The Kitchen as Laboratory Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking

Behind today's celebrity chefs and starred restaurants is a mostly unsung army of dedicated food and science lovers working to uncover the scientific principles that make our modern gastronomical marvels possible. In offering thirty-three highly readable and often amusing essays by warriors in this multinational kitchen army, the editors of this anthology have accomplished the great service of filling a much-needed gap in the public's understanding and appreciation of twenty-first-century culinary 'magic.' Where else can one have fun pondering the acoustics of crunchy foods or the texture of an ice cream that stretches like a rubber band? -- Robert Wolke, former Washington Post food columnist and author of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained The editors of The Kitchen as Laboratory provide not just intimate and fascinating anecdotal insights but also the scientific principles that inspired them. They have created a new altar for chefs and gourmands to worship: the poetry of science. -- Will Goldfarb, creator of Willpowder, Experimental Cuisine Collective The Kitchen as Laboratory provides good perspective on the scientific approach to cooking while reflecting the interests and passions of each essay's author. Readers are likely to come away with a lot of new ideas to use in the kitchen, as well as some recognition of the breadth of contemporary applications of science in the kitchen. -- Peter Barham, author of The Science of Cooking The Kitchen as Laboratory is not only an in-depth study of many areas of food science, but also an entertaining read. For someone like me, who relishes understanding more about cooking from the inside out, it's heartening to see this area of literature expanded. -- Chef Wylie Dufresne, wd 50 Nothing is more difficult to master in the world than science itself. The Kitchen as Laboratory creates a beautiful synergy between food and science while amazingly representing difficult concepts in colloquial language. It is a powerful book. -- Chef Jose Andres, James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Cesar Vega, Job Ubbink, and Erik van der Linden have assembled a complete document that seamlessly bridges the inherent connection of the science of cooking and the art of cooking. They have created a testament to the fact that precise understanding and open minded observation are invaluable tools for creative cooking. Kitchen as Laboratory: Reflections on the Science of Food and Cooking is a thought provoking, insightful and approachable resource for professional chefs and home cooks alike. -- Maxime Bilet, head chef for recipe research and development at The Cooking Lab, co-author of Modernist Cuisine serious and substantive anthology -- Harold McGee Nature 12/22/2011 Refreshingly, the Kitchen conveys simple and attainable advice... Scientist 2/1/2012 ...engaging, thought-provoking and accessible Yum.fi 5/15/2012 Highly recommended. Choice 6/1/2012