Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food PDF
Preview Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food
Cooking for Geeks Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food S E C O N D E D I T I O N Jeff Potter Praise for the First Edition: “One of the most useful books on understanding cooking, kind of like a rock-and-roll version of Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking.” —Andreas Viested, The Washington Post Cooking for Geeks Why, exactly, do we cook the way we do? Are you curious about the science behind what happens to food as it cooks? Are you the innovative type, used to expressing your creativity instead of just following recipes? Do you want to learn to how to become a better cook? Cooking for Geeks is more than just a cookbook. Author and cooking geek Jeff Potter helps you apply curiosity, inspiration, and invention to the food you prepare. Why do we bake some things at 350°F / 175°C and others at 375°F / 190°C? Why is medium-rare steak so popular? And just how quickly does a pizza cook if you “overclock” an oven to 1,000°F / 540°C? This expanded new edition provides in-depth answers, and lets you experiment with several labs and more than 100 recipes— from the sweet (a patent-violating chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (pulled pork under pressure). When you step into the kitchen, you’re unwittingly turned into a physicist and a chemist. This excellent and intriguing resource is for inquisitive people who want to increase their knowledge and ability to cook. • Discover what type of cook you are and learn how to think about flavor • Understand how protein denaturation, Maillard reactions, caramelization, and other reactions impact the foods we cook • Gain firsthand insights from interviews with researchers, food scientists, knife experts, chefs, and writers—including science enthusiast Adam Savage, chef Jaques Pépin, and chemist Hervé This Jeff Potter is curious about the science of food and loves finding answers to why ingredients and recipes work the way they do. By bringing science to food-minded people—and food to science-minded people—he educates the public about how to master the kitchen. Jeff also works with organizations and tech startups to build the technology behind their products. He’s been featured in USA Today, the Today Show, and is a regular guest on Science Friday. COOKING Twitter: @oreillymedia facebook.com/oreilly US $39.99 CAN $45.99 ISBN: 978-1-491-92805-9 Second Edition Cooking for Geeks Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food Jeff Potter Boston Cooking for Geeks, Second Edition by Jeff Potter Copyright © 2010, 2016 Atof Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (http://safaribooksonline.com). For more information, contact our corporate/ institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or [email protected]. Editor: Meghan Blanchette Indexer: Lucie Haskins Production Editor: Melanie Yarbrough Cover Designer: Mark Paglietti Copyeditor: Rachel Monaghan Interior Designers: Edie Freedman & Ron Bilodeau Proofreader: Rachel Head Illustrator: Aaron Double Printing History: July 2010: First Edition. October 2015: Second Edition. The O’Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The Cooking for Geeks cover image and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The phrase “Cooking for Geeks” is a trademark of Atof Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Media, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. ISBN: 978-1-491-92805-9 [QG] Contents Recipe Index ........................................................ v List of Labs ........................................................ viii List of Interviews ................................................... ix Introduction ........................................................ 1 1. Hello, Kitchen!...................................................... 5 2. Taste, Smell, and Flavor .......................................... 55 3. Time and Temperature ......................................... 135 4. Air and Water .................................................... 235 5. Fun with Hardware ............................................. 305 6. Playing with Chemicals......................................... 375 How to Be a Smarter Geek ...................................... 441 Cooking Around Allergies ....................................... 445 Index ............................................................. 451 iii Recipe Index Breakfast Buttermilk Pancakes ...............................................278 Internet Average Pancakes .......................................... 10 My Dad’s 1-2-3 Crepes ..............................................251 Oat and Egg White Frittata with Fruit ................................ 13 Oven-Roasted Eggs ................................................194 Slow Scrambled Eggs ..............................................194 Skillet-Fried Potatoes ...............................................216 Steel-Cut Oats ...................................................... 12 Steam-Powered Popovers ..........................................239 Tim’s Scones .......................................................288 Yeast Waffles .......................................................267 Breads Bread—No-Knead Method .........................................261 Bread—Traditional Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264 Pizza Dough—No-Knead Method ..................................271 Pizza Dough—Yeast-Free Method ..................................286 Seeded Crackers and Easy Flatbreads ...............................253 Sourdough Starter .................................................272 Appetizers and Sides Baked Goat Cheese with Almonds and Honey ........................ 31 Crispy Oven Kale Chips .............................................353 Great Garlic Bread ..................................................217 Pan-Seared Mussels with Butter and Shallots ......................... 67 Puff Pastry Squares or Twists ......................................... 31 Roasted Glazed Carrots with Red Onions ............................230 Roasted Green Olives ............................................... 