Discover the science behind everyday food, cooking techniques, ingredients, texture, taste, colour and food reactions explained simply by Chef RBS.
Open a restaurant menu today and you may see food that looks almost too perfect to be real. The chicken has an impossible shine, the cheese stretches perfectly, every garnish sits exactly where it should and the colours look brighter than they ever do on a busy kitchen pass. Sometimes that image is real. Sometimes…
Have you ever opened a jar of garlic or started cooking with fresh garlic and noticed the cloves have turned blue, blue-green or even greenish? It can look unusual enough to make you wonder whether the garlic has spoilt or whether it is still safe to use. The good news is that this colour change…
Have you ever melted cheese for a burger, grilled sandwich or pasta and noticed something strange? Instead of becoming smooth and creamy, the cheese suddenly releases a layer of oil and leaves behind a dry or rubbery mass. It can look like the cheese has simply “gone wrong”, but there is actually some fascinating food…
Have you ever opened a loaf of bread that was perfectly soft a day or two earlier, only to find that it has become dry, firm or strangely chewy? Most people simply call this “stale bread,” but the science behind it is more interesting than it sounds. Bread can become stale even when it has…
Have you ever drained a pot of pasta and noticed that the cooking water looks cloudy, almost as if something has dissolved into it? That cloudy water is not a sign that something has gone wrong. In most cases, it is a useful clue about what is happening to the pasta while it cooks. As…
Have you ever walked past a restaurant and suddenly felt hungry before you even saw the food? That reaction often starts with aroma. In a professional kitchen, the smell coming from a dish is rarely accidental. Heat, cooking fat, spices, browning, fresh herbs and the timing of finishing a dish all influence the aromas that…
Why does a pinch of salt make food taste better? Salt does much more than simply make food salty. In the right amount, it can make other flavours seem clearer, stronger and more balanced. Salt affects how we perceive sweetness, bitterness, acidity and savoury flavours, which is why chefs use it carefully throughout the cooking…
Cut open an avocado and leave it on the counter for a while, and you’ll notice the bright green flesh gradually turning brown. But why does this happen, and does a brown avocado mean it has gone bad? The answer is oxidation. Once the avocado’s flesh is exposed to oxygen, natural enzymes trigger chemical reactions…
Why does cheese sometimes turn rubbery, tough or chewy when you cook it? The answer comes down to what heat does to the proteins, moisture and fat inside cheese. Different cheeses react differently to heat. Some melt into a smooth, creamy sauce, while others can become stringy, greasy or rubbery when overheated. In this guide,…
Crispy French fries aren’t just about frying potatoes in hot oil. The crunch comes from what happens to the potato’s water, starch and surface during cooking. In this guide, Chef RBS explains why French fries get crispy, what happens during frying, and the simple techniques that can help you make fries that stay crisp on…
