Includes index.

1. Some Basic Chemistry: Matter -- Salt, Sodium Chloride, NaCl -- Recipe Analysis: Lemon Salad Dressing #1 -- Recipe Analysis: Orange Granita, Adapted from Amanda Hesser -- 2. Measurements in Cooking: Mass, Weight, Volume, Density -- Measuring in the Kitchen -- Tools and Methods -- Recipe Analysis: Pound Cake, from Viola Williams Thomason -- Recipe Analysis: Biscuits, Adapted from the White Lily Foods Company and Edna Lewis -- 3. Heat and Temperature: -- Heat and Thermodynamics -- Temperature: How Do We Measure the Heat Energy at Any One Place? -- Energy and Calories: How Do We Measure the Amount of Heat in Matter? -- Heat Capacity and Heats of Phase Changes: How Much Heat Do We Need to Add to Change the Temperature? -- Heat Transfer: How Does Heat Flow from One Substance to Another? -- Thermal Expansion: How Much Do Substances Expand When They Get Hotter? -- Heat and Food: What Does Heat Do to Food? -- Recipe Analysis: Roasted Asparagus -- Recipe Analysis: Steamed Asparagus -- 4. Water, the Miracle Molecule: -- The Water Molecule and the Hydrogen Bond -- Hydrophilicity and Hydrophobicity -- Pressure -- The Phase Diagram of Water -- Solutions -- Water Purity -- Cooking and Water -- Recipe Analysis: Dried Pasta, from Lidia Matticchio Bastianich -- Recipe Analysis: Whole Artichokes by Pressure Cooker -- 5. Acids and Bases: -- Acids -- Bases -- pH for Measuring Acidity and Basicity -- The Reaction between Acids and Bases: Neutralization -- Acids and Bases in Food -- Recipe Analysis: Sweet and Sour Pork, from Sylvia Tsai -- Recipe Analysis: Polenta -- 6. Just Enough Organic Chemistry: Five Classes of Organic Compounds -- Four Reactions of Organic Compounds -- Recipe Analysis: Pears Poached in Wine, Adapted from Mitchell Davis -- Recipe Analysis: Chicken with Tomatoes, Adapted from Jamie Oliver -- 7. Fats and Oils: Saturated and Unsaturated Fats and Oils -- Hydrogenation and Trans Fatty Acids -- Rancidity and Reactions -- Melting and Smoking Points -- Solubility and Density -- Heat Transfer and Heat Capacities -- Recipe Analysis: Orange and Olive Oil Cake, Adapted from Danai Kindeli -- Recipe Analysis: Indian Butter Chicken, Adapted from Allrecipes 8. Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides and Disaccharides: Simple Sugars -- Polysaccharides: Starches and Fibers -- Carbohydrates in Plants -- The Structure of Plant Cells -- Cooking Plants -- Recipe Analysis: Caramel Sauce in the Microwave, Adapted from Shirley Corriher, Andrew Janjigian, and Dan Souza -- Recipe Analysis: Collard Greens, Adapted from Louise Childress Thomason -- 9. Proteins: Amino Acids and Protein Structure -- Protein Denaturation and Coagulation -- Enzymes -- Animal Proteins -- Plant Proteins -- Cooking Proteins -- Recipe Analysis: Scrambled Eggs -- Recipe Analysis: Pound Cake, from Gail Blasingame Locke -- 10. More Chemical Reactions Plus Fermentation: Oxidation–Reduction or “Redox” Reactions -- Maillard Browning or Nonenzymatic Browning -- Fermentation: Yeast Fermentation and Bacterial Fermentation -- Recipe Analysis: Caramelized Onions -- Recipe Analysis: Whole Wheat Bread, from King Arthur Baking -- 11. Colloidal Dispersions: Colloidal Dispersions in General -- Solids Dispersed into Liquids or Solids: Sols and Suspensions -- Liquids Dispersed into Solids: Gels -- Liquids or Solids Dispersed into Liquids or Solids: Micelles and Emulsions -- Gases Dispersed into Liquids or Solids: Liquid Foams and Solid Foams -- Thickeners for Sauces and Gravies -- Effects of Salt and Sugar on Colloidal Dispersions in Water -- Recipe Analysis: Lemon Salad Dressing #2 -- Recipe Analysis: Banana Pudding, from Joy of Cooking -- 12. Diffusion and Osmosis: Diffusion -- Osmosis -- Diffusion and Osmosis in Cooking -- Recipe Analysis: Oven-Fried Chicken, Adapted from Judy Hesser -- Recipe Analysis: Honeyed Pork Loin, Adapted from Diana Henry -- 13. Nutrition: Digestion -- Nutrition -- Recipe Analysis: Roasted Sweet Potatoes -- Recipe Analysis: Pan-Fried Rib-Eye Steak -- 14. Food and the Senses: Flavor -- Herbs and Spices -- Food Additives -- Recipe Analysis: Penne alla Vodka -- Recipe Analysis: Fruit Cobbler, from Louise Childress Thomason.