FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL: Magnus Opus and Exigence > The Science of Cooking
J, I love a science-of-food guide. You can, however, rethink your genre. I am not sure a scientific article is the best way to do this. What if you divided into five blog posts. Consider this pattern:
Microbes are our Friends I (bread and beer)
Microbes are our Friends II (fermented foods: sauerkraut and kimchee)
Emulsions, mixtures, and solutions (whipped cream and other froth)
Try some molecular gastronomy, too
Caramelizing and Browning (onions and meet)
Science compares three kinds of barbecue
Will that work? Let me know. You can be rather technical as long as you teach well AND share links to others.
People to link to? How about the Salt Fat Heat Acid woman Samin Nosrat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oKbs4jAf7M
Anthony Bourdain
Michael Twitty
Let me know what you think of a different genre in which to support good cooking knowledge with SCIENCE!!!!
Marybeth Shea
Audience
Any lay person (young adult to adult) interested in food science. No scientific (or even culinary) background, but interest in why food works the way it does.
Context
Cooking, and especially baking, are arts that we take for granted, but they happen because of complex chemical and biological processes. Understanding these processes will not only provide a greater sense of appreciation for the miracle that is cooked/processed food, but also a better sense of ownership/control over cooking. If someone understands why meat browns or why bread rises, they are more empowered to prepare dishes in a way that will optimize those qualities.
Purpose
To inform and educate people about the physical, chemical and biological processes underlying basic phenomena in cooking. These phenomena include bread rising, meat browning, barbecuing meat, fermentation (kimchi, cheese, salami, etc), gluten development, and whipped foods like egg whites and whipped cream. The piece will explain these processes on a molecular basis if necessary, and along the way the reader will learn about basic biological molecules like lipids, proteins, and starches, as well as microbes like yeasts and bacteria.
Document Type
A written, informational paper. It won’t really be a review of literature, although it will incorporate literature from a variety of different places. Likewise, it won’t be a guide, although it will be applicable in many recipes. It will be similar to a term paper, but with language that is much less academic, and with a greater emphasis on clear and accessible communication to a lay audience than on technical mastery of the subject.
Design Format
It will be a written paper with different sections for different processes. It will have a high density of images and slides. It may or may not include links and references to recipes, or to videos that do a good job of visualizing these processes.
Citation Style
A combination of referral links, APA citations (for any academic papers included), and natural language citations.