#21 in Cookbooks, food & wine books
Use arrows to jump to the previous/next product

Reddit mentions of The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)

Sentiment score: 30
Reddit mentions: 45

We found 45 Reddit mentions of The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks). Here are the top ones.

The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)
Buying options
View on Amazon.com
or
The Science of Good Cooking Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen
Specs:
ColorBlack
Height10.69 Inches
Length9.13 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateOctober 2012
Weight3.968320716 Pounds
Width1.31 Inches

idea-bulb Interested in what Redditors like? Check out our Shuffle feature

Shuffle: random products popular on Reddit

Found 45 comments on The Science of Good Cooking: Master 50 Simple Concepts to Enjoy a Lifetime of Success in the Kitchen (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks):

u/mrpeenut24 · 448 pointsr/askscience

I strongly recommend The Science of Good Cooking, a cookbook with explanations of why certain things work and how to improve some aspects of your cooking by making small changes before the food enters the pan all the way through serving it at the table. The Maillard reaction is one of the 50 concepts they go into.

u/superpony123 · 74 pointsr/xxfitness

You don't hate healthy food, you just haven't found ways to eat healthy that you like. Look, I used to feel exactly the same. Then I got myself some cook books and learned how to cook beyond the "college" level (ie very rudimentary cooking skills).

It sounds old fashioned, but buy some cook books. Eating healthy does NOT have to mean (and shouldnt mean) eating boring, bland food. I have been eating quite a healthy balanced diet lately, but it doesn't suck and I enjoy everything I eat because I cooked it and it tastes really good. I am a pretty proficient cook now because I've learned enough from cook books that I can create something tasty on my own if I want to. But for the most part, I'd say I still follow recipes very frequently, mostly because a) I know it will turn out really well unless I royally screw up like forget an ingredient an b) I'm not that creative when it comes to meal planning - I'd prefer to flip through my cook books and pick out new recipes to try for dinner this week.

If you do take my advice and go the route of cook books, I will make a few suggestions below. You will notice that all of them are America's Test Kitchen. There's a reason I suggest mostly their books--they are totally idiot proof. Their recipes are thoroughly tested (it IS americas TEST kitchen after all...) They rarely have recipes that call for unusual or hard to find ingredients, and rarely call for unique appliances (like, most people probably do not have an immersion blender). Their recipes are very simple (I've come across a lot of books from other publishers that have incredibly drawn-out steps, or just countless steps, or a lot of unusual ingredients) and easy to follow, and they also include brief scientific explanations for something about every single recipe (example, why you would want to brown your butter when making chocolate chip cookies) which I have always found interesting, and theyre meant to help you build your knowledge in how to cook --ie its often concepts that can be applied elsewhere.

ATK/Cooks Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking

ATK Cooking School

ATK's The Make-Ahead Cook - great if youre into meal prepping

ATK Cooking for Two - great if you are alone or just cooking for yourself and significant other, and dont like having leftovers

ATK Comfort Food Makeovers - turns traditionally unhealthy foods into healthy meals

ATK Slow Cooker Revolution - if you have a crock pot, you NEED this book. I've made a ton of recipes out of here and every single one has come out great.

They have a ton of books out there, many of them for specific things (pressure cooker, paleo, gluten free, vegetarian, mexican recipes, etc.) but you may be saying, "Hmm, none of those books said "Health cooking/eating healthy/buzzwords about health" - they dont need to say that. Quite a lot of their recipes are generally healthy. I haven't encountered many things (outside the dessert chapters, that is) that I've said "oh, I don't think I ought to eat that, it's just not healthy" --but if youre a bit narrow minded in terms of what constitutes a healthy meal (and I find that is common with people who struggle to eat a healthy diet--this is because they think there's a very small amount of "healthy" foods out there) , then maybe these books arent for you. But if you mostly eat intuitively, and know that you should be getting a decent amount of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet, and a good amount of protein, and not an overwhelming amount of starch and net carbs, then youre golden. Get yourself a cook book and learn to cook. Once you eat food that's been properly seasoned and cooked, youll realize that eating asparagus doesn't have to be a boring, unpalatable experience. Brussels sprouts don't have to be awful. I used to hate brussel sprouts...until I had properly roasted sprouts. Holy shit, they are good!!! Peas can be tasty! Baked chicken breast doesn't have to taste bland and dry as hell if you learn about brining, seasoning, and proper cooking times.

