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Why Do Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them book cover
Why Do Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them
2009
First Published
3.59
Average Rating
176
Number of Pages
How can you tell an uncooked egg from a hardboiled egg without cracking it open? Is it really necessary to serve red and white wine in different types of glasses? Are there serious culinary uses for the microwave? Why does butter sometimes taste like the refrigerator? Can chili peppers actually burn a hole in your stomach? If you’ve ever been curious about the answers to these and similar kitchen questions, then Why Do Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them? is the book for you. Internationally renowned French chemist Hervé This offers tantalizing tidbits of the science behind food and cooking and their application to culinary basics, including how to toss a perfect salad, taste wine like a pro, and know when a loaf of bread has risen fully. You’ll learn how and why we do things the way we do in the kitchen, as well as dozens of simple techniques to improve your cooking. Whether you're a cook, a science buff, or just someone who loves to eat, this delightful volume is a must-have compendium of little-known facts, tips, and tricks about what we eat and drink.
Avg Rating
3.59
Number of Ratings
17
5 STARS
24%
4 STARS
29%
3 STARS
35%
2 STARS
6%
1 STARS
6%
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Author

Hervé This
Hervé This
Author · 8 books

Hervé This is is a French physical chemist who works at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique. His main area of interest is molecular gastronomy, or how our knowledge of chemistry and science in general, can be used as a tool to enhance culinary experiences, rather than the purely empirical knowledge which more often than not dictates the rules in the kitchen. With the late Nicholas Kurti, he coined the scientific term "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" in 1988, which he shortened to "Molecular Gastronomy" after Kurti's death in 1998[1]. While it is often stated that he has a Ph.D in Molecular Gastronomy, his degree is in "Physico-chimie des matériaux" (Physical Chemistry of Materials), for which he wrote a thesis entitled "La gastronomie moléculaire et physique"[2]. He has written several books on the subject which can be understood even by those who have little or no knowledge of chemistry, but so far only two have been translated into English. He also collaborates with the magazine Pour la Science, the aim of which is to present scientific concepts to the general public. He is also a corresponding member of the Académie d'agriculture de France, and, more recently, the scientific director of the foundation "Food Science & Culture", which he created at the French Academy of Science. Every month he adds one new "invention" in the Arts and Science section of the website of the three-star chef Pierre Gagnaire. Although his main focus is on physical chemistry, he also attributes great importance to the emotional aspect of cooking, as the title of one of his books shows: Cooking is love, art, technique.

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Why Do Lobsters Turn Red When You Cook Them