The Epicurean Laboratory: Exploring the Science of Cooking [Paperback]

Tina L. Seelig (Author), Nancy J. Serpiello (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA-- An explanation of the chemical properties of proteins, carbohydrates, microbes, acids and bases, and their subsequent reactions in the cooking process is accompanied by recipes that demonstrate each of these principles. For example, because egg proteins form too many bonds if overcooked, leading to dry, grainy cake textures, it's important to remove cheesecakes from the oven before they are actually done. Other specific phenomena are explained through making fudge, pasta, vinagrette dressings, or Irish soda bread. What better way to explore science than through eating one's lab experiments?
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co (Sd) (September 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716721627
• ISBN-13: 978-0716721628
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,192 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tina Seelig has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the Stanford School of Medicine and is the executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, which is the entrepreneurship center at Stanford University's School of Engineering. In addition, Seelig teaches courses on entrepreneurship and innovation in the Department of Management Science and Engineering and in the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. She frequently speaks and runs workshops for executives in a wide range of disciplines and has written several popular science books for adults and children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder how popcorn pops?, November 10, 2003

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E. Bauer (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Epicurean Laboratory: Exploring the Science of Cooking (Paperback)

Or why eggs which are liquid at room temperature become solid when heated? Or how baking powder works, and how its differs from baking soda? These and other questions are answered in depth in The Epicurean Laboratory. Chapter by chapter the book explores the chemistry of cooking. Included in each chapter is a delicious, easy-to-prepare recipe illustrating chemistry principles explained in the chapter. This book is a fun way to put the chemistry you learned in high school to work. It also shows how cooking is as much a science as an art. A great book for anyone who loves both science and food.