The Science of Cooking, by world-renowned chef Alton Brown,
removes all mystery from cooking and ties a fun activity
to science. Alton
Brown is the host of the hit
television show Good Eats on the Food Network.
Formerly, he was in the film industry but he recognized a need for intelligent
television about food and filled that need. So, he learned how to cook, learned
the science, and began filming. Naturally, after creating a huge loyal base of
viewers, it was only natural that he would move on to writing a tome about his
favorite topic. This book is a fabulous (heterogeneous) mixture of recipes,
anecdotes, and science. Chapter one starts with the basics, such as utensils,
appliances, and the perfect kitchen. Chapter two moves onto the importance of
the perfect ingredients and how they affect the chemical reactions in the best
of recipes. I will not detail every chapter one by one but I wanted to give a
little sample of what he addresses. You will learn millions of things that you
did not even know you needed to learn, such as how fat reacts to heat, how
oxidation can affect foods, the importance of freshness, how to make your own
appliances (such as a personal smoker for cheap), the importance of utensils
and appliances that can multi-task, why it is essential to use alcohol in some
recipes (even though the alcohol evaporates out), how crystallization is a
necessity in candy making, and many other intriguing, culinary lessons.
Alton Brown is my favorite chef, my favorite
television personality, and probably my favorite nerd (he is self-proclaimed so
do not think I am insulting him). He once came to a book signing in Richmond,
Virginia when I was living there (for a different book) and I have never
forgiven myself for not ditching work that day to meet him. This book is a bit
difficult to find but NEVER GIVE UP THE SEARCH. It is a must read!