How do cooks use science

According to the popular online resource for educators — Math Central — math exists on every recipe card in every kitchen. And mastery of culinary math is a key to success in the industry.

How many cupcakes can you make with 2. Baking is less forgiving than cooking when it comes to measurement and ratios, because…. Science plays a huge part in the overall culinary tradition. The rising popularity of sous vide exposes an area of chemistry involving heat and vacuum pressure. Knowing how to apply the reactions is helpful…understanding why they work takes your culinary skill to the next level and will open up the doors to greater creativity.

First, researchers have turned the kitchen into a place for serious scientific study, with a growing number of papers and books detailing the physical and chemical transformations involved in cooking.

At the same time, collaborations between scientists and chefs have helped bring scientific knowledge and technological innovations into fine restaurants and even homes. And finally, the field has spurred an interest among both scientists and chefs in moving beyond the physical properties of foods to understanding the psychology and neuroscience of perceiving and enjoying food.

The chemical and physical transformations that take place during cooking are complex. The browning of meat, for example, involves molecular changes produced in a complex set of cascading chemical interactions known as Maillard reactions.

Analyses of foods undergoing Maillard reactions have shown that the process releases hundreds of compounds, some of which have been harnessed by the flavour industry to create processed foods that taste better — compounds that contain the amino acid cysteine provide a meaty smell, for example, and compounds with methionine enhance the flavour of potatoes.

Many researchers are trying to understand what makes some cooking methods work better than others. In , Pia Snitkjaer, a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen, described the investigation of the perceived flavour and chemical composition of meat stock as it is cooked 1. Most of the traditional ways of cooking have been passed down through the generations without any systematic testing, and molecular gastronomy can pinpoint those that do not yield the best flavour.

Such explorations are also taking place in restaurant test kitchens and other informal settings, as documented by a six-volume cookbook Modernist Cuisine go.

In addition to recipes, the book details the basic science of cooking, from the properties of water to the principles of heat transfer in pans it turns out that copper pans don't transfer heat any better than aluminium ones. As well as the growing number of scientists interested in studying cooking, many famous chefs have embraced a scientific approach to creating new dishes. Chefs at these establishments have experimented with new methods to create some surprising dishes — and have sometimes joined scientists as co-authors in published research.

At elBulli, he used methods such as spherification, in which liquid ingredients are mixed with sodium alginate and submerged in a calcium bath, resulting in caviar-like spheres that burst in the mouth. Now, he says, the application of scientific principles to cooking has fuelled culinary innovation.

Such inventions have stimulated new interest in the science of cooking, and a wave of science-focused cookbooks, TV shows and websites bringing these ideas into home kitchens. Amateur cooks can now buy sous vide machines which use a temperature-controlled water bath to cook food slowly in sealed plastic bags , air pumps to make foams, and ingredientssuch as sodium alginate and xanthum gum to alter the textures and properties of food.

For some scientists, the most interesting questions in gastronomy lie not in the chemistry and physics of food, but in the brain. Peter Barham, a physicist at the University of Bristol, UK, and co-editor of the new journal Flavour , says that much of what people call molecular gastronomy is simply the application of scientific knowledge about the physics and chemistry of food that has been known for some time.

The study of the nature of flavour perception, eating and enjoyment or 'neurogastronomy' is making many new discoveries, says Barham. It is becoming increasingly clear, for example, that what we taste depends on the information coming from our other senses see 'Partners in flavour', page S4. White sugar sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup a mixture of fructose and glucose have been linked to a range of widespread health conditions.

Just like carbs, fats only contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but gram for gram release more than twice the dietary energy of either protein or the carbs. Nevertheless, some fat is essential for a healthy diet. Consider varieties of food and drink that are acidic. A classic example we often hear is that Coca-Cola has a pH value of about 3.

As it happens, the human stomach also contains phosphoric acid as well as hydrochloric acid , and this has an even stronger acidic pH value. Actually, apples and oranges have a similar pH value to Coke, and lemon juice is ten times more acidic.

The acidic characteristics of food and drink combine with other chemicals to provide flavour. Without some acidic character, many foods would be bland. Chemically speaking, the opposite of acidic is known as basic, or alkali. While acidic substances have a pH of less than 7, basic foods have a pH greater than 7. Cooking Fish in the Microwave. Blowtorch Cooking. Knife Skills and the Anatomy of the Chef Knife. Toggle navigation Science of Cooking. Why does food brown when cooked?

Browning, or the Maillard reaction, creates flavor and changes the color of food. Until the Maillard reaction occurs meat will have less flavor. Both caramelization and the maillard reaction only occur on the right producing the noticeable brown color Read about why foods brown. Browning of Foods Why does food on the stove top sometimes not sear?

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