You're no idiot, of course. You've often thought that cooking is a lot like a science experiment: There's lots of measuring and mixing involved-and you're never quite sure how it will turn out. Do not settle for burned biscuits and soggy spaghetti! To get better results in the kitchen, you need a solid understanding of how recipes work-and that's exactly what The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cooking Techniques and Science offers you. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get: Foolproof facts about what makes bread rise-and how to help the process along; Time-saving tips for making a great white or brown sauce; Simple advice on how to handle meat safely-and cook it so it tastes great; What to do when you're out of an ingredient-substitutions you can make in a pinch.

"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cooking Basics helps you find your way around the kitchen and create tasty and nutritious meals on an ordinary budget. You get simple steps to all the basic kitchen skills, plus friendly advice in an easy-to-understand, easy to enjoy format. Tips, definitions, warnings, and substitutes help you save time and effort, and easy recipes guarantee you'll impress your friends and your taste buds!--p. [4] of cover.

The healthy vegan diet-made easy. Vegans face their own special challenges when it comes to nutrition and this book provides answers. There are about one million vegans in the U.S. and about 50,000 new ones every year. A growing number of physicians advocate a completely plant-based diet for many of their patients who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. In The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Plant-Based Nutrition, readers will find: ? Where to get nutrients that others get from meat and dairy. ? How to avoid the vegan pitfall of overfed but undernourished. ? How to spot hidden animal ingredients in packaged foods. ? Tips for eating at restaurants. ? Special considerations for children and seniors.

No more burnt offerings! Whether it’s nachos or crock-pot kielbasa, a party, something quick for the kids’ lunch, a romantic date night, or dinner-for-one, this guy-friendly cookbook features over 230 real-food recipes for everything from vegetables, pasta, and desserts, to leftovers, appetizers, and grilling. Instead of relying on shortcuts, canned food, or unhealthy processed ingredients, it pares down complex cooking instructions, explains basic cooking terms, figures in prep time and cook time, and allots larger portion sizes. • Notes high-salt or high-cholesterol recipes. • Includes more than 230 recipes. • Provides special tips, advice, and recipe construction for beginners, plus bigger portion sizes for hungry men.

Any way you cut it, cheese has global appeal. Cheese is one of the most varied and flavorful foods in the world. Its unique appeal lies in its range of textures, aromas, flavors, means of production, and milk sources. With this guide, readers will discover everything they need to know about European and American cheeses, including the growth of artisan cheeses, how to shop for cheese, combining cheese with food and drink, cooking cheese, and making cheese. • Over the past two decades, the quality, availability and popularity of artisan cheeses has grown • Cheese consumption has increased from 11.3 to 31.2 pounds per person over the last 30 years • 1 to 3 of the supermarkets offer full-service cheese counters with up to 300 varieties

“Why are most plants green?” Why doesn’t stomach acid dissolve the stomach itself? Why are there more tornados in the Midwest than on the coast? This volume answers these questions and over 200 more, shedding light on the science behind them. As informative as it is entertaining, it addresses every major branch of science, including physics, chemistry, biology, geology, meteorology, astronomy, and cosmology. It highlights some of the big ideas that helped shape science as we know it, and discusses the future of science with regards to nanotechnology, genetic modification, molecular medicine, and string theory. • Complete Idiot’s Guides® have a proven track record of simplifying science with great success, as with volumes on physics and chemistry. •Entertaining scientific overviews of this kind also successful, including such titles as The Pocket Idiot’s Guide™ to Not-So-Useless Facts and The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Understanding Einstein.