How can you become a better cook? Besides having a good palate and lots of experience, it helps to have factual knowledge of ingredients, techniques and the ways they interact during cooking. But the application of science to cooking involves greater rewards than a list of reliable formulas and measurements. A scientific point of view can encourage cooks to rethink traditional techniques and assumptions about food, and bring about a depth of understanding that can ultimately lead to increased culinary creativity. In this three-day course, Harold McGee, renowned author of On Food and Cooking and one of the world’s most respected authorities on science and food, is joined by Vice President of Culinary Arts, Nils Norén, and Dave Arnold, Director of Culinary Technology. Combining the expertise of scientist, chef, and technologist, this course offers a multi-disciplinary perspective on food and cooking. Interactive sessions will weave together experimental demonstrations with a multitude of tastings, scientific explanation and lively discourse. The discussion of conventional and cutting-edge cooking methods, taste perceptions and the chemistry of flavor will give students the tools to think more precisely about food, and to gain greater control—and better results—in the kitchen.

Day 1: Ingredients (5 hours)
On day one, scientific method gives rise to a series of culinary experiments. A close study of the deceptively simple egg, and its emulsifying characteristics, opens a wider discussion on how observation can transform your basic conception of food. Some commonly held misconceptions about everyday kitchen ingredients will be reexamined.

Day 2: Techniques (5 hours)
When you cook a hamburger on a griddle, how hot should the griddle be and how often should you flip? When you brown meat, how hot is too hot and how fast is too fast? How is it that searing, braising, and sous-vide act on ingredients in such different ways? Demonstrations and discussion continue as the class discovers how the application of heat—the technique of temperature control—can be manipulated for specific and precise results.

Day 3: New Technologies (5 hours)
Students will discover how cutting-edge ingredients and technologies are changing the culinary landscape. A presentation of hydrocolloids, emulsifiers, rotary distillation and other innovations will illustrate new techniques that can enhance food taste and texture in unexpected ways.

Please note: If the start date that you are selecting is full, we will enroll you in the next available start date with that same schedule.

Schedule 1
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday – 9:00am – 3:00pm

Start	End	Price
May 28, 2009	May 30, 2009	$1,250

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We are always updating our course schedules. Please check back frequently for additional course dates. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, contact us at 888-324-CHEF.