Table of Contents
Introduction xii
Chapter 1 Cooking Basics 1
What Is Cooking? 2
Is One Kind of Materia! Best for Cookware? 3
What Happens When You Season a Cast-Iron Pan? 5
Is Steam Really Hotter Than Boiling Water? 6
Does Cold Water Come to a Boil Faster Than Warm Water? 8
Why Does Water Boil at Less Than 212°F/100°F at Higher Altitudes? 8
Does Adding Oil to the Cooking Water Keep Pasta from Sticking? 10
Do Meats and Vegetables Cook in the Same Way? 11
Why Do Foods Brown? The Maillard Reaction 12
Why Do Foods Brown? Caramelization 13
Can You Increase Browning? 14
Does Alcohol Burn Off When You Cook It? 15
Does the Quality of a Wine Matter When You're Cooking with It? 16
Is Oil Really Necessary in Cooking? 17
Does the Type of Oil I Use Matter? 18
What Is an Emulsion? 20
Why Are Emulsions Prone to Breaking? 20
Does It Matter What Thickener I Use? 22
Why Do Fried Rice Recipes Call for Day-Old Rice? 24
Chapter 2 Flavor Basics 27
How Do We Experience Taste? 28
What Factors Can Affect the Way We Experience Flavor? 29
Are Taste and Flavor the Same Thing? 31
Can Your Environment Affect How Food Tastes? 32
Is There a Scientific Reason Why Certain Foods and Flavors Complement Each Other? 33
Is Umami Really a Thing? 34
Why Does Salt Make Food Taste So Good? 36
Does the Kind of Salt I Use Matter? 37
What Makes Fat So Tasty? 38
Why Does Cilantro Taste Soapy to Some People and Not to Others? 39
Is Terroir Really a Thing in Food and Wine? 40
Can a Marinade Infuse a Food with Flavor? 41
What Gives Black Pepper Its Punch? 42
What Gives Ginger its Heat and Spiciness? 42
Why Is Saffron So Highly Prized? 43
What Gives Nutritional Yeast Its Distinctive Flavor? 44
Is It Better to Use Herbs Fresh or Dried? 45
When Should I Use Lemon Zest Versus Lemon Juice? 46
Chapter 3 Meat, Poultry, and Fish 49
Why Are Meats Different Colors? 50
What Is the Difference Between Tender and Tough Cuts of Meat and How They Cook? 51
Does Aging Meat Really Make It More Tender? 53
Why Does Marbling Make for a Better Tasting Steak? 53
Can a Marinade Tenderize Meat? 54
Does Brining Make Meats Juicy? 57
Should I Bring Meat to Room Temperature Before Cooking It? 58
Does Searing a Steak Seal in Its Juices? 58
Does It Matter Whether You Cook Bacon in a Cold or Hot Pan? 59
Why Does Meat Stick to a Hot Pan? 60
Does Basting Make Meat Moist? 61
Why Does Meat Dry Out? 61
Do I Need to Let Meat and Poultry Rest After Cooking? 63
Is Carryover Heat Really a Thing? 64
Why Are You Supposed to Slice Certain Meats Against the Grain? 65
Is There Really Any Difference Between Regular Broth, Bone Broth, and Stock? 66
Does Citrus Juice Really Cook Seafood in Ceviche? 67
What Makes Lobsters Turn Red and Shrimp Turn Pink When Cooked? 68
What Makes Fish Smell Fishy? 69
Chapter 4 Eggs and Dairy 71
Is There One Best Substitute for Eggs? 72
Why Do Egg Whites Expand When Beaten? 74
Does Temperature Matter When Beating Egg Whites? 76
Does Beating Egg Whites in a Copper Bowl Improve Volume? 76
How Do Egg Whites Clarify Stock? 77
What Causes the Shell to Stick to My Hard-Boiled Egg When I Try to Pee! It? 78
Why Do Egg Yolks Sometimes Turn Green When Hard-Boiled? 79
What Makes for the Best Hard-Boiled Egg? 80
Why Won't My Mayonnaise Thicken? 80
Why Did My Hollandaise Sauce Break? 81
Why Does a Skin Form on Custard or Heated Milk? 82
Can I Substitute Milk for Half-and-Half or Heavy Cream, and Vice Versa? 83
Does Buttermilk Contain Butter? 84
Why Do Different Cheeses Melt Differently? 84
Why Do Some Cheeses Form Rinds and Others Don't? 86
Why Do Some Cheeses Have Strong Aromas and Others Don't? 87
Why Doesn't the Mold in Blue Cheese Make You Sick? 88
Can t Freeze Cheese? 89
Is Processed Cheese Fake? 90
Chapter 5 Fruits and Vegetables 93
What Happens When Fruit Ripens? 94
Why Do Some Fruits Brown When Cut? 95
Does Putting a Banana with an Underripe Fruit Really Help the Fruit Ripen Faster? 96
