I've long enjoyed and profited from the food experiments conducted by J. Kenji-Lopez-Alt on the Serious Eats website. I expect even more enjoyment, both in the reading and the cooking, from his new The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
Kenji, an M.I.T. graduate, takes a scientific approach to cooking, and through experiment has debunked any number of cooking myths. He's shown why it's actually better to cook pasta in a small amount of water, why starting a steak on the colder side of the grill is the way to go, and why New York City's water is not the reason NYC pizza is so great.
Nancy and I were fortunate enough to get advance copies of Food Lab and we've both been immersed in it. At 958 pages that's a deep dip but I've started at the beginning and expect to read it straight through, stopping only to make some of the recipes.
In addition to all that, there are many step-by-step photo illustrated sequences on how to break down a chicken, trim a chuck roast, even the best way to organize your refrigerator, to name just a few.
Kenji will be in Seattle later this month at these locations and dates.
"The kitchen's a laboratory and everything that happens there has to do with science." – Alton Brown
