内容简介
Winner of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award for Cookbook Hall of Fame
Winner of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award for Reference
Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious.
Now, for its twentieth anniversary, Harold McGee has prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of On Food and Cooking. He has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. As compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new On Food and Cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment.
On Food and Cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped give birth to the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." Though other books have now been written about kitchen science, On Food and Cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques.
Among the major themes addressed throughout this new edition are:
Traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality
The great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients
Tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully
The particular substances that give foods their flavors and that give us pleasure
Our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods
On Food and Cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. It will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.
作者简介
Harold McGee is a world-renowned authority on the chemistry of foods 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 lives near San Francisco.
内页插图
精彩书评
"In this long-awaited revision of his classic On Food and Cooking (1984), McGee has incorporated current information and covers a greater range of ingredients and how they can be prepared to develop their diverse flavors. To McGee, learning about the chemistry of foods encourages cooks to rely less on recipes and more on their own understanding of what happens to food in the skillet or the freezer. Ultimately, he believes, cooks become more confident and creative. Whether that is their goal or not, serious home cooks and professionals will repeatedly turn to this unique resource for technical details and in-depth information on everything from storing olive oils to the molecular composition of fruits. Beginning cooks who want just a smattering of food science can use Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food: Food+Heat=Cooking for its basic techniques and recipes. This new edition will be in demand for years to come and should be purchased by larger public and academic libraries to give their cookery collections currency and depth."
