Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Having relied on Cooks Illustrated recommendations for many of my favourite kitchen tools, buying this book was a no brainer. Needless to say I had high expectations going in, and this book did not disappoint. I'm an avid cook, and while I've had great success with certain types of food, I've been frustrated by inconsistent results in others. (I can't seem to get a consistently moist pot-roast -- reason: my cooking temperature was probably too high; wrong cut of meat + oven braising is better than stovetop since it heats more evenly in more directions) The Science of Good Cooking breaks down why food cooks a certain way, and which techniques are best for what purpose. The book is organized into 50 concepts with recipes reinforcing each concept. There's a section called "why this works" following each recipe, which breaks down the science behind each step -- for instance why use a certain type of marinade, cooking technique, take extra steps, etc to achieve a desired outcome. It's nice that it's not just a list of recipes. Experiments back each concept. Meats were weighed, measured, smashed to determine tenderness, and moisture loss. They came up with a range of ideal resting times for various meats based on actually measuring the amount of juices lost at various times, and they sent food to the science lab to analyze their structure. They even stuck bones on mashed potatoes to test out whether keeping bones on makes food taste better. This book debunked some assumptions I had (acid does not actually make food more tender), and helped me understand other ones better - why salt directly applied on skin makes it more crispy, but if you brined the skin you'd get a different outcome. I also learned that the direction you cut your onion affects its taste - obvious in retrospect, but I never thought about that! I was disappointed I couldn't see a table of contents before purchase, so here are the 50 concepts you will find within the book - 1. Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking 2. High Heat Develops Flavor 3. Resting Meat Maximizes Juiciness 4. Hot Food Keeps Cooking 5. Some Proteins Are Best Cooked Twice 6. Slow Heating Makes Meat Tender 7. Cook Tough Cuts Beyond Well Done 8. Tough Cuts Like a Covered Pot 9. A Covered Pot Doesn't Need Liquid 10. Bones Add Flavor, Fat, and Juiciness 11. Brining Maximizes Juiciness in Lean Meats 12. Salt Makes Meat Juicy and Skin Crisp 13. Salty Marinades work best 14. Grind Meat at Home for Tender Burgers 15. A Panade Keeps Ground Meat Tender 16. Create Layers for a Breading That Sticks 17. Good Frying is All About Oil Temperature 18. Fat Makes Eggs Tender 19. Gentle Heat Guarantees Smooth Custards 20. Starch Keeps Eggs from Curdling 21. Whipped Egg Whites Need Stabilizers 22. Starch Helps Cheese Melt Nicely 23. Salting Vegetables Removes Liquid 24. Green Vegetables Like it Hot -- Then Cold 25. All Potatoes Are Not Created Equal 26. Potato Starches Can Be Controlled 27. Precooking Makes Vegetables Firmer 28. Don't Soak Beans -- Brine 'Em 29. Baking Soda Makes Beans and Grains Soft 30. Rinsing (Not Soaking) Makes Rice Fluffy 31. Slicing Changes Garlic and Onion Flavor 32. Chile Heat Resides in Pith and Seeds 33. Bloom Spices to Boost Their Flavor 34. Not All Herbs Are for Cooking 35. Glutamates, Nucleotides Add Meaty Flavor 36. Emulsifiers Make Smooth Sauces 37. Speed Evaporation When Cooking Wine 38. More Water Makes Chewier Bread 39. Rest Dough to Trim Kneading Time 40. Time Builds Flavor in Bread 41. Gentle Folding Stops Tough Quick Breads 42. Two Leaveners Are Often Better Than One 43. Layers of Butter Makes Flaky Pastry 44. Vodka Makes Pie Dough Easy 45. Less Protein Makes Tender Cakes, Cookies 46. Creaming Butter Helps Cakes Rise 47. Reverse Cream for Delicate Cakes 48. Sugar Changes Texture (and Sweetness) 49. Sugar and Time Makes Fruit Juicer 50. Cocoa Powder Delivers Big Flavor The only thing I would have loved was a trouble shooting / Q&A section - e.g. How do you keep meat from cooling too much when you rest it? Overall a great book if you want to improve your cooking technique, and also if you just want to learn more about why things behave the way they do! Update: Looks like "Look inside" is now available for this book so there's finally a table of contents! :) Since I've been cooking with the new concepts in mind, I'm happy with how my meat dishes (especially the stews) are turning out. I also tried using vodka instead of water to make pie crust (with the tip of putting a heated pan under the pie pan) and the pie crust turned out flaky and delicious as promised.