Here’s a brief peak at some of what’s new in the second Edition of Cooking for Geeks. If you’re a journalist or blogger, read the press kit page to learn more about the book. Or, download a free PDF of Chapters 2 & 3.
- Presentation and Plating — Ever hear of signaling theory? It’s what an antelope does when it pronks (that’s a real word!); and it’s what we do when we present food. Find out why a concept from biology applies to expensive sports cars—and your dinner.
- The Science of Eggs — From the compositions of the parts of an egg to why some places refrigerate them (which isn’t because of washing!). Plus, a recipe template for Crème Anglaise, Vanilla Custard, and Bread Pudding along with tips for hard cooking and poaching eggs.
- A Brief History of the Recipe — Where did recipes come from? Ever tried cooking from a medieval recipe?
- Tastes – Sweet — Did you know cats can’t taste sweet things? There’s also some surprising chemistry about why some types of sugar taste sweeter when they’re warmer, along with how artificial sweeteners work.
- When should you mince garlic instead of using a garlic press? Hint: there’s a heat-liable enzyme in garlic — it depends on how quickly you’re going to cook that garlic!
- Water Chemistry and How It Impacts Your Baking — water has life-sustaining minerals dissolved in it, but variations in them can change your baking. And, related variations in water can lead to some fascinating detective work! Read on to find out how Sherlock Holmes would tell where his tomato came from.
- The Science of Crispy, Chewy Cookies — Different ingredients in cookie dough will make for chewy or crispy cookies, but that’s only part of the story. It’s the amount of water that matters! Plus, what happens when you dig into the patent literature to find out industry secrets? Read on for a patent-violating recipe—luckily the patent has expired!
- Tastes – Spicy, Cooling, and Others, and a recipe for Peppermint Chocolate Mints— Ever wonder why some people taste things as hot while others don’t? Or how to measure how hot a pepper is? Or why mint is “cool”? Try the recipe for peppermint chocolate mints.
- Expanded sections on Tastes, describing sour, savory, salty (D.I.Y. sea salt), and bitter.
- Taste, the Gustatory Sense — Your tongue is a chemical detector, triggered by compounds like capsaicin and quinine around one part per million. Did you know the weather changes how well you taste things? Or that your cultural upbringing will partly determine what you like? Read on for tips when cooking for others.
- Taste Perversion — If taste receptors are like locks waiting for the right key, what happens when the lock is picked? Find out why artichokes are hard to pair with wine and how to throw a flavor tripping party with miracle berries.
- Taste Aversions — Are there any foods you hate? That you find revolting? That’s a taste aversion; but where do they come from? How can you get over one?
- Smell, the Olfactory Sense, Flying’s Impact on Smell, and Mock Apple Pie — Smell is so complicated that it was only a decade ago that the Nobel Prize was awarded to researchers who figured out how it worked. Learn how different odors are described, and how Ritz crackers, cinnamon, vanilla, and lemon juice can trick you into thinking you’re eating an apple pie!
- Seeded Crackers and Easy Flatbreads (Recipe) — You’d be surprised how easy it is to make crackers! Start with the idea of “three parts flour, one part water” baked in a hot oven for 10 minutes, iterate half a dozen times, and you’ll end up rediscovering what the Ancient Egyptians first made.
- Salt-Roasted Fish with Lemon and Herbs (Recipe) — A delicious meal that uses salt as a “heat shield”, and a fun recipe to make!
- Pistachio Chocolate Baklava (Recipe) — An impressive date-dessert using phyllo dough.
- Pectin — Used to thicken jams, have you ever thought about where it comes from? Or run into jam-making problems? Learn how the number of esters in your pectin can change the way it works.
- Osmosis in Food and a recipe for Bread-and-Butter Quick Pickles — Osmosis has never tasted so delicious. Learn how it impacts foods and try making quick pickles.
- Organic, Local, and Conventional Foods — Confused by the difference? Wondering which ones have known taste differences, or how much exposure to pesticides you’ll get in each category? Read on for the legal definitions and where the best bang-for-buck is.
- One Hour French Onion Soup — In the microwave? It sounds crazy, but microwaves make for great caramelized onions: deliciously brown; never burnt. Plus, learn why onions make you cry—and how to avoid those tears!
- Oatmeal and Eggwhite Frittata (Recipe) — A simple, surprisingly easy and healthy frittata—worthy of a pro; simple enough for a beginner.
- Marshmallows, a Foam Colloid (Recipe) — Making your own marshmallows reveals a neat colloidal transition: they start out as a liquid foam and slowly change to a solid foam.
- Making Molds and Sugar Cones (Recipe) — From casting a shape into cornstarch to more intricate molds, you can make your own tools to shape the foods you cook. Plus, making sugar cones for ice cream or dessert is simpler than you’d think.
- Linda Bartoshuk on Taste and Pleasure (Interview) — Have you ever thought you might taste and smell things differently than others? How would you compare these senses? Read on for an interview about how we measure pleasure and pain.
- Jim Lahey on Baking (Interview) — One of New York City’s best bakers, read how Jim thinks about food and culture, as well as his famous no-knead bread technique.
- Jacques Pépin on Cooking (Interview) — One of the century’s most-admired chefs, Chef Pépin’s journey from chef to the French Presidents to teaching America’s next generation of chefs is as charming as it is instructive.
- How to Make a 500-Pound Doughnut (Recipe) — How would you make a 500 pound doughnut? With instructions for a miniature version as well as a regular dozen doughnuts, read on for answers!
- How Sugar Cooks – Caramelization, Cookies (Recipe), and a Lab
- High-Pressure Situations and Pressure Cookers
- Flour and How Which One You Choose Impacts Your Baking
- Flavorings, Vanilla Extract, Infused Oils and Herbed Butters
- Fear in the Kitchen – A Pep Talk
- Fats, Their Temperature Properites, and Butter
- Enzymes – An Explanation of How They Work
- Drying, Kale Chips, and Beef Jerky
- DIY Bittersweet Chocolate Bar (Recipe)
- Deborah Madison on Eating Alone (Interview)
- Buttermilk-Marinaded Skirt Steak (Recipe)
- Bridget Lancaster on Cooking Misconceptions (Interview) —
- Brian Wansink on Expectations, Flavor, and Eating (Interview) — Is it possible the color of your plates changes how much you eat? How much does the environment around you change what you experience? You’d be surprised!
- Benjamin Wolfe on Molds and Cheese (Interview) — How does a microbiologist eat his cheese? And cheese mites?! In our cheese?
- Belgian Meatballs (Recipe) — Food safety is a hot topic these days. Find out why meatballs are a great, safe treat, plus a tip about the difference between “hamburger” and “ground beef.”
- Bacteria, In Baking? — If bacteria give off carbon dioxide during respiration, why don’t we use bacteria as a leavening agent?
- Air, Hot Air, and the Power of Steam — How does humidity impact your baking? And just how much of a rise can steam give your baked goods? Try making these popovers to see!