CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
by Shirley O. Corriher
|
List Price: Our Price: $14.27 You Save: $20.73 (59%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $5.78 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
Book Review: An encyclopedic bedside read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of the best cooking books I've come across. Not just a collection of recipes, in fact, the recipes are relatively unimportant, rather they are used as explanations of the theory the Author has just been describing.
Want to know the growth patterns of yeast and the biomechanical mechanism behind Gluten?
Unhappy with your bread not rising?
Don't know which yeast to buy?
Want to know how to make a Hollandaise?
Or want to know WHY you can make a Hollandaise?
Or just need a bunch of simple tips on whipping up cream?
This book has answers for all of these things.
The layout mostly follows theory first, followed by various example recipes, each with a cut-out section of tips. This allows you to easily find what you are looking for by finding a recipe similar to what you are trying to make, then scan the tips or if that doesn't help, read the associated in depth food science behind it.
A great book, even if you don't go into the detailed theory, there is enough useful bites of information in the tips for every recipe to help you lift your cooking game a couple of notches
Book Review: My #1 Kitchen Resource!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read through quite a few of the reviews and thought I'd add my own comments to the batch. I have to admit that I am not a professional cook nor much of a literary sort; that said, I will say that for ME, a person who loves to cook and likes the idea of understanding WHY methods and techniques work or don't in cooking and baking, this is a wonderful source! I use it as a reference book more than a 'read', so I hardly noticed the 'poor layout'! I did notice that many related items where tucked in various sundry places and did have to be sought out. However, I have gotten some of my best recipes and great knowledge from this book and continue to use it and experiment with the various recipes. True, there are ingredients in some recipes that are difficult to find, but I'm an adventurer and basically 'know' how to cook, so I have no problem figuring out substitutes. I am so "out of the loop" on what's 'in' and 'not' amongst "foodies", that I wasn't aware of the book's reputation-all I know is that I enjoy referencing this book and have found great recipes within. Definitely the first book that I reach for for inspiration or understanding!Book Review: A good "How and Why" book, but poorly organized
Summary: 3 Stars
I LOVE cooking, and with lots of reading, TV shows, many hours spent in restaurant dining rooms, at-home experimentation and mistakes I've fallen even more deeply in love with everything about food. So, naturally, when I had the opportunity to learn the "how and why" behind my failures and to learn more "tips and techniques" I ran right out to buy Shirley's book.I am naturally curious, so, a book which explains WHY things happen seemed a logical addition to my 50 feet of cookbooks. I'm sorry to say that while I find the chemistry very interesting, the scientific explanations very clear, and I am learning a great deal, I have trouble with the book's organization. OK, perhaps it's not supposed to be like other "cookbooks", and it clearly isn't, but I think a good edit would improve the readability immeasurably.
Shirley does do an outstanding job of explaining "why", and that simple fact should not be overlooked, but this book seems best suited for "reading and learning" and NOT as a reference text where one would go to check out a technique or to find a recipe.
Book Review: Excellent tools for the experimental cook
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent cookbook for the experimental cook. If you open up three or four cookbooks to gauge the similarities between different recipes for the same dish, get a few ideas, and then use them to make up a version of your own, this is the book for you. Have you ever wondered which were important steps in a recipe, and which were OK to change? Have you wondered why you can't get consistent results from some ingredients, and wished you knew exactly what was happening so that you could compensate? Shirley Corriher explains chemically and mechanically what is happening to the ingredients at each point in preparation and cooking and gives you the benefit of hundreds of controlled kitchen experiments that it would take years (and endless patience) to duplicate for yourself. This book provides the tools to launch off into your own creations even in the previously mysterious realms of breads and sauces.
The recipes are good, but more importantly, they illustrate a particular reaction or effect, and give you the tools to customize them for yourself.
Book Review: A Different Kind of Cookbook
Summary: 5 Stars
Cookwise is the cookbook I have been looking for years. It is not your usual cookbook, which is chock full of recipes with little explanation of why. Cookwise instead is broken down into sections that explain the chemistry behind each recipe.When learning to cook, I always wanted to know why the ingredients were used, and why they were put in in a certain order. This book gave me the background I needed in order to begin experimenting with my own recipes, based upon a foundation of knowledge.
For example: the first section of the book pertains to breads and baking. Included in this section is in-depth explanations of gluten, types of flours, yeasts, and shaping and kneading techniques. The section then delves into the different combinations required for breads, flaky crusts, cookies, etc.
I am a novice cook, and this book has been indispensable for me. This book is ideal for someone trying to learn how to cook. It's composition and ordering is probably confusing, and the recipes are too basic, for someone that already knows how to cook.