I know a good steak when I see one — or eat one — but I certainly couldn’t tell you about the chemical properties of that steak. That’s because they didn’t have this sort of class when I was in college. If they did, I would have most certainly taken it, and learned the basics of such important things as “the elasticity of meat” or “emulsification of cream sauces.” Yum!
Cooking is fun, and there’s more science behind it than you might realize — something I learned watching episode upon episode of the fabulously nerdy and informative chef Alton Brown. A master cook, he also writes, produces and stars in all his own shows. And FYI, we did his turkey for Thanksgiving two years ago and I’m still drooling over it today.
But back to steak and science. While Oklahoma State is already a standout in the category of meat and everything delicious about it (in May they discovered a new cut of beef!), the school could use a chemistry-cooking class. Heck, I’d even audit it for the free food!