Marty Jopson

Upfront, this book suffers from my bias a bit: I're previously read Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life by Helen Czerski. Both books have the same goals, and both are effective and interesting, but Czerski's writes a more cohesive narrative and her writing is somehow more seductive: she makes physics seem magical. Fortunately, there's very little overlap in what both books cover, so this was by no means a wasted effort.

BUT, if I'd read this first, I'd have rated it higher; it's a very good book and Jopson actually includes a lot more 'things' and the science behind them. The chapters are divided by category: Food and Drink, Home and Kitchen, Science Around the House, Science in the World and Science in the Wild. I had favorites from each section, as I've mentioned in previous reading updates, but right now the one that sticks the most is why leaves turn colours in the autumn. Turns out this is a very deliberate process and he explains it so clearly - I have a whole new outlook on all those yellow and orange leaves I raked up this morning.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book - especially for readers who are interested in science but might find a running narrative challenging to their attention span - Jopson's explanations are all separated within each chapter, making it very easy to pick up and put down, or refer to for specific reasons (solid index at the back too) as a reference.… (meer)

Marty Jopson has written a short, easily digestible book on the science behind cooking food and kitchen gadgets - everything from the physics and materials science of the knife and chopping board you use; the invention of pressure cookers; to industrial processes required to make puffed cereals and dried mashed potatoes; to the denaturing of proteins when you cook a steak or boil an egg; why emulsions like mayonnaise work; and other vaguely food related stuff like sell-by dates, artificial sweeteners, making chocolate and aeroponics (the process of growing plants in an air/mist environment instead of soil or water). This book seems especially written for the non-scientifically inclined reader with interesting examples, "digestible" language, minimal scientific jargon and numerous illustrations. I found the book to be an informative, interesting and easy read, with minimal social chit-chat, but I do wish the author had gone into more detail!… (meer)