The Cookbook Decoder, or Culinary Alchemy Explained - Softcover

Grosser, Arthur E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446306053 ISBN 13: 9780446306058

Publisher: Warner Books, Incorporated, 1983

Synopsis

At last, a guide for those cooks who are oppressed by recipes which are often as peremptory and seemingly illogical as barracks room orders. The Cookbook Decoder lets us in on the REASONING behind recipes, what ingredients are vital to success, why some utensils do a better job than others, and which timing sequences are mandatory. And, it goes ahead to provide the reader with a framework for thinking about and modifying recipes with self-assurance. Peppered with over 120 recipes and more than 20 kitchen experiments, the Decoder is an invaluable tool for understanding, appreciating, and working creatively with man's oldest chemical experiment: cooking.

About this title

About the Author

The author was born in Brooklyn, New York to parents of mixed gender. After a long adolescence he made his way to Cornell University with the mistaken idea that life would be warmer in upstate New York. He next tried the University of Wisconsin where he acquired 3 mackinaws and a Ph. D. The reputed torrid climate of Montreal beckoned he became a Chemistry Professor at McGill University. He has always been an actor; professionally, most of his life.

Review

...a cookbook with a difference. It uncovers the molecular secrets that differentiate the perfect sauce from the lumpy mess; the divinely smooth gelatin souffle from the granular disappointment. The book ... explains some of the chemical principles at work in the touchiest areas of food preparation. And it offers sound, simple recipes that make use of the new knowledge. Professor Grosser can explain. --The Washington Times

The Cookbook Decoder not only explains the whys of cooking, the kitchen experiments make it a lifesaver for mothers with children home for the summer or scout leaders fresh out of project ideas. Grosser explains the whys for everything from why eggs whip stiff to why certain cooking utensils are used. The autodemonstrations will keep a budding chemist busy all summer and will turn a disbeliever into a believer. --The Indianapolis Star

Just when you are sure you have become an expert - untrippable - in the cookbook department, you discover this explanatory tome of culinary alchemy. It is delightfully organized - simultaneously humorous, enlightening and with some recipes to demonstrate points. This is an important addition to any cook's library. --The San Francisco Chronicle

Edition details

• Publisher: Warner Books, Incorporated
• Publication date: 1983
• ISBN 10: 0446306053
• ISBN 13: 9780446306058
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1