he’s pretty magical, no matter which way you slice it.

and here he is sprinkling his magic throughout the UK:

Science in the kitchen

US food writer Harold McGee studies the chemistry behind rubbery eggs and wind-inducing beans

Harold McGee, food guru, culinary scientist and one of the most celebrated cookery writers in the US, was teaching English at Yale when his life was changed by a friend with wind. It was the mid-1970s, and McGee, known among his peers for his interest in cooking, was the man to ask on questions such as how to eat beans without alienating your friends. At the university library, he found a copy of Cereal Chemistry and carried on reading the books along the food science shelf until he worked out a way to mitigate flatulence in bean prep (long, slow cooking to break down the carbohydrates). A career was born.

The beans episode gave him the idea for a book, On Food and Cooking, an advanced scientific look at why food tastes, cooks and spoils the way it does. Published in 1984, it sold more than 100,000 copies in the US and became a classic, which was updated 20 years later, and to which his new book, Keys to Good Cooking, is a sort of prequel: a primer in kitchen chemistry based on the principle that if you know why something happens, you might have more control over it – eg, why do fried eggs turn rubbery if you overcook them (the higher the heat, the tighter the proteins stick together). He wrote it with his kids – “in their mid-20s and starting to cook for themselves” – in mind. “You can’t assume they know the simplest things, like heating a plate before putting hot food on it.” Even hopeless cooks will feel ahead of the curve, and are saved from condescension by McGee’s calm, reassuring tone.

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the other day i shared a recipe for pork shoulder. if you pay any attention to anything, you’ll notice that i did not sear the shoulder before putting it in the oven. why? because harold mcgee told me not to, that’s why.

from harold himself (as told to a NYT reporter):

“As a cook I wanted to believe that chefs were right, that their experience of doing these things (searing meat) over and over must prove something,” he said. “But as a scientist I could see that the evidence didn’t hold up.” The point of searing, he said, is to create flavor through the browning of surface chemicals. Its only effect on the juices is to pull them out of the meat, making it drier.

harold has made me see that searing isn’t to be. and while there are lots of pro-searing arguments out there, anything that saves me time in the kitchen wins points in my book. not searing meat = time saved in the kitchen = total winner.

in other words: i’m here, i don’t sear and my pork shoulder was crazy delicious. so there.

after the great metal skewer/baked potato revelation of 2010, i decided to dig a bit deeper into everyday tips & tricks that can speed things up in the kitchen. of course i’m a big believer in a well-stocked freezer. yes, i organize my kitchen to make meal prep as seamless as possible. but there’s so much more me to learn - especially where food science and everyday food intersect.

my digging brought me back to good old harold mcgee. you know harold, right? the curious cook from the NYtimes. the author of the genius work on food & cooking. well, while digging around for information on whether or not you really need to sear meat before cooking (post coming soon!) i found something i think you’ll really enjoy.

i’ve talked a lot about berries here at sprinklefingers - and leave it to mister mcgee to have taken the time to map out how to reduce spoilage of these summertime treats…particularly perfect for those of us who go to the farmer’s market with no intention of buying berries but somehow always seem to walk away with at least a flat.

enjoy. and then go get some berries!