Book Description

This textbook gives a broad overview of pests of human foodstuffs held in storage. The work contains a large amount of illustrations, which make the mentioned (larger) species easier for recognition.The text is greatly expanded and is orientated to the food industry, which makes it, unlike many other textbooks, a one of a kind in its subject area.The book is mainly intended for B.Sc. and M.Sc. Food Science students and staff, and related courses as well as for Environmental Health Officers. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is the guide to how to maximize revenues, control expenses, and optimize financial objectives. Its practical “hands-on” approach facilitates immediate application to all types of foodservice operations. Used for illustrative purposes, the included forms can be reproduced and implemented.Chapter topics cover the control process; food cost/food cost percentage; inventory management; requisitions and transfers; purchasing functions; receiving merchandise and processing invoices; quality standards, specifications, yield analysis, and plate cost; food production control; menu sales analysis; beverage cost/beverage cost percentage; bar and inventory control; beverage production control and service; controlling payroll costs and the cost of employee turnover; measuring staff performance and productivity; control practices applied to human resources issues, gratuities, wage laws, and working conditions; monitoring the sales process; pricing and sales forecasts; and self-inspections, customer feedback and nonfood inventories.For management personnel in the foodservice industry. ... Read more

Book Description

Best Food Writing 2004 assembles, for its fifth year, the most exceptional writing from the past year's books, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and Web sites. Included are the best writers on everything from celebrated chefs to the travails of the home cook, from food sourcing at the greenmarket to equipping one's kitchen, from erudite culinary history to food-inspired memoirs. Considered a classic, Best Food Writing is required reading for all undergraduate students enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America and is used as a textbook at other culinary schools nationwide. Stellar contributors include Robb Walsh, John Thorne, Calvin Trillin, Amanda Hesser, Ruth Reichl, Colman Andrews, Jason Epstein, and Jeffrey Steingarten. Opinionated, evocative, nostalgic, brash, thought-provoking, and sometimes just plain funny, it's a tasty sampler to dip into time and again, whether you're in the mood for caviar-or pretzels. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good Stuff Here
This compilation of food writing is perfect for the foodie who doesn't have the time to sift through enormaous piles of literature to find a handful of good essays. Especially interesting was the article entitled "Josiah & the Giant Onion", describing America's pathetic passion for gigantic chain restaurants.

A book to savor
The reviews on this page are for previous editions of the "Best Food Writing" series---that's Amazon.com logic for you.

I have read, or rather savored, the 2003 edition, and it is by far the best of the lot. It's more well rounded and has an interesting and wider range of writers and writing. And this edition doesn't mine only the usual suspects for pieces. Sure the big publications are here, but so are newsletters, small publications, and even book chapters. This is a great place to discover new writers, visit with some familar ones, and follow the careers of still others. We even used it as our textbook in our food writing class.

A pleasurable read
A good selection of writing covering a wide variety of topics. Each story was a delectable mystery as to what was coming, because although the common theme is food, the topics varied considerably. All contributors are highly polished, professional writers, so the quality of the writing is excellent. It wa a great winter bedtime read, to be parceled out, one story a night.

Not the best
I really liked the 2000 and 2001 versions of this series. Those anthologies had a more down to earth feel. This new 2002 edition seems to have more selections from food insiders who just come off as spoiled brats. My advice is to skip 2002. Maybe 2003 will be a better year for food essays. ... Read more

Book Description

This incomparable guide–the only book of its kind to provide such broad coverage in a single-source volume–offers in-depth studies of beer and its production as well as its commercial and economic aspects–reviewing all beverages worldwide that are beer-like in character and alcoholic content.Delineates over 900 chemical compounds that have been identified in beer, pinpoints their sources, gives concentration ranges, and examines their influence on beer quality! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Excellent
A wonderful book. I learned as much as I laughed. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to know more about brewing. A++++!

A superb book....a must have for brewers
This book is exactly what I was looking for to help me understand many of the terms used in the brewing quality lab. The exercises at the back of the chapters were a great way to review whether I really understood the concepts or whether I had to go back and read the section again. The author's quirky
sense of humour and how he described his own past experiences in the quality laboratory made me laugh out loud at times and while I was laughing I was learning. A great book that explains why the quality standards are there and how to make good beer by adhering to them.

A book about beer quality that is actually fun to read!
This book addresses a great many of the problems that one encounters day to day in a beer quality laboratory. The writing is in a style that is easy to understand and I thought that the best part was that the book was written with a great sense of humour. I never thought that I would enjoy reading a chapter on "statistics and process control" and yet the author guides you through it in such a way that he leaves you with a clear understanding of the concepts and you enjoy the journey. The author appears to be superbly qualified to write the book from his experiences in the brewing industry. ... Read more

