August 2006 (Medialink) -- Most people don't associate cooking with science, but what happens in the kitchen is the result of chemical reactions that occur by combining ingredients and being able to predict what will happen.
Kevin Ryan, a food scientist and part of the new generation of expert chefs, offers some food for thought in his book called, "Betty Crocker: Why It Works." It's designed to help consumers understand food and recipes in a whole new way.
For example, why do onions make us cry? Well, when you cut an onion, sulfur-containing compounds within the onion combine and irritate your eyes - causing them to tear. Nature did it like that so that predators wouldn't eat them. Why add coffee to beef gravy? Because the flavor compounds that form when you brown meat are the exact same flavor compounds that form when you roast coffee. And why shouldn't you marinate your steaks overnight? Because by the time the inside gets tender, the outside is mushy.
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