There’s a Physicist in the Kitchen

Bill Gates has credit for a lot of things. Even after Microsoft, he continues to push the limits of giving with his Gates Foundation, but what about all of the other incredible people that made Microsoft the technology behemoth that it is? Where are all the other incredible minds from the company now? Former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer, Nathan Myhvold, like Gates, is pursuing some mind boggling endeavors in his post Microsoft life. He holds degrees in math­e­mat­ics, geo­physics, and space physics from UCLA, and PhDs in math­e­mat­i­cal eco­nom­ics and the­o­ret­i­cal physics from Princeton University. Besides starting successful invention incubator Intellectual Ventures, he has nearly 250 patents issued or pending of his own.  Many of those patents are related to food technology, which has led to his publication of Modernist Cuisine: The Art of Science and Cooking.  The incredible tome is a 2,438 page, six-volume set of books set out to “reinvent cooking.”

The 40 pound book approaches cuisine from recipe down to the exact science of the chemistry and physics in the cooking method.  Using cutaway photos, the images present the recipes from inside out.  The team actually cut the pots and ovens in half to create these unique representations of the food.  With techniques ranging from mac and cheese to fine French cuisine, the best part of the whole set of books is the enthusiasm of the authors. This book breaks new ground by creating a collaboration between scientists and world class chefs… to produce something that can only be defined as nerd meets chef. The only problem for most of us is that their enthusiasm comes at a price, the set costs over $600.