Science in the Kitchen

Ever wonder whether or not you should season a steak before, after, or during cooking to keep it at its juiciest? Have you pondered the predilection of the hard boiled egg to push its yoke off center? Want to know how to get the airiest soufflé?

These are some of the questions that Hervé This, father of the movement known as Molecular Gastronomy tries to tackle with a series of experiments in the kitchen in his book "Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)" (Hardcover, 392 Pages, Columbia University Press 2005). Pictured left from amazon.com.

I've poured through most of the book at this point, and, like any scientist, This does a phenomenal job of documenting his experiments, explaining his assumptions, and going over the results. However, I was disappointed in that the book, although it appeals to my unquenchable thirst for the arcane and obscure, comes across more like a laboratory book of experiments you can do at home than a book that can make the reader a better cook. Sure, there are a few wonderful tips to be extracted, but overall, in regards to a book on cooking, I found Molecular Gastronomy and interesting non-fiction read, but nonetheless, a volume for the bookshelf in the study, not the kitchen counter.