About Us

Interest in cooking, baking, and food has risen tremendously over the past few years. In fact, the popularity of food and cooking within the 18–34‐year‐old demographic group draws more than 50 million viewers to food‐ and cooking‐based cable shows and websites each month. Many faculty members have tapped into this interest, creating unique and interesting courses about science, food, and/or cooking. 

Behind Food and Cooking is to teach fundamental concepts from biology and chemistry within the context of food and cooking. Thus, the primary audience for the text is non-science majors, who are fulfilling a science curricular graduation requirement. However, we anticipate that there may be instructors and students with a more significant interest in science who may utilize the book as a catalyst to fuel further study in the area. We hope that this book helps reduce the barriers to teach courses related to science, food, and cooking and opens up new opportunities for those already teaching about food and cooking.

We also recognize that there are important pedagogical approaches to learning that are well beyond the scope of a textbook. The companion website has over 35 guided inquiry activities covering science basics such as chemical bonding, protein structure, and cell theory and such food‐focused topics as meat, vegetables, spices, chocolate, and dairy.