Why is it that you can stick you hand in a 450-degree oven but not in 212-degree boiling water Why should you always start cooking dried beans in cold water, not warm Why should you never cook a Vidalia onion

knowing a little science can help us figure out the right way to cook something, for there's nothing we do in the kitchen that can't be explained, and improved, by understanding some chemistry and physics. Although many cooks don't realize it, cooking is fundamentally nothing more (or less!) than a scientific experiment.

In this highly readable and witty book, Russ Parsons explores the science behind such basic cooking methods as mixing, frying, roasting, baking, and boiling. Along the way, he slips in hundreds of little-known facts and useful cooking tips. Parsons also includes more than 100 recipes that deliciously exemplify the principles he explains.