Do you know the fifth taste besides sweet, sour, bitter, and salty? Would you like to understand why soufflés keep collapsing or learn how to roast a whole turkey perfectly? Are you among the 40% of men or 25% of women who cannot smell truffles? Peter Barham answers these and many other questions from the culinary world by viewing cooking as an experimental science. Many processes occur during food preparation and cooking that can be well described scientifically. Understanding the chemistry and physics of cooking will inevitably lead to a significant improvement in your own cooking skills. The author explains in a way that is easy to understand and entertaining for everyone, while not omitting important details, why certain recipes work well and, more importantly, why they do.