The Inquisitive Cook: Discover the Unexpected Science of the Kitchen (Accidental Scientist) - Softcover

Gardiner, Anne; Wilson, Sue; The Exploratorium

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0805045414 ISBN 13: 9780805045413

Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 1998

Synopsis

In a light, anecdotal, but highly informative style, seasoned cooking writers reveal the unexpected and always practical science of the kitchen. Covered are such subjects as the amazing alchemy of granules and powders, the astonishing egg, the effects on food of different cooking methods, the biology and psychology of flavor, the remarkable chemistry of doughs, spices, and much, much more. Amusing anecdotes, sidebars and illustrations en-liven the text. Throughout, there are "cook's queries," quick tips, and even recipes that will delight anyone interested in becoming a more knowledgable cook.

About this title

About the Authors

Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson (Vancouver, B.C.) together write "The Inquisitive Cook," a weekly column dedicated to explaining the science of the kitchen, for the Montreal Gazette, and sydnicated to newspapers throughout Canada.

The Exploratorium is a public science museum, located in the Marina District at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. It is one of San Francisco's most popular museums, drawing over 500,000 people each year.

Reviews

For anyone with unanswered questions about why things happen in the kitchen as they do, Gardiner and Wilson have answers ready. They can tell readers why their poached eggs look a mess (eggs too old), why adding more baking powder to a muffin may not make it any lighter (overinflation leading to collapse), or why onions make you cry (sulfurous gases). Along the way, cooks learn a host of other scientific principles underlying cooking. Less rigorously empirical than Harold McGee's The Curious Cook (1990), this approach to the physics and chemistry of cooking appeals particularly to students looking for science fair projects. The authors' descriptions of the activities of thickening starches ignore the significantly different effects produced by root and grain starches. Simple drawings enhance the text. Mark Knoblauch

The science of the kitchen, an important component in the curricula of cooking schools, is a relatively new interest among the general public. The classic Joy of Cooking (LJ 10/15/97) has traditionally devoted some space to the subject, of course, but only recently has Harold McGee's seminal work, On Food and Cooking (1984), found popular expression in Shirley Corriher's Cookwise (LJ 6/15/97). Now, this broad topic has been condensed into a compact volume. The authors?two educators in cooking and the renowned San Francisco museum devoted to science, art, and human perception?have selected the most technical yet practical of culinary questions to explore: how to caramelize sugar, cooking times for various meats, and the phenomena of smell and taste, just to name a few. Eight chapters deconstruct chemistry's magical effect on vegetables, fruits, eggs, flour, salts, sugars, baking powder, yeast, flour, poultry, seafood, beef, and pork. There is a wonderfully authoritative bibliography and a good index. Highly recommended for all collections.?Wendy Miller, Lexington
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0805045414
• ISBN 13: 9780805045413
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160