| Title | : | Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0982761007 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780982761007 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 2400 |
| Publication | : | First published December 1, 2010 |
Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking Reviews
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The other day, I thought I'd enjoy some tilapia. Two Sams Choice frozen tilapia fillets and three minutes of microwaving later, I achieved:
the fish appeared quite exploded, and neither the particulate matter nor blasted hulls were very delicious (they tasted more like hash browns and frozen fish, respectively). so, i seem rather desperately in need of this 5-volume, $675 cookbook, which can sit alongside
Cooking with Hemp on my nascent cookbook shelf (current population: aforenumerated). admittedly, this is a lot like going and buying a thousand dollars of high-tech fishing equipment and shit when you've never fished, but you've got to spend money to make money! -
Just arrived on my doorstep this afternoon. Expect a full review when I finish reading it in, oh, 2015.
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The only thing keeping this text back from being the first and last word on anything related to food is the fact that it necessarily left out baking, although using the incredibly detailed information in this collection on set foams and ovens, combined with other books on the properties of flour, such as "Bakewise" or "On Food and Cooking", you will be well on your way to mastering that art as well. This is the most incredible collection of empirical and professionally tested set of data on modern cooking techniques and equipment. The level of the text is that of a layperson, and the photographs are phenomenal. The physics, chemistry, and biology, when present, are presented without reserve. If you have ever wondered how to make the best out of a recipe, why a recipe comes out differently even though you followed it exactly, or how to make your own precisely repeatable recipe for something no-one else has ever thought to create before, this collection is for you.
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I'm going edit and update this review as I work my way though each volume.
1) History and Fundamentals:
I was surprised to find that this book is written in a narrative style with a high school reading level and is full of pictures. As such, it reads very, very fast. I've never wanted a Kindle but this is a lot of book to lug around. I'm glad the library only checks out one volume at a time, I'd need a dolly to carry it home otherwise.
The history portion is fascinating, I wish I knew more about it when I visited Spain.
I figured the bacteria and parasites chapter would give me nightmares and I'd never want to eat again, but I think carrot cake is safe...
The Story of This Book should have gone first.
2) Techniques and Equipment:
This section is less useful to the home cook. I do not have a combi oven, a rotovap, or a pressure cooker. I do have a clever and a wok. I liked the parts about freezing, liquid nitrogen, and blenders.
3) Meat and Veggies:
The best volume yet. This book saved my bison roasts.
I love my crock pot but in the past my crock pot has charred my lamb shanks and bison roasts, even on low. So sad. I took the fish on onions cooking hint and stacked the crock pot halfway full of layered potatoes and carrots. Then I added the meat and encased it in parsnips, rooted parsley, and celery. 7 hours later: Perfection.
4) Ingredients and Preparations:
Jello, foams, wine, and coffee.
5) Plated Dishes:
Love the watermelon "steak."
If you don't have a fancy kitchen, this is an ideas book. Take notes so you won't forget all the wonderful ideas you get. -
Something that I really enjoy about this book is that even though it includes a lot of text, it is all worth the reading. It starts with the basics about each ingredient and a few facts about them. For example, in the protein section, it says that eggs contain the highest quality protein that one can buy. This means that eggs beat all of the other meats and beans that contain protein because they are the best so go eggs. I also learned that olives are not a vegetable and that they are fruit. The average lifetime of an olive tree is 400 to 600 years which is very cool since I didn't even know that olive trees existed thinking that they just are there. Then near the end of the book, they introduce dishes that are harder to make and take more effort with facts that help make the dish better. The garlic and dried ancho chiles are not the only ingredients that bring out the tangy flavor in the Peri Peri Chicken but there is also Sherry Vinaigrette and smoked paprika added in to help deepen that flavor of the dish. It also introduces other dishes like Korean japchae, Gambas al Ajillo, Chili Verde, and macaroons with tips on how to make them taste amazing. I would rate this book an 8.79/10 to people that both find cooking and nonfiction interesting. But if one is an easy quieter and gets bored easily if there is no action in the book then I would not recommend this book to them. I believe that this book is maybe for a smaller group of people that would really enjoy and love this book. So if you're ready to take up the challenge of a 2000 something page cookbook, good luck.
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Like many of the brave souls, who were willing to part an extra $600+ to invest in one's culinary education, I bought and added this collection to my cookbook library. I was NOT disappointed. Despite the heavy weight and bulky size of the books, I found myself rejoicing every page. Here you have a wonderful cookbook collection merging art and science together, so seamlessly and beautifully, that you can feel the real harmony of technical and artistic facility of great cookery. A must have for anyone with a passion for innovation and exploration of modern fine cooking and interest to debunk some cooking myths.
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I have to admit that it took me a long time to convince myself that buying the
Modernist Cuisine series was a good investment.
I have to say that these books impress me every time I browse through them. It is a compendium of culinary knowledge: a pillar of modern cuisine that brings together decades of trial and error, along with scientific research, to establish the foundations of a new knowledge of food.