TLDR - eating healthy doesnt have to mean eating bland food. You admit your cooking skills are rudimentary, so it's no surprise you are not enthused when you try to make something healthy. A lot of "healthy" foods (veggies, etc) are bland when you don't properly season them or pick the right cooking method. Get yourself a cook book or two and learn how to cook. You won't have a hard time eating something you previously thought unpalatable--like filling half your dinner plate with brussels sprouts and broccoli--when it's seasoned and properly cooked!

u/Spacemangep · 20 pointsr/AskCulinary

My sister got me Cook's Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking, http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982, for my birthday a few years ago. It's an amazing book that does a lot of what you described, including experiments that test different recipes or methods to see which give the best results. They also do a good job explaining the science behind why certain methods or recipes are preferred over others.

Admittedly, it's not a masters-level food science textbook but it's definitely one of the most scientific cookbooks I've ever seen.

Edit: I should also add, about half the book is the science behind cooking methods while the other half is about baking.

u/pipocaQuemada · 16 pointsr/Cooking

He might also like Cooking for Geeks, The Science of Good Cooking and On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen.

I've only read the first, but I've heard good things about all three.

u/Zorbick · 14 pointsr/Cooking

To help you with that baller response, buy this Cook's Illustrated cookbook. Read it. Cook with it. Love it. If I look on allrecipes, I frequently see the suggested alterations to a recipe fall in line with the recipe in this book.

Table of contents for your perusal

For their points:

Chapters

18

3-7

30

36 (did you know to add mustard to mac and cheese to keep the oils from separating? Everyone needs a good mac n cheese for winter, bro)

38-47

u/Lalita819 · 12 pointsr/Cooking

One of the teachers at the school I work at let me borrow her book 'Science of Good Cooking'. I highly recommend it!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1933615982/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421217158&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=51gFO54YaUL&ref=plSrch

u/TiSpork · 11 pointsr/AskCulinary

Read about building flavor profiles.

There are a couple of good books on the market: The Flavor Bible and The Flavor Thesauraus. They both have a lot of information on what ingredients go well with each other.

Also, learn by doing. Try things you think may go together well, even if it's not conventional. Even if the things you try don't come together, you can still learn from it. Try to understand WHY it didn't work (cooking method, flavor profile, preparation all have an affect), think about what you can do to correct the mistake, then implement that the next time you try that dish. I don't own a copy of it myself (yet), but Cook's Illustrated Magazine's The Science of Good Cooking would probably help in that regard.

In general, I consider Alton Brown, Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country, America's Test Kitchen, and Julia Child to be very reputable in the information they convey.

u/intrinsicdisorder · 8 pointsr/Cooking

I'm currently reading this and there are a TON of science-based cooking hacks!

u/30thnight · 7 pointsr/Cooking

Cook's Illustrated - The Science of Good Cooking is pretty phenomenal.

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Good-Cooking-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

u/rockinrap · 7 pointsr/Cooking

I've found Cook's Illustrated's The Science of Good Cooking to be really helpful. Each section focuses on a different concept where they explain how the science behind it works, then they have experiments to compare different modifications of the same recipe (e.g. what temperature of butter leads to flakier biscuits).

u/sweetbabycarrot · 4 pointsr/GifRecipes

Beautiful. I also appreciate that you bring in the Maillard reaction. I think you would enjoy The Science of Good Cooking by Cook's Illustrated, but I think you might work for them.

u/smday55 · 3 pointsr/Cooking

I love ATK. The Science of Good Cooking is one of my favorites.

u/chriswu · 3 pointsr/Cooking

If your meat's not juicy, it's almost certainly because you are overcooking it. As others have pointed out, cubed chicken takes very little time to cook. It's probably better to cook them as larger pieces and then cut them up.

BTW, cooking to correct temperature doesn't mean that long cooking times are bad. For example, when stewing beef or chicken, it's entirely possible (and sometimes required for tougher cuts of beef) to cook for hours at a time - but the key is that this is done at a low simmer.

For burgers, you want to cook them at a relatively high heat so the outsides get a nice brown crust while the center is a nice medium rare. Some people will say "only flip it once", but I think that is a myth. I've flipped steaks and burgers multiple times without any ill effects. In fact, my preferred method of cooking steak is to use a lot of oil, flip it every 30 seconds while basting it continuously in the oil with a big spoon.

Another important point if you are forming your own burgers. DON'T OVERPACK THEM. If you are squishing them together very firmly, you will end up with hard bricks of meat. Just enough pressure to hold them together (at least a half inch thick. I like them thicker) and you will get nice juicy crumbly burgers.

