Robert L. WolkeBesprekingen

NF

Un buen libro para saber un poco más de cosas cotidianas, contado de forma amena e incluso divertida. Los gags de humor son muy entretenidos.

This one was an interesting combination of reference and cookbook. Setup somewhat like a Q&A or FAQ, the author addresses popular questions about food, cooking, kitchen tools and busts a few urban myths. His answers are from a chemist's POV and as a professor emeritus of nuclear chemistry for U of Pittsburgh, I guess he knows what he's talking about.

The narrative is laid back and engaging: he might be a chemistry professor but Mr. Wolke was (is?) also a columnist for The Washington Post and most of the writing is chatty and humorous.

More than a couple of the recipes sound like they're worth trying, too.

Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit - enough that I'm going to look for this other works for future reads.½

have hardback and paperback

To anyone who's delaying the reading this book because of the fear that it might be too complex, too "Einsteinian", don't worry about it. On the contrary, "What Einstein Told His Barber" is nothing more than a series of short, east to comprehend discussions and explanations of things we all experience in our world everyday. (See the book jacket for examples of items discussed by the author). Some items may be familiar to the reader, other items may clarify some long since forgotten points learned in high school physics class, some will correct those age-old (and erroneous) commonly held beliefs, and others will simply be new ways of looking at things never before considered. It's all presented in a mildly amusing, simple to understand, layman's terms, and all-in-all, an interesting read on a rainy day.

It's a fun read with good language. And, some parts of it are truly interesting. The reason why it gets only 2 stars is it has many mistakes here and there. For instance, the speed of light being told as 3 million kilometer per second everywhere was really bugging me throughout the book. There were many similar mistakes for values written in the metric system. Other than that the book was fine.

don't get this in e-audio format, you'll be frustrated that you can't skip over all the stuff you already know/don't care about.

An interesting and oddly entertaining collection of practical food science lessons for the non-scientist. The author brings the world of chemistry alive fielding everyday questions about everything from nonstick surfaces to browning and emulsifying and the irradiation of fruits and vegetables. The recipes are enticing as well.½

I was somewhat disappointed with this book. I was hoping for more...

I'm not sure what I was hoping for. I do know that the book as a whole felt hodge-podge. Answers to some of the questions were quite thorough and others were so glancing as to leave me wondering why he bothered even including them.

The science of cooking is very fascinating to me (I've always been a wanna-be scientist) and I suppose it's a good thing that you can read this whole book in basically one sitting.

I guess I expected this book to more scientifically rigorous and less populist in style. I'm not sure why I expected that - it's clearly advertised as being a populist work - so I have only myself to blame for this disappointment.

Explicaciones científicas a dudas del día a día sobre cómo son las cosas y por qué suceden. Libro para releer, consultar y utilizar como propuesta de lecturas concretas.

The author explains the science of cooking, very interesting

Popular science at its best!
Every day things explained for the scientifically uninitiated.
A great book for inquiring minds!

Ce livre amusant, best-seller international, répond à ces questions cruciales et à bien d'autres pour nous faire découvrir la science qui se cadhe dans notre vie quotidienne.

A great collection of questions about everyday life. Space, elements, light, etc.½

Interesting, though the jokes are really bad.

Interesting FAQ style. Easy to read.

Kitchen science explained

Interesting. The first couple of chapters more so than the rest.

It was a bit difficult to get through some parts due to the science aspect. What I liked is that it's easy to pick up on; you can read any section without reading previous sections. When I read fiction, I have to frequently flip a few pages back and refresh myself on the plot. I also liked his witty commentary. Another reviewer mentioned that his humor doesn't make it through, but I chuckled quite often. Again, like another reviewer mentioned, I tabbed a lot of pages. I bought this book as a Christmas gift, and I find myself rushing to transcribe many recipes and techniques to my digital "cookbook."