Book Description

This state-of-the-art text provides new information in the field of food microbiology and food safety, offering current, definitive factual material written by experts on each subject. Emphasizing the molecular and mechanistic aspects of food microbiology, this advanced text fulfills the need of research microbiologists, graduate students, and instructors of food microbiology courses for an in-depth treatment of food microbiology. Written at a level that presupposes a general background in microbiology and biochemistry, Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers helps to explain the how and why of food microbiology at a basic scientific level.The text is organized into nine major sections that address each of the major areas of the field, including microbial spoilage, foodborne pathogenic bacteria, mycotoxigenic molds, viruses, foodborne and waterborne parasites, preservative and preservation methods, food fermentations, advanced techniques in food microbiology, and more.As a special feature, the book introduces a valuable computer modeling tool, available on the Internet, that is especially useful as a research or teaching tool for pathogen identification.TABLE OF CONTENTS: Factors of Special Significance to Food Microbiology Microbial Spoilage of Foods Foodborne Pathogenic Bacteria Mycotoxigenic Molds Viruses Foodborne and Waterborne Parasites Preservatives and Preservation Methods Food Fermentations Advanced Techniques in Food Microbiology ... Read more

Book Description

The growth of a single global market is having far-reaching and profound effects on what we eat, with corresponding implications for public health. This is the first full examination, by two of the world's leading food policy experts, of these developments.

From nutrition to antibiotics, from heart disease to food poisoning, what matters now is not just what we eat, but how it has been produced, distributed and processed. A new, global politics of food and health is emerging. In the North, the linkages of trade, food and health have been apparent in the reactions to BSE in beef and GM crops. In many developing countries, endemic problems of a 'Western' diet have been imported, so that coronary disease, food-related cancers, obesity and diabetes are found alongside food shortages. The policy responses continue to be contradictory, with health ministries trying to stem the rise of food-related disease, while trade ministers commit their food and agriculture industries to the policies that cause the problems.

The authors show how public health cannot be regarded as a barrier to 'free' trade, under agreements that allow powerful corporations and rich consumers to treat the world as their larder. Giving it the importance it demands will require a new, ecological and population-based conception of public health. There are many signs that this is emerging to be one of the main political agendas of the coming century.

The book will be essential and stimulating reading for everyone professionally or academically involved - or merely concerned - with health policy, agricultural and food policy and globalization issues. ... Read more

Book Description

There has long been a need for an authoritative source on natural products and plants and how they are used. This new volume fills this need, bringing together relevant, practical information about the various types of natural products produced by plants, why they produce them, and their importance in today's world. Natural Products from Plants provides examples of how plant products are used to benefit humans through prevention and treatment of diseases, nutritional value, pest control, dyes, fibers, foods and beverages, flavorings and fragrances, and in creating many other novel compounds. Scientists from various disciplines-chemists, biologists, physicians, ethnobotanists, ecologists, nutritionists, and others-are interested in using natural products from plants, but must be aware of the potentially harmful effects of such compounds. Some plants are sources of poisons, addictive drugs, and hallucinogens. Anyone looking for a thorough understanding of the properties of natural plant products - both beneficial and harmful - will find the answers in Natural Products from Plants. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents the first collaboration between the ACS's Division of Agriculture and Food Chemistry and the Institute of Food Technologists. The latest developments in flavor chemistry, including new research in reaction flavors, encapsulation techniques, flavor formations via lipids, flavor analysis, and challenges in flavoring nutraceuticals, are presented in papers from leading workers in these fields.This collection investigates many of the current topics in flavor chemistry and will be a welcome contribution to this fascinating science. ... Read more

Book Description

The menu is an essential part of any foodservice operation. Using the menu as a management tool in every area of operation—from planning the facility and purchasing food to promoting items to customers and providing exceptional service—can help ensure success. This book serves as a guide both to developing a menu and to using it as a control document. ... Read more

Book Description

Continuing this excellent series, Microorganisms in Foods 7 describes the role of microbiological testing in modern food safety management systems. It explores how risk assessment and risk management can be used to establish goals - known as "tolerable levels of risk" or "food safety objectives" - for use in controlling foodborne illness, and provides guidelines for establishing effective management systems to control specific hazards in foods. It describes the respective roles of industry and government, recognizing that it is through their collective actions that effective food safety systems are developed and verified, and helps countries determine whether imported foods have been produced with an equivalent level of protection.This groundbreaking book will be of interest to food microbiologists, researchers, and others in the food industry, regulatory agencies and academia worldwide.The information has been prepared by the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF). The ICMSF was formed in response to the need for internationally acceptable and authoritative decisions on microbiological limits for foods moving in international commerce. Currently the membership consists of eighteen food microbiologists from eleven countries, drawn from governmental laboratories in public health, agriculture, and food technology, from universities and from the food industry. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

It may be true that we are what we eat. Now, with a flood of genetically modified foods overtaking the market, it is possible to eat what we are. But the prospect of genetic cannibalism is the least of the worries of food activists, and journalist Bill Lambrecht's Dinner at the New Gene Café follows both sides of the genetically modified organism (GMO) debate with vigor. He's been covering the story since the mid-1980s, interviewing agricultural officials, biotech industry executives, family farmers, and protesters to build a comprehensive understanding of the issues.