Lastly, let the burgers rest for 5 minutes (longer for big cuts of meat). Otherwise, a lot of the juice will leak out when you cut into it.

Get something like this thermometer to help you cook steaks and burgers.)

Edit: I've never read this book, but America's Test Kitchen is an awesome resource. LINK. I think I'll buy this myself!



u/MandrewTheFirst · 3 pointsr/chemistry

extraction- making tea or Coffee (you can explain the role of temperature in solvent extraction by comparing the strength of teas made at different temperatures or times)

saturated and unsaturated fats, state of matter and temperature dependence- olive oil and butter

And this book, which has great recipes and explains a lot of the chemistry behind good cooking techniques (for example, how brining beans before you cook them displaces pectin in the bean wall with sodium and chloride ions, allowing them to cook faster).

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

u/FierceInBattle · 3 pointsr/Baking

This recipe came from this book which is amazing!

Lemon Cheesecake

Crust

5oz Nabisco Barnum's Animal Crackers or Social Tea Biscuits

3tbsp sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 tbsp grated lemon zest, plus 1/4 cup juice (2 lemons)

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese, cut into 1" chunks and softened

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Lemon Curd

1/3 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces and chilled

1 tbsp heavy cream

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch salt


For the crust

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325F. Process cookies in food processor to fine crumbs, about 30 sec. Add sugar and pulse 2 or 3 times to incorporate. Add melted butter in slow, steady stream while pulsing; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened and resembles wet sand, about 10 pulses. Empty crumbs into 9" springform pan and, using bottom of ramekin or dry measuring cup, pressure crumbs firmly and evenly into pan bottom, keeping sides as clean as possible. Bake crust until fragrant and golden brown, 15-18min. Let cool on wire rack to room temperature, 30 min. When cool, wrap outside of pan with 2 18" square pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil and set springform pan in roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil.

For the filling

  • While crust is cooling, process 1/4 cup sugar and lemon zest in food processor until sugar is yellow and zest is broken down, about 15 sec. Transfer lemon-sugar mixture to small bowl and stir in remaining 1 cup sugar.

  • Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat cream cheese on low speed until broken up and slightly softened, about 5 sec. With mixer running, add lemon-sugar mixture in slow, steady stream; increase sped to medium and continue to beat until mixture is creamy and smooth, about 3 min. Reduce speed to medium-low and beat in eggs, 2 at a time, until incorporated, about 30 sec, scraping down bowl well after each addition. Add lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, and mix until just incorporated. Add cream and mix until just incorporated. Give filling final stir by hand.

  • Being careful not to disturb baked crust, brush inside of pan with melted butter. Pour filling into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula. Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of pan. Bake cake until center jiggles slightly, sides just start to puff, surface is no longer shiny, and cake registers 150F, 55min to 1 hour. Turn oven off and prop open oven door with potholder or wooden spoon handle; allow cake to cool in water bath in oven for 1 hour. Transfer pan to wire rack. Remove foil, then run paring knife around cake and let cake cool completely on wire rack, about 2 hours.

    For the lemon curd

  • While cheesecake bakes, heat lemon juice in small saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Whisk eggs and yolk together in medium bowl, then gradually whisk sugar. Whisking constantly, slowly pour hot lemon juice into eggs, then return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until misture is thick enough to cling to spoon and registers 170F, about 3 min. Immediately remove pan from heat and stir in cold butter until incorporated. Stir in cream, vanilla, and salt, then pour curd through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of curd and refrigerate until needed.

  • When cheesecake is cool, scrape lemon curd onto cheesecake still in springform pan. Using offset spatula, spread curd evenly over top of cheesecake. Cover tightly with plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day. To unmold cheesecake, wrap hot kitchen towel around pan and let stand for 1 minute. Remove sides of pan.

    Goat cheese and lemon cheesecake with hazelnut crust (this is what I made)

    For crust, process generous 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, and cooled, in food processor with sugar until finely ground and mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 30 sec. Add cookies and process until mixture is finely and evenly ground. Reduce melted butter to 3 tbsp.

    For filling, reduce cream cheese to 1 lb and beat 8 oz room-temperature goat cheese with cream cheese. Omit salt.
u/overduebook · 3 pointsr/Cooking

The book you want is [On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen] (http://www.amazon.com/On-Food-Cooking-Science-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=pd_sim_b_11) by Harold McGee, which is a classic for a reason! Start with that one, devour it, learn it, live it, love it.

