The Science of Cooking: Every Question Answered to Perfect your Cooking Hardcover – 5 Oct. 2017

Text and photos were good and informative

The information is great.

Fact filled book, very easy to understand.Pity the bottom of the spine was damaged! Packaging was not damaged so book was not quality controlled. Very annoying!😖

I bought this book because I’ve a keen interest in cooking and thought it would be interesting to understand what is happening at a physical level to food. This book covers everything from how eggs are made up chemically, to what happens to meat when it’s cooked, to the effect of various cooking methods in a huge range of foodstuffs. It covers the make up of vegetables, and explains how food browns when cooked.If you have an interest in cooking, even if you are a professional cook, this book will help you to understand what the process is doing, and thereby help you get better results.

I found the information in this book useful. It is not a deep and meaningful science book, neither is it a recipe book. I think it is aimed at an enthusiastic amateur kitchen cook or a trainee chief at the very beginning of their learning. The sciences is more about how and why to choose the types of ingredients that crop up in ordinary kitchen. It covers things like the pros and cons of free range eggs against other means of egg production; how and why to store oils and the different types of rice and how to use and cook them. I would have bought it just to learn to cook rice properly. There are small sections about molecules but only to underpin the above points. An example: there is a description of salt and how it reacts in the pan, this is illustrated by little windows of molecules moving about in the and reacting in the water. And it is this example that made me mark the book a little harshly. There is just a lttle information about how and when to salt and this scantiness crops up in other areas too. Over all I found the information given very useful and interesting. I think some of the negative reviewers may have made the mistake of expecting recipes and or much deeper scientific detail.

This is one of the best books I've ever purchased! Homebound due to COVID-19 and cooking 3 times as much as usual, I was not enjoying my new "pastime": I don't consider myself a great cook to begin with (I have been surrounded by great cooks in my family but also by my peers, and so I had resolved to saying that they had the knack for it, not me - natural talent DOES exist). Yet, the title of the book intrigued me because I enjoy applied science (the other half of my family). Within the first few chapters, my curiosity was triggered by myths that were explained or revisited, and by doubts that I had and which were confirmed thanks to the thorough explanations. I have learnt so much already and have already made the tenderest meat in years - my immediate family was enjoying it so much, that I knew I had achieved something good - finally! Every day now, I read a new chapter and learn details which are helpful and eye-opening (as well as mouth-watering). Thank you Dr. Farrimond for making cooking such an enjoyable and successful daily event.

This book is really unique, and perfect for those who are experimental cooking enthusiasts. Instead of giving you set recipes, it really brings out the science behind what ingredients work well together and why, and therefore you can create your own dishes using the knowledge this book gives you. I bought it for my husband for Xmas, and after months we are still referring back to it as it never gets old and we constantly learn new things. We call it "The Bible" whenever we cook! Don't forget to buy Science of Spice too, the two books work perfectly together.

This book is not meant for if you’re very confident in the kitchen already. I’d also says it not meant for people just starting out either. If you already know how to create some amazing dishes but you find yourself asking “why does that recipe say crush the garlic clove and the other one says mince” then this is the book for you.The book is very well laid out and visually it looks amazing. It’s put into sections based on what cooking ingredient will be discussed in that chapter. It’s very easy to dip in and out but I found myself reading in whole chapters at a time.If you love science and learning about its everyday applications I think you’d really enjoy this book.