Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking

Aninternationalcelebrityandfounderofmoleculargastronomy，orthescientificinvestigationofculinarypractice，HervéThisisknownforhisground-breakingresearchintothechemistryandphysicsbehindeverydaycooking.Hisworkisconsultedwidelybyamateurcooksandprofessionalchefsandhaschangedthewayfoodisapproachedandpreparedallovertheworld.InKitchenMysteries，HervéThisoffersasecondhelpingofhisworld-renownedinsightintothescienceofcooking，answeringsuchfundamentalquestionsaswhatcausesvegetablestochangecolorwhencookedandhowtokeepasouffléfromfalling.Heilluminatesabstractconceptswithpracticaladviceandconcreteexamples—forinstance，howsautéinginbutterchemicallyaltersthemoleculesofmushrooms—sothatcooksofeverystripecanthoroughlycomprehendthescientificprinciplesoffood.KitchenMysteriesbeginswithabriefoverviewofmoleculargastronomyandtheimportanceofunderstandingthephysiologyoftaste.Asuccessfulmealdependsasmuchonacook'sskilledorchestrationoftaste，odors，colors，consistencies，andothersensationsasonthedelicatebalanceofingredients.Hervéthendivesintothemaincourse，discussingthesciencebehindmanymeals'basiccomponents：eggs，milk，bread，sugar，fruit，yogurt，alcohol，andcheese，amongotheritems.Healsounravelsthemysteryoftenderizingenzymesandgelatinsandthepreparationofsoupsandstews，saladsandsauces，sorbet，cakes，andpastries.Hervéexplorestheeffectsofboiling，steaming，braising，roasting，deep-frying，sautéing，grilling，salting，andmicrowaving，anddevotesachaptertokitchenutensils，recommendingthebestwaytorefurbishsilverwareandusecopper.Bysharingtheempiricalprincipleschefshavevaluedforgenerations，HervéThisaddsanotherdimensiontothesuggestionsofcookbookauthors.Heshowshowtoadaptrecipestoavailableingredientsandhowtomodifyproposedmethodstotheutensilsathand.Hisrevelationsmakedifficultrecipeseasiertoattemptandallowforevenmorecreativityandexperimentation.Promisingtoansweryourmostcompellingkitchenquestions，HervéThiscontinuestomakethecomplexscienceoffooddigestibletothecook.