Cooking For Geeks, Cookbook Review

By: Jeff Potter
Publication Date: August 3, 2010

Pros: a lot of extremely detailed information about cooking methods, equipment, reactions, etc., interviews with people who cook creatively

Cons: not many recipes, some information is well beyond what most cooks will use/need

This is an interesting cookbook. I would consider the first 5 chapters worth reading if you plan to do any cooking and want a better understanding of what's happening or if you like experimenting.

If you REALLY like experimenting the last 2 chapters will be perfect for you. If you don't feel like buying lots of chemicals to try new (and not necessarily edible) things, they're not as

useful.

The cookbook was written specifically for computer geeks who are afraid of doing things in a kitchen. The opening chapter has a lot of references to thinking of cooking techniques with regards to computing. If you don't know computer programming, you might consider this chapter skippable, but you'd miss out on some hidden gems of information, like the difference between all purpose and baking flour (gluten content).

Chapter 2 is an overview of cookware, a chapter I'd normally not find interesting. Here again, there were interesting tid bits of information, like what to look for in knives, how they get teflon to stick to the pan, and the 1-2-3 crepe recipe I posted about recently.

Chapter 3 is where the experiments start. This is not so much a recipe book as it is an experimentation guide. Mr. Potter explains the theory behind something and then gives you a recipe with which to test that theory out. Often there are two recipes to compare and contrast. It's here I found the watermelon feta salad recipe, as an example of how you experience taste. I tried it, and it was very surprising. I would never have expected raw red onions (soaked in water to take the sting out) to work well with

watermelon. And the saltiness of the feta added something that the watermelon alone couldn't do. In the end, it was a great experiment and I learned a few things about taste combinations.

Also from this chapter, I tried the white bean and garlic soup. It was different (a thick, almost gravy consistency) but worth trying again.

Cooking times, heat and food safety are dealt with in chapter 4, followed by the necessity of air in baking. If you're like my friends, though you've used them often you probably don't know the difference between baking soda and baking powder. This book will teach you. It will also tell you what gluten does, and how to use different kinds of yeast.

Finally, the two chapters that require a lot more specific ingredients and equipment. Chapter 6 deals with chemicals in cooking (notably food additives, which is interesting even if you don't do any of the experiments - I wanted to try the s'mores ice cream, but couldn't find liquid smoke anywhere). Chapter 7 explains the principles of sous vide cooking and other specialized techniques.

I highly recommend the book for anyone serious about cooking. The tips and tricks it teaches are useful for everyone. And if you're adventurous, some of the experiments sound like a lot of fun.

Titly's Busy Kitchen

I stumbled across an interesting video (below), that led to a very interesting site: Titly's Busy Kitchen. Titli Nihaan does cooking demonstrations for various recipes, with a slight humerous slant. They're both fun and informative. I've also embedded her most recent video, how to make chocolate mousse. Yummy. Check out her site for more video recipes.

Cold Soup Calamity

Alright, maybe it's not a calamity, but I've now tried 3 cold soups (all from 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder & Meredith Deeds) and only 1 has turned out well. To be fair, I have been fudging the recipes - substituting ingredients on hand for what's requested in the cookbook, and I had the same problem with hot soups (several duds before I got the hang of them and they all started turning out well) but still, it's a little disappointing. I'd hoped my hot soup skills would help with cold soups. Nope.

The first I tried, carrot soup, tasted better hot than cold. Of the second and third (done together for the dual tone bowl pictured) I liked the bloody mary soup (my husband doesn't like tomatoes, so he was lukewarm about it) and the avocado soup was a total bomb.

Who'd have considered avocados are so thick that blending up the requested 4 would need more than the 3 cups of water the recipe asked for? I ended up adding another cup or two, greatly watering down the flavorings. In the end, it was tasteless and creamy. Though, when mixed 1 part to three of the bloody mary soup it gave it a pleasant creaminess that made both taste better. So the cookbook's suggestion to pair those was a good one. :)

And spooning the two soups into bowls at the same time did create a nice presentation.

With 18 cold soups in the book I'm sure to find something else I like before I have to return it to the library. I think I'll try the cucumber soup next - and make fewer changes to the recipe.

Are there any cold soup recipes you know that taste great, or should be avoided?

Here's the Bloody Mary Soup recipe from the book:

2 cans San Marzano tomatoes (28 0z/796 ml)
1 cup beek or chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped green onions [I used red onions]
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup vodka [I omitted this]
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp salt
2 tsp celery salt
1 tsp black peper
1 lb chilled salad shrimp
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a food processor or blender, in batches, puree tomtoes [and everything but shrimp and cilantro] until smooth. Transfer to a large pitcher, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Thin with more stock or water, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

2. Pour into chilled bowls and garnish with shrimp and cilantro.

And here are some proper reviews of this cookbook if you're interested.
O Chef, Cooking Nook.com, Hub Pages, Cookbooks 4 Every Kitchen, Recipes For Life Today