Cooking for Geeks is equal parts well-rounded recipe collection, safety manual, food chemistry textbook, and manifesto for the Maker/DIY/Geek philosophy. The main content of the book is centered around the first three, but Potter’s preface, introductory chapter and the many interviews with experts convey the underlying theme: getting under the hood and trying things out.
I found C4G very entertaining, and encouraging in the way really good DIY books often are. It isn’t so much that the projects end in profoundly cool results, but that you just *know* discovering new skills, and a deeper understanding of materials and processes, are just around the corner.
Throughout the book there are interviews with interesting people discussing their specialties. Some of these are short pieces, talking about a single recipe. Tim O’Reilly on jam and scones, or Meg Hourihan on chocolate chip cookies. Longer interviews cover geeky topics like knives or Sous Vide. I bet almost any reader will find a real connection to at least one of these.
The “Optimal Cake Cutting Algorithm for N People” on page 257 delighted me. The next time I am serving cake to more than five or six guests, I will definitely implement the protocol.
Get more detail about the book here.
