The Science of Cooking

by Peter Barham

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A kitchen is no different from most science laboratories and cookery may properly be regarded as an experimental science. Food preparation and cookery involve many processes which are well described by the physical sciences. Understanding the chemistry and physics of cooking should lead to improvements in performance in the kitchen. For those of us who wish to know why certain recipes work and perhaps more importantly why others fail, appreciating the underlying physical processes will show more inevitably help in unravelling the mysteries of the "art" of good cooking. Strong praise from the reviewers - "Will be stimulating for amateur cooks with an interest in following recipes and understanding how they work. They will find anecdotes and, sprinkled throughout the book, scientific points of information... The book is a pleasant read and is an invitation to become better acquainted with the science of cooking." - NATURE "This year, at last, we have a book which shows how a practical understanding of physics and chemistry can improve culinary performance... [Barham] first explains, in a lucid non-textbooky way, the principles behind taste, flavour and the main methods of food preparation, and then gives fool-proof basic recipes for dishes from roast leg of lab to chocolate soufflé." - FINANCIAL TIMES WEEKEND "This book is full of interesting and relevant facts that clarify the techniques of cooking that lead to the texture, taste and aroma of good cuisine. As a physicist the author introduces the importance of models in preparing food, and their modification as a result of testing (tasting)."- THE PHYSICIST "Focuses quite specifically on the physics and food chemistry of practical domestic cooking in terms of real recipes... Each chapter starts with an overview of the scientific issues relevant to that food group, e.g. toughness of meat, thickening of sauces, collapse of sponge cakes and soufflés. This is followed by actual recipes, with the purpose behind each ingredient and technique explained, and each recipe followed by a table describing some common problems, causes and solutions. Each chapter then ends with suggested experiments to illustrate some of the scientific principles exploited in the chapter." - FOOD & DRINK NEWSLETTER   show less

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3 reviews
A kitchen is no different from most science laboratories and cookery may properly be regarded as an experimental science.
Il libro, decisamente interessante, si articola in due parti. La prima fornisce al lettore le basi scientifiche di una giusta comprensione dei fenomeni che avvengono in cucina ed è affrontata con il giusto equilibrio ed approfondimento. La seconda parte invece affronta i grandi temi della cucina, a partire da una divisione per 'temi'. Si va dalla cucina della carne, a quella del pesce, al temibile soufflé, alla cucina col cioccolato. Presupposto di fondo di questo notevole libro, è che dietro quello che accade in cucina, ci sono delle leggi scientifiche ben precise. Conoscerle non solo aiuta a capire meglio i fenomeni, ma aiuta anche a migliorare la propria cucina, a trovare i giusti tempi di cottura e le operazioni che si devono e show more non devono fare. La cucina in fin dei conti è come un laboratorio e ogni ricetta non può che essere la descrizione di un esperimento. Il lettore italiano forse rimarrà un po' deluso: essendo l'autore anglosassone, il libro rimane privo della sezione della pasta e delle ricette all'italiana. Si è tuttavia ampiamente ricompensati dal fatto che le sue ricette alla fine riescono ad essere più precise di quelle di un comune ricettario e il tutto è 'condito' con un pizzico di ironia che non guasta mai. show less

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Original title
The Science of Cooking

Classifications

Genres
Nonfiction, Food & Cooking, Science & Nature
DDC/MDS
641.5Applied Science & TechnologyHome economics & family managementFood, Cooking & Recipes / Meals, PicnicsCooking; cookbooks
LCC
TX651 .B147TechnologyHome economicsHome economicsCooking
BISAC

Statistics

Members
243
Popularity
132,056
Reviews
2
Rating
(3.97)
Languages
5 — English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
8
ASINs
2