The other day, I was with fellow female food bloggers and we had a great discussion about how the sexes approach food and cooking/baking very differently. We’ve noticed that females tend to approach food and cooking/baking with more emotion. Males, on the other hand, tend to approach it with a more technical or scientific approach. Of course, this is just our observation and not necessarily a generalization. But regardless of how you tend to approach food, you will probably appreciate this week’s Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Now the real question is… are you a cooking geek?!
Why do we cook the way we do? Are you the innovative type, used to expressing your creativity instead of just following directions? Do you want to learn more about cooking or are curious about the science behind what happens to food as it cooks?More than just a cookbook, Cooking for Geeks applies your curiosity to discovery, inspiration, and invention in the kitchen. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do we bake some things at 350°F/175°C and others at 375°F/190°C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if we overclock an oven to 1,000°F/540°C? Jeff Potter provides the answers to these questions and more, including recipes, interviews, and experiements in his widely well-received book, which The Washington Post called “one of the most useful books on understanding cooking.”
Thanks to the folks at Book This, Inc!, they are sponsoring this week’s Sunday Fun Day Giveaway, the Cooking for Geeks cookbook. More than just a cookbook, Cooking for Geeks applies your curiosity to discovery, inspiration, and invention in the kitchen. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do we bake some things at 350 F/175 C and others at 375 F/190 C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if we overclock an oven to 1,000 F/540 C? Author and cooking geek Jeff Potter provides the answers and offers a unique take on recipes — from the sweet (a “mean” chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (duck confit sugo).
This book is an excellent and intriguing resource for anyone who wants to experiment with cooking, even if you don’t consider yourself a geek.
- Initialize your kitchen and calibrate your tools
- Learn about the important reactions in cooking, such as protein denaturation, Maillard reactions, and caramelization, and how they impact the foods we cook
- Play with your food using hydrocolloids and sous vide cooking
- Gain firsthand insights from interviews with researchers, food scientists, knife experts, chefs, writers, and more
What a fun book!
I'm a chemist, so I approach cooking with the idea that everything must be perfectly cooked and measured for a successful dish. It makes me a cooking geek, but I am trying to get away from that mindset 🙂
I love cooking, but I would say that my husband is the cooking geek who would love this book! He loves science and I think he would be really interested in learning the how's and why's of cooking. Hopefully it will make him more excited to cook for us at home!
My cooking geekiness used to always be in the way of gadgets. I was always wanting the latest and greatest gadgets. Recently though, I have started looking at flavors in new ways. I have started brewing beer and looking at see what I could add to make an 'unusual' tasting beer.
This sounds like a cool book! I'm more willing to take risks in the kitchen, but this seems like something that would help me get my husband (an engineer) more interested in cooking.
What makes you a cooking geek?
I love trying new food products and experimenting with new spice combinations!
My extensive collection of and love for Cooks Illustrated. I love reading the method behind the recipe testing process.
I'm a scientist and approach cooking in a very similar way as science. Sounds like a fantastic book!
I'm not always a geek in the kitchen, but when it comes to baking experiments – I totally turn into one by breaking out the good ol' scientific method. I create a hypothesis, test out several different measures and then evaluate the results using defined measures. (As evidenced by: http://tinyurl.com/3vkguj7)
The number of Alton Brown books I have. 🙂
My cooking geekness is limited to my constant desire to experiment. This book sounds like a nice challenge!
This book looks so cool! I'm a huge cook/foodie/baker. Especially baker. All the chemical reaction that take place are so interesting. Plus, I'm a niche-cook book collector. I buy them just because I love to read them! I may have to buy this for myself if I don't win it…
My love for watching Alton Brown's Good Eats makes me a geek. I love knowing about great gadgets and kitchen tools. Also, I love knowing the how's and why's of cooking. billnrachele@comcast.net
I just have to have every cool cookbook out there. This one looks too good to miss for this geek.
My friends and family think I am a geek because I collect cookbooks, read them for enjoyment and absolutely love to bake.