Guy Crosby Ph.D

Guy Crosby

Author of Cook, Taste, Learn:

How the Evolution of Science Transformed the Art of Cooking

As a foodie myself I was delighted to see all suspicions confirmed in Cook, Taste, Learn―that advances in the culinary arts are commonly empowered by curious scientists who also happen to be hungry. (Neil deGrasse Tyson, American

Natural History)

Guy appeared on Neil’s television program Star Talk, which appeared on the National Geographic television network on November 12, 2018.

Guy Crosby, PhD, CFS (Certified Food Scientist), known as “the cooking science guy”, has been an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health since 2005 where he is the primary instructor for Nutrition 209, Seminars in Food Science, Technology, and Sustainability. He is also science editor for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, which produces a popular cooking magazine, PBS television cooking show, and radio program. Until August 2017 Guy had been the science editor for America’s Test Kitchen for more than twelve years, as well as a fulltime associate professor with the Department of Chemistry and Food Science at Framingham State University from 2005 until 2011. For more than thirty years he worked in both the food ingredients and agricultural products industries before retiring in 2002. Guy also serves on the Food Task Force for the Boston Museum of Science, and is an advisor for the culinary science program at the Culinary Institute of America.

In November 2019 Columbia University Press published his third book “Cook, Taste. Learn: How the Evolution of Science Transformed the Art of Cooking”. Unlike Guy’s previous two books written with America’s Test Kitchen, he is the sole author of Cook, Taste, Learn. Guy believes his new book will be of significant interest to readers who enjoy food, cooking, science, history, evolution, nutrition, and health. The book traces the evolution of cooking from the first use of fire through the renaissance of science during the 1600-1700’s up to the present time when the new science of cooking teaches us how to prepare delicious meals for a healthy diet. For readers who are especially interested in the science of food and cooking the book contains numerous sidebars that explain complex technical topics in very simple terms as well as a small number of recipes that illustrate the scientific principles. The interest in cooking science is surging because it teaches us how to optimize the nutritional quality of the food we eat by minimizing the loss of essential nutrients and enhancing beneficial nutrients such as protective antioxidants. The science-driven changes in the way we cook will help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and many forms of cancer, and enhance our quality of life. Cooking will no longer be seen as just an art but as the perfect blend of art and science, creating simple dishes that are delicious to eat and good for our health.

In addition to science and writing Guy loves to cook with his wife Christine and has enjoyed painting and drawing since a very early age. Some of Guy’s art appears in the book, including his still life of peaches in a glass bowl, which he completed as a school project at the age of 14. The pastel now hangs in his daughter’s home in Maine. Their son Justin lives in Boston. Another passion of Guy and Christine are their two vintage Porsche 911’s, one of which they have owned since new in 1971, and the other since 1995.

Guy is an emeritus member of the American Chemical Society, a professional member of the Institute of Food Technologists, and member of the American Society for Nutrition. He has authored more than 50 scientific papers and is the inventor of 17 U.S. patents in the areas of chemistry and food science. Guy obtained his PhD degree in organic chemistry from Brown University where he studied the chemistry of cholesterol. This was followed by two years as a postdoctoral research associate with professor W. S. Johnson in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University. It was at Stanford that Guy learned his love for cooking and he and Christine made many close friends that still live in the Bay Area. If you would like to know more about Guy visit his website at www.cookingscienceguy.com

Guy is also the co-author of "The Science of Good Cooking" (2012) and "Cook's" Science"(2016), both published by America's Test Kirchen