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Read what the food experts are saying about What Einstein Told His Cook, 2: The Sequel

In this sequel to Wolke's 2002 What Einstein Told His Cook, Wolke focuses on eight major food categories: beverages, dairy and eggs, vegetables, fruits, grains and carbohydrates, seafood, meats, and herbs and spices. From the best way to keep coffee hot to the chemistry behind braising, Wolke answers questions posed by regular cooks and consumers, Wolke reveals a wealth of fascinating food facts including:

Why does refrigerated tea turn cloudy?
The tannins (a loose collection of chemicals that give tea its flavor) within the tea fall out as tiny particles and create a cloud during cooling.

If you take cream with your coffee, what is the best time to use it to keep the coffee as hot as possible?
Adding the cream as soon as the coffee is poured. Even though the creamed coffee is a little cooler than black coffee, because there is more liquid in the cup, it will take longer for the temperature to drop—keeping the coffee hotter, longer, than if you had stirred in the cream after it had already begun to cool.

Raw shrimp can be gray or pink. Is one fresher than the other?
No, they’re just different species. Shallow water shrimp are sand-colored for camouflage while deep water shrimp tend to be pinker— their reddish pigments don’t reflect blue light and therefore don’t show up.

Do hot peppers actually create heat?
No, the capsaicinoids in hot peppers stimulate nerve endings in our mouths like heat does. Cooling our mouths with water is useless, alcohol can dissolve capsaicin oils, but milk and sour cream work best because their protein molecules drag the oils away.

Are brick-oven pizzas really better?
Yes, because brick and stone have high heat capacity and high emissivity—they retain a consistent level of heat and absorb far less infrared radiation than metal ovens. Because infrared radiation doesn’t penetrate beyond the surface of materials, more infrared radiation striking the pizza dough results in better browning and crisping of its surface.

Why does aluminum cookware become discolored in the dishwasher?
Aluminum is an unusual metal in that it’s susceptible to both acids and alkalis—such as sodium carbonate which is in nearly every dishwashing detergent and dulls the finish of aluminum products.

For those curious about technical details, Wolke has added a new feature, “Sidebar Science,” which offers a deeper explanation of the chemical processes that underlie food and cooking.