, slaughter, and butcher How to dress out game in a field ; Salting, smoking, and preserving ; Tools, equipment, the setup ; More than thirty recipes using all kinds of meat An Outdoor Life Book Club Selection "Provides clear, concise, and step-by-step information for people who want to slaughter their own meat." (Mother Earth News) Author Biography: John J. Mettler, Jr., D.V.M., is a retired large-animal veterinarian in upstate New York and has written several books on animals, including Basic Butchering of Livestock and Game and Horse Sen

Canning & Preserving for Dummies

Karen Ward

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Thought about canning and preserving your own food? Maybe you haven’t given it a try because you believed it would be too involved. The truth is, today’s methods and procedures for home-canning, freezing, and drying food are simpler and easier than ever. And now, with this easy-to-follow book, you’ll get the information you need to can and preserve food safely.

Canning and Preserving For Dummies makes putting up fruits and vegetables in your home as easy as pie. Featuring up-to-date safety guidelines and simple, fun techniques, this practical, friendly guide is for anyone who wants to enjoy delicious, do-it-yourself treats year-round—or even give them as gifts! You get all the juicy details on:

• Water-bath canning
• Pressure canning
• Freezing
• Drying
• Finding the right supplies and equipment

Canning and Preserving For Dummies also features yummy, eas y-to-do recipes that include preparation times, cooking times, processing times, and the yield you should expect from your efforts. You’ll see how to make everything from apple butter, pear-raspberry jam, and bread and butter pickles to chicken stock, tomatillo salsa, and white chili. You’ll also discover how to:

• Know the acidity level of your food
• Pick and prepare fresh fruit
• Line your jars with liquid
• Create jams, jellies, and marmalades
• Preserve chutneys, relishes, and sauces
• Pickle vegetables
• Combine foods for convenience
• Select food for freezing
• Protect the life of your dried food

Providing troubleshooting tips for home-canned creations, sources for locating equipment suppliers, a metric conversion guide, and definitions of preserving terms, Canning and Preserving For Dummies has just what you need to fill your pantry with savory homemade fare.

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

Hervé This

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Columbia University Press Amazon Marketplace: 44 new & used starting at $11.00

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> History
Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Hervé This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent research in the chemistry, physics, and biology of food to challenge traditional ideas about cooking and eating. What he discovers will entertain, instruct, and intrigue cooks, gourmets, and scientists alike.

Molecular Gastronomy, This's first work to appear in English, is filled with practical tips, provocative suggestions, and penetrating insights. This begins by reexamining and debunking a variety of time-honored rules and dictums about cooking and presents new and improved ways of preparing a variety of dishes from quiches and quenelles to steak and hard-boiled eggs. He goes on to discuss the physiology of flavor and explores how the brain perceives tastes, how chewing affects food, and how the tongue reacts to various stimuli. Examining the molecular properties of bread, ham, foie gras, and champagne, the book analyzes what happens as they are baked, cured, cooked, and chilled.

Looking to the future, This imagines new cooking methods and proposes novel dishes. A chocolate mousse without eggs? A flourless chocolate cake baked in the microwave? Molecular Gastronomy explains how to make them. This also shows us how to cook perfect French fries, why a soufflé rises and falls, how long to cool champagne, when to season a steak, the right way to cook pasta, how the shape of a wine glass affects the taste of wine, why chocolate turns white, and how salt modifies tastes.

Brew Like a Monk: Trappist, Abbey, and Strong Belgian Ales and How to Brew Them

Stan Hieronymus

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Brewers Publications Amazon Marketplace: 39 new & used starting at $11.12

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great read 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I highly recommend to this anyone who wants to learn more about Trappist and Trappist inspired ales. Very accessible and thorough.

A Conversation around the Fire 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Imagine that you-an experienced homebrewer-got to gather around a fire with some folks who had years of experience brewing versions of your favorite beer style. It would be hard to have a bad time, harder still not to come away a better brewer for it.
This friendly, if somewhat disorderly book is just that conversation. I love the complexity and depth of belgian strong beers. Occasionally, by dumb luck, I've brewed one. Other times, my efforts have been dull, or over-concentrated or just odd.
In these conversations, we get some clarity about yeast, malt, fermenters, temperature control and bottling.
I think the odds in my favor just went up. This is a book to mine for insights.

Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

Editorial Review:

Brew Like a Monk delves into monastic brewing, detailing this rich-flavored region of the beer world. It also examines methods for brewing these unique ales suited to commercial and amateur brewers.

Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of

Vicki Lansky

Amazon Price: $8.95 List Price: $8.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: The Book Peddlers Amazon Marketplace: 40 new & used starting at $4.53

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Subjects -> Home & Garden -> How-to & Home Improvements -> Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Love it! 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I just love this book. So easy to read and find stuff your looking for. I had no idea vinegar was so awesome. After reading this I became a vinegar addict and use it for all sorts of stuff. Well worth the money, especially if you are interested in cleaning without using harsh chemicals.

Nice review of folk wisdom, well presented 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 27 people found this review helpful.

To heck with "going green" - Manmade Global Warming is utter nonsense (or explain why the icecaps on Mars are melting, too...) I use the shower-head cleaning technique to make sure I am getting the maximum force out of my environmentally hostile pulsating showers. This is a fun book, and you will be amazed at how versatile the product is. We're fans of apple cider vinegar, by the way.

Editorial Review:

Vinegar is a health remedy, a neutralizer, a cleaner, a condiment, and a preservative. It can kill bacteria, mold, and germs, yet it is environmentally safe. This comprehensive guide covers all types and uses of vinegar, including how to make flavored varieties and using it as the basis for kids' science projects. A full index and whimsical illustrations make the book informative and fun.