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Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food Paperback – Illustrated, November 24, 2015

by Jeff Potter (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 363 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Why do we cook the way we do? Are you the innovative type, used to expressing your creativity instead of just following recipes? Do you want to learn to be a better cook or 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 do we bake some things at 350°F/175°C and others at 375°F/190°C? Why is medium-rare steak so popular? And just 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 to these questions and more, and offers his unique take on recipes -- from the sweet (a patent-violating chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (slow-cooked brisket).

This book is an excellent and intriguing resource for anyone who enjoys cooking or wants to experiment in the kitchen.

  • Discover what type of cook you are 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
  • Gain firsthand insights from interviews with researchers, food scientists, knife experts, chefs, writers, and more, including author Harold McGee, TV personality Adam Savage, and chemist Hervé This

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  1. Print length
    483 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    O'Reilly Media
  4. Publication date
    November 24, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    5.91 x 0.59 x 9.84 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1491928050
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1491928059
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

450 Pages of Answers to 'How?' and 'Why?' to Satisfy the Curious, Smart Geek

If you’re the creative type, you need more than traditional recipes to master the kitchen. Whether you’re a science geek or a food geek, knowing how and why recipes work means you can refine your cooking, debug mistakes, and improvise toward deliciousness.

Understanding the science of cooking will boost your culinary game. With six chapters covering everything from how your sense of smell works to the chemistry of food, you’ll look at cooking in a whole new way!

Over 100 Recipes to Illustrate the Science

From the simple pancake to a crazy 500 pound donut, every recipe uses science to develop great culinary technique. Each recipe gives both American and metric measurements, and because the recipes are grouped by concept, you’ll learn to think about food based on the underlying principles. One chapter covers the key temperatures in cooking so that you notice the patterns as the heat is cranked up. Another section looks at how water and air impact your baking, whether with yeast, egg whites, or baking soda. And a chapter on hardware explores everything from pressure cookers to liquid nitrogen and blow torches.

20+ Interviews with Chefs, Writers, and Researchers

Gain insights into how chefs think in interviews with talented cooks like Jacques Pépin, Bridget Lancaster, and Deborah Madison. Learn how Adam Savage tackles scientific testing and how 'On Food and Cooking' author Harold McGee approaches food mysteries. Geek out with 'Modernist Cuisine' co-author Nathan Myhrvold, molecular gastronomy researcher Hervé This, and knife expert Buck Raper. With 20+ in-depth interviews, there’s a wealth of learning for serious cooks and hungry scientists alike.

Completely Rewritten Second Edition

Same geeky humor; new recipes, scientific details, interviews, and labs. For foodies who love to read, you’ll find new interviews with culinary pros. If you’re into science, you’ll find new sidebars covering everything from the difference between beet and cane sugar to how Sherlock Holmes would tell where his tomato was grown (hint: isotopomers). This new edition also introduces a dozen labs for geeky parents wanting to experiment with their kids. With the entire text updated and revised, there’s lots of new material to delight home cooks and pros alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the first edition: One of the most useful books on understanding cooking, kind of like a rock-and-roll version of Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking." -The Washington Post

In his enchanting, funny, and informative book, Cooking for Geeks (O'Reilly), Jeff Potter tells us why things work in the kitchen and why they don't. -NY Daily News

Potter covers an array of topics...while giving readers a refresher in chemistry that is both accessible and (dare I say) fun. -The New Yorker's Book Bench

Clear, fact-packed, and engaging. -The Atlantic

About the Author

Jeff Potter is curious about the science of food and loves finding answers to why ingredients and recipes work the way they do. By bringing science to food-minded people and food to science-minded people, he blends genres to educate the public about how to master the kitchen. Jeff has been featured in USA Today, the Today Show, and is a regular guest on Science Friday.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ O'Reilly Media; 2nd edition (November 24, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 483 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1491928050
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1491928059
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.47 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.91 x 0.59 x 9.84 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 363 ratings

About the author

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Jeff Potter

Jeff Potter

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jeff Potter is curious about the science of food and loves finding answers to why ingredients and recipes work the way they do. By bringing science to food-minded people and food to science-minded people, he blends genres to educate the public about how to master the kitchen. He's been featured in USA Today and the Washington Post, has appeared on the BBC's "Science in Action", and is a regular guest on Science Friday.

