Press Kit – Jeff Potter's Cooking for Geeks

You might be a geek and not even know it!

Cooking for Geeks is for anyone who wants to do more than follow a recipe. It’s the perfect book for the curious, smart, and hungry geek.

This book is different from any other cookbook out there: it teaches science using cooking. Part cookbook, part science book, Cooking for Geeks answers questions like: How do your senses of taste and smell work? See Chapter 2 for answers, along with interviews with scientists and dozens of recipes. How does heat change our foods? See Chapter 3 for the key temperatures in cooking—you’ll never wonder how to set your oven again.

Read Chapters 2 & 3 of the Second Edition (Click for PDF)

The second edition is a complete rewrite.

With over 150 new pages, one third of the second edition is entirely new material. And, the other two-thirds of the book are completely rewritten and revised, expanding and updating the science and kitchen tips throughout.

Plus, Jeff has had a lot more time to dig into the meaty science and crazy experiences. Listen to him on Science Friday or read about him making a 500 pound donut on the Food Network. All these experiences make the second edition more entertaining, more interesting, and more geeky.

Why a second edition?

The first edition was hugely successful — geeks are hungry — and lots has changed since the first edition!
- Over 100,000 print copies sold
- 18 print runs
- Translated into 6 languages
Understanding science in the world around us has never been more important. From hot food issues—what are trans fats?—to understanding the differences between organic, conventional, and local foods—the second edition helps curious readers navigate food choices.

See What’s New In The Second Edition

Images, Photos, & Details

Please contact Jeff for additional material.

	Low-res JPG (400×463) Medium-res JPG (900×1024) High-res JPG (2000×2313) CYMK TIF (1250×1445) Back Cover Cover image © 2015 O’Reilly Media Inc.
	Photos of Jeff Potter Videos & Talks About Jeff Potter / Bio

Paperback: 488 pages
Publisher: O’Reilly Media; 2nd edition (October 29, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1491928050
ISBN-13: 978-1491928059
Distributed by: Ingram

Reviews of the First Edition

Washington Post: One of the most useful books on understanding cooking, kind of like a rock-and-roll version of Harold McGee’s “On Food and Cooking.”
Chicago Tribune: an excellent walk through the science of food and the basic techniques to turn that knowledge into flavor
Chow.com: Probably the best science-meets-the-kitchen book to come out. Ever.
The Atlantic: Clear, fact-packed, and engaging … Cooking for Geeks offers an improbable victory of text over the standard food porn.
NY Daily News: In his enchanting, funny, and informative book, Cooking for Geeks (O’Reilly), Jeff Potter tells us why things work in the kitchen and why they don’t.
The New Yorker‘s Book Bench: Potter covers an array of topics, including “calibrating your equipment” in the kitchen, gastronomy, genetically modified foods, understanding pH levels, temperature, and the psychology of taste, while giving readers a refresher in chemistry that is both accessible and (dare I say) fun.
BostInnovation: a modern cooking bible, a cross between Alton Brown of the Food Network and Julia Child
Smithsonian Magazine: an interesting read … a handy reference
Pittsburgh Tribune: “science of the utmost practicality” — “strip(s) away the mystery of why things work”
Vancouver Sun: “sure to satisfy the curious cook”, “chock full of explanations for the controlled chemical reactions that constitute cooking”

On TV

On the Radio

NPR’s Science Friday — New Frontier For Geeks: The Kitchen (iTunes, MP3)
BBC’s World Service — Science in Action, August 27, 2010.
WBUR’s Radio Boston (On iTunes at 35 minutes in; or use local mirror)

Online Videos