Friday, October 23, 2020

By Emilyn Linden

It's National Chemistry Week! While I don’t love studying chemistry in school (I was never very good at labs), I do love learning about chemistry because the world around us is fascinating. But my absolute favorite application for chemistry is food. We have a number of books in the library for people interested in the science of food (including some tasty recipes). 

Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put In Us and On Us by George Zaidan 

Should you eat that cheeto? Get the perspective of a chemist.

The Poison Squad: One Chemist’s Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Deborah Blum

Food additives and preservatives used to be much less well-regulated. Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley set out to test the safety of ingredients already being used in American foods with the help of willing test subjects. Also available as a documentary.

Cook’s Science: How to Unlock Flavor in 50 of Our Favorite Ingredients by America’s Test Kitchen

Learn about the science behind 50 of our favorite foods with an informative essay and experiment for each. 400+ recipes round out this fascinating look at ingredients ranging from pork shoulder to quinoa.

Emilyn Linden is a librarian in the FDL Public Library Information and Outreach Services department.