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America's Test Kitchen
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Cook's Science: How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of our Favorite Ingredients Hardcover – October 4, 2016

by Cook's Illustrated (Editor), Guy Crosby Ph.D (Editor)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 171 ratings
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In Cook's Science, the all-new companion to the New York Times-bestselling The Science of Good Cooking, America's Test Kitchen deep dives into the surprising science behind 50 of our favorite ingredients--and uses that science to make them taste their best.

     From the editors of Cook's Illustrated, and the best-selling The Science of Good Cooking, comes an all-new companion book highlighting 50 of our favorite ingredients and the (sometimes surprising) science behind them: Cook's Science. Each chapter explains the science behind one of the 50 ingredients in a short, informative essay--topics ranging from pork shoulder to apples to quinoa to dark chocolate--before moving onto an original (and sometimes quirky) experiment, performed in our test kitchen and designed to show how the science works. The book includes 50 dynamic, full-page color illustrations, giving in-depth looks at individual ingredients, "family trees" of ingredients, and cooking techniques like sous vide, dehydrating, and fermentation. The 400+ foolproof recipes included take the science into the kitchen, and range from crispy fried chicken wings to meaty-tasting vegetarian chili, coconut layer cake to strawberry rhubarb pie.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    504 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cook's Illustrated
  4. Publication date
    October 4, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    9 x 1.13 x 10.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1940352452
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1940352459
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Cook’s Illustrated is a widely renowned America’s Test Kitchen brand that is the work of over 60 passionate chefs based in Boston, Massachusetts, who put ingredients, cookware, equipment, and recipes through objective, rigorous testing to identify the very best. America’s Test Kitchen brands are well-known for top-rated television shows with more than 4 million weekly public television viewers, bestselling cookbooks, magazines, websites, and a cooking school. Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cook's Illustrated (October 4, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1940352452
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1940352459
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.03 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 1.13 x 10.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 171 ratings

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America's Test Kitchen

America's Test Kitchen

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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) is to empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen. Founded in 1992, the company is the leading multimedia cooking resource serving millions of fans with TV shows (America’s Test Kitchen, Cook's Country, and America’s Test Kitchen: The Next Generation), magazines (Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country), cookbooks, a podcast (Proof), FAST channels, short-form video series, and the ATK All-Access subscription for digital content. Based in a state-of-the-art 15,000-square-foot test kitchen in Boston’s Seaport District, ATK has earned the trust of home cooks and culinary experts alike thanks to its one-of-a-kind processes and best-in-class techniques. More than fifty full-time test cooks, editors, and product testers spend their days tweaking every variable to find the very best recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
171 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Pokin
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for understanding ingredient fundamentals and how to use them better!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
I bought the  The Science of Good Cooking (Cook's Illustrated Cookbooks)  4 years ago, and to date it remains one of my favourite cookbooks. I find myself reviewing the techniques repeatedly.

Cook’s Science is a new book from Cooks Illustrated. Instead of covering 50 techniques, e.g. “Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking”, and “Salting Vegetables removes liquid”, this book covers 50 ingredients and their characteristics and best uses. They are:

1. Short Loin
2. Flank
3. Pork Loin
4. Pork Shoulder
5. Pork Belly
6. Chicken Breast
7. Chicken Wings
8. Lamb
9. White Fish
10. Salmon
11. Shrimp
12. Scallops
13. Lobster
14. Tofu
15. Eggs
16. Cream
17. Butter
18. Yogurt
19. Goat Cheese
20. Parmesan
21. Green Beans
22. Sweet Potatoes
23. Cauliflower
24. Mushrooms
25. Kale
26. Cabbage
27. Tomatoes
28. Garlic
29. Onions
30. Ginger
31. Dried Chiles
32. Apples
33. Strawberries
34. Oranges
35. Coconut
36. Pasta
37. Whole-Wheat-Flour
38. Brown Rice
39. Cornmeal
40. Oats
41. Quinoa
42. Cannellini Beans
43. Lentils
44. Olive Oil
45. Stock
46. Red Wine
47. Honey
48. Balsamic Vinegar
49. Bittersweet Chocolate
50. Almonds

As always, the test lab uses a very scientific approach, bringing in machinery such as moisture and texture analyzers to see if the food objectively really is as chewy or moist afterwards as we think. I liked too that this book took more time to go into how base level ingredients - proteins, carbohydrates, water and their distribution might impact whether food tastes sour or mushy, crispy or soggy.

In terms of the actual ingredients themselves - I’m learning a tonne! A real keeper was knowing that meat actually sears better and is tastier if you cook it straight from frozen rather than defrosted (of course fresh, never frozen trumps all!) Or knowing that foods like cauliflower have a sweet spot in cooking time to bring out the nutty flavour. Or confirmation that fresh ginger makes meat mushy. I like ginger’s tenderizing effect on say, Korean beef marinade, but I was unpleasantly surprised to find sous vide meat with a ginger marinade made the meat really mushy. Reason : ginger contains an enzyme called zingibain that breaks down collagen in the meat over time.

