Confession: I am a nerd. I like to know. And, most especially I like to know why. It isn’t enough that someone says something is true. . .I want to know why and how come. So, I think it makes sense that science has always held great appeal for me, because it answers a lot of “why’s” and “how come’s” in life.

You’re wondering how this relates to a food blog, aren’t you? Well, cooking is really just a great big science experiment. The better you understand the chemistry and biology (and even physics) behind food prep, the better your meals turn out.

So, I’m on a food science kick right now, which means I have a book review for you!

First up, Molecular Gastronomy by Herve This. If you have a bit of mad scientist in you, you’ll probably dig this book. The author’s goal, as far as I can tell, is to prove or disprove various kitchen myths and legends. Some examples: searing beef seals in the juices, lemon juice prevents fruit and veggies from rotting, and salted water boils faster than unsalted water. He details experiments you can easily re-create in your lab kitchen, and explains the results in a scientific, but understandable, manner.

How to Read a French Fry by Russ Parsons is a much quicker, lighter read. Parsons, like This, delves into the biology and chemestry behind food, but without the do-it-yourself experiments. However, he includes wonderful charts after each chapter that summarize all his scientifically based suggestions for food prep. I love this feature, because every single paragraph in the book contains information I want to remember. It’s nice to have it distilled into something I can glance at while cooking.

Annnd I borrowed about 5 other food science books from the library, so I’m betting there will be more book reviews in the future.