Posts by Harold McGee

Peter, since you mention (in your marinade post) that you use my book for the food science course you've put together, it might be best if you could take a look at pages 155-56 for an explanation of brining, which does get a bit...

It’s true that nickel is a very common cause of dermatitis, and its effects seem to be increased if nickel is also ingested in food. There have been studies of stainless steel pans and appliances, since stainless is an alloy of iron,...

Yes, the fumes from smoking oil are unhealthful, as you can tell from the fact that they irritate the eyes and respiratory system. Depending on the oil and temperature, they can include carcinogens. So avoid them one way or another! Harold

There is a discipline known as food science in which you can get university degrees, and it has a number of professional associations (Institute of Food Technlogists, etc). I use the term kitchen science to mean any kind of science, food...

I don’t really have a favorite cuisine—what fascinates me is the diversity of foods and cuisines, so I’m always trying new things. That said, my mother was born and raised in India, and I lived for six months in the southwest of France,...

In 1990 I devoted a chapter of "The Curious Cook" to that and other kinds of experiments. And home economists did much the same thing back in the 1930s!

Mundane . . . I started writing about the science of food because I couldn't manage to land a good teaching job. I had always loved science, and wanted to write about the science of everyday life--and the more I thought and read about...

Thank you, Mark. No, even making the oil can cause problems: botulism bacteria can multiply and produce toxin in a matter of hours, if the conditions are right (warm temperature, nutritious material under oil). Harold

Think about cured hams, or salt cod--salt does penetrate all the way to the center, though as I say it takes time. Not all chemical changes cause a visible change in meat structure.

It can’t hurt and may well give you a dough that’s much easier to handle and bake properly, but if the recipe comes from a reputable source, I’d try following its directions exactly for at least one batch and see what happens. There may...