Harold McGee's new column

Today's NYT hosts the debut of a new column, "The Curious Cook," by Harold McGee (the same name as his blog.* For those of you not familiar with his book, "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen," the subtitle of the new column (or perhaps it's just the title of today's column) gives a good idea of McGee's forte--"When Science Sniffs Around the Kitchen."

The book, recently into its second edition, is a classic, and I don't use that word lightly. Anything you ever wanted to understand about the chemistry (broadly interpreted) of what goes on in your kitchen is probably explained in this book. The index goes on for pages and is itself fascinating for the depth and breadth of the topics addressed. If I may, I'd like to quote from the Publishers Weekly blurb reproduced on the Amazon page:

"He dances from the spicy flavor of Hawaiian seaweed to the scientific method of creating no-stir peanut butter, quoting Chinese poet Shu Xi and biblical proverbs along the way. McGee's conversational style—rich with exclamation points and everyday examples—allows him to explain complex chemical reactions, like caramelization, without dumbing them down. His book will also be hailed as groundbreaking in its breakdown of taste and flavor.... McGee draws on recent agricultural research, neuroscience reviews and chemical publications to chart the different flavor chemicals in herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables. Odd synergies appear, like the creation of fruity esters in dry-cured ham—the same that occur naturally in melons! ...McGee has successfully revised the bible of food science—and produced a fascinating, charming text."

The book is absolutely fascinating reading, edifying and enlightening in the best possible way and the best part, at least for me, is that not only do you learn the "why" but you come away with practical lessons you can apply the next time you set foot in the kitchen.

Highly recommended!

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