Kitchen as laboratory, paperback/cesar vega

Eating is a multisensory experience, yet chefs and scientists have only recently begun to deconstruct foods components, setting the stage for science-based cooking.

In this global collaboration of essays, chefs and scientists advance culinary knowledge by testing hypotheses rooted in the physical and chemical properties of food.

Using traditional and cutting-edge tools, ingredients, and techniques, these pioneers create, and sometimes revamp, dishes that respond to specific desires and serve up an original encounter with gastronomic practice.

From the seemingly mundane to the food fantastic -- from grilled cheese sandwiches, pizzas, and soft-boiled eggs to Turkish ice cream, sugar glasses, and jellified beads -- the essays in The Kitchen as Laboratory cover a range of creations and their history and culture.

They consider the significance of an eaters background and dining atmosphere and the importance of a chefs methods, as well as the strategies used to create a great diversity of foods and dishes.

This collection will delight experts and amateurs alike, especially as restaurants rely more on science-based cooking and recreational cooks increasingly explore the physics and chemistry behind their art.

Contributors end each essay with their personal thoughts on food, cooking, and science, offering rare insight into a professionals passion for playing with food.