It has been more than a year since I purchased it and I am happy to say that I still discover new things every time I read it.
For those of you who hesitate to buy the book, I would encourage you to try to find out how many cooking books would it get you to get as much knowledge as in the
Modernist Cuisine. My guess is that
Modernist Cuisine would be a better value.
A useful tip for those of you who have the series is to use the full text search available on the Modernist Cuisine website
Nathan Myhrvold and his team for this book. It certainly has helped expand the horizon of our culinary research (my wife owns a catering company in Dubai). -
2400+ pages later.... WOW.... This five volume series is breathtaking in both its photography and text, and is easily the definitive statement on modern cuisine. It covers everything pertinent to the contemporary chef, including Sous Vide, Calcium Alginate, Agar Agar and all of the other standards of this approach to cooking. Fans of Harlod McGee's work will feel right at home here with the excellent text, as will fans of good food photography. A VERY HIGHLY recommended book to anyone interested in the culinary arts, and in particular, the fans of chefs such as Ferran Adria and Grant Achatz.
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An incredibly generous friend loaned me these books, and I nearly wore gloves turning the pages. It's a mix of art and science all rolled into one, and what I got from it was an unnatural urge to water bathe all of my food. Maybe not toast, though.
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No hay nada editado ni remotamente parecido a esto. Imprescindible para cocineros con inquietudes.
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contrary to most, it was not the price that sent me to mark exclamations.
it was the weight specified on the delivery service's webpage : 23 kg !(!)
i thought it was a typo, until i had to carry it upstairs...
but what a beautiul set of books. no way they'll go into my kitchen.
these books are made for salivating, not for cooking.
incidently, the set of books also makes a cameo appearance somewhere on the shelves in the kitchen of the excellent tv show "the bear" -- if details are your thing (or if your brain is a chaos of details screaming at you and your consciousness is in no position to argue).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14452776/ -
The Holy Bible of cooking, Modernist Cuisine is a masterpiece in every aspect it dips is 6 thick volumes into. The tomes house some of the best food photography and presents diagrams of equipment in a beautiful manner. Entire chapters are filled with novel cooking techniques and equipment, including the obvious modernist tools such as sous vide immersion circulators, as well as more obscure ones such as the Pacojet. While not necessary to read in whole, doing so will leave you smarter and more knowledgeable about food.
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Nice book.
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Beautiful, detailed, and WAY OUT OF MY PRICE RANGE.
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This collection comes in a series of 5 volumes about food - in fact everything you would want to know about food and about cooking food. As the introduction says this book is not just about 'what' and 'how', but the 'why'. The book delves deep into the behaviour of food, the science and how we can change that behaviour or work with it. . It is a great read, a book that would be dipped into for many years - just leave it on the coffee table and you will never get your guests to leave. I am astounded by these books, the information in them and the photography is just to die for. Not your run of the mill recipe volumes, but so much, much more. If you are a person who likes to know why things happen and are a fan of Heston Blumethal you will love these, they are not books that you read from cover to cover, although I suppose you can do that, but something you can dip into many times. Just don't blame me if you are constantly late, due to dipping in too long.
I did see some reviews say they are expensive, but for the information, the research that must have gone into the series, and most of all the presentation and photography which are pieces of art - I don't think they are expense - there are 5 volumes after all.
These books were supplied to me in return for a honest and unbiased review. -
Encyclopedic, text book, and precise. This is a wonderful teaching tome for those interested in cooking, cooking and science (a la Harold McGee), modernist cuisine, and molecular gastronomy. Oh, and for anyone who is a fan of the amazing, wonderful superstar chef Ferran Adria and his generous teachings.
There are other grand chefs referenced or featured in this multi-volumed set, and it is very interesting reading. I might be biased, as I took a class on science and cookery that I found extremely intriguing and improving, but I do think that anyone who enjoys cooking or who is even slightly interested in why things cook as they do would love this title.
It is a bit expensive, but I would say it is worth buying if you have a serious interest in cooking. Also, it is more a book to reference and concentrate on certain sections rather than to read cover to cover. Unless, of course, you are a student of cooking.
**eARC netgalley** -
I want this book set, though I consider it more of a beautiful science book than a "cookbook." Cheapest prices I've found other than ebay is Barnes & Noble with a 30% off member coupon. Some of the coupons don't work since it is already discounted, but some of them do. I am waiting for a 40% off coupon that works on their already discounted pricing, and then I am pulling the trigger on this baby. I got a chance to browse through it on black Friday in my neighborhood B&N. Just warning you - do NOT try to carry it home from the store. You will need at least one chiropractor appointment to recover. It is beautiful and gorgeously printed. However, when I do get this thing, I will have to have a safe room in which it can off-gas, because it STINKS of new book. New book is a nice smell, but this one is just too intense.