When not in the kitchen cooking with friends, Jeff works with organizations and startups, building the technology behind their products. He studied computer science and visual art at Brown University.

Visit http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/ to learn more about Cooking for Geeks.

Visit http://www.jeffpotter.org/ to learn more about Jeff.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
363 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book awesome with some recipes. They say it's informative, well-researched, and loaded with facts about cooking. Readers describe the book as fun, entertaining, and a great reference. They also mention the author is detailed and entertaining.

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Cookbook contentInformation qualityEntertainment valueReader-friendlyReadabilitySturdiness
23 customers mention "Cookbook content"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book awesome, perfect for cooking nerds, and educational. They say it covers many cooking techniques and how-to's. Readers also mention it has a nice twist on a cookbook.

"...Great reference for cooks of all skill levels, and a wonderful addition to a culinary library." Read more

"...This book will teach you the basics of sauces and their many derivatives, thermodynamics and methods of varying heat to obtain different results;..." Read more

"...Great book, great explanation of the science of cooking. Very helpful!" Read more

"...the kitchen, this is every geek's perfect cookbook and provides not just some great recipes but hours of entertainment." Read more

22 customers mention "Information quality"22 positive0 negative

Customers find the book very informative and helpful. They say it's well-researched, loaded with tons of facts, and a great reference. Readers also mention the book provides scientific insight into cooking.

"...is because your book helps remove the fear of cooking and frees them to experiment; the very thing that separates good cooks from great cooks!..." Read more

"...Great book, great explanation of the science of cooking. Very helpful!" Read more

"...Filled with fun facts, diagrams and great ideas for the kitchen, this is every geek's perfect cookbook and provides not just some great recipes but..." Read more

"...The paper back is very informative and easy to read through. Recommended." Read more

12 customers mention "Entertainment value"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun and fascinating. They say it provides hours of entertainment.

"...Education is fun, and very effective, when it is hands-on and encourages learning through experimentation!..." Read more

"...perfect cookbook and provides not just some great recipes but hours of entertainment." Read more

"Fun, witty, lots of information, and good recipes...." Read more

"Fascinating reading. I've learned some tricks I didn'Fascinating to read...." Read more

11 customers mention "Reader-friendly"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read through. They appreciate the detailed and entertaining author. Readers also mention the pictures and explanations are cool.

"...encyclopedic _On Food and Cooking_ by Harold McGee, Potter's writing is more informal, and thus much more "digestible."..." Read more

"...'s "Brief History of Time" in the form of a cook-book; technical and complex, yet written for anyone with the curiosity to understand the..." Read more

"...Filled with fun facts, diagrams and great ideas for the kitchen, this is every geek's perfect cookbook and provides not just some great recipes but..." Read more

"...The paper back is very informative and easy to read through. Recommended." Read more

5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book neat, informational, and cute. They say it provides a fascinating look inside food as it cooks. Readers also appreciate the fun facts, diagrams, and great ideas for the kitchen. They mention it's an excellent companion for the iconic and encyclopedic On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee.

"...An excellent companion for the iconic and encyclopedic _On Food and Cooking_ by Harold McGee, Potter's writing is more informal, and thus much..." Read more

"...Filled with fun facts, diagrams and great ideas for the kitchen, this is every geek's perfect cookbook and provides not just some great recipes but..." Read more

"...I flipped through the book and it is really neat. It is loaded with tons of facts and things to know about cooking...." Read more

"Super informational and a cute read that will also give scientific insight into cooking haha" Read more

4 customers mention "Sturdiness"3 positive1 negative

Customers appreciate the sturdiness of the book. They mention it's excellent and of good quality.