Once you've done that, pick up a copy of The Science of Good Cooking from the hardworking angels at Cook's Illustrated and then a copy of The Flavor Bible as mentioned by /u/pjdias below.

u/MessingerofDeath · 3 pointsr/IWantToLearn

I saw a recommendation for Alton brown’s Good Eats, which I second.

I highly recommend “The Science of Good Cooking” from America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s illustrated. It has guides to kitchen equipment, measuring, and other important skills. The book goes through 50 cooking concepts that are easy to learn and you can apply to many other recipes or improvisations. Each concept section has an explanation on the science behind it, and has recipes incorporating that concept. Each recipe has fantastic explanations for why certain techniques or ingredients are used. It has certainly been the most interesting and helpful cookbook I have used.

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Good-Cooking-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

Edit: I forgot to mention that Gordon Ramsey has a great series of YouTube videos on basic kitchen skills. Good recipes and helpful techniques to learn.

u/domesticat01 · 2 pointsr/BuyItForLife

I'd echo the 'kitchen stuff' idea. http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/gift-guide-basic-kitchen-essentials-home-cook-starter-kit-presents.html has a decent and thoughtful list, along with http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/12/gift-guide-essential-pots-and-pans-presents-for-home-cooks.html but if I could tell you to get a few things, I'd pare it down to:

  • Enameled cast-iron pot
  • Cast iron skillet
  • A chef's knife (most people need an 8" knife but my hands are very small, so a 6" works for me -- the key is to buy what works for YOU)

    Eventually, add in a few high-quality knives (I love Wusthof and Henckels but not all of their lines are created equal) -- I lean on my paring knife and chef's knife for much of what I do, though having other knives can be nice

    These items are good, but equally important is to learn how to use them. Long-term, you are going to save yourself much heartache, frustration, and money if you do something terribly unglamorous: take some basic cooking classes before you start buying physical things. Learn how to use these implements properly before investing, so you become a smarter investor. What you've bought for life: knowledge. Start with knife skills (http://www.surlatable.com/product/CFA-2976678/ might work) and work up to learning other basic cooking techniques. You want to look for classes and books that don't just teach you how to make a single recipe, but to understand methods, like braising and sautéing and frying. This way, whenever you hit a rough patch in your life, you can always take care of yourself.

    Also: get a library card. You can then go pull books like these for free, absorb the learning, and save your money to buy only the items that YOU want to keep as a permanent reference:

  • Cooks' Illustrated "Science of Good Cooking" - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615982/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2
  • The Food Lab: Better Cooking Through Science - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393081087/ref=pd_sim_14_1
u/weltschmerzz · 2 pointsr/EatCheapAndHealthy

One way to make a dish like this more flavorful is to add in the spices immediately, rather than letting the onion & garlic first soften in the oil. Maybe you do this already-- but just in case you don't, try it next time! I read this tip in this cookbook which I bought a few years ago (it's a great book, I recommend it!), and I've been doing it ever since. I think it makes a noticeable difference.

u/paleoreef103 · 2 pointsr/Cooking

The science of good cooking is also an excellent book for this. This book spread like wildfire throughout my group of friends.

u/GraphicNovelty · 2 pointsr/AskCulinary

My boss bought me Cook's Illustrated Science of Good Cooking book. I actually liked it so much that I ended up buying the kindle version to read on my commute (now, with the kindle app, it's become my go-to cookbook simply because if i'm at the store i can pull it up on my phone, but that's slightly more incidental)

I liked it because it was very "cooking-focused"--my problem with Harold McGee's book was that I read it and though "ok...and how does that help me for dinner tonight?". The Science of Good Cooking book, on the other hand, made it feel like "ok this is cool, and this is how I can use that knowledge."

I skimmed a lot of the chapters on baking, but now that I'm getting into it I'm going to re-read them.

u/YeahTurtally · 2 pointsr/Chefit

Hey nice, I'm a Seattleite too! I highly recommend "The Science of Good Cooking." It's a much more digestible (hah) version of McGee's "On Food and Cooking" essentially, and with better illustrations. If that seems too simple for your physicist, maybe "Cook's Science" would be better, where they dive into 50 specific ingredients and talk about their characteristics.

u/Rook730 · 2 pointsr/Cooking

The Science of Good Cooking is definitely at the top of the list for explaining why not just how.

u/an_epoch_in_stone · 2 pointsr/slowcooking

Different cuts of meat work differently. This book explains it very well. The long and the short of it, though is this: collagen (bad, too tough to eat) turns into gelatin (delicious and juicy) when heated over long periods of time at around 160F.

