The Science of Cooking

Hey, remember way back when I mentioned the story that several haute cuisine and avant-garde chefs are coming to Harvard to participate in a gastronomy physics course? Well now we have a report on it.

In this exclusive interview with physicsworld.com, one of the course organizers, David Weitz, professor of physics and applied physics in Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, explains how cooking and food provide neat reference points for studying a variety of complex phenomena – from foams and emulsions to supercooling and complex phase changes.

"It's been beneficial and enjoyable for all of us," he says of the course, which completed its first run at the end of last year. "I'm pretty sure the students really enjoy it [and] it's certainly a wonderful way to teach freshman physics."

You can view the video interview at the link given above or see it here:



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