The Science section of the New York Times has an article on the science of cooking – take a look!
At the Stove, a Dash of Science, a Pinch of Folklore
I had invited Ms. Corriher [a biochemist] and her husband, Arch, who were in New York from Atlanta for a visit, to dinner to help answer some kitchen curiosities. Cookbooks bark out instructions like boot camp orders — Add oil to pasta water! Salt the eggplant! Brown meat to seal in juices! — and legions of home cooks obediently follow them.
I wondered how many of these truisms had a scientific underpinning and how many were but myths. Browning meat, for instance, does not seal in juices. The char adds flavor, though.
If you are about to braise a fish in tongue-searing chili sauce, what’s the point of soaking it in wine? The alcohol boils away, and the spiciness ought to obliterate any taste of the wine.
Ms. Corriher had an explanation. It was not the flavor of the wine that was important, but what it did. Alcohol is a solvent. “Some compounds dissolve in water,” she said. “Some dissolve in fat. But alcohol dissolves both fat-soluble compounds and water-soluble compounds. You’re pulling flavor compounds out of the fish so that they can contribute to the flavor in the sauce.”
Boy, I love this stuff – perhaps I need to start a blog on food and chemistry or is there already one out there???
I am sure there is still room in the blogosphere for a food and chemistry blog! The best one I have seen thus far is http://blog.khymos.org (the khymos.org site also has other good info such as book recommendations).
Harold McGee’s book “On Food and Cooking” is a wonderful resource, and the author puts forth a monthly (approx.) column called “Curious Cook” in the NYT (column subjects are listed at his blog, http://news.curiouscook.com/).
Keep us posted if you decide to take this on as a new project!