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SCIENCE AND COOKING1
| Subtitle | An introduction to soft-matter and food physics |
|---|---|
| Lecturer(s) | FLACHI, ANTONINO |
| Credit(s) | 2 |
| Academic Year/Semester | 2023 Spring |
| Day/Period | Thu.5 |
| Campus | Hiyoshi |
| Class Format | Online classes (mainly on-demand format) |
| Registration Number | 00392 |
| Faculty/Graduate School | BUSINESS AND COMMERCE |
| Department/Major | BUSINESS AND COMMERCE |
| Year Level | 1, 2 |
| Field | GENERAL EDUCATION |
| Course Description | The course introduces a field of physics known as "soft matter physics", the branch of physics that studies soft-materials, i.e. those materials that go beyond the usual classification of solid, liquid, or gaseous (most food, for example, transcends these simplest definitions). |
| K-Number | FBC-BC-01113-232-87 |
| Course Administrator | Faculty/Graduate School | FBC | BUSINESS AND COMMERCE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department/Major | BC | BUSINESS AND COMMERCE | |
| Main Course Number | Level | 0 | Faculty-wide |
| Major Classification | 1 | General Education Course | |
| Minor Classification | 11 | I Natural Sciences Courses - Natural Sciences | |
| Subject Type | 3 | Elective subject | |
| Supplemental Course Information | Class Classification | 2 | Lecture |
| Class Format | 3 | Online classes (mainly on-demand format) | |
| Language of Instruction | 2 | English | |
| Academic Discipline | 87 | Comprehensive / Integrated Areas (Natural Sciences) | |
Course Contents/Objectives/Teaching Method/Intended Learning Outcome
Until the recent past, science and food were a combination to be encountered mainly in the food industry. Today, things are changing and we are witnessing a great deal of emerging new scientific ideas about how we (humans) relate to food: neuroscientists trying to understand how our brain create flavors; physicists attempting at manipulating textures; talented haute-cuisine chefs aiming at creating startling multi-sensorial experiences.
Despite the scientific complexities, cooking is a simple endeavor that can be carried out by anyone.
You can open a recipe book, get the ingredients and follow the instructions: a method that is easy to follow, but certainly not the whole story towards culinary success.
Every time you follow a recipe and prepare your favorite food, you are, in effect, performing a scientific experiment. You put matter together, modify the initial structure (for example, texture, flavor, etc.) by means of physical and chemical processes, and evaluate (by eating) the result of the experiment, possibly trying to understand what modifications can improve the final result. The "experiment" can be a success or a failure, but understanding the science can increase the chances of success.
Viewed like this, the kitchen becomes a science laboratory and cooking an experimental science. Then, questions like: “How can we make an ice-cream smoother ? How can we control the thickness of a sauce ? Is it possible to manipulate the texture of pasta or the "fluffiness" of a omelette ?” become questions that can be addressed by the universal principles and methods of science.
In this course, we will embark in a study of food and science (physics in particular) that is both entertaining and useful and we will explore the new dimension that opens up when the two areas fuse and how this combination can be used to boost creativity as well as critical thinking.
Part 1 of the course (Spring semester) will focus on basic notions such as the properties of food molecules (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and some basic science processes. Part 2 of the course (Fall semester) will focus on more advanced application like gels, emulsions, foams, fermentation, and baking.
Despite the scientific complexities, cooking is a simple endeavor that can be carried out by anyone.
You can open a recipe book, get the ingredients and follow the instructions: a method that is easy to follow, but certainly not the whole story towards culinary success.
Every time you follow a recipe and prepare your favorite food, you are, in effect, performing a scientific experiment. You put matter together, modify the initial structure (for example, texture, flavor, etc.) by means of physical and chemical processes, and evaluate (by eating) the result of the experiment, possibly trying to understand what modifications can improve the final result. The "experiment" can be a success or a failure, but understanding the science can increase the chances of success.
Viewed like this, the kitchen becomes a science laboratory and cooking an experimental science. Then, questions like: “How can we make an ice-cream smoother ? How can we control the thickness of a sauce ? Is it possible to manipulate the texture of pasta or the "fluffiness" of a omelette ?” become questions that can be addressed by the universal principles and methods of science.
In this course, we will embark in a study of food and science (physics in particular) that is both entertaining and useful and we will explore the new dimension that opens up when the two areas fuse and how this combination can be used to boost creativity as well as critical thinking.
Part 1 of the course (Spring semester) will focus on basic notions such as the properties of food molecules (proteins, fats, carbohydrates) and some basic science processes. Part 2 of the course (Fall semester) will focus on more advanced application like gels, emulsions, foams, fermentation, and baking.
Course Plan
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Method of Evaluation
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Textbooks
There are no textbooks for this course.
Reference Books
Barham P. (2001), The Science of Cooking, Springer, ISBN 978-3-540-67466-5
McGee H. (2007), On Food and Cooking, Scribner, ISBN-10: 0684800012
Lecture notes by the instructor.
McGee H. (2007), On Food and Cooking, Scribner, ISBN-10: 0684800012
Lecture notes by the instructor.
Lecturer's Comments to Students
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