On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 16

Now a few words about the scientific
approach to food and cooking and the
organizationofthisbook.Likeeverythingon
earth, foods are mixtures of different
chemicals, and the qualities that we aim to
influence in the kitchen — taste, aroma,
texture, color, nutritiousness — are all
manifestationsofchemicalproperties.Nearly
two hundred years ago, the eminent
gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
lectured his cook on this point, tongue partly
incheek,inThePhysiologyofTaste:
Youarealittleopinionated,andIhavehad
sometroubleinmakingyouunderstand
thatthephenomenawhichtakeplacein
yourlaboratoryarenothingotherthanthe
executionoftheeternallawsofnature,and
thatcertainthingswhichyoudowithout
thinking,andonlybecauseyouhaveseen
othersdothem,derivenonethelessfrom
thehighestscientificprinciples.


Thegreatvirtueofthecook’stime-tested,
thought-less recipes is that they free us from
the distraction of having to guess or
experiment or analyze as we prepare a meal.
Ontheotherhand,thegreatvirtueofthought
and analysis is that they free us from the
necessity of following recipes, and help us
deal with the unexpected, including the

inspiration to try something new. Thoughtful
cooking means paying attention to what our
sensestellusasweprepareit,connectingthat
informationwithpastexperienceandwithan
understanding of what’s happening to the
food’s inner substance, and adjusting the
preparationaccordingly.
Tounderstandwhat’shappeningwithina
foodaswecookit,weneedtobefamiliar
withtheworldofinvisiblysmallmolecules
andtheirreactionswitheachother.Thatidea
mayseemdaunting.Thereareahundred-plus
chemicalelements,manymorecombinations
ofthoseelementsintomolecules,andseveral