Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Well, along with my current infatuation with Heston B, I ran across an electronic copy of Jeff Potter's Cooking for Geeks guide to things culinary with a science twist. I am really enjoying the book and learning all sorts of tidbits about tasting and food prep from it. Full on modernist aficionados may find it repetitive or too basic, but for me, it is another worthy guide to learning new approaches to food.

Just as Heston Blumenthal has me rethinking my approach to tomato sauce for my pizza, Potter makes me rethink many processes I simply do almost without consciousness. Not that I always agree with him or find his advice worthy. His "hacker" mentality, (not cracking computers but rather using what is at hand to innovate a solution) is interesting and led to the destruction of my one and only potato ricer. He mentioned using a ricer to squeeze juice from citrus. Well, we have been on a fresh lemonade jag for the last few months. All done with a hand reamer. So the idea of double duty for the ricer seemed worthwhile. It worked for a bit and then, KA-BANG! Ricer unit separates. I'm hopping around the kitchen, doing my best to embroider the English language with as many new expressions as I can extemporize on the spot. So, no ... it is not perfect.

But I recommend the book as interesting entry for those interested in a scientific approach to the kitchen. His chapters include:

The Kitchen - layout and guide to equipment
Flavors and Ingredients - lots of tidbits here
Time and Temperature - just what it says, how long and how hot
Air: Baking's Key Variable - Just what I need to learn more about
Playing with Chemicals - modernist stuff
Fun with Hardware - sous vide and other approaches

Besides inclluding the mandatory chunk of recipes, there are some short but interesting interviews with people like Adam Savage (Mythbusters TV), Adam Ried (ATK), Harold McGee, David Lebovitz, Douglas Baldwin, and even Nathan Myhrovld, to name a few.

I like this one enough I plan on buying a hardcopy version for my reference shelf.

Tatoosh

Hi Tatoosh,

Thanks for the kind words on my book; I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it.

And: sorry to hear about the incident with the ricer! I'll make a note to add a paragraph or two about being careful when using tools in unintended ways. I know that some materials such as plastics can get brittle over time and are more prone to breaking. I'm curious, though, as to where in the text you see mention of using a ricer for juicing? Regardless, it's a good point to make about things potentially breaking.

Happy Cooking!

-Jeff Potter
http://www.cookingforgeeks.com
http://www.jeffpotter.org

Jeff,

Welcome to cookaholics! Feel free to comment here more than once ...

Thanks, Fuzzy!

Hello Jeff, thank you for your comments. I hereby tender my abject apology. My ricer's demise is not of your doing whatsoever! I, befuddled as usual, wrote my review, adding my anecdote from memory. The author of my ricer's demise (in so far as I can sidestep responsibility for my own actions) was from an article at Seattle Food Geek.

Great book, much appreciated in this house.

Tatoosh

That is pretty damn funny, jeff

I figured this thread was about modernist cuisine (definitely cooking for geeks), but there is an actually book! Having more then a little hacker streak, I think I'll have to procure it.

Wait, wow, I just went to look at it, recognized the cover and realized I got it as a gift. It slipped underneath the radar during a busy time. I think I'll have to read it!

Thanks, Paul! That's too funny.

Tatoosh: thanks for the update and link. Scott's a great guy; certainly knows his stuff. I'll pass along your story to him.

Well then, I read this one cover-to-cover, something not that common for cookbooks. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you are a software developer or in IT, get this book and enjoy it completely. If you are some other sort of geek, I still highly recommend it. If you are not a geek ... well, your mileage may vary. The book is definitely written for geeks (hence the title) and is in the style, and culture, of geekery. For those in the demographic, there is really good information, lots of good, as well as interesting, techniques and some nice recipes too (but the real value is the techniques and info) and it reads very well.

This is one that keeps showing up on my Amazon recommendation list. (Wonder why... )

My local library has it, so I've requested it. Thanks for the reviews!

Amy

Enjoy! And let me know if you have any food science questions...