"Good condition and cheap" Read more

"Good quality..." Read more

"...This book was advertised as brand new. It arrived with a torn and ripped cover and a deep puncture within the pages of the book." Read more

"Excellent product...." Read more

Arrived damaged - cover ripped and the book punctured
1 out of 5 stars
Arrived damaged - cover ripped and the book punctured
I'm very disappointed. This book was advertised as brand new. It arrived with a torn and ripped cover and a deep puncture within the pages of the book.
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Top reviews from the United States

FM
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully researched and informative, yet a fun and easy read.
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
I actually purchased this because it was a required text for a college course on the science of cooking. I had no trouble completing my reading assignments, as Potter's writing style is incredibly reader-friendly. An excellent companion for the iconic and encyclopedic _On Food and Cooking_ by Harold McGee, Potter's writing is more informal, and thus much more "digestible." I'm keeping this one alongside McGee's on my kitchen shelf to refer to in the future. Great reference for cooks of all skill levels, and a wonderful addition to a culinary library.
2 people found this helpful
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Joseph E.
5.0 out of 5 stars but this cook book is clearly the engineer-who-wants-to-be-a-chef's best choice. I have learned more about cooking in ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
I've been interested in cooking for years; my choice for occupation was essentially between chef and engineer. Not wanting to have to work on nights, weekends, and holidays, I chose the path of the engineer... but this cook book is clearly the engineer-who-wants-to-be-a-chef's best choice. I have learned more about cooking in the past few weeks since I have had this book than probably in the past 2 decades since I have considered myself to be a 'great cook.' This book will teach you the basics of sauces and their many derivatives, thermodynamics and methods of varying heat to obtain different results; there is more than 1 cartesian coordinate photo-illustration where an item is baked with variable time and temperature; and its not just physics, we learn of phenomenology, what is taste, what is smell; we learn metallurgy of knives, we learn about how easy it is to bake bread and why you should really learn to cook your own pizza - from scratch... if I could give more than 5 stars I would... and you need not be an engineer or rocket scientist to gain from this book - you simply need the desire to understand why food works the way it does... it's like Stephen Hawking's "Brief History of Time" in the form of a cook-book; technical and complex, yet written for anyone with the curiosity to understand the universe they inhabit.
25 people found this helpful
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TeachingMom
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend your book to the homeschool community and to teachers ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
I am a teacher at an all volunteer run homeschool cooperative. I highly recommend your book to the homeschool community and to teachers and students everywhere! Education is fun, and very effective, when it is hands-on and encourages learning through experimentation! We are using your book to teach a year long course in food science. Students are assigned to read a section of your book at home and meet once a week to complete the labs and learn how to make a recipe in class. Then students make a dish inspired by your recipe for their families at home that week and document their experience to share with the class the next week.

The parents have been astonished with the cooking ability of their children after taking the class. Most of the students never cooked anything before. I think this is because your book helps remove the fear of cooking and frees them to experiment; the very thing that separates good cooks from great cooks! As a teacher I couldn't ask for better content. There are so many interesting and challenging learning opportunities to choose from!
19 people found this helpful
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DeniseS
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book but a Little Too Much Science for This Geek
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2016
Verified Purchase
I gave this book to my "engineer" husband in hopes that he would be inspired to cook. When he finally got around to trying some recipes, he did enjoy the book. Most of the recipes really are good. In his edition, there were a few errors regarding the ratio of some ingredients such as water to rice, etc. Had at least one very soupy meal with rice.

He has apparently abandoned the book at page 53, Lemony Quinoa and Asparagus with Shrimp Scampi. It appears that the next 100 pages are just content, minus any recipes. He just doesn't care to get bogged down in that many pages of scientific explanations. The book would have been better if there was a better balance of science to actual recipes.
5 people found this helpful
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Gadget Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating for the Curious Cook (+ 1st Edition Comparison Details)
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2015
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase
A great combination of science explanation w/ recipes & techniques to illuminate principles & the power of knowledge, eg how lactisole allows more sugar in processed food without it tasting sweeter. One thing nice about this book is that you can open it up anywhere and start reading, you don't need to read it sequentially. The 1st edition is one of my favorite references, and there is even more to like in this 2nd edition.

This 2nd edition is 80 pages larger than the 1st edition, and includes more recipes and section topics. According to the affiliated website, the book is a complete rewrite: I compared several sections side-by-side, and they each section I compared was indeed rewritten, and facts were updated (e.g. dead websites removed, etc.). In a few cases I didn't think the rewrites were improvements, for example, the 1st edition had a recipe for Lime Marmalade which discussed the uses of two different types of pectin, while the 2nd edition had a more general Citrus Marmalade recipe which didn't have as much pectin specifics.

