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| What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained | 
 enlarge | Author: Robert L. Wolke
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy Used: $9.49
You Save: $16.46 (63%)
New (43) Used (36) Collectible (2) from $9.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  50 reviews
Sales Rank: 72890
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 350
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4
ISBN: 0393011836
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5
EAN: 9780393011838
ASIN: 0393011836
Publication Date: May 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Good reading copy. May include highlighting/writing, some completed exercises, missing dust cover, crease, and/or overall wear. Ships within 2 business days. 100% Customer satisfaction guaranteed.
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| Customer Reviews:
 The not-so-mysterious mysteries of the kitchen... April 26, 2005
13 out of 20 found this review helpful
I was hoping this book would be better than it was. I anticipated curious kitchen trivia that would astonish and befuddle, I found commonplace definitions and run-the-mill advice. This book has nice solid information but it is nothing that will knock the socks of any self-respecting well-read foodie. If you cook a lot you'll likely know all the scintilating explanations Wolke has to share with you. The book is well written but aiming for a lower level of audience than I expected. A good gift for a very new foodie who has just discovered the culinary craft.
 Only for real amateurs December 1, 2004
17 out of 31 found this review helpful
If you know absolutely no chemistry, have never read a cookbook, and have no powers of observation, you might like this book as a just-about-adequate introduction. But for a better-written, more interesting start on kitchen chemistry, try Arthur Grosser's "The Cookbook Decoder" or Hillman's book (sorry, can't remember the title)or "The Inquisitive Cook by Anne Gardiner and Sue Wilson. Then move right on to McGee. The rest is history!
Comment on review saying the book was "unprofessional" August 18, 2004
According to the reviewer Ramanujam Rajagopal (Seattle, WA United States):
"If you have a college education and a sense of humor that transcends pop culture, I suggest you look elsewhere for good reading."
I do have a college education: undergrad Cornell/grad school MIT. I also have a marvelous sense of humor.
I thought the book was extremely well done. Not perfect, but heck, neither am I.
You can do Better June 16, 2004
29 out of 42 found this review helpful
If you're interested in kitchen science, chances are you're not stupid, so why buy a book that treats you as if you were?
The Q&A format means the book can't fully develop a satisfactory explanation; it also reads like a collection of magazine columns. Any explanation that sounds even vaguely technical is covered in as few words as possible, sequestered in parentheses and prefaced with the irritating word "techspeak". This does nothing for the book's already patronizing air.
If you're a thinking cook who has taken High School chemistry, you'll be better off with Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, an acessible classic that is used as a textbook at the Culinary Institute of America--a distinction this book will never claim.
This book will serve admirably as an introduction to food science--for your nearest reasonably bright 7th grader.
 Delicious Brew of Cooking and Chemistry April 23, 2004
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This book looks at some of the main issues (and ingredients) relating to food and cooking from the perspective of science.The author, chemistry professor and popular food writer, explores some of the more 'controversial' ingredients such as sugar, salt, fat, and other chemicals used in the kitchen and their known effects on us. He also answers (or at least makes a good attempt to answer) some of the nagging questions about food and its preparation, such as microwave issues and MSG. Lots of not-always-useful-but-interesting tidbits (pardon the pun) are also thrown in, like the answers to "can eggs be frozen?" or even "what do you do with the wine cork when the waiter gives it to you?" to spice things up. While the explanations in the book are scientific and accurate, they are written in an accessible and entertaining way. Minimal chemistry knowledge is required. A great book for anyone who eats. Better still for anyone who cooks.
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