Book review #3 plus a quick experiment
posted by joeli under book reviews
The first part is "Secrets of the Kitchen" and is sort of myth busting for food. It takes common theories about food (putting a silver spoon in champagne bottle to keep the fizz, blowing on coffee to cool it down faster) and puts them to the test.
The second part is "Physiology of Flavor" and is pretty much does what the title says. It goes into things like how chewing effects the flavor of food.
The third part is "Investigations and Models". This section is the longest and discusses the science behind specific foods. For example, he discusses how to get a perfect sabayon and why this method works. But again don't expect any recipes but do expect to be using a thermometer to boil your eggs.
The forth part is "Cuisine for Tomorrow" and is about experiments to take food to the next level. For example, there is a section on mayonnaise and how to make different types of mayo (egg white only for example).
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Book Review #2
posted by joeli under book reviews
For my next book review I want to talk about A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes.
Overview: This book consists of 15 master recipes (7 cupcake recipes and 8 frosting recipes) and 60 recipes which adapt those master recipes. This is a format which I absolutely adore. Now, don't be worried--the 60 recipes are not the 7 cupcakes with each different frosting. Though it is true that some of the main recipes are used much more often than the others, there is a wide variety and most recipes have something added in which makes them more than just a basic cupcake. The master recipes are utilized as follows: sometimes a main recipe will call for "12 yellow cupcakes" in which case you simply follow the master recipe for the yellow cupcakes and then proceed as follows. Other times the main recipe will just call for "1 batch batter from yellow cupcakes" in which case you make the batter but then are probably stirring something in. Please trust me that this format does not in anyway get tedious. You probably have 20 shirts in your closet which are all variations on the basic T-shirt but which are all different enough to give you a reason to buy them, right? Well the cupcakes in this book are definitely all very different.
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Book Review (and a note about silicone bakeware)
posted by joeli under book reviews
I've decided that once a week, I will post a review of some cooking related book. I should note that I'm not actually a big fan of most cookbooks but if I don't hate it then I probably love it. I don't like recipes with lots of fancy ingredients and I don't generally cook with meat or fish, nor do we usually have fruits or wine in the house. So mostly, I flip through a cookbook, see maybe one recipe I like and put it back on the shelf. But by forcing myself to review one cookbook a week, it's making me really look at the book and decide what I like and what I don't. Hopefully I'll find a few more that deserve a place on my shelf. Most of the cookbooks I review will be ones that I get from the library, a few will be ones that I own. My reviews will honest and if I recommend buying a book it'll only be because I think it's a genuinely good book and worth owning. Keep reading for my views on On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and also my views on silicone bakeware.
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