White, blond, brown: thickening power falls as the roux darkens
The roux stages timed and weighed: minutes per color, the fat-to-flour ratio, and how much more dark roux you need to hit the same thickness in a sauce.
13 min read
Author: Theo Nakamura
Theo Nakamura covers the physical and chemical side of everyday cooking: emulsion stability, starch behavior, gelatin extraction, and whether a piece of equipment earns its counter space. He tests in batches of six and reports what did not work alongside what did.
Steamed squash delivers less beta-carotene than squash roasted in oil
Fat soluble vitamin absorption in vegetables depends on a teaspoon of oil, not a bottle. The nutrients affected, the amounts, and where the claim overreaches.
12 min read
Wine, stock, or vinegar poured into the same pan of chicken
A deglazing liquid comparison run on three identical pans of chicken: what wine, stock and vinegar each pull off the fond, and how differently they reduce.
13 min read
If it does not set in the fridge, call it broth
The difference between stock and broth is gelatin: which bones give it, the hours it needs, and the overnight fridge test that tells you what you made.
13 min read
Maillard needs protein, caramelization does not
Maillard vs caramelization: one needs protein and starts near 285F, the other needs only sugar and 320F. Where each runs, and how to get both at once.
13 min read
Preheat the flask or lunch reads 110F by noon
How to keep food hot in a thermos: four measured cooling curves over five hours, what preheating and fill level are worth, and four foods to keep out of one.
14 min read
Cold rice from yesterday behaves differently than rice from the pot
Resistant starch cooked and cooled is real but smaller than the claims: what chilling rice changes, how much survives reheating, and how to cool it safely.
13 min read
One teaspoon of mustard holds a vinaigrette together for hours
The emulsifier in vinaigrette is doing more than you think: droplet size, why one teaspoon of mustard holds for hours, ratios, and the order to fill the bowl.
14 min read
Steel-cut, rolled, instant: three cook times for one grain
Steel cut vs rolled oats and instant, compared on cook time, ratio, texture and glycemic index, plus the overnight soak that closes most of the gap.
13 min read
The brown film stuck to your pan is four minutes from being a sauce
How to make a pan sauce from the brown film left after searing: what fond is, which pans build it, and the deglaze, reduce and butter sequence in order.
13 min read