--Andrea R. Dietze, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA
前言/序言
《厨房的科学与传说:食材的奥秘与烹饪的艺术》 内容简介 本书并非仅仅是一本食谱或烹饪指南,它是一场深入厨房核心、探寻食材本质与烹饪技艺根源的知识探险。我们生活在一个被烹饪深深环绕的世界,但很少有人停下来思考,一块肉是如何在火上变成焦香的美味,面团又是如何从简单的面粉和水蜕变成口感丰富的面包。本书旨在揭开这些日常现象背后的科学原理,同时追溯烹饪传统中那些代代相传的“传说”和技巧的由来。 第一部分:元素的交响——食材的分子世界 烹饪的本质,是物质在热力学和化学作用下的转化。本书将从最基础的元素层面剖析我们餐桌上的主角。 水的角色与魔力: 水是生命之源,也是烹饪中的核心介质。我们将详细探讨“水活度”(Water Activity)在食物保鲜和质地形成中的关键作用。从淀粉糊化到蛋白质变性,水分子如何参与其中,以及为什么控制水的状态(液态、固态、蒸汽)是掌握烹饪的关键。例如,深度解析油炸时水分快速蒸发如何形成酥脆外壳,而蒸汽在烤箱中如何确保肉类多汁。此外,书中会涵盖高压锅、真空低温烹饪(Sous Vide)等现代技术如何精确控制水的状态以达到理想效果。 蛋白质的结构与命运: 无论是肉类、蛋类还是豆类,蛋白质都是构建风味和质地的支柱。我们将解构蛋白质的三维结构,解释“变性”(Denaturation)过程——即加热如何使蛋白质纤维松散,从而嫩化肉类或凝固蛋液。对不同蛋白质(肌红蛋白、胶原蛋白)的化学性质进行细致分析,帮助读者理解为什么牛排需要静置,以及肉类在不同温度下口感的细微差别。胶原蛋白水解成明胶(Gelatin)的过程,将以清晰的化学图示展示,解释高汤熬制和肉皮的Q弹口感是如何产生的。 脂肪的香气与口感: 脂肪不仅仅是热量的载体,更是风味分子(Flavor Molecules)的载体。本书将深入探讨饱和脂肪、不饱和脂肪以及多不饱和脂肪的结构差异及其对烟点(Smoke Point)的影响。我们会解释美拉德反应(Maillard Reaction)中,脂肪如何通过热传递加速反应的发生,并生成数百种复杂的芳香化合物,赋予煎烤食物特有的“焦香”。此外,书中还会探讨乳化作用的原理——蛋黄中的卵磷脂或芥末中的胶质如何稳定油水混合物,从而创造出稳定、顺滑的蛋黄酱和荷兰酱。 碳水化合物的转化: 面粉、土豆、糖,是烘焙和甜点制作的基石。我们将系统地介绍淀粉的直链和支链结构,解释加热和水分如何导致淀粉颗粒膨胀、破裂,最终形成糊状——这是制作浓稠酱汁或松软蛋糕的基础。对于糖类,我们将深入研究焦糖化(Caramelization)的过程,对比其与美拉德反应的异同,并解释如何通过精确控制温度来获得从浅琥珀色到深黑色的不同风味层次。 第二部分:热力学的艺术——烹饪技法的科学基础 烹饪技法是人类智慧的结晶,而每一种技法背后都有其科学逻辑。 干热与湿热的较量: 书中将对比干热(如烘烤、煎炒)和湿热(如炖煮、蒸煮)对食材的影响。干热侧重于水分蒸发和表面褐变;湿热则侧重于溶解、渗透和嫩化。我们将用实例说明,为什么需要先将肉类煎封(Searing)以锁住风味,再用湿热慢慢炖煮以达到骨肉分离的软烂效果。 发酵的微生物哲学: 发酵是人类最早掌握的化学转化之一。我们将探讨酵母、细菌和霉菌如何在特定环境下对食材进行改造。酸奶的乳酸菌、面包的酵母菌、以及酱油和奶酪中的微生物群落,它们如何分解复杂的分子结构,产生新的风味物质和独特的质地。书中会深入讲解如何通过精确控制温度和时间来引导这些微生物的活动,从而保证发酵过程的稳定与安全。 香料的化学指纹: 香料是风味的建筑师。本书将不再停留在“加XX克”的层面,而是解析每种香料的核心化学成分——萜烯、酚类化合物、醛类等。例如,丁香中的丁香酚,肉桂中的肉桂醛。理解这些成分的挥发性和溶解性,能指导我们何时加入香料(在油中爆香以释放脂溶性风味,还是在汤汁即将完成时加入以保留易挥发香气),从而最大化其效用。 第三部分:厨房中的“传说”与现代验证 许多流传已久的烹饪“秘诀”经不起科学的推敲,但也有一些“民间智慧”恰恰是基于深刻的经验观察。 关于盐的哲学: 盐(氯化钠)不仅仅是咸味的来源。我们将详细分析盐在腌制、脱水和嫩化过程中的渗透压作用。探讨为什么在烹饪前或烹饪后放盐会产生不同的效果?深入剖析盐如何改变蛋白质的结构,从而影响肉类的保水能力。 油脂的真相: 现代厨房对不同食用油的选择眼花缭乱。本书将系统对比猪油、黄油、橄榄油、菜籽油等在饱和度、烟点和风味特性上的差异。澄清关于“好油”与“坏油”的常见误解,解释反式脂肪的形成机制,并为不同烹饪需求提供基于科学的油脂选择指南。 烘焙中的平衡艺术: 烘焙被认为是厨房中最精确的科学。书中会详细分析面筋(Gluten)的形成机制——面粉中的醇溶蛋白和麦谷蛋白在水和揉捏作用下如何形成弹性网络。我们将解释糖、酸和碱(如小苏打与泡打粉)在面团中的化学反应,以及它们如何共同决定面包的体积、颜色和内部结构。任何微小的配方偏差,都可能导致最终产品的灾难性失败,本书旨在提供理解这些偏差背后的科学逻辑。 结论:从工匠到科学家 本书的目标是武装读者以知识的力量,将烹饪从一种盲目的模仿行为,提升为一种有意识的创造过程。理解“为什么”能让你在面对意外情况时,能够即兴调整,而不是束手无策。它鼓励读者将厨房视为一个活生生的实验室,每一次烹饪都是一次验证假设的实验,最终,将传统技艺与现代科学融会贯通,达到烹饪艺术的更高境界。