CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
by Shirley O. Corriher
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Book Reviews of CookWise: The Hows & Whys of Successful Cooking, The Secrets of Cooking Revealed
Book Review: Indispensible book for the kitchen
Summary: 5 Stars
Quite simply, this book is a necessity for every person who wants to know the "why" of cooking and baking. Ms. Corriher explains the science of baking in terminology that is easily understood. Although I've been cooking and baking since I was 8, it's only been since I purchased this book that I've come to understand why ingredients act and interact with each other the way they do, and why certain changes in the form of an ingredient (softened versus melted butter, for example) render one form a completely different ingredient than the other form.As a result, I'm now able to correct and improve recipes, and create my own recipes, having a better idea before I even start cooking of what the results will be.
Book Review: A Must Have
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent book for any level of cook. Shirley O. Corriher is a food scientist. She explains the chemical reactions that happen between certain ingredients. For example, if you are making a fresh mayonnaise (oil, eggs, lemon juice), she said that you must never use extra-virgin olive oil as this oil contains a chemical that prevents it from emulsifying with other ingredients.In her book, she also includes over 230 recipes which help support this technique.
She is in high demand as chefs and cookbook authors are forever
consulting her on why their new recipes have failed.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what is happening when they use a recipe.
Book Review: Great info for interested cooks!
Summary: 4 Stars
I heard the last portion of Shirley's interview on NPR and was impressed by how easily she described the science of bread making. Being an avid breadmaker, I dashed out and bought the book. After reading Cookwise I felt far more confident adding my own flare to recipes. I learned how much adjustment I can make without throwing the balance of the ingredients. Every cook needs to know the reasons why recipes succeed or fail and this book has it. On a critical note, this book isn't a reliable source for recipes. Many of them didn't work for me, and further, Cookwise isn't organized as a cookbook, anyway. If you want fabulous recipes and a comprehensive index, try Joy of Cooking.Book Review: Open that pie-hole, we're cooking Shirley's recipes tonight!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this book gives you the why's and what-for's, but wait till you taste some of these recipes! I just finished the cheddar-crusted chicken breasts with grapes and apple in grand marnier sauce, served over the sherried rice and barley, accompanied by a salad with the basil vinaigrette. It was some of the best food I've tasted outside of France. Really. I tried the eat-your-veggies spaghetti sauce and found the addition of the pureed carrots inspired. But when you taste Shirley's basic, moist, sweet cake with old-fashioned burnt sugar icing, you will transcend mere food tasting and wind up dumbfounded, staring at the stars, wishing your mother had known how to make a cake like this.Book Review: The most helpful cooking book I can imagine
Summary: 5 Stars
The day I receive this cookbook was the day my life was changed forever. I read the book cover to cover in wonder and amazement as all basic ingredients were explained in a very easy to comprehend way. This cookbook doesn't have very many recipes (although the recipes that are included are very tasty), but the wonderful thing about it is that it teaches an amature cook how to make their other recipes actually work. With the information I got from this book I can take my Grandmother's recipes, my Betty Crocker recipes, etc... and make them turn out how I want them to turn out. Work in the kitchen has become so much less stressful and so much more predictable than ever before.