Gadget: Any mechanical device that performs a kitchen task in one-twentieth the time it takes to find it. Fermentation: Chemical reaction, caused by microbes, that turns malt into belches and grapes into hangovers. From the 2.4-million-copy bestselling series that gave new meaning to the word dictionary for sailors, golfers, computer users, and more, here is the last-and funniest-word on cooking.

Skewering the world of food preparation and its phrases and foibles, the authors mince through all the confusion and pretension to serve up the ultimate book for cooks, gourmets, and gourmands. Calorie to craving, al dente to al musho, over 200 delicious definitions and 50 full-color, full-page drawings add spice and wit to the kitchen. 102,000 copies in print.