What Einstein Told His Cook

Kitchen Science Explained

By: Robert L. Wolke

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Why is red meat red? How do they decaffeinate coffee? Do you wish you understood the science of food but don't want to plow through dry, technical books? In What Einstein Told His Cook, University of Pittsburgh chemistry professor emeritus and award-winning Washington Post food columnist Robert L. Wolke provides reliable and witty explanations for your most burning food questions, while debunking misconceptions and helping you interpret confusing advertising and labeling. A finalist for both the James Beard Foundation and IACP Awards for best food reference, What Einstein Told His Cook engages cooks and chemists alike.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2002 Robert L. Wolke (P)2012 Tantor

Critic reviews

"With its zest for the truth, this book will help cooks learn how to make more intelligent choices." ( Publishers Weekly)

For the kitchen nerd with a sense of humor. An absorbing read. ( Food & Wine)

Wolke...is one of the great demystifiers of scientific information. ( BusinessWeek)

Deadly Boring

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I can't imagine the person who would actually enjoy this book. That is why I am taking the time to write this review. It's a warning. I feel like I just wasted my money.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I am undecided.

What didn’t you like about Sean Runnette’s performance?

Sean Runnette's performance was irritating.

What character would you cut from What Einstein Told His Cook?

The author was the problem I think.

Any additional comments?

No

A "Pot Boiler" of information

Chemistry intimidates me, cooking comforts me, and information fascinates me...and every chapter explains in easy listening terminology the myths and myth-takes about things we prepare to feed ourselves and our families. There are many good tips on what's fact and what's fiction in products, as well as resources for further information.
An included PDF provides the details you might want to write down if you hear them on the Southbound 405 heading toward Orange County, CA on the day before the 4th of July.

Where's The Beef?

This book should have been one of my favorites, but it really lacked substance. I realize this is a huge topic, but there was so much missing from this book. I felt that the author simply neglected so many important areas of fun food trivia & science. Much time was wasted with "fluff" - stuff that I really did not care so much about, while vast areas of everyday food science was passed over. If the author wants to confirm or deny wheather or not potatoes absorb salt, just do so. I did not need 15 minutes on his potato-in-the-soup experiment. The various antidotes & stories throughout the book wasted time without adding content. Over one-half hour on how a microwave oven works......please. There were a few interesting tid-bits in the first half of the book, (although some out-dated information regarding the FDA's Trans Fat labeling guidlines - I thought this book was newer than 2003) but I struggled to get through the second half. It was like that bad movie you rent. You keep watching it because you paid for it & you hope it will turn for the better. I can not recomment this book.

This Book Will Save You Money!

Award winning chemistry professor Robert Wolke answers myriad questions on the subject of food and food preparation, all from the point of view of the science of where food comes from, how to best store it, how to cook it, etc. etc. His explanations are so good, they will more than pay back the price of buying this audiobook. For example, you will never again spend more for sea salt or a salt grinder than you will for a box of regular table salt, and you will understand why from a simple scientific point of view.

As you might expect from a non-fiction book that doesn't have a defined narrative flow (each section stands on its own), the best comes first. The opening sections on sugar, salt, and fat -- basic ingredients with significant health factors -- are outstanding. The middle sections on proteins, chemicals, and drinks are still excellent, but a bit scattershot in terms of relevance (do I really care if light cream is technically heavier than heavy cream or whether an egg can really fry on a hot sidewalk?).

The penultimate chapter on microwaves is essential and will change the way you use yours -- understanding how microwaves defrost frozen food vs. the alternatives will, once again, save you lots of money, or at least improve your culinary results. But the closing section seriously starts to sag, which is a shame since it focuses on kitchen tools -- still, it could save you serious bucks when it comes to buying tools since you will be that much more knowledgeable about what they do and what they can't do for you.

The lively narration helps. I look forward to reading the follow-up, although I worry that, like the last chapter of this volume, there will be a natural downtrend in interest level. My only other caveat is that, unlike another science book I recently listened to (Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Great Courses lectures on physics), it does seriously help to have a foundational understanding of some scientific principles in order to understand this book -- nothing more than high school level, though, which is the highest level of science I ever studied.

Good information but no effort

Appears to be a collection of responses from his newspaper column. The information was good and I learned from it. So I'd recommend the book because of what you'll learn. Was just bummed that they didn't (appear to) make more of an effort that a copy and paste from his previous writings. Either way, it's a good read, worth a few bucks ... just not a GREAT book.

Fun info answers questions lurking in the kitchen

This book tackles some of the questions about why and how things happen to the food we cook and other goings on in our kitchens. Told in a light and easy to understand style, this book was well paced and didnt drag along. I enjoyed listening to this book as it was a good change of pace selection.

A great book for commuters

Would you consider the audio edition of What Einstein Told His Cook to be better than the print version?

No. I don't mind listening to the book because I'm not willing to spend my limited print reading time on it, but I think that being able to refer back to certain parts and facts would be quite useful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of What Einstein Told His Cook?

The explanations about different types of sugars was quite interesting. Scientific and detailed enough, but not boring and PhD Chemist level...

What aspect of Sean Runnette’s performance would you have changed?

Sean Runnette is a competent reader who enunciates well, but I find his voice to lack character and inflection. I couldn't listen to this performance for hours on end, but snippets here and there are fine.

Any additional comments?

This book lends itself to short, bursts of listening rather than long hours all at once. It would be a great commute book for a half hour a day or so. Probably not so great for a long roadtrip.

Very informative

What other book might you compare What Einstein Told His Cook to and why?

I would compare this book to freakonomics. Although freakonomics has nothing to do with cooking, this book is similar in that the revelations will blow your mind. The author is fairly witty, and it completely held my attention while in the car.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Way better than I thought it was going to be.

Any additional comments?

This book is simply amazing. You would have to search on google for hours and read hundreds of other cook books to amass the amount of information in this 9 hour narration.

A word of caution: I am a Mechanical Engineer and found this book to be very technical for the average person. Although the author does lay most of the stuff out in layman's terms, he does get technical. Without prior knowledge of thermodynamics, chemical bonding, etc... I would have had a difficult time understanding the concepts.

Excellent read!

What did you like best about this story?

This story was designed for a science geek like me. Every one of the explanations was informative and entertaining.

What about Sean Runnette’s performance did you like?

His humorous edge made the book enjoyable.

If you could give What Einstein Told His Cook a new subtitle, what would it be?

What you always thought you knew about food.

All geeked about cooking

Would you listen to What Einstein Told His Cook again? Why?

Very good content that explains a lot of why things work the way they do in the kitchen presented in a clear and concise manner for those of us who aren't chemical scientists.

What did you like best about this story?

Wolke puts to rest several myths by describing experiments he's conducted.