[.ca] On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (ISBN 0684800012)

From Amazon.com:
A classic tome of gastronomic science and lore, On Food and Cooking delivers an erudite discussion of table ingredients and their interactions with our bodies. Following the historical, literary, scientific and practical treatment of foodstuffs from dairy to meat to vegetables, McGee explains the nature of digestion and hunger before tackling basic ingredient components, cooking methods and utensils. He explains what happens when food spoils, why eggs are so nutritious and how alcohol makes us drunk. As fascinating as it is comprehensive, this is as practical, interesting and necessary for the cook as for the scholar.

The bible of food science:
First and foremost: this is NOT a cookbook. Do not buy this book if you are looking for casserole recipes. But, if you are interested in the science of why food does what it does, this book is indispensible. It is rather dense, and is difficult to read straight through, but if you ever wonder, say, what the difference between AA and A grade eggs is, and why the white turns from clear to opaque when you apply heat, On Food and Cooking is well organized and makes a great reference. Considering its low price, every cook should have it around. It will change the way you think about cooking. It includes some interesting historical tidbits as well.

Dense, but worth the effort:
I purchased this book on the tangential advice of Michael Ruhlman's "The Making of a Chef" -- it was one of the three Bibles of Cooking, if I remember correctly. As a scientist and a foodie/gastronome, I found this book fascinating and worth the effort of slogging through the tougher, denser, meatier bits. Mmmm, collagen.

Essential reading:
Anyone who is serious about the craft of cooking needs to read this book. Anyone else will find it dreadfully irrelevant. This book is best explored as a cover-to-cover read, in my opinion, but seeing as there's not much of a plot to pull you along (duh), only those with a keen interest in food and/or science will be able to make it to the end.

A textbook on cooking:
This is an excellent book on the science of cooking, for those interested in learning the reason behind cooking. If you want to a reference book for your cooking and baking, get this book. I am sure this is in Alton Brown's library. It is fascinating just to thumb through it and read various sections just for the trivia value.

Fantastic:
This book is an incredible value. The amount of information it contains combined with the easy reading style makes it a fantastic value.