Technique
How Air Fryers Actually Work: Convection Science
An air fryer is a small, fast convection oven, not a fryer. The science of moving hot air, why it crisps food, and what it can and cannot do like real frying.
BeginnerNixtamalization: The Chemistry That Turns Corn Into Masa
Why corn must be cooked in alkaline lime to make masa, tortillas, and hominy: it strips the hull, frees bound niacin that prevents pellagra, and builds flavor.
IntermediateRice Cooking Science: Why You Rinse It, Why It Turns Gummy, and the Water Ratio That Matters
Why rinsing rice removes the surface starch that makes it gummy, how amylose and amylopectin differ by rice type, and the water ratio that actually matters.
BeginnerThe Leidenfrost Effect: Why Water Dances on a Hot Pan
Why water droplets skitter and dance on a very hot pan, what the Leidenfrost effect tells you about pan temperature, and how it helps you cook better.
BeginnerWhy Dried Beans Won't Soften: Hard Water, Acid, Salt, and Old Beans
Why dried beans stay hard after hours of simmering: how pectin, hard water, calcium, acid, salt, and old beans decide whether the cell walls break down.
Beginner