At first glance, today’s NYT food page was met with rolling eyes - yah, yah, don’t waste energy, cover the pots, don’t leave the oven on, blah, blah... We’re not morons.
Obviously the unconscious waste and misappropriated use of heat in the kitchen, whatever the intent, negatively affects time, money, the environment, etc. We know. (But if for some reason you don't know, call Al.)
Just when I was ready to click to the next article, it got interesting. Science in the kitchen - It’s the new fad for gastro-geeks, you know. Understanding the molecular structure of food in all states, the altering effect of outside variables (heat, acid, salt, etc.), letting your mind free to question & experiment. Well... not question. (I was, afterall, classically trained in the French tradition [sans being chased with knives]. Twas a decade or so ago, but my inner-voice still innately screams, "No question, chef!") Many of us, professionals included, get a bit rote in our cooking methods - “what was good enough for Careme ...or Mom for that matter.” We weren't trained to doubt. I mean, surely we didn’t pay tens of thousands and form a career based on two hundred years of rigid, traditional guesswork. Right? Cover the braise, cook room-temperature meat - Yes, chef! But now... soak the pasta? Torch the steak?... What the hell, chef?
Technology has come a long way, even in the kitchen. Things evolve. Why shouldn’t we experiment in the kitchen? Why shouldn’t we figure out how to caramelize onions properly; why the wet/dry ratio affects the crumb and crust; the steps to absolutely perfect gnocchi? Afterall, we all eat every day, and the majority of us are in the kitchen fixing it ourselves. Do the math (or the science, rather), with a little research we can more fully enjoy the fruits of our labor while save time, money, energy & the planet. Win/win and “up the revolution!”
A few of my favorite gastro-geek books:
Molecular Gastronomy by Herve This
On Food & Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke
The Science of Cooking by Peter Barham
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