What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke
December 31st, 2008Title: What Einstein Told His Cook
Author: Robert L. Wolke
Publisher: W.W. Norton (2002)
What a fun book! I am a terrible cook and do it as little as possible, but I still really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot of science while reading this book, which is awesome as my wife is a real life scientist. I assume my knowledge of science is now about equal to hers. Maybe I’ll quiz her later on science questions!
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke is a book that explains science behind a lot of things that are related to cooking. He wrote it in Q&A format which is great because it keeps the sections short and readable. And even though he is a super smart chemistry professor, he is able to explain everything in normal words. Every once in a while he uses college-level words, but always precedes that with a warning of techspeak.
The most interesting question for me was: What is the fastest way to defrost frozen foods? The typical options are to use the microwave, soak it in a sink full of water or leave it out on the counter. BUT WAIT — there is one more option…and it is the best option! Place the unwrapped frozen food on an unheated, heavy skillet or frying pan. UNHEATED!!! You see, metals are super heat conductors. The pan will conduct the rooms heat efficiently into the frozen food. The heavier the pan…the faster it will thaw. Just don’t use a non-stick pan, the coating ruin the conductivity. (This won’t really work for large objects like chickens and roasts.)
This book was written in 2002 and Wolfe has since come out with the second book in the series, which I am sure is great. This book is really good and a lot of fun to read (and you will learn too!)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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December 31st, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Now you can’t laugh at me when I tell you to wait until the egg coagulates to flip it!
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 pm
your review makes this book look interesting–i think i’ll put it on my list!
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Hi. Can I read that one?