What do you think?
Rate this book
The Science of Cooking
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 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
244 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2000
24 people are currently reading
485 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 12, 2011
This book describes the chemistry and physics of cooking. It provides the basis for understanding why certain recipes worked or didn't work. He first goes over the basics of taste and flavor, cooking methods, basic chemistry (eg, fats, oils, polysaccharides, starches, sugars, gluten, protein, collagen, gelatin, soaps, bubbles, foam, and emulsifiers), and methods of heat transfer.
It finishes with recipes and experiments dealing with all the usual food groups (meat, poultry, fish, breads, sauces, sponge cakes, pastries, souffles). It goes over the chemistry and physics as they pertain to the recipes. Along with the typical things that can go wrong, what could have caused it, and ways to fix it. The book ends talking about chocolate and how it is made.
Quite enjoyable for the cooking geek.
It finishes with recipes and experiments dealing with all the usual food groups (meat, poultry, fish, breads, sauces, sponge cakes, pastries, souffles). It goes over the chemistry and physics as they pertain to the recipes. Along with the typical things that can go wrong, what could have caused it, and ways to fix it. The book ends talking about chocolate and how it is made.
Quite enjoyable for the cooking geek.
January 5, 2010
Molecular gastronomy is a pretty fascinating topic. Barham knows his material, and keeps it pithy and interesting.
January 24, 2010
Eh, it was informative enough, but it was a rough draft, and that was pretty offensive. Seriously, as you read it, you wonder if this dude had an editor, or if he even bothered to carefully reread what he wrote. Lots of copy and paste, some sentences that make no sense at all. It was neat stuff, but I really didn't want to spend money on an unfinished product. Oh, it was sold as a finished product... it was just a lie.
I recently read another food science book, "What Einstein Told His Cook." If you're interested in the topic, read that instead.
Fucker.
I recently read another food science book, "What Einstein Told His Cook." If you're interested in the topic, read that instead.
Fucker.
August 31, 2017
Più che un libro è un prontuario. Interessante perchè descrive i processi chimici alla base delle varie preparazioni, mostrando poi ricette che li applichino. La panoramica è ampia, ma il range di ricette non lo è. Lo consiglio a chi è interessato al tema, magari come prima lettura, ma siamo lontani anni luce dalla qualità della produzione del nostro amico Dario Bressanini.
Inotre, l'autore è inglese...
Inotre, l'autore è inglese...
October 16, 2018
Fascinating.
January 2, 2019
It was interesting but over technical. Not an easy read and I ended up skipping parts that were too complicated or boring.
May 2, 2020
I've been cooking for a long time and I've done a lot of chemistry and biochemistry, and I have done a lot of online research looking for some of this information, so I already knew an awful lot of this, and it didn't address some of the questions that I have had over the years, but it does do a really good job of what it sets out to do: provide a simple understanding of important processes. A cook who reads this book is likely to become a better technical cook (that is, improved technique, not the art of cookery).
It includes "lab experiments" for the home kitchen and some recipes. Barham is English, so the recipes are English as well, and the language is too. For example, he uses hob for stove, and there's a recipe for Spotted Dick. This may make it a little confusing to some readers. On the other hand, I got it from my sister who may very well have bought it in England, so this is not a criticism of the book as much as it is a note to readers.
It includes "lab experiments" for the home kitchen and some recipes. Barham is English, so the recipes are English as well, and the language is too. For example, he uses hob for stove, and there's a recipe for Spotted Dick. This may make it a little confusing to some readers. On the other hand, I got it from my sister who may very well have bought it in England, so this is not a criticism of the book as much as it is a note to readers.
July 16, 2022
Barham, a British physicist, analyzes the scientific processes involved in cooking, with brief forays into biology to explain why they're important. To pick out a few random facts from his extended surveys, cooking meat breaks up some of the longer protein chains into shorter molecules, which can float into the air more easily (giving a more appetizing smell) and be sensed by the tongue more easily (giving a better taste). Or, fish is more tender than land animals, because fish are supported by the water rather than having to stand by their own muscle power. Or, some sorts of cake rise largely based on the air bubbles whipped into the eggs - which's why you need to churn the eggs well, and also why you should thump the cake after removing it from the oven (so as to let external air into the bubbles so they don't collapse as they cool).
Barham also provides recipes. I haven't made any of his recipes yet, but I want to - and I feel I now understand things more.
Barham also provides recipes. I haven't made any of his recipes yet, but I want to - and I feel I now understand things more.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.