# On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee

3 Hacker News commenters recommended On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend it as a standout, foundational reference on the science of food and cooking, and other food writing builds on its work.

## Why people recommend it

- Foundational reference for food science (1 comments): "it owes a strong debt to Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47167721))
- Stands out among cooking books (1 comments): "The food lab and on food and cooking stand out" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48314702))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/food-lab.md): 7 recommend
- [Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold](https://hackerapproved.com/p/modernist-cuisine.md): 3 recommend
- [The Sourdough Framework by Hendricius Ruppel](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sourdough-framework.md): 3 recommend
- [The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg](https://hackerapproved.com/p/flavor-bible.md): 3 recommend
- [Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tartine-bread.md): 3 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0739460374?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780739460375) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee", https://hackerapproved.com/p/on-food-and-cooking/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).