About the Author

Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the science of food and cooking. He studied science and literature at Caltech and Yale, and has written two prize-winning books, On Food and Cooking and The Curious Cook, as well as many articles and reviews. He has been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the Time 100, an annual list of the world's most influential people. He lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

"This explains everything. Literally. I am so grateful to McGee for his tirelessness, his patience, and his commitment to answering the whys of the kitchen." --Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat "I know of no chef worth his salt who doesn't keep a copy of Harold McGee's masterwork, On Food and Cooking... it is the Rosetta stone of the culinary world...McGee flipped on the science switch, and suddenly there was light. Whereas Julia Child taught how, McGee explains 'why.'" --Alton Brown, Time "I have used Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking whenever I've had questions on the chemistry of food or to understand some aspect of the cooking process." --Jacques Pépin "A must-have resource for any student of the stove, On Food and Cooking synthesizes details from a wide variety of scientific disciplines and gastronomic traditions, sparking the reader's culinary imagination with every turn of the page. Harold McGee possesses that most rare combination: a scientist's skill and a cook's heart." --Rick Bayless "On Food and Cooking continues to be the most accurate source of information for generations of chefs. A charismatic teacher, Harold is a veritable fountain of information and without peer in our industry." --Thomas Keller "I don't think that Harold McGee missed a single detail in this absolutely fascinating anthology of the hows, whys, and wherefores of cooking. This book is a treasure trove of useful facts and unusual information and a must for every cook who possesses an inquiring mind." --Daniel Boulud