The New Complete Book of Food

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Foreword

A Google search will verify that Carol Ann Rinzler has become a major food/

nutrition writer over the years. I am constantly impressed by the quality of

her work and delighted that she emphasizes science-based facts instead of the

lore and half-baked truths that are so rampant when it comes to food and diet

and the way they affect health and disease. There are far too few accredited

experts to invest time and effort in “communicating” to the public the results

of the findings in their field. So it is up to others to do that job, and with this

book Ms. Rinzler shows again that she is up to that challenge.

The New Complete Book of Food is a well-ordered and well-documented

compendium of useful and factual data on what is found in the proverbial

pantry of humankind. In its 113 chapters the reader will find encyclopedic

information on individual species, such as apples, bananas, carrots, dates,

and so on, and on pluralistic items, such as distilled spirits, fish, game meat,

cultured milk, poultry, and vegetable oils. Most foods covered are true agri-

cultural products, but manufactured items are also described, notably beer,

cheese, coffee, gelatin, sugar, wine, and wheat cereals.

The author is very systematic in displaying each entry. Primary

emphasis is on nutrition, followed by household and culinary aspects, and

then up-to-date medical information, complete with references. General

readers may want to browse and pick; professionals, such as food scien-

tists, nutritionists, dieticians, chefs, and medical practitioners, will consult

this book for specific data they may need at a critical time. For example,

how should a food be properly purchased, stored, and processed? What

happens during cooking or other processing? Which is the most nutritious

way to serve a food? And what are a food’s medical or other benefits and

its possible adverse reactions?

Health-conscious readers should value this handbook as much as

The Merck Manual of Medical Information. If it behooves us to know how the

human body functions, it is equally important to know about the food that

goes into it. Indeed, there is much in this book that would pass as effec-

tive food-safety education. And the home economist/economizer or frugal

gourmet will find ample advice on stretching the food dollar.

Manfred Kroger, Ph.D.

Professor of Food Science Emeritus, The Pennsylvania State University;

Scientific Editor, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety;

Science Communicator, Institute of Food Technologists