It contains useful tips on both cooking ingredients and equipment, as well as information on common questions and misconceptions, and some recipes. I'd definitely recommend it!

More superficial and less relevant *to me* than I'd hoped. ?áA lot like a lot of similar 'debunking pseudo-science' books I frequently read, including, just this week, the latest from Dr. Joe Schwarz. ?áSometimes the light tone is just right, sometimes Wolke strains for humor and doesn't reach it. ?áIt's always clear and easy to read though.

I did use a lot of book darts to mark bits of note, so let's see what they point to:

A recipe for 'White Chocolate' Bars. ?áOf course, white chocolate has no chocolate, and upon second look these bars look much too rich for me, more like fudge than blondies. ?áSkip.

Clarified butter [akin to ghee] will keep much longer than whole butter will, because bacteria can work away at protein, but not at pure oil."

To make clarified butter, melt slowly, then refrigerate. ?áThree layers appear, the top casein froth which is tasty and will flavor veggies nicely, the middle ghee, and the bottom watery sedimented layer, for which there is no suggested use.

Test your baking powder by adding it to ordinary water - it should fizz vigorously.

A recipe for Fish in a Package, which informs me that parchment paper and aluminum foil are interchangeable in these little oven-steamed packets.

Since metal conducts energy, thaw packages more quickly simply by placing them in a metal bowl or skillet, w/ as much surface in or near contact as possible. ?á(I tested this informally - it does seem to work terrifically!)

If using the microwave to heat water for tea, heat it extra long in a larger container, so that you can bring it to a full boil temperature, so you get fully dissolved tea and less sludgy precipitate. ?áOr use a teakettle on the stove. ?áI tried extra-long in the microwave and it seems like it did help quite a bit to make the tea more fully flavored and the empty cup less messy.

Chipped or crazed ceramic is not safe in the microwave, because the chip breaks the glaze and exposes the porous clay. ?áWater can get trapped in there, then it may boil in the hot microwave, and crack the cup or bowl.

A recipe for Lemon Curd. ?áOmg it looks nummy. ?áBut realistically I am not likely to make it, neither should I. ?áOh well.

It's important to use a measuring device close to the size of the amt you're measuring. ?áMy oldest son likes to get out the 2 cup glass measure and use it for everything, even the 1/4 cup oil. ?áBut because of settling, and the wide mouth relative to the portion, that's not going to yield a successful recipe. ?áWolke recommends the funnel-shaped Perfect Beaker made by EMSA Design of Frieling USA. ?áAccurate from one ounce to one pint. ?áI'm off to shop for it right after I finish this review.

"Spoilage bacteria make food repulsive and inedible, but they generally won't make us sick. ?áPathogenic bacteria, otoh, may be completely undetectable by taste or appearance, but are still dangerous. ?áLow temperatures inhibit them both.""½

Wolke covers all kinds of kitchen science in this fun, easy-to-read book. His explanations are the answers to common questions like: If Teflon doesn't stick to anything, how does it stick to the pan?

Really fascinating reading, I frequently laughed out loud and read witty sentences aloud to whoever happened to be nearby (they chuckled halfheartedly - like they were humoring the crazy person).

If you like Good Eats, you will like this.

Nice book with a lot of scientific information.
I loved to know things like how we have a so good under sea terrain mapping, if jumping in last second on a falling elevator will save my life or why do birds like so much to be on power cables!!!
Enjoyed!

Very interesting resource book for the dedicated cook. It answers questions you never think of asking, like why you preheat skillets and why some butter is salted and some is not.

Mildly interesting. Mostly similar information to his other books. I enjoyed his sense of humor and the simple explanations of science for the non-scientist. Being a Ph.D. in Engineering and a past college professor this was largely not new information.
A good book for those interested in science but are not scientists.½

Robert provides an entertaining and educational book on science and cooking. I learned a few things and liked his humorous presentation. I recommend the book for those with limited science background as much of the information covered is at a high school science level.