How Baking Works: Exploring the Fundamentals of Baking Science
Author: Paula I Figoni
Understanding and applying food science to the bakeshop-now revised and updated
How Baking Works, Second Edition thoroughly covers the entire baking process, emphasizing the "whys" at work behind basic techniques. The book takes the user through the major ingredient groups, explaining how sweeteners, fats, milk, leavening agents, and other ingredients affect the appearance, flavor, and texture of the end product. The coverage also includes scaling and measurements, heat transfer, and sensory properties in baking.
This revised and updated Second Edition features:
• Hands-on exercises and experiments at the end of each chapter, with many involving the sensory evaluation of ingredients
• Expanded coverage of sweeteners, variety grains, enzymes, starch structure and gelatinization, and gluten structure
• Important coverage of changes to federal laws, such as food allergen labeling
• Coverage reflecting consumer awareness of nutrition and health, including information on dietary fiber, trans fats, and trans-free fats in the baking context
• More photographs to illustrate the science of baking
• End-of-chapter questions that both review content and require readers to apply and synthesize what they've learned
How Baking Works, Second Edition offers a dynamic, hands-on learning experience to both practicing and future bakers and pastry chefs.
See also: The Leaders Shadow or Multimedia based Instructional Design
What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained
Author: Robert L Wolk
Authentic food science explained entertainingly.
Publishers Weekly
Wolke, longtime professor of chemistry and author of the Washington Post column Food 101, turns his hand to a Cecil Adams style compendium of questions and answers on food chemistry. Is there really a difference between supermarket and sea salt? How is sugar made? Should cooks avoid aluminum pans? Interspersed throughout Wolke's accessible and humorous answers to these and other mysteries are recipes demonstrating scientific principles. There is gravy that avoids lumps and grease; Portuguese Poached Meringue that demonstrates cream of tartar at work; and juicy Salt-Seared Burgers. Wolke is good at demystifying advertisers' half-truths, showing, for example, that sea salt is not necessarily better than regular salt for those watching sodium intake. While the book isn't encyclopedic, Wolke's topics run the gamut: one chapter tackles Those Mysterious Microwaves; elsewhere readers learn about the burning of alcohol and are privy to a rant on the U.S. measuring system. Sometimes the tone is hokey (The green color [in potatoes] is Mother Nature's Mr. Yuk sticker, warning us of poison) and parenthetical Techspeak explanations may seem condescending to those who remember high school science. However, Wolke tells it like it is. What does clarifying butter do, chemically? Answer: gets rid of everything but that delicious, artery-clogging, highly saturated butterfat. With its zest for the truth, this book will help cooks learn how to make more intelligent choices. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Table of Contents:
| Introduction | xiii | |
| Acknowledgments | xvii | |
| Chapter 1 | Sweet Talk | 3 |
| What is raw sugar? | ||
| Is refined white sugar unhealthful? | ||
| How can you soften hardened brown sugar? | ||
| What are treacle, sorghum, and sulphured molasses? | ||
| What's the difference between cane sugar and beet sugar? | ||
| How do you dissolve two cups of sugar in one cup of water? | ||
| What does "caramelize" mean? | ||
| How are starches and sugars related? | ||
| How do they get corn syrup from corn? | ||
| What is Dutch process cocoa? | ||
| Why does chocolate melt in the mouth? | ||
| How do they make white chocolate? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 2 | The Salt of the Earth | 39 |
| What are all those special salts and tenderizers in the supermarket? | ||
| What are salt substitutes? | ||
| Why do we add salt to the water for boiling pasta? | ||
| What's so special about sea salt? | ||
| Kosher salt? | ||
| Freshly ground salt? | ||
| Can a potato remove the excess salt from over-salted soup? | ||
| Why do recipes tell you to use unsalted butter and then add salt? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 3 | The Fat of the Land | 65 |
| What's the difference between a fat and a fatty acid? | ||
| Why are oils only partially hydrogenated? | ||
| Why do we clarify butter? | ||
| How do they make corn oil? | ||
| How do the various cooking oils compare? | ||
| What can you do with used cooking oil? | ||
| How do nonstick cooking sprays work? | ||
| What noodles contain fat? | ||
| Is heavy cream really lighter than light cream? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 4 | Chemicals in the Kitchen | 93 |
| What do home water filters do? | ||
| What's the difference between baking powder and baking soda? | ||
| Is aluminum dangerous? | ||
| What is baking ammonia? | ||
| Sour salt? | ||
| Cream of tartar? | ||
| Artificial vanilla? | ||
| MSG? | ||
| Why is there "no calcium" in cream cheese? | ||
| Why does lasagne dissolve metal? | ||
| How is vinegar made? | ||
| Are green potatoes poisonous? | ||
| How is lye used in our foods? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 5 | Turf and Surf | 124 |
| Is a rare steak bloody? | ||
| What makes ground beef brown? | ||
| Is prime rib prime beef? | ||
| Why is the meat near the bone "sweetest?" | ||
| What do bones contribute to a stock? | ||
| What's the best way to skim fat from a stock? | ||
| How do they make all those different hams? | ||
| How does brining work? | ||
| How long is "overnight"? | ||
| What makes gravy lumpy and greasy? | ||
| Why does fish cook so quickly? | ||
| Why does fish smell fishy? | ||
| What is surimi? | ||
| Are oysters on the half-shell alive? | ||
| Should lobsters be boiled or steamed? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 6 | Fire and Ice | 177 |
| What is a calorie? | ||
| How is cooking different at high altitudes? | ||
| Why does water boil? | ||
| Why does it take so long to reduce a stock? | ||
| What do the Btu ratings of ranges mean? | ||
| Does the alcohol boil off when you cook with wine? | ||
| Can you really fry an egg on the sidewalk? | ||
| Is charcoal or gas better for grilling? | ||
| What's the best way to defrost foods? | ||
| Why do bakers roll out their dough on marble? | ||
| Can hot water freeze faster than cold water? | ||
| Can eggs be frozen? | ||
| What is freezer burn? | ||
| Why does blowing on hot food cool it? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 7 | Liquid Refreshment | 215 |
| Is coffee acid? | ||
| Does espresso contain more caffeine than American coffee? | ||
| How is coffee decaffeinated? | ||
| What's the difference between a tea and a tisane? | ||
| What makes soft drinks so acidic? | ||
| Does belching contribute to global warming? | ||
| Can soda go flat in an unopened bottle? | ||
| How can you open a bottle of Champagne with aplomb? | ||
| Why do some wines have plastic "corks"? | ||
| What do you do with the wine cork when the waiter gives it to you? | ||
| How much alcohol is there in various beverages? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 8 | Those Mysterious Microwaves | 250 |
| How do microwaves make heat? | ||
| Why does microwaved food have to stand for a while? | ||
| Why do microwave ovens cook so much faster than conventional ovens? | ||
| Why mustn't one put metal in a microwave oven? | ||
| Can the microwaves leak out of the box and cook the cook? | ||
| What makes a container "microwave safe"? | ||
| Why do some "microwave safe" containers still get hot in the oven? | ||
| Is it dangerous to heat water in a microwave oven? | ||
| Do microwaves change the molecular structure of food? | ||
| Do microwaves destroy the nutrients in food? | ||
| Why does microwave-cooked food cool off faster than food cooked in a conventional oven? ... and more | ||
| Chapter 9 | Tools and Technology | 269 |
| Why doesn't anything stick to nonstick cookware? | ||
| What's the "best" kind of frying pan? | ||
| Does a magnetic rack affect the sharpness of your knives? | ||
| What's the difference between a pastry brush and a basting brush? | ||
| How can you get the most juice out of a lemon or lime? | ||
| What's wrong with washing mushrooms? | ||
| Does tarnish affect the properties of a copper frying pan? | ||
| What's the easiest way to clean silverware? | ||
| Why are there separate measuring cups for liquids and solids? | ||
| How do "instant-read" thermometers work? | ||
| How do pressure cookers work? | ||
| How do induction-heated ranges and light ovens work? | ||
| Why do crackers have those little holes in them? | ||
| What are the pros and cons of food irradiation? | ||
| What are all those special compartments in your refrigerator? ... and more | ||
| Further Reading | 321 | |
| Glossary | 325 | |
| Index | 331 |
No comments:
Post a Comment