Curious Cook

Curious Cook in the New York Times: To brine or not to brine the turkey

In this week's Curious Cook column I write about how brining produces a moister roast, why I still don't like to brine the Thanksgiving turkey, and how to moisten the turkey breast after cooking it, not before.

Curious Cook in the New York Times: Tender octopus

In today's Curious Cook column, I write about what makes octopus tough, and ways to make it tender.

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Katsanidis, E. Impact of physical and chemical pretreatments of texture of octopus (Eledone moschata). Journal of Food Science 2004, 69: S264-67.

Kier, W.M. and M.P. Stella. The arrangement and function of octopus arm musculature and connective tissue. Journal of Morphology 2007, 268:831-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10548

Moral, A. et al. Muscle protein solubility of some cephalopods during frozen storage. J. Science of Food and Agriculture 2002, 82: 63-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.1088

Hurtado, J. et al. Morphological and physical changes during heating of pressurized common octopus muscle up to cooking temperature. Food Sci. Technology International 2001, 7: 329-38.

Curious Cook in The New York Times: Ice creams, flaky and chewy

In today's Curious Cook column I write about ice creams that offer textural alternatives to the standard smoothness. One, fromage aux épingles, or "cheese with pins," is a 240-year-old French oddity; the other, salepi dondurma, or salep-thickened ice cream, is a traditional Turkish favorite.

Curious Cook in the New York Times: Potato chips

In today's Dining section of the Times I write about potato chips: the sounds they make, the music that has been made from them, and the forces that shape them.

My source for those shaping forces was Paul Green, a professor of plant biology at Stanford, and a friend. Paul died in 1998. In the column he became "Mr. Green." When I find a near-perfect chip and think of him, I don't think of Mr. Green, I think of Paul.

For helping me understand and explain the physics of chip shape, I thank two people who worked with Paul as postdoctoral fellows: Jacques Dumais of Harvard University and Sidney Shaw of Indiana University. Of course the simplifications and approximations are my doing, not theirs.

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Kim, S.-E. et al. Development of a method for the musical expression of cognitive food taste. Food Sci. Biotechnology 2005, 14, 738-42. 

Zampini, M. and C. Spence. The role of auditory cues in modulating the perceived crispness and staleness of potato chips. Journal of Sensory Studies 2004, 19, 347-63.

Green, P. Transductions to generate plant form and pattern: An essay on cause and effect. Annals of Botany 1996, 78, 269-81.