Science Meets the Art of Cooking

Any well-heeled chef will tell you that a true understanding of cuisine implies a rather extensive, albeit anecdotal, understanding of chemistry, biology and physics. To be sure, thanks in part to the increased popularity of TV networks catering to a growing food & wine-loving audience, so-called "molecular gastronomy" has taken off.

Among the earlier adopters exploring new avenues in molecular gastronomy is Heston Blumenthal, whose now defunct television show In Search of Perfection was featured on the Food Network, introducing audiences to this exciting new world. However, a functional understanding of the basic science and chemistry of food doesn't begin at the molecular level, at least not for mere mortals like you and I. All one needs is basic knowledge of maths, proportions, sequences and geometry with an eye towards time management and duration.

For example, a functional cook--let alone chef--must be familiarized with a rather vast array of measurement and calibrating elements before even gathering the ingredients--a stage often referred to in French as the mise-en-place. Ergo the near-impossibility for a would-be chef to develop quickly should this practical knowledge be lacking. Consider the age-old Oriental art of making noodles. This knowledge seems to have been borrowed from sword smiths who discovered that beating and plying iron many, many times would produce a virtually unbreakable and surgically sharp blade. Quickly, if I wanted 4096 strands of firm yet slender hair-like noodles, how many times must I fold a kneaded thread of dough? Click here for cool video demonstrating this rather fine art of prepping noodles.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't take out a pocket calculator or scale to measure ingredient inputs and volumes. A good eye and an understanding of proportions usually go a long way to prepare tasty and nuanced dishes. But it's still a matter of intuitive science in knowing to adjust the amount of seasoning to add to a wine/broth reduction; knowing full well that the simmering concoction will ultimately lose more than half of its liquid to evaporation (essentially water and alcohol) before it is finally ready to be saved in the ice box.

Other sciences, or measures, come to us in the form of time-tested traditions. Many are now guidelines for what constitutes the "best" method to produce a tasty vinaigrette. For example, the basic guideline is a ratio of 3-to-1 for oil versus vinegar (or citrus). Does this mean one cannot adjust that ratio based on personal flavor? Of course not. But the 3-to-1 rule of thumb is a guideline applied by most sauciers and trained salad chefs.

Another mathematical rule of thumb is to compare desired cooking times with the thickness of a cut of meat (or weight in the case of larger cuts). The guidelines are set according to the desired grades of cooking (i.e. bleue, rare, medium-rare, medium, well-done). And now with rather inexpensive digital thermometers, chefs can be more confident attaining perfect cooking grades since these devices are typically calibrated to alert of a desired grade at temperatures lower than would normally be indicated in a cook book. Because food continues to cook even after removal from a heat source (proteins are especially sensitive), such a calibration eliminates the risk of overshooting and wasting a perfectly good and often expensive cut of beef or game.

In other words, there are some Basic rules of thumb when cooking meats to desired grade that tend to vary but will cluster around widely-applied figures and temperatures. For example: For a medium-rare steak measuring one inch in thickness (i.e. 2.5 cm), cook for 2-2.5 minutes per side at medium-high heat; allow 5 minutes of rest before serving. Here's an extensive meat cooking chart for reference. Unfortunately, it provides temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit so you may have to use my conversion tables from the link above to determine degrees Celsius.

In the end, cooking is an art and a science. No doubt, what constitutes good flavor may find its expression in molecules, chemical reactions and physical properties. But science is integral to the cooking process and matters less to the palate of those enjoying a sublime meal. Nonetheless, what might not find expression in terms of acidity, volume, physical properties like boiling points or viscosity, are now becoming more important in the kitchen. And even if one is not so inclined to pursue the path of Heston Blumenthal and would rather preserve the more artistic, intuitive and creative dimensions of cooking, it won't hurt to know a bit of math or chemistry.

Bon appétit!