Also, the 2nd edition only has a very general table of contents on one page at the beginning, while the 1st edition has a more detailed multi-page table of contents, so you get a better idea of what kind of information is in this book. (The beginning of each chapter has the detailed contents for just that chapter). Some chapters have been retitled to change the emphasis and order re-arranged.

There are some funny glitches in the production of the 2nd edition. First of all, I hunted in the book for some sort of preface or introduction to the 2nd edition that explained how this edition differs from the 1st, or what motivated its production, but there was nothing. I had to find this information on the web, which seems odd. (You can google for "cookingforgeeks whats-new" to find the list of new topics, or look at the URL I have provided in the first comment below; I've printed this page off and inserted it into my copy). Secondly, both editions have a list of recipes following the table of contents, but the 2nd edition omits the sections of recipes for sauces, and for drinks, which makes it see like the second edition has fewer recipes than the 1st. These are both odd glitches for a 2nd edition that make it seem like the book was rushed into production and components were carelessly left out.

Still, it is a fascinating book that pulls together some information I already had plus teaches me much more about cooking, and provides a bunch of good projects to try out in the next few weeks. And if you already have the 1st condition but are a fan of this book, you will find more to enjoy in the 2nd edition.
26 people found this helpful
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CheeseBloat
5.0 out of 5 stars Got it used
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
Got ours used. Definitely can tell someone had it out while cooking due to a few splatters but we were expecting that. Great book, great explanation of the science of cooking. Very helpful!
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Brenda Melancon
5.0 out of 5 stars such a fun book
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024
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i got this for my husband for his birthday. he loves cooking and enjoys reading it.
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Chaventre Cyril
5.0 out of 5 stars A must to get some knowledge
Reviewed in Spain on April 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
Love this book really a good buy
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Oliver S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book
Reviewed in Germany on February 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you're a geek and you like to prepare food for yourself or others, that's the book for you. I received this as a present from my significant other and also gave it as a present to another geek friend of mine.

The author discusses all kinds of details about chemical reactions, psychology or how certain ingredients have certain effects. He shows how to calibrate your oven, which kitchen utensils you should definitely have handy and how to repurpose certain tools for other than their original purposes.

All in all this is a fun read and it will give you insight into the mechanisms behind cooking and baking.

There are a few things that could have been improved, like for example the mentioning of a particular type of (skinless) almond when a little box could have explained how to peel almonds efficiently. A handful of similar examples exist, but they don't really lower the level of fun when reading this book.

What's more, despite being in English and clearly written with a US audience in mind, the author or editors took care to include metric amounts as well, so you'll be able to prepare yourselves some "Internet average pancakes" no matter if you prefer the US units or if you're used to metric units.
3 people found this helpful
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RDS
5.0 out of 5 stars Après l'avoir achete et lu j'en ai acheté un deuxième et offert à mon fils amateur de cuisine
Reviewed in France on January 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
Je l'ai pourvu du commentaire suivant: tout ce que tu a toujours voulu savoir sur la cuisine sans oser le demander. Un livre génial!
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weebird
5.0 out of 5 stars ... watching cooking shows (he is a big fan of Good Eats because of the science and breakdown of why ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
Bought as a Christmas gift for my husband who doesn't often cook himself but has begun watching cooking shows (he is a big fan of Good Eats because of the science and breakdown of why things work or don't work). This cook book has really grabbed his attention and speaks his language. Lots of science and explanations instead of the normal follow this recipe means he understand the concepts much better and he has been gaining new ideas and it's prompting him to get into the kitchen! wonderful illustrated book that is a little textbook like but i think thats why my husband loves it.
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
Reviewed in Canada on July 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
I love this book. The recipes are awesome, and the lessons provided regarding the scientific basis for why your food does what it does are both informative and entertaining. If you are not used to cooking "scientifically" (for example, weighing everything) then this approach may take some getting used to but results are worth it.

I have used the first edition for a few years, and bought this updated version to give as a gift. The revisions are not too noticeable—this excellent, detailed, and informative cookbook retains its fun and inspiring style, and some of the pop culture references have been updated to reflect changes in internet content, for example. Highly recommended.
3 people found this helpful
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