Barb Stuckey

This was fun. It is full of little "science experiments," however, that might interest your eighth grader, but just get annoying to page through. They are along the lines of, "Puree different foods and add food coloring to make them all the same color, put them in unlabeled jars. Hold your nose and taste them. Can you tell the difference?" Not very profound.

The takeaway: Slow down for pete's sake! Eat every bite with rapt attention. She's a food lover. Her perspective is an interesting one, show more too: she isn't a chef or scientist, but works in the food industry, making food taste better. Yup, adding aromas and artificial flavors - she doesn't go into what distinguishes 'natural' from 'artificial' flavors, unfortunately.

So, bottom line, I could have learned more. But there were some share-worthy anecdotes along the way, and reading about food from a food lover is always the next best thing to eating food! show less

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Barb Stuckey is a professional food developer and has studied the science behind why certain foods taste better than others and how some foods can enhance or detract for their taste as well. I had a friend in grade school that used to drink orange juice promptly after brushing his teeth which made him vomit. He did this any time he wanted to stay home from school. Although this is an extreme example, Barb Stuckey explains exactly why orange juice tastes terrible after show more brushing your teeth. I found this whole book fascinating and full of really cool scientific facts about why some food tastes good and appealing while others completely miss the mark. She also emphasizes that our mouth and tongue only provide 20 percent of the experience of taste and that the other senses also come into play, especially smell.

There are formulas throughout the book that go into great detail about how foods and spices combine to make the sum greater than the parts. Stuckey also provides experiments for you to try at home and help develop your own taste so you can actually learn how to increase your own potential taste. I never knew there was such science behind food development since on the surface we only tend to look at the packaging. I really enjoyed this whole read and the information included will have you thinking about this for years to come. show less

Moderately interesting. Quite a mix between the science - chemistry and physiology, and guided sensory experiments.

In reading this book, I more often felt as if I were sitting in a public health clinic or lecture hall rather than at a dinner table.