The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science
Recommended on Reddit for books similar to Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and I have to admit it is even better. A masterpiece. It brings together everything I like: a good narrative, science-based experiments, and a subtle humor that keeps it very engaging. It also gives you the foundations to understand what happens while you cook, building confidence and assurance, which are invaluable.
Sure, it is an 800-page cookbook. Sure, half of it is about meat. But the chapter on pans alone is worth the book. I marked countless recipes and tips, and I hope to get a physical copy one day because it is truly worthwhile. I will recommend it to everyone. See it more as a textbook to start with than a cookbook manual, so you know the basics to improve your dishes.
Anyway, most of the book is on Serious Eats. Maybe filter to just his articles, but it is a very solid blog.
https://www.seriouseats.com/ https://www.seriouseats.com/j-kenji-lopez-alt-5118720
Main takeaways:
- The pan is fundamental, and there are different types. Cast-iron skillet and Dutch oven are his favorites
- Umami is king; pair it with starch
- The goal with steaks is to minimize juice loss
- Hot then ice water makes vegetables brighter
- Potatoes should be tender inside
- Let meat rest for a few minutes
- Salt meat either hours in advance or right before cooking
- Stock/broth is the foundation of any good recipe
- The more an animal uses a muscle, the redder and tougher the meat
- And much more. Truly fascinating; then it is down to each recipe