A multitude of ideas, tips and techniques to reward any serious cook.

A prerequisite for every kitchen veteran or aspiring home cook, this comprehensive reference answers virtually every kitchen query and speaks to every culinary concern and condition.

For example, how do professional chefs get more juice from a lemon? They simply heat it in a microwave for 10 seconds and roll it on a work surface before cutting and squeezing it. Is wrestling with a pastry cutter frustrating? Pastry chefs grate cold butter with the large holes of a box grater for their dough.

In thousands of entries on every aspect of cooking and baking, Susan Sampson provides expert information that is indispensable in any kitchen, including:

• Techniques such as altitude cooking, brining, emulsifying, Kosher foods and food dyes
• Keeping produce safe from spoilage and keeping equipment free of nasty bacteria
• Condiments, dairy products, eggs, grains, nuts, seeds, pasta, rice, sweeteners and vinegars
• Ground meat, pork, game, organ meats, fish and mollusks
• Secrets for great breads, biscuits, cookies, bars, muffins, cakes, puff pastry and chocolate
• Shortcuts, embellishments, restaurant tricks, presentation tips, party planning and recipe development.

Whether they are just browsing or desperately trying to solve a vexing emergency, every home cook will treasure 12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets.