How can you become a better cook? Besides having a good palate and lots of experience, it helps to have a deep understanding of ingredients and cooking techniques—and the scientific method can give you this understanding, even if you can’t solve a single equation. In this three-lecture course, Harold McGee, renowned author of The Curious Cook and one of the world’s most respected authority on applying science in the kitchen, will show you—through experimental thinking and keen observation—how to gain greater control and better results in the kitchen. You’ll learn how to look at ingredients in new and profound ways and understand what is going on when you cook, and open windows on new technologies and ingredients that are entering the cooking world. Each session will be a culinary/scientific/historical adventure that will give you the tools to use scientific thinking in the kitchen. Particular attention will be placed on methods of observation and experimentation in the kitchen and how to apply these methods outside the classroom.

Day 1: Ingredients (5 hours)
What’s the difference between cooking science and cooking scientifically? How is a recipe is like a science experiment? Students will get an overview of the scientific method and its history, and use scientific principles to study of the behavior and properties of common kitchen ingredients. Experimentation will include an in-depth look at ingredients like eggs, revealing properties you’d never expect.

Day 2: Techniques (5 hours)
When you cook a hamburger on a griddle, how hot should the grill be and how often should you flip? When you brown meat, how hot is too hot and how fast is too fast? Why does long roasting produce a different flavor on the surface of a meat than a blowtorch? What is the Maillard reaction and how can we control it? How does sous-vide help us achieve better results in the kitchen. Is the bag really necessary? Students will explore various methods of heat transfer, its relationship to temperature, and how to get the most of kitchen equipment despite often misleading specs. Experimentation will demonstrate the trickier aspects of cooking.

Day 3: New Technologies (5 hours)
Students will explore the use of new technologies in the kitchen, including ingredients such as enzymes, hydrocolloids and emulsifiers and equipment such as freeze dryer’s vacuum packaging, and rotary evaporators. Experimentation will demonstrate the effects of new techniques and ingredients.

Schedule 1

Friday, Saturday, + Sunday – 9:00am – 3:00pm

Start	End	Cost
November 7, 2008	November 9, 2008	$1,250