I'm a fairly confident cook. Reading this book was like seeing a map of my neighborhood for the first time. I had intuitive knowledge about these different dimensions of food, but had no such framework for thinking about my cooking. This helps me orient myself when I'm cooking and points out areas where I haven't explored as much. So I highly recommend it. I myself couldn't put it down.

Some people complain that the recipes are too vague. That's the point, dummies! Learn to trust your senses!

I do want someone to give me a similar framework for thinking about spices and herbs - that was sort of handwaved in this book, and I accept that, but that doesn't mean I don't want it.