WHAT'S IN THIS BOOK? Flashcards
Who made the statement that searing meat before roasting does not “lock in the juices?”
Harold McGee
Who made the statement that searing meat seals in the juices?
German food scientist Justus von Liebig in the mid- nineteenth century.
What famous chefs adopted the theory of sealing in the juices?
Many, including Auguste Escoffier (the father of French cuisine).
How did Harold McGee notice that the cauterized surface of a steak isn’t a moisture proof barrier?
He noticed that when you sear a steak on one said, then flip it, juices from the interior of the steak are squeezed out of the top–the very side that was supposedly impermeable.
Why did people believe Von Libieg’s erroneous assertion?
Cooking has always been considered a craft, not a science. Restaurant cooks act as apprentices, learning, but not question their chefs’ technique.
What is the public finally starting to see food as?
A scientific engineering problem in which the inputs are raw ingredients and techniques and the outputs are deliciously edible results.
What is this book about?
To prove that even the simplest of foods–hamburgers,, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, chicken soup, even a goddamn salad–are every bit as fascinating, interesting, storied, and delicious as what chefs wearing the fanciest pants these days are concocting.
The science of a hamburger patty can go all the way to what? Explain.
Inception. Hamburgers start cows–animal that live exceedingly complex lives, that can differ in breed and feed, but also in terms of exercise, terrain they’re exposed to, how and when they’re slaughtered, and whether they eat grass or grain.
What’s the first step of winning?
Learning how not to fail.
What happens when you understand the basic science of how and why a recipe works?
You free yourself from the shackles of recipes. You can modify as you see fit, fully confident in the outcome.
What is cooking by rote?
Cooking by memorization instead of intelligence - very repetitive.
Cooking by rote–even when your mentors are some of the greatest chefs the world–is what?
Paralyzing.
What won’t you find?
Desserts. They just aren’t his thing.
The whole point of science?
It’s a never ending quest for knowledge.
The moment we think we know all the answers is the moment we stop what?
learning
