Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science - Harvard University

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During each week of this course, chefs reveal the secrets behind some of their most famous culinary creations — often right in their own restaurants. Inspired by such cooking mastery, the Harvard team will then explain the science behind the recipe.

Topics will include:

• Soft matter materials, such as emulsions, illustrated by aioli
• Elasticity, exemplified by the done-ness of a steak
• Diffusion, revealed by the phenomenon of spherification, the culinary technique pioneered by Ferran Adrià.

You will also have the opportunity to become an experimental scientist in your very own laboratory — your kitchen. By following along with the engaging recipe of the week, taking precise measurements, and making skillful observations, you will learn to think like both a cook and a scientist. The lab is certainly one of the most unique components of this course — After all, in what other science course can you eat your experiments?

• The scientific concepts that underlie everyday cooking and haute cuisine techniques;
• How to apply principles of physics, engineering, and chemistry to cooking;
• How to become an experimental scientist in your own kitchen;
• How to think like a chef AND a scientist.