The Food Lab

Better Home Cooking Through Science

By: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Ever wondered how to pan-fry a steak with a charred crust and an interior that's perfectly medium-rare from edge to edge when you cut into it? How to make homemade mac 'n' cheese that is as satisfyingly gooey and velvety-smooth as the blue box stuff, but far tastier? How to roast a succulent, moist turkey (forget about brining!) - and use a foolproof method that works every time?  

As Serious Eats's culinary nerd-in-residence, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt has pondered all these questions and more. In The Food Lab, Kenji focuses on the science behind beloved American dishes, delving into the interactions between heat, energy, and molecules that create great food. Kenji shows that often, conventional methods don't work that well, and home cooks can achieve far better results using new - but simple - techniques. In hundreds of easy-to-make recipes, you will find out how to make foolproof Hollandaise sauce in just two minutes, how to transform one simple tomato sauce into a half dozen dishes, how to make the crispiest, creamiest potato casserole ever conceived, and much more.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2015 J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (P)2019 Tantor

great read

it was fun to listen to a lot of great cooking theories I strong recommend this to anyone who likes to cook and bake. I will be going out and buy the physical copy for my library

Best book I've hear and read for food health!

easy to read, listen to and great information! I will continue listening to this book for good information.

Amazing book - But almost no metric units

This book is magnificent!

I have learned so much about cooking and the science behind, all while being thoroughly entertained by the author's humorous writing.

The only downside:
There are almost no metric units mentioned. Temperature is mentioned very often and always in Fahrenheit, making it hard to relate to and remember.

The bonus PDF contains many great recipes, but is a bit disorganized and it is not clear how the audio content relates to the pdf content.

Would still highly recommend this book, and I think a physical copy would be a good addition to my library.

understanding the science of food preparation

as a culinary student too often you're instructed to perform preparations without a clear understanding of why. Even with the most experienced instructors their knowledge of a process is based on their experience, which might have been taught in a certain way, not necessarily the best. This book provides the why and, as tested by the author, the best way of preparing the dish and explains the understandable science of why there are better ways to prepare food. An excellent supplement to the culinary school experience

A genuine love for food

This book shows the author’s genuine love of food and has inspired me to try new ideas.