Cooking for Geeks
by Jeff Potter · first published 2010
92% recommend8% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Approachable, science-minded intro to cooking that explains the why behind techniques like the Maillard reaction and sous-vide; lighter than McGee or The Food Lab, so good for analytical beginners.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Are you an innovative cook, accustomed to expressing your creativity instead of just following recipes? Are you interested in the science behind what happens to food while it’s cooking? Do you want to learn what makes a recipe work so you can improvise and create your own dish? More than just a cookbook, [Cooking for Geeks][1] inspires you to be inventive in the kitchen and piques your curiosity about food. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do you bake some things at 350°F/175°C and others at 375°F/190°C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if you “overclock” an oven to 1,000°F/540°C?
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Well, I'd say Cooking for Geeks, but I'm a little biased. ;) -Jeff Potter
on “O'Reilly $9.99 Exclusive Best of "Ebook Deal of the Day"” ↗I haven't read "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" as recommended in the article, but I swear by: Julia Child, "the way to cook" Jeff Potter, "Cooking for geeks" Kenji lopez-alt's "the food lab" The author does compare to most of these, so the recommendation seems solid.
on “The Why of Cooking (2017)” ↗…Like buying goji berries in Chinatown rather than whole foods or grade b maple syrup. There are a ton of these hacks out there and if you care enough to find them, you'll enjoy food more. I'd recommend "cooking for geeks" by Jeff potter. I think that's where I learned about grade b syrup.
on “Why the cheapest maple syrup is the best” ↗…Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment The Pragmatic Programmer Refactoring Java Concurrency in Practice Java Puzzlers Expert C Programming --- COOKING --- The Secrets of Cooking Revealed Cooking for Geeks The Bread Baker's Apprentice The Brewmaster's Table --- MISC --- Robot Building for Beginners Mountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills A First Course in Coding Theory The Computational Beauty…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗If you like this stuff, you will love Jeff Potter's "Cooking for Geeks" http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/0...
on “How an Engineer Does Pizza” ↗Only tangentially related: if you like cooking and understanding what you do, Jeff Potter's Cooking for Geeks is a wonderful book. http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596805890.do
on “The End of Cuisine” ↗If you liked The 4-Hour Chef, you might find the O'Reilly cooking book interesting - Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Cooks, and Good Food [1]. [1] http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920041207.do
on “I am not a self-made man” ↗There's Cooking for Geeks (Jeff Potter from O'Reilly) which is pretty good although McGee is probably still the bible. Some of Alton Brown's is also pretty good. TBH, a lot of Home Economics translated into more modern times…
on “Why introductory chemistry is boring: a long-term historical perspective” ↗…Thai, French, Puertorican) You will easily overlap the themes the more you cook, the themes are a starting point. Two of my favorite books that the audience here might appreciate are The Food lab[0] and Cooking for Geeks[1]. * [0]: https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science-eboo... * [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/...
on “Ask HN: What Skills to Acquire in 2020?” ↗You may like Cooking for Geeks, by Jeff Potter.I've read the original book and loved it. It includes the how and the why for classic and modern cuisine, each recipe has well measured ingredients (imperial AND metric) and also suggestions…
on “Wikimedia Cookbook” ↗…book from Alton Brown or someone like that. America's Test Kitchen stuff has pretty careful instructions as well although they're not necessarily pitched at complete novices. You could also do worse than Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter from O'Reilly.
on “Based Cooking” ↗I really enjoyed Cooking for Geeks: https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/...
on “Why do recipe writers lie and lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions?” ↗I recommend wonderful book "Cooking for geeks" [0] One of many things I learn from this book is physical and chemical processes ruling the cooking :) [0] - https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Cooks/dp/...
on “Are Cooking Videos Making Us Better Cooks?” ↗Oh those are on my wishlist. I can also recommend Cooking for Geeks (Potter) as a lighter introduction.
on “Pasta Cooking Time” ↗I'm currently reading Cooking for Geeks[1] enjoying it a lot. Check it out if you're "analytically minded." [1] http://www.cookingforgeeks.com/
on “Cooking For Engineers: Step by Step Recipes and Food for the Analytically Minded” ↗