31 Rosemary Mashed Potatoes ........................................212 Salmon Gravlax ....................................................385 Sautéed Greens with Sesame Seeds ................................209 v Scallop Ceviche ....................................................176 Seared Scallops ....................................................220 Steak Tartare with Poached Egg ....................................174 Tomato, Herb, and Squid Bruschetta ................................199 Salads Fennel, Portobello Mushroom, and Parmesan Salad .................114 Fresh Basil, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad ...........................114 Frisée Salad with Poached Eggs and Lardons ......................... 75 Summer Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad ......................... 85 Soups Congee ............................................................. 22 Fall Butternut Squash Soup .........................................118 Lemon Lentil Soup .................................................. 19 Minestrone Soup ..................................................106 One-Hour French Onion Soup ....................................... 38 Springtime Lettuce Soup ...........................................116 Summertime Gazpacho Soup ......................................117 Winter White Bean and Garlic Soup .................................116 Mains 48-Hour Braised Brisket or Ribs .....................................336 Belgian Meatballs ..................................................185 Butterflied Roast Chicken ..........................................218 Buttermilk-Marinated Skirt Steak ...................................167 Cumin and Salt Seared Tuna ........................................169 Duck Confit in Pasta ................................................202 Fish Tacos with Pickle and Strawberry Relish ........................129 Indian Moong Dal Khichdi ..........................................311 Lemony Quinoa and Asparagus with Shrimp Scampi ................. 53 Mac ’n’ Cheese .....................................................105 Olive Oil Poached Salmon ..........................................168 Oven-Cooked Barbecue Ribs .......................................405 vi Cooking for Geeks Pan-Seared Steak ..................................................140 Penne alla Vodka ...................................................107 Pulled Pork Under Pressure .........................................312 Roasted Poblano and Cheddar Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops ........... 66 Salt-Roasted Fish with Lemon and Herbs ............................147 Savory Baked Seitan with Spicy String Beans ........................257 Slow-Cooked Short Ribs ............................................203 Smoked Paprika, Chickpea, and Cilantro Chicken ..................... 28 Desserts 30-Second Chocolate Cake .........................................316 Bread Pudding .....................................................192 Butter Cookies .....................................................224 Chocolate Chip Cookies ............................................284 Chocolate Mousse .................................................301 Chocolate Port Cake ...............................................295 Cinnamon Raisin Pumpkin Cake ....................................287 Cocoa-Goldschläger Ice Cream .....................................364 Crème Anglaise ....................................................192 Crème Brûlée ......................................................368 Donuts ............................................................345 Fruit Soufflé. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Gingerbread Cookies ...............................................279 Lemon Meringue Pie ...............................................411 Marshmallows .....................................................381 Mock Apple Pie ..................................................... 96 One-Bowl Chocolate Cake ..........................................280 Peppermint Chocolate Mints ........................................ 81 Pie Dough .........................................................259 Pistachio Chocolate Baklava ........................................256 Poached Pears .....................................................210 S’mores Ice Cream .................................................405 Snickerdoodles ....................................................224 Recipe Index vii Sugar Cone Bowls for Ice Cream ....................................342 Sugar Cookies .....................................................224 Tiramisu ............................................................ 19 Vanilla Custard .....................................................192 Zabaglione (Sabayon) .............................................298 Components & Ingredients 53 Beef Jerky .......................................................354 Bread-and-Butter Quick Pickles .....................................388 Citrus Marmalade ..................................................396 Infused Oils and Herbed Butters ....................................401 Mayonnaise ........................................................431 Preserved Lemons .................................................387 Sour Cream ........................................................155 Vanilla Extract ......................................................400 Yogurt .............................................................. 73 List of Labs The Sweet Way to Calibrate Your Oven ............................... 36 You Say Potato, I Say Apple .......................................... 57 Genetic Taste Differences ............................................ 82 How Well Do You Know Your Flavors? ...............................130 Collagen Protein Experiment .......................................204 Tasty Rates of Reactions—Find Your Perfect Cookie .................226 Calibrate Your Freezer Using Salt Water .............................244 Make Your Own Gluten .............................................254 Getting to Second Base with Baking Soda ...........................276 Separation via Crystallization (Sugar Swizzle Sticks) .................356 Making Ice Cream with Salt and Ice .................................394 How to Make Liquid Smoke ........................................406 Make Your Own Pectin .............................................420 viii Cooking for Geeks
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