Lambrecht's writing, clear and direct, explains the science and politics plainly enough that even those who flunked Biology or Poli Sci 101 can understand his arguments. He is equally skeptical of the claims of industry shills and activists, and often shakes his head in wonder at the incompetence of government agencies. From academic conferences to the Battle for Seattle, he's seen every aspect of the GMO wars, as they ignited in Europe and slowly spread across the world and eventually penetrated the U.S. Peppered with short essays on his own illegal home experiments with GMO seeds, Dinner at the New Gene Café offers readers insight into a growing question that will most likely define our menu choices for many years to come. --Rob Lightner ... Read more

Reviews (2)

a comprehensive look at gmo's
This book was very enlightening in the subject of GMO's, as they are a powerful new technology with frightening implications. Lambrecht uses entertaining anecdotes and accounts of his dealings with ordinarys farmer and head agricultural powerfigures. I recommend this book because it tried to show an objective perspective on the entire issue, and left no voice unheard.

The new age of eating
If you are curious about what you are eating this is a necessary book for you. Bill Lambrecht provides an unbiased resource for those intrested in the history of GMO food. Lambrecht gives the opinions of scientists, politicians and the farmers that grow these crops. This provides a balenced collage of information that allows anyone to make up their own mind about what the future of food should be. ... Read more

Reviews (33)

EXCELLENT! FINALLY THE TRUTH IS TOLD!
Dr. Blaylock, in his book reviews countless studies that prove the dangers of excitotoxins. The powerful food industry and others are implicated in trying to cover up this truth.

I have read this book and am very grateful that an M.D. went against the grain and helped a nation understand the truth. The truth that excitotoxins are dangerous, they kill neurons and are in practically everything.

In science today there exists ubiquitous politics. Those who fund studies wish a certain outcome, and usually get it with the help of exclusionary interpretation. If science is the study of truth through empirical studies, and political power covers this truth, then today's science is largely a matter of power and politics, and not truth. This is how the large part of society is deceived. This is the case with the FDA's widespread approval of aspartame (and aspartate/aspartic acid for that matter).

Because of their widespread use and acceptance in America; it begs the question, what's the agenda here? If you wanted to dumb down (make docile) a large population of people how would you do it?

"The truth is obvious, everything else is questionable"

Clear evidence of the dangers of MSG & Aspartame to children
Blaylock writes a story of brain damage and betrayal worthy of wide attention, especially among women of child-bearing age and parents. He presents clear evidence of severe damage to the hypothalamus, the regulator of most hormone systems, when glutamates and aspartates are ingested by pregnant and nursing women or by children. The relationship between low blood sugar levels and enhanced damage should be a wakeup call for diabetics and hypoglycemics, as well. This book is a bit of a slow read at first, but you have to understand some of the basic enzyme/neuron processes to grasp the tremendous potential for damage. Every parent should read this and take it to heart. The future of our children is truly endangered!

good to know
I'm thinking of that song by Joe Jackson with the line "Everything causes cancer, everything..."

While I do not subscribe to the usual alarmist perspectives on what causes us harm (for there are truly so many things in modern society practically unavoidable, that it would make one insane to dwell on it), it is refreshing to experience a work that intelligently places blame on the not so usual suspects.

Governments that have profited for years on tobacco and foods that are engineered with questionable tactics are still pushing forward this notion that it is only illegal drugs and foods (and not the FDA variety) that are harmful.

Just as preaching about the so-called evils of marijuana only made more kids go out and do a variety of drugs - because they knew they were being lied to - it is "high time" to start learning the facts about the products commonly accepted as "safe." This way, you can once again circumvent the propaganda and make decisions for yourself.

You are what you eat.

scary
This book is excellent and should be read by anyone who cares about their health, but especially (future)parents who care about their children's brain health. Before I read this book I was one of the many people within this and other societies that had no clue that a lot of our food contains msg. Not only that, but this book also showed me how serious msg is and that although it is dangerous and trials have shown this dangers, nothing has been done about banning the substance from the food market. This book is very shocking, at least it was to me. The most shocking thing I learned is that msg is even used in babyfood, even though they are especially suceptable, because their brain has still a lot of growing to do. This book also tied in with one of my college research papers and so I got the chance to research the topic further and the most important information I came across, was that all trials that were done independately found somekind of a healthconcern, whereas trials done by the FDA and corporations didn't find any health concerns. So even if you don't buy this book, look out for aspartame and glutamates (for example: monosodium glutamate)or it might cost you your memory later on.

Useful although narrow
This book is mostly about links between MSG and Alzheimers/Parkinson's. It goes into a lot of scientific detail about prior studies, brain function, etc.

Unfortunately, I was already sold onto the idea that MSG etc are bad substances, so most of the book was irrelevant to me. I was looking for ways to find foods that are MSG free. In that pursuit, only the last 2 pages of the book help: list of common names of MSG or MSG-containing substances on food labels. The book was not practically useless, therefore.

While reading this book, please realize that MSG and NutraSweet are not the only problematic food additives. There are preservatives like BHT etc added to foods esp meats, and those are also suspected to have negative health effects. Yet this book does not discuss them (maybe they are not exactly neuro-exciters).

Overall, could be good reading for some, but I found minimal use of this book. ... Read more