Cuts of meat that have lots of collagen will do well with low temperatures over long periods of time. They do not dry out, they become better. Cuts of meat that do not have much collagen absolutely will dry out over long periods of time. I'm still learning which cuts do and don't contain a lot of collagen, though, so you'll have to do some research there!

u/Mortelle · 2 pointsr/EatCheapAndHealthy

Vegetarian options are usually the cheapest, but if you're hankering for some meat check out pork and chicken. You can get chicken leg quarters for under $1/lb, sometimes even preseasoned. If you're up for it, you could try buying a whole chicken and butchering it yourself. Pork chops are also really cheap where I live (central TX).

A pretty great book for basic cooking tips and recipes to practice them is the Cooks Illustrated Science of Good Cooking book. I consider myself a naturally good cook (I have a good understanding of flavor and can throw things together without recipes) but this book expanded that knowledge further. It also helped me understand the "why" behind some of the things I figured out. When you get back in the swing of things you should pick up a copy (or add it to your Christmas wish list!)

Edit: oh, also--check out bacon ends and pieces or irregular bacon. It's like half the price of normal bacon at least, and tastes the same. Use it for flavoring (and save the bacon grease to cook other things in), or just eat it straight. Baking is also your friend. You can make a ton of breads with simple pantry ingredients. The only thing you probably don't have is yeast, and you can get 3 packets for about 50 cents.

u/Butthole__Pleasures · 2 pointsr/Cooking

This one is fucking fantastic.

u/quack_in_the_box · 2 pointsr/AskMen

America's test kitchen has an awesome cookbook for this. Best ever vanilla buttercream frosting.

u/fritos112 · 2 pointsr/Cooking

According to a cookbook of mine, The Science of Good Cooking, pulling steaks out of the fridge to let them come up to room temp is also recommended.

u/Evilandlazy · 1 pointr/Cooking

https://www.amazon.com/Science-Good-Cooking-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

This doesn't answer your question, but your problem is that you're asking the wrong question.

u/cooking_SS · 1 pointr/SubredditSimulator

Ask a Girl if you can get it turbinado is a great Japanese brand that won't break the bank. Cook's Illustrated's (ATK) "Science of Good Cooking" is a very different recipe, but it's a pain to clean, and I love them all.

u/Aetyrno · 1 pointr/LifeProTips

That'd be a pretty slow turntable, all the ones I've owned have been 10 or 15 seconds for a revolution.

It doesn't matter too much though - even moving just a few degrees will be enough. The inside walls of the microwave are bouncing the waves around all over the place, and it's the specific points that the waves experience "constructive interference" that will get particularly hot. Here's wikipedia's video showing the electric field in a microwave for a sense of how complex it is.

As far as time to destale it, I'm having a hard time finding concrete numbers. You may have more luck than me, search for something along the lines of "wheat starch gelatinization" (destaling = cooking = starch gelatinization, staling = retrogradation = degelatinization)

If I remember right from the America's Test Kitchen book I have at home, the end temperature in bread is more important than the time to get there. It may just be that the reason I can't find much on the time for gelatinization is that it doesn't significantly depend on time.

u/FoolishChemist · 1 pointr/chemistry

The Science of Good Cooking

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

The Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)

http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Laboratory-Reflections-Traditions-Perspectives/dp/0231153449

u/z0mbiegrl · 1 pointr/Cooking

Sorry, it's this one. It is full of GREAT recipes (my go to, from scratch puff pastry dough is in there, and a pho that doesn't take 12 hours) and it explains WHY they work.

u/gardengreenbacks · 1 pointr/explainlikeimfive

America's Test Kitchen on PBS is great for this stuff too. and their Science of Cooking book is amazeballs.

http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982

u/myfriendrandy · 1 pointr/Frugal

Haven't bought hers but I have something like twenty cookbooks and this one is hands down the absolute best: The Science of Good Cooking (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)

u/HateWinslet · 1 pointr/Cooking

I was fairly new to cooking last year. I got The Science of Good Cooking, which is a Cooks Illustrated publication. The book has taught me a lot about cooking, and it's the most reliable cookbook I have in terms of failure.

Basically, they test and illustrate different concepts of good cooking (such as "Why Salty Marinades Work Best"), and then give some recipes that demonstrate that concept. The book is enormous and has a ton of recipes in it, and many of the recipes have a "Why This Recipe Works" section, which can also be informative. Knowing why some things work and some don't is (to me) the quickest way to becoming a competent home cook.