Cook's Science: How to Unlock Flavor

Product Description

In Cook's Science, the all-new companion to the New York Times-bestselling The Science of Good Cooking, America's Test Kitchen deep dives into the surprising science behind 50 of our favorite ingredients--and uses that science to make them taste their best.

     From the editors of Cook's Illustrated, and the best-selling The Science of Good Cooking, comes an all-new companion book highlighting 50 of our favorite ingredients and the (sometimes surprising) science behind them: Cook's Science. Each chapter explains the science behind one of the 50 ingredients in a short, informative essay--topics ranging from pork shoulder to apples to quinoa to dark chocolate--before moving onto an original (and sometimes quirky) experiment, performed in our test kitchen and designed to show how the science works. The book includes 50 dynamic, full-page color illustrations, giving in-depth looks at individual ingredients, "family trees" of ingredients, and cooking techniques like sous vide, dehydrating, and fermentation. The 400+ foolproof recipes included take the science into the kitchen, and range from crispy fried chicken wings to meaty-tasting vegetarian chili, coconut layer cake to strawberry rhubarb pie.

Top Reviews

Great for understanding ingredient fundamentals and how to use them better!
by Pokin (5 out of 5 stars)
October 22, 2016

I bought the The Science of Good Cooking (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks) 4 years ago, and to date it remains one of my favourite cookbooks. I find myself reviewing the techniques repeatedly.

Cook's Science is a new book from Cooks Illustrated. Instead of covering 50 techniques, e.g. "Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking", and "Salting Vegetables removes liquid", this book covers 50 ingredients and their characteristics and best uses. They are:
1. Short Loin
2. Flank
3. Pork Loin
4. Pork Shoulder
5. Pork Belly
6. Chicken Breast
7. Chicken Wings
8. Lamb
9. White Fish
10. Salmon
11. Shrimp
12. Scallops
13. Lobster
14. Tofu
15. Eggs
16. Cream
17. Butter
18. Yogurt
19. Goat Cheese
20. Parmesan
21. Green Beans
22. Sweet Potatoes
23. Cauliflower
24. Mushrooms
25. Kale
26. Cabbage
27. Tomatoes
28. Garlic
29. Onions
30. Ginger
31. Dried Chiles
32. Apples
33. Strawberries
34. Oranges
35. Coconut
36. Pasta
37. Whole-Wheat-Flour
38. Brown Rice
39. Cornmeal
40. Oats
41. Quinoa
42. Cannellini Beans
43. Lentils
44. Olive Oil
45. Stock
46. Red Wine
47. Honey
48. Balsamic Vinegar
49. Bittersweet Chocolate
50. Almonds

As always, the test lab uses a very scientific approach, bringing in machinery such as moisture and texture analyzers to see if the food objectively really is as chewy or moist afterwards as we think. I liked too that this book took more time to go into how base level ingredients - proteins, carbohydrates, water and their distribution might impact whether food tastes sour or mushy, crispy or soggy.

In terms of the actual ingredients themselves - I'm learning a tonne! A real keeper was knowing that meat actually sears better and is tastier if you cook it straight from frozen rather than defrosted (of course fresh, never frozen trumps all!) Or knowing that foods like cauliflower have a sweet spot in cooking time to bring out the nutty flavour. Or confirmation that fresh ginger makes meat mushy. I like ginger's tenderizing effect on say, Korean beef marinade, but I was unpleasantly surprised to find sous vide meat with a ginger marinade made the meat really mushy. Reason : ginger contains an enzyme called zingibain that breaks down collagen in the meat over time.

Speaking of sous vide, I'm happy to see this book make more reference to this technique, as I've incorporated sous vide cooking into my daily routine much more frequently.

As always, each chapter is broken down by first giving an overview of the ingredient, a test lab experiment (for example, how to best fry white fish and preventing it from sticking on a non-stick pan? Answer : use vegetable oil, not spray on a very hot pan), as well as a number of lab tested recipes for that ingredient. There was a good variety of recipes with a mix of classics and international, as well as a DIY section for making your own bacon, tofu, and jams.

Overall, I think both books are well worth having, one to learn the best techniques, the other to learn the base characteristics of your cooking ingredients. I'm already sure I'll be gifting this book to many of my foodie friends :)
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Redundancy Rules Cooks Science
by Kindle Customer (3 out of 5 stars)
January 18, 2017

Cooks Science was a disappointment because (1) the recipes are repeats of those published in The Complete America's Test Kitchen Cookbook and (2) because they repeat the same information verbatim in the "How the Science Works" section, the "Test Kitchen Experiment" and the preface to each recipe. They could have cut the text by 2/3 and had the same information. If you have any of their other books, save your money and avoid this one.
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Waste of my money and time
by John T (2 out of 5 stars)
February 19, 2017

I have A LOT of cookbooks and chef textbooks. This is an attempt to explain some science behind cooking 50 ingredients, however very little of the information in this book is valuable when it comes to cooking. If you have any experience following recipes or watching the Food Network, you are already at a higher level than this book was written. Save your money. I enjoyed "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute of America. It gives you real information of why's and how's as well as ingredient matching, designing your recipes, and techniques when cooking. It's a go to when a recipe calls for something I haven't had much experience with.
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Want perfection in cooking?
by Renee K (5 out of 5 stars)
December 24, 2016

I've only made one recipe out of this book so far, the gingerbread, but it turned out fantastic. There are no pictures except for diagrams and charts explaining the properties of the specific ingredients, but that's probably because there just isn't any room! Each extremely detailed recipe is preceded by about 3-4 paragraphs in which they explain their process of reaching the perfect recipe. A great buy at any price.
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A lot of information but lacking photos.
by Kate (4 out of 5 stars)
June 25, 2019

Enjoy an in depth look at 50 ingredients with lots of pertinent information on each topic followed by recipes using each item. There is a list of all recipes by course in the front of the book but it would be nice to have them listed in each chapter with the ingredient. If you enjoy learning and reading this book is wonderful. I have subscribes to Cooks Illustrated for 20 years and have probably 20 of their cookbooks so the recipes are a rehash for me but understanding more about each ingredient makes the work in the kitchen more interesting.
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The best of the best!!
by Amazon Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
February 13, 2018

This is beyond "I love it". I think this is the best book ever written about foods and their results of cooking. I have read this book from cover to cover and it is a great reference book and number one in my cooking library. This would make a wonderful gift to a beginning cook as well as a seasoned chef. WAY MORE than 5 stars. Its a 10 at least.
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FABULOUS!
by Innana (5 out of 5 stars)
January 17, 2017

Fabulous!!! Just what you'd hope for in this comprehensive, engaging, smart, and enticing book. Purchased for my sweetheart and he just poured over it the minute he opened it. Beautifully bound and presented too. Recipies look fantastic and we can't wait to try!
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Great reference guide to cooking
by Cachergirl (5 out of 5 stars)
July 17, 2017

I have to admit to ordering both books by the authors. The important facts ate covered in each book but different recipes . Everything I have tried has been successful. Yeah!!!
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Five Stars
by Jessica F. (5 out of 5 stars)
December 13, 2017

Love this book! Was going to give it as a gift but kept it for myself. :)
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The best
by Kindle Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
June 30, 2019

If you want to know why things are happening when you are cooking from a scientific point of view that is the book. My number 1 book ever.

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