![\"Cooking](\"http:\/\/sherylcanter.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/cooking-for-geeks-cover-150x174.jpg\" "\\"Cooking")
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I was attracted to the basic concept of this book: an analytic approach to cooking that includes the whys and wherefores, not just the whats. But, for the record, I would like to clarify that as a software engineer I would call myself a “nerd” rather than a “geek”. The word “nerd” derives from the word “drink” spelled backwards. The nerds were the ones who stayed back at the dorm and studied while everyone else went out and got hammered. Geeks, on the other hand, have no special technical or intellectual gifts. They’re just inept – socially and physically uncoordinated, messing up even the simplest tasks.<\/p>\n
The first two chapters of this book are targeted towards geeks – people who have never stepped foot inside a kitchen and don’t have any concept of nutrition. The author uses programming code as metaphors for basic cooking concepts. Now who could possibly be this in-the-dark about cooking, and find computer code enlightening as metaphor? They would have to be male. No girl grows up without any exposure to the kitchen. So the target audience is apparently the stereotypical male programmer sitting behind a keyboard 18 hours a day living on pizza and soda pop. I thought these were creatures of the 1980s and now extinct – either dead from the all-pizza diet or evolved into healthier eating, while younger programmers were not spoiled by homemaker mothers into total kitchen ignorance. Perhaps I’m wrong. Are you still out there??<\/p>\n
The book gets much better after the first two chapters, which – in the author’s defense – he does say you can skip if you are experienced in the kitchen.<\/p>\n
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Once you’ve cleared Chapter 2, you are rewarded with countless interesting bits of lore on the science of cooking and eating. For example, I learned I could check my oven temperature (and oven thermometer) with sugar, which melts at 367°F. Who knew? And did you know that salt makes foods taste better by selectively filtering out the taste of bitter?<\/p>\n
These are just two examples. The topics cover everything from how taste and smell combine to create flavor to how knives are made. The book is filled with great recipes, too – over 100 of them, organized into categories in the Recipe Index. Between the fun facts and the yummy recipes Cooking for Geeks<\/em> is truly nerd heaven.<\/p>\n That said, it does fall down in places. Cooking for Geeks<\/em> is written with an air of authority, as though it’s giving the last scientific word on each issue it addresses. Much of the information is excellent, but it’s not always complete, and in the end it’s just one guy’s opinion.<\/p>\n For example, take the section on pots and pans. The author recommends nonstick frying pans – he himself uses them. I don’t use nonstick cookware ever. I know DuPont says they’re safe – of course they’d say that. But studies show that nonstick pans contain dangerous toxins<\/a> that are released when the pan is old and the surface starts flaking into your food, or when you heat the pan above medium-low temperature, which people do all the time. Pet birds will drop dead of fumes from an overheated nonstick pan<\/a>, and the fumes are not so great for humans, either.<\/p>\n The book also contains some bad advice in the section on cast iron cookware. Definitely do not<\/i> do this (boldface mine):<\/p>\n As with frying pans, when washing cast iron, don’t use soap. Instead, rinse the pan and wipe the inside to dislodge any stuck-on food, and then place the pan back on the stove. If the food is really stuck, throw in a few tablespoons of course [sic] salt and a spoonful or two of vinegar or lemon juice<\/b>, and “sand” it off with a paper towel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Never ever put an acid in your cast iron pans unless you have stripped the seasoning and are now trying to remove rust. Vinegar or lemon juice (or tomatoes) will actually dissolve the iron itself, potentially damaging the pan. You shouldn’t cook acidic foods in cast iron, either. Not only can it strip the seasoning and damage the pan, it can cause excessive iron to leach into your food. The coarse salt is a good idea, but use olive oil with the salt, not an acid.<\/p>\n It’s also been my experience (and is logically true) that a mild dish soap will not harm cast iron. As I’ve written in my previous blog posts about stripping<\/a> and seasoning<\/a> cast iron<\/a>, I think the oft-repeated ban on soap arises from a time when soap was homemade from lye and very harsh.<\/p>\n But let me not get stuck on small nits when there is so much good in this book. If you love good food and you love to understand how things work, check out Cooking for Geeks<\/i>. You can learn how to make ginger syrup for your own homemade ginger ale. Or check out the 30-second chocolate cake (it really works). Or the many fine main dish recipes. Just treat the book as a starting point for exploration and not biblical truth, and all will be well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was attracted to the basic concept of this book: an analytic approach to cooking that includes the whys and wherefores, not just the whats. But, for the record, I would like to clarify that as a software engineer I would call myself a “nerd” rather than a “geek”. The word “nerd” derives from the … Continue reading Book Review: Cooking for Geeks<\/i><\/span> Just Add a Grain of Salt<\/h3>\n