Marlene Parrish - What Einstein Told His Cook 2

Also by Robert L. Wolke

TEXT BOOKS

Impact: Science on Society

Chemistry Explained

TRADE BOOKS

What Einstein Didn’t Know:

Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions

What Einstein Told His Barber:

More Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions

What Einstein Told His Cook:

Kitchen Science Explained

What Einstein Told His Cook 2

What Einstein Told His Cook 2

The Sequel

Further Adventures

in

Kitchen Science

ROBERT L. WOLKE

with recipes by

Marlene Parrish

W. W. NORTON & COMPANY

New York London

Copyright © 2005 by Robert L. Wolke

Recipes copyright © 2005 by Marlene Parrish

Illustrations copyright © 2005 by Alan Witschonke Illustration

All rights reserved

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wolke, Robert L.

What Einstein told his cook 2 : the sequel : further adventures in kitchen science /Robert L. Wolke ; with recipes by Marlene Parrish.—1st ed.

p. cm.

Sequel to: What Einstein told his cook. 2002.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN: 978-0-393-07982-1

1. Cookery. 2. Science—Miscellanea. I. Parrish, Marlene. II. Wolke, Robert L.

What Einstein told his cook. III. Title.

TX652.W642 2005

641.5—dc22

2005000263

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110

www.wwnorton.com

W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT

I dedicate this book, as I have my life, to my wife,

companion, motivator, and most loving critic,

Marlene Parrish, who characterizes

herself as Einstein’s Cook.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Acknowledgments

Chapter One • SOMETHING TO DRINK?

Why does iced tea turn cloudy? • How does green tea differ from other teas? • Are enzymes alive? • Can I make coffee and tea from the same kettle water? • Will coffee stay hotter if I put the cream in right away, or only when I’m ready to drink it? • What are alcohols? • What is a hop? • Why are there sulfites in wine? • What’s so special about Sherry? • Does hanging a spoon handle in the neck of the bottle keep Champagne from going flat? • Why do Champagne corks have that funny shape? • What makes bourbon bourbon? • Why does a mint julep glass turn frosty? • What’s the best way to cool a drink with ice without watering it down? • Is there a formula for telling when I’m getting dangerously drunk? • How can I get a red wine stain out of a tablecloth?…and more.

Chapter Two • DOWN ON THE FARM

What ever happened to skim milk? • Why are there so many types of dairy cream? • Does yogurt contain live bacteria? • Why is soft-serve ice cream soft? • Does eating ice cream in hot weather really cool one off? • Why does ice cream shrink when it melts? • Why does all cream cheese come from Philadelphia? • What makes American cheese American? • Does all cheese need to be pasteurized? • Why is string cheese so stringy? • How does a “nut” of butter thicken a pan sauce? • How are eggs graded? • Are brown eggs better than white eggs? • Does a blood spot in an egg mean it’s fertilized? • Would double-yolk eggs hatch twins? • How can I keep boiled eggs from cracking? • Why does a hard-cooked egg spin, but a raw egg won’t? • Why do hard-cooked egg yolks turn green? • What makes an egg rotten? • Why do eggs have dimples? • Can pasteurized eggs be used the same as unpasteurized eggs? • Are thousand-year-old eggs for real?…and more.

Chapter Three • WHATSOEVER A MAN SOWETH…

What makes the vivid colors in vegetables? • Why do green vegetables turn drab when cooked? • How should fruits and vegetables be washed? • Why do some potatoes have gray patches? • Is rhubarb poisonous? • How do vegetables get their minerals? • Why do onions really make me cry? • Why are “sweet” onions sweet? • Why is my cucumber bitter? • Why does heated soy milk boil over? • How do they make tofu? • What is miso made of? • Why do beans and other legumes produce gas? • Must beans be soaked before cooking?…and more.

Chapter Four • ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAIN

How can I speed up the ripening of fruits? • Why does a cut apple turn brown? • When a banana ripens and gets sweeter, does it contain more calories? • Why are some oils edible and others not? • Exactly what are trans fats? • Why do fats turn rancid? • What is a free radical? • Does light olive oil contain fewer calories? • What’s “extra” about extra-virgin olive oil? • What is a fatty acid? • What’s the difference between black and green olives? • How does osmosis work? • Why did my strawberry preserves turn out soupy? • Do all fruits float? • What’s the difference between apple juice and apple cider? • Are “raw” cashews raw?…and more.

Chapter Five • FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN

What are the different forms of carbohydrates? • What makes mashed potatoes gluey? • Why do leftover starchy foods turn hard in the refrigerator? • Is there an easy way to use chopsticks? • What is converted rice? • Why does unbleached flour cost more than bleached flour? • How does self-rising flour raise itself? • What kind of wheat is buckwheat? • How can I best match a pasta shape with a sauce? • Is the nutritional fiber destroyed when I liquefy fruit in a blender? • Which kinds of fiber contain calories and which don’t? • What is “steel cut” corn meal? • Why do tortillas contain lime? • What are sugar alcohols? • What is stevia? • Why mustn’t babies be fed honey?…and more.

Chapter Six • FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA

Why are wild and farm-raised salmon different colors? • Why do they treat tuna with carbon monoxide? • Do they really make fake scallops by punching out skate wings? • How does lime juice “cook” ceviche? • What do I do with bottarga ? • What kinds of mussels are there? • Are razor clams good to eat? • How do wet, dry, and diver scallops differ? • Why are shrimp different colors? • Why is shrimp scampi called that?…and more.

Chapter Seven • A CARNIVAL FOR CARNIVORES

Is “mechanically separated meat” dangerous? • Why is my supermarket’s hamburger meat red on the outside and brown on the inside? • Does marinating work? • What is souse? • Why are there rainbows on my roast beef? • Why are hot dogs pink? • Are nitrites dangerous? • Exactly what is braising? • What’s the difference between browning and caramelizing? • Why does food turn brown when sautéed? • Why are there so many precautions about making a stock? • Where does simmering end and boiling begin? • Does adding lemon juice to a stock increase its calcium content? • Why do we cook with wine? • Which is better for grilling, charcoal or gas?…and more.

Chapter Eight • SPICE IS THE VARIETY OF LIFE

What’s essential about an essential oil? • What makes spices spicy? • Why is cooked garlic so different from raw garlic? • Is garlic powder an invention of the Devil? • Can garlic-infused oil be dangerous? • Should herbs be added near the beginning of cooking or near the end? • How much dried herb shall I use instead of the fresh herb? • What is the average shelf life of an herb or spice? • How do pantry-pest bugs survive in a can of Cayenne pepper? • How do they make liquid smoke? • Is wasabi real? • How can I keep grated horseradish “hot” in the refrigerator? • Why did grinding cloves destroy my spice grinder? • How does a salt pig work? • Why is vanilla so expensive?…and more.