History and Fundamentals

by Nathan Myhrvold

Genres: Cooking, Food, Cookbooks

335 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2011

About the author

Nathan Myhrvold, founder of The Cooking Lab, has had a passion for science, cooking, and photography since he was a boy. By the age of 13, Nathan had already cooked the family Thanksgiving feast and transformed the household bathroom into a darkroom.

Myhrvold holds a doctorate in theoretical and mathematical physics as well as a master's degree in economics from Princeton University. He holds additional master's degrees in geophysics and space physics and a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of California, Los Angeles. At Cambridge University, Myhrvold did postdoctoral work with Stephen Hawking in cosmology, quantum field theory in curved space-time, and quantum theories of gravitation, all before starting a software company that would be acquired by Microsoft.

As his career developed, he still found time to explore the culinary world and photography. While working directly for Bill Gates as the first chief technology officer at Microsoft, Nathan was part of the team that won the Memphis World Championship Barbecue contest; he worked as a stagier at Chef Thierry Rautureau's restaurant Rover's, in Seattle; he then took a leave of absence to earn his culinary diploma from École de Cuisine La Varenne, in France.

Nathan retired from Microsoft in 1999 to found Intellectual Ventures and pursue several lifelong interests in photography, cooking, and food science. Unable to find practical information about sous vide cooking, he decided to write the book he felt was missing--one that provided a scientific explanation of the cooking process, the history of cooking, and the techniques, equipment, and recipes involved in Modernist cooking. Inspired by this void in cooking literature, he decided to share the science of cooking and wonders of Modernist cuisine with others, hoping to pass on his own curiosity and passion for the movement.

In the process of creating his first book, Nathan founded The Cooking Lab, hired an interdisciplinary team that included scientists, research chefs, and writers, and published the much-acclaimed six-volume,Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Either it's because it's the first volume or because I'm already pretty knowledgeable about the topic, but this wasn't quite as exhaustive as I was expecting based on its reputation.

It was otherwise put together well and flowed nicely, aside from a few minor disagreements with page layout (I really hate the way things are interjected where the main text breaks mid-sentence and I either have to go searching for where it picks up or read the extra bit, then go back and figure out what the hell was happening before that distraction). I guess I'm more used to seeing these asides as less invasive side-bubbles or kept purely at the bottom of the page.

[Laurence Brouard-Trudel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book has been written 10 years ago, this is still of big use in kitchens in 2022! Top top book.

Reference book to keep preciously.
Worth the 💰

[Case Chun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does well at communicating scientific principles in simpler terms. Appreciated the history section. Would have given a 5 star review but found the medicine and health sections too biased. While it is hard to come to conclusions with research concerning food and health, the authors should have left out valid, but oversimplified criticisms. Since medical research evolves at such a fast rate, we not understand physiological mechanism better, such as red meat and colon health. This book also doesn’t discuss the impact of the microbiome. In summary, good overall book but the food and medicine stances are outdated since the book’s original publication.

[dcrystalj · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Diệp Trần · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. A must read.