Speaking of sous vide, I’m happy to see this book make more reference to this technique, as I’ve incorporated sous vide cooking into my daily routine much more frequently.

As always, each chapter is broken down by first giving an overview of the ingredient, a test lab experiment (for example, how to best fry white fish and preventing it from sticking on a non-stick pan? Answer : use vegetable oil, not spray on a very hot pan), as well as a number of lab tested recipes for that ingredient. There was a good variety of recipes with a mix of classics and international, as well as a DIY section for making your own bacon, tofu, and jams.

Overall, I think both books are well worth having, one to learn the best techniques, the other to learn the base characteristics of your cooking ingredients. I’m already sure I’ll be gifting this book to many of my foodie friends :)
131 people found this helpful
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Gene Theriault
5.0 out of 5 stars Love the scientific reasons for recipes
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
It's fun to know why a recipe works, using science and chemistry. And so far the recipes have been successful.
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sgtusa
5.0 out of 5 stars ONE of The TOP COOKBOOK , in MY COLLECTIONS !!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
LUV THIS BOOK !!! TONS of DATA On MANY AREAS of COOKING AND IS " A MUST HAVE " !!!
It COVERS .... " 50 ( TOP ) FAVORITE INGREDIENTS " And COMPLETE PRODUCT BREAKDOWN & RECIPES ( & More MORE! ) FOR .....
MANY MEATS - FISH & SEAFISH - GINGER -ONIONS- GARLIC - HONEY - OLIVE OIL - QUINOA And DOZENS Of OTHERS !!!
2 people found this helpful
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Renee K
5.0 out of 5 stars Want perfection in cooking?
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
I've only made one recipe out of this book so far, the gingerbread, but it turned out fantastic. There are no pictures except for diagrams and charts explaining the properties of the specific ingredients, but that's probably because there just isn't any room! Each extremely detailed recipe is preceded by about 3-4 paragraphs in which they explain their process of reaching the perfect recipe. A great buy at any price.
6 people found this helpful
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A. Beckett
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to learn food science and also get great recipes and an understanding of why the recipes work
Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is so much more than a cook book. If you want to learn food science and also get great recipes and an understanding of why the recipes work, this is the book. Full of really great info to the point of it being a sit on the couch and read kind of book.
2 people found this helpful
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Kate
4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of information but lacking photos.
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
Enjoy an in depth look at 50 ingredients with lots of pertinent information on each topic followed by recipes using each item. There is a list of all recipes by course in the front of the book but it would be nice to have them listed in each chapter with the ingredient. If you enjoy learning and reading this book is wonderful. I have subscribes to Cooks Illustrated for 20 years and have probably 20 of their cookbooks so the recipes are a rehash for me but understanding more about each ingredient makes the work in the kitchen more interesting.
5 people found this helpful
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Christine M Valcourt
5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average cookbook
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2021
Verified Purchase
Gave this as a gift to a VERY discerning relative.
It was a hit!
One person found this helpful
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Innana
5.0 out of 5 stars FABULOUS!
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
Fabulous!!! Just what you'd hope for in this comprehensive, engaging, smart, and enticing book. Purchased for my sweetheart and he just poured over it the minute he opened it. Beautifully bound and presented too. Recipies look fantastic and we can't wait to try!
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Chef
5.0 out of 5 stars For Sciencey Food Nerds Only
Reviewed in Canada on April 28, 2019
Verified Purchase
While this is indeed a collection of good recipes, the important aspect of this book is all the science involved. Some of the biochemistry takes me back 40 years to undergrad biology and biochemistry, so it's not an easy read in a few parts. neither is it a read-it-cover-to-cover, but should b approached as a reference book for projects that focus on key ingredients. It is an excellent supplement to my other science based food books.
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Norman J Russell
5.0 out of 5 stars Good science in the kitchen!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great insights and advice into the science of cooking. Their experimental approach to finding the best recipe or technique is quite unique and a joy to read and then to try it yourself.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Home Cook
Reviewed in Canada on November 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
I have not yet read the book from cover to cover. However, I find it well organized as a reference and find both the practical and scientific information regarding food preparation well written and easy to understand. The way it is divided and the way the index in the back of the book is organized makes it easy to find answers to specific questions that I have when cooking a specific dish. It is easy to read and I will read it and make notes on various topics as time goes by.
2 people found this helpful
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Dr. Robert Close
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Canada on May 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
The articles have very informative explanations of why the recipes work and tests that prove the points being made. I feel that I can proceed with the recipes with confidence that they will be consistently reproduced
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The Minker
5.0 out of 5 stars For the enquiring mind.....
Reviewed in Canada on November 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
I hate blindly following recipes, this helps a lot with explanations on why and how certain things happen in cooking.
2 people found this helpful
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