What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke

Einstein's cook was lucky. But you, too, can have a scientist in your kitchen: Robert L. Wolke. Does the alcohol really boil off when we cook with wine? Are smoked foods raw or cooked? Are green potatoes poisonous? With the reliability that only a scientist can provide,

Robert L. Wolke provides plain-talk explanations of kitchen mysteries with a liberal seasoning of wit. A professor of chemistry and a lifelong gastronome, he has answered hundreds of questions about food and cooking in his syndicated Washington Post column, "Food 101." Organized into basic categories for easy reference, What Einstein Told His Cook contains more than 130 lucid explanations of kitchen phenomena involving starches and sugars, salts, fats, meats and fish, heat and cold, cooking equipment, and more. Along the way, Wolke debunks some widely held myths about foods and cooking. Whether kept in the kitchen or on the reference shelf, What Einstein Told His Cook will be a friendly scientist at your elbow. 20 illustrations.

About the Author
Robert L. Wolke is professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and winner of the James Beard Foundation and Bert Greene awards for food journalism.

Good Gourmet Food Books for Wine Lovers

If you love wine, chances are pretty good that you have a thing for food as well. Be it French cuisine, Italian cuisine, fine cheeses, savory appetizers, or rich desserts, there is a gourmet in the heart of every wine enthusiast. While there are literally thousands of cookbooks collecting dust on book shelves the world over, the books noted below are gourmet food books with a twist. Each perhaps unique enough in style to merit a place on the bookshelf in the study rather than the drawer underneath the microwave. Paula Lambert, author of The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide , is sort of the Robert Parker of cheese. Her book is a must have for cheese lovers. It contains descriptions of a hundred cheeses organized by taste, texture, country of origin, and type of milk used to make them. The book is an indispensable resource on buying, storing, cooking, and serving cheese. The Ultimate Ice Cream Book , by Bruce Weinstein, puts Ben & Jerry's to shame in terms of unique concoctions. Over 500 recipes and all about ice cream of all kinds and variations. What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained , by Robert Wolke, takes a chemists approach to explain what really happens in the kitchen. Wolke debunks age old myths and provides enough interesting commentary to spark an entire evenings worth of light conversation.

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Simple to Spectacular: How to Take One Basic Recipe to Four Levels of Sophistication - Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Mark Bittman

What happens when a four-star chef and a culinary minimalist decide to join forces to create something different? They invent a new style that adapts to every occasion and every level of cooking expertise. Simple to Spectacular introduces a unique concept developed by one of the world's top chefs, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything and the New York Times's hugely popular column "The Minimalist." Ever since their award-winning collaboration on Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef, the acclaimed duo has been cooking up a repertoire of new dishes that can be prepared in any of five progressively sophisticated ways.

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Joanne Weir's More Cooking in the Wine Country by Joanne Weir, Penina (Photographer)

"Somehow, we all must eat. we can make indifferent meals, with little connection to where the food comes from. Or we can make meals that are cooked in harmony with the earth and with the seasons, and which are a recurring source of renewal, satisfaction, and celebration. The wine country just seems to require this kind of cooking, and that is part of why I love it." - From the Foreword

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The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide

Over 150 Recipes With Instruction on How to Buy, Store, and Serve All Your Favorite Cheeses Paula Lambert Description From The Publisher: Paula Lambert is a godsend to cheese lovers everywhere. She so yearned for delicious cheese that she built her own factory, the Mozzarella Company, in Dallas, Texas. The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide is her indispensable resource on buying, storing, cooking, and serving cheese, and even making your own cheese at home. In more than 150 recipes, Lambert presents a down-to-earth approach to cooking with many varieties, whether it's Gruyere, Camembert, or just tried-and-true Cheddar. Learn to put the cheeses you love into every meal, from appetizers like a Savory Herbed Cheesecake to such desserts as an Orange-Ricotta Almond Tart. With so many wonderful cheeses available, it can be difficult to choose among them. To help navigate this abundance of riches, The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide contains descriptions of a hundred cheeses by taste, texture, country of origin, and type of milk used to make them, as well as suggestions on selecting cheeses and putting together a cheese course when entertaining.

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