Science of Cooking

Here is an article about a middle school summer science and cooking class.  I wish there were more resources on the science of cooking for kids.  At home, I use Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, which is not written for kids.  Same goes for Cooking for Engineers, a fun blog.  I mentioned some resources in a previous post, but does anyone know of others?

The Science of Brining Your Turkey

In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I would share this link from one of my new favorite sites, Cooking for Engineers. Michael takes readers through the science behind turkey (and other meat) brining, which is soaking in a salt solution. It is a good refresher on osmosis if you haven't taken biology in a while and a fun amount of trivia for the T-day table. FYI, brining was popular long ago as a way to make imperfect cuts of meat more tender, and it has come back into fashion as we try to be more health-conscious by eating leaner meats. (I learned that at a brining demonstration at the Culinary Institute of America.)

As it relates to work, I think it would be great to have more "science of food/cooking" programs for youth. The only afterschool product that I have found is part of the 4-H Youth Experiences in Science materials. There are several other sites, though, including this one from the Exploratorium. If you know of other ones, please share!