Alton Brown finds the science in cooking and the magic in science

by Bruce Watson, Posted Aug 7th 2008 @ 11:00AM

When I was in high school, I had a love-hate relationship with science classes. Geology was fine, biology was okay, and chemistry...well, chemistry was hell. Mrs. Olech, the troll who taught the class, regularly flunked half her students and had a teaching manner that made Alan Greenspan seem bouncy and exciting.

Ironically, while I flunked chem, I aced my cooking classes. Even at the time, I thought that this was a little weird; after all, what is cooking if not a chemical process? The subtle adjustment of flavors, the cultivation of certain bacteria, the measured combination of leavening chemicals are all, basically, a mix of applied chemistry and biology. However, cooking class captured my imagination and attention in a way that chemistry didn't.

Reading a recent profile of Alton Brown, I realize that the problem lay with Mrs. Olech and her ilk. The simple fact is that science can be a lot of fun, if it is applied in a way that is relevant and exciting. I was surprised to learn that, like me, Brown found his science classes "boring beyond words." Even now, as he has built his own store of scientific knowledge, he admits to having discarded academic journals and scholarly papers because of their inability to engage his interest.

One of Brown's biggest gripes is the fact that he hasn't had "A brilliant teacher to turn to or a really great academic library." I can attest to this, as well. The summer after my unfortunate run-in with Mrs. Olech, I took chemistry again with Mrs. Raphael, an outstanding teacher. I managed a B+ and found that the class had a lot to teach me.

Many cooks seems to approach food preparation as if it's magic: mix a potion, draw a pentagram, pray to Ashtaroth, and your cornbread will be perfect. However, as Alton Brown consistently shows, the perfect cornbread, or fries, or yogurt isn't a matter of sorcery or magic, but rather the result of a carefully controlled chemical process. The coolest thing is that, in the process of teaching the science behind cooking, Brown might have put the magic back into science.

I wonder if Mrs. Olech ever watches him...

Filed Under: Science, Television/Film, Health & Medical, Celebrities
Tags: Alton Brown, AltonBrown, biology, Chemistry, cooking, Mrs. Olech, Mrs. Raphael, Mrs.Olech, Mrs.Raphael, science

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-07-2008 @11:38AM corinne said... Bruce,

I enjoyed your post and glad you liked the story. I hope you also read the write up of the demo I attended in Nashville.

Thanks for the mention.
Corinne Marasco
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8-07-2008 @1:34PM Christine said... Science teachers who can really bring the subject home to kids are few and far between. AB has really helped get people interested in the science of food. Check out Shirley Corriher's Cookwise book and Harold McGee's books for more food science fun. And for all things AB, go to the Good Eats Fan Page at www.goodeatsfanpage.com, it's an amazing site. The people on the GE message board aren't too bad, either. :)
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8-07-2008 @3:09PM Michael Schmitt said... Ultimately, he is a food scientist who concentrates on the art of making food instead of the science of making food.

I'm a food scientist too, but I started off as a microbiologist with all sorts of organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and other pure science backgrounds and I ended up being a food scientist because it took all those pure sciences and applied them in a useful way to me.

Anyone who finds food fascinating and who doesn't just want to cook it or bake it should consider food science as a way to express your desire to make good food and share it with the world.
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8-07-2008 @3:54PM Rob said... Olech? Raphael? I had 2 science teachers at my high school with those names. You didn't happen to go to a certain school in the DC suburbs with the Panther as a mascot, did you?
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8-07-2008 @3:54PM Bruce Watson said... Rob-
Sounds like it's a really, really small world.
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8-07-2008 @6:34PM thefishie said... Corinne I presume we attended the same event last summer in Nashville. He'll be back in a couple of weeks for another round of fun. Same place, in case you don't have tickets! (I already do.)

Alton Brown definitely has had a large influence in my gaining a better understanding of the "Why" behind the recipes. With that, I'm more willing to just try things and see what happens. Lucky for my husband my experiments have improved vastly over the last several years.

I also blogged about the last two years Alton Brown seminars in Nashville. Well worth attending even if you're not a crazed fan, it's a good excuse to learn something and have a nice afternoon out of the heat!

http://travelingwithlorrie.blogspot.com/
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8-13-2008 @12:25AM Numb said... Rob and Bruce - are you talking about P.Falls? I don't recognize the teacher names, but we were Panthers in the DC suburbs...
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8-12-2008 @7:29PM Bruce Watson said... Numb-
No, we were a private school in Virginia. I'd be more explicit, but I was pretty rough on my chem teacher and I don't want this thread popping up on Google searches!
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