Do Canned and Frozen Fruits and Vegetables Have Fewer Nutrients Than Fresh Produce? 97
Do Fruits and Vegetables Lose Their Nutrients When Cooked? 98
Why Does My Tongue Tingle When I Eat Pineapple? 99
What Makes a Chile Pepper Hot? 100
What Can You Do to Relieve Chile Burn? 101
Why Does Cutting Onions Make You Cry? 102
Is There Any Real Difference Between Yellow, Red, and White Onions? 103
How Do Garlic and Onion Transmit Flavor to a Dish? 104
Does the Way You Cut Up Garlic Affect How Strong It Is in a Dish? 105
Why Does the Flavor of Garlic, But Not the Flavor of Chiles, Mellow When Cooked? 106
Do Beans Get Tough If You Add Salt or Tomatoes to Them at the Beginning of Cooking? 107
Why Do Kids and Some Adults Hate Raw Broccoli? 108
What's the Difference Between White and Green Asparagus? 108
Is There Really a Difference Between Starting Potatoes in Cold Water Versus Adding Them to Boiling Water? 109
Does the Kind of Potato I Use When Baking, Mashing, or Frying Really Make a Difference? 110
What Makes Popcorn Pop? 112
What Gives Mushrooms Their Meaty Flavor? 114
Chapter 6 Baking and Sweets 117
What Is Gluten? 118
How Does Yeast Work in Baking? 119
Why Are Some Breads Soft and Others Chewy? 121
What Is the Science Behind No-Knead Bread? 122
Why Does Bread Harden When It Gets Stale but Cookies and Crackers Get Soft? 124
What's the Difference Between Baking Soda and Baking Powder? 126
Do I Need to Use Cake Flour When I Bake a Cake? 127
Does the Temperature of My Butter Matter When I Use It in a Recipe? 128
Does it Matter How You Mix a Cake Batter? 129
Does It Matter if You Use a Glass or Metal Pan When Baking? 130
Does It Matter Where I Bake My Cake in the Oven? 131
What Causes Baked Goods to Puff Up in the Oven as They Bake? 132
Why Are Some Cookies Chewy and Others Crispy? 132
What is the Secret to a Flaky Pie Crust? 134
Is There Any Difference Between Types of Sugars? 135
Why Does Honey Crystallize? 136
What Makes Peanut Brittle Brittle? 137
What Does It Mean to Temper Chocolate? 138
Why Do the Flavors of Chocolate and Coffee Go Together So Well? 139
Chapter 7 Food Safety and Storage 141
Should Hot Food Be Put Immediately in the Fridge or Left Out to Cool First? 142
Is Raw Milk Safe to Drink? 142
Is It Safe to Eat a Raw Egg? 143
Do I Have to Worry About My Eggs Going Bad? 144
Is Raw Cookie Dough Okay to Eat? 145
Should Raw Chicken and Turkey Be Washed Before Cooking? 146
Is It Okay to Eat Undercooked Pork? 146
Is Grilled Meat Unhealthy to Eat? 147
Do I Really Have to Cook My Steak to Well-Done to be Safe? 148
How Does E. coli End Up on Romaine Lettuce and Other Produce? 149
Can the Dirt on My Mushrooms Make Me Sick? 150
What Keeps Fermented and Pickled Vegetables from Going Bad? 151
Can I Still Eat a Potato If Its Skin Is Green? 152
Are Apple Seeds and Peach Pits Poisonous? 153
Do Castor Beans Contain Ricin? 153
Can Peanut Butter Go Bad? 154
Does Jam Ever Go Bad? 155
What Is Botulism? 156
Does Olive Oil Ever Expire? 156
Is It Safe to Reuse Oil After Frying and Cooking? 157
Are Hydrogenated Oils Safe to Eat? 158
What Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup, and Is It Bad for Me? 159
Is MSG Safe to Eat? 159
Should I Be Worried About Eating Foods Containing Artificial Flavors? 161
Are Preservatives Safe to Eat? 162
How Seriously Should I Take Expiration Dates? 163
Do I Need to Store Soy Sauce or Fish Sauce in the Fridge Once I Open lt? 165
Should I Store My Bread; in the Fridge? 166
Can I Just Cut the Moldy Bits Off Bread and Still Eat It? 167
Should I Keep Unripe Tomatoes in the Fridge? 168
Why Do Vegetables Wilt in the Fridge? 169
How Does a Freezer Work? 170
Why Do You Have to Blanch Green Beans Before Freezing Them? 172
What Is Freezer Burn? 173
Why Does Ice Cream Sometimes Develop Ice Crystals in the Freezer? 174
What's the Best Way to Defrost Meat-on the Counter, in the Fridge, or Under Running Water? 175
Index 176
