About this course: This course introduces a number of basic scientific principles underpinning the methodology of cooking, food preparation and the enjoyment of food. All topics covered have a strong basis in biology, chemistry, and physics application. Among others, they include the consumption of cooked food, the physiological and evolutionary implication of the senses, geographic and cultural influences on food, and the rationale behind food preparation. We will also discuss issues such as coupling of senses to improve sense stimulation; altering flavor by chemical means; and modification of the coloration to improve the appearance of dishes. Following the video demonstrations of the scientific principles of cooking, you will learn to recognize the key ingredients and their combinations for preparing good healthy food. At the end of this course, you will be able to: - appreciate the scientific basis of various recipes; - develop your own recipes by integrating some of the scientific principles into new dishes; - recognize the influence of the material world on human perception from the different senses; - appreciate the art of integrating science into cooking and dining. Important Note: This course is not designed for people with special dietary needs such as vegetarian, diabetic, and gluten-free diets. If you feel uncomfortable with any part of the assignments or activities of this course, you can substitute some of the ingredients or ask friends and family members to help with the tasting of your assignments. Alternatively, you may skip that specific assignment provided that you have fulfilled all other qualifying requirement to pass the course. Course Overview video: https://youtu.be/H5vlaR0_X2I
Created by: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Taught by: King L. Chow, Professor
Division of Life Science
Taught by: Lam Lung Yeung, Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
| Commitment | 3-4 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Orientation, Module 1 and Module 2
This week, we will focus on “Energy Transfer” and “Hunger and Satiety”. Before you start with the content for these modules, please watch the Course Overview, review the Grading Scheme, and read the Important Note on special dietary needs.
26 videos, 5 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Course Overview
- Reading: Grading Scheme
- Reading: Important Note on Special Dietary Needs
- Practice Quiz: Pre-course survey
- Video: 1.0: Introduction
- Video: 1.1: Energy Transfer - Topic Outline
- Video: 1.2: What is energy?
- Video: 1.3: How energy can be transferred through conduction?
- Video: 1.4: Demonstration - Comparing heat capacity
- Video: 1.5: Demonstration - Comparing heat conductance
- Video: 1.6: How do we cook by convection?
- Video: 1.7: Demonstration - Increasing boiling point with salt
- Video: 1.8: Demonstration - Cooking medium and convection
- Video: 1.9: Can radiation and phase transition be used in cooking?
- Video: 1.10: Energy Transfer - Topic Summary
- Video: 2.0: Hunger and Satiety - Topic Outline
- Video: 2.1: Why do we need food?
- Video: 2.2: How do I know that I am full or not?
- Video: 2.3: How do I know that the food is good?
- Video: 2.4: Demonstration – Can you see the differences?
- Video: 2.5: Demonstration - Sound and texture - How does the experiment work?
- Reading: 2.5: Demonstration - Sound and texture - Now is your turn
- Video: 2.5: Demonstration - Sound and texture - Let's hear other people's views
- Discussion Prompt: 2.5: Discussion
- Video: 2.6: I love chocolate but I don’t want to keep eating it, why?
- Reading: Assignment 1 - Instruction
- Video: Assignment 1 - Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 1 - Result Sharing
- Video: 2.7: What factors can affect my choice of food?
- Reading: Assignment 2 - Instruction
- Video: Assignment 2 - Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 2 - Result Sharing
- Video: 2.8: Hunger and Satiety - Topic Summary
Graded: Assignment 1 – Submission
Graded: Assignment 2 – Submission
WEEK 2
Module 3 and Module 4
This week, we will talk about how flavor and aroma of food affects our perception of taste of food.
25 videos, 3 readings
- Video: 3.0: The Sense of Taste - Topic Outline
- Video: 3.1: It tastes good!
- Video: 3.2: There are more than four basic tastes
- Video: 3.3: Can we taste the “temperature”?
- Reading: Assignment 3 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 3 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 3 – Result Sharing
- Video: 3.4: There are infinite possibilities with tastes
- Video: 3.5: Demonstration – Sweetness suppresses bitterness
- Reading: Assignment 4 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 4 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 4 – Result Sharing
- Video: 3.6: Why the ice-cream doesn’t taste as sweet when it is served after chocolate?
- Video: 3.7: Demonstration – The cocoa tastes less bitter!
- Discussion Prompt: Module 3: Discussion
- Video: 3.8: The Sense of Taste - Topic Summary
- Video: 4.0: The Sense of Smell - Topic Outline
- Video: 4.1: What are we smelling?
- Video: 4.2: Demonstration – Factors affecting diffusion rate
- Video: 4.3: How do I smell coffee?
- Video: 4.4: Why do orange and lemon smell different?
- Video: 4.5: Why can’t I taste the “strawberry”?
- Video: 4.6: Demonstration – How does aroma affect our taste?
- Reading: Assignment 5 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 5 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 5 – Result Sharing
- Video: 4.7: Smelling good makes it tastes better!
- Video: 4.8: Demonstration – It is all about congruency!
- Discussion Prompt: Module 4: Discussion
- Video: 4.9: The Sense of Smell - Topic Summary
Graded: Assignment 3 – Submission
Graded: Assignment 4 – Submission
Graded: Assignment 5 – Submission
WEEK 3
Module 5 and Module 6
This week, we will talk about how color and texture of food affects our perception of taste of food.
21 videos, 3 readings
- Video: 5.0: The Sense of Sight - Topic Outline
- Video: 5.1: Coloring food with a different taste
- Video: 5.2: It is good to see red!
- Video: 5.3: Why the pepper doesn’t look good?
- Video: 5.4: Making it looks good, and it tastes good!
- Video: 5.5: Demonstration - Can color affect our taste perception? - How does the experiment work?
- Reading: 5.5: Demonstration - Can color affect our taste perception? - Now is your turn
- Video: 5.5 Demonstration - Can color affect our taste perception? - Let's hear other people's views
- Discussion Prompt: 5.5: Discussion
- Video: 5.6: Demonstration – The darker the color, the better it tastes?
- Video: 5.7: The Sense of Sight - Topic Summary
- Video: 6.0: The Sense of Touch - Topic Outline
- Video: 6.1: How do we feel the texture in our mouth?
- Video: 6.2: We can also feel pain and have self-awareness in our mouth!
- Video: 6.3: Demonstration – Seeing with our mouth! Measurement
- Video: 6.4: Demonstration – Seeing with our mouth! Feeling the shape
- Video: 6.5: The more complicated the texture, the more we enjoy the food, why?
- Reading: Assignment 6 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 6 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 6 – Result Sharing
- Video: 6.6: How can we control the texture of food?
- Reading: Assignment 7 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 7 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 7 – Result Sharing
- Discussion Prompt: Module 6: Discussion
- Video: 6.7: The Sense of Touch - Topic Summary
Graded: Assignment 6 – Submission
Graded: Assignment 7 – Submission
WEEK 4
Module 7 and Module 8
This week, we will look at how fruits and vegetables can enhance the quality in cooking and to learn about the properties of meat.
17 videos, 1 reading
- Video: 7.0: Fruits and Vegetables - Topic Outline
- Video: 7.1: What gives the rigid texture to plants?
- Video: 7.2: How can we manipulate the texture of plants?
- Video: 7.3: What gives green color to plants?
- Video: 7.4: Why some plants are not green in color?
- Video: 7.5: Demonstration – Manipulating the color of red cabbage
- Video: 7.6: Why does the apple turn brown?
- Video: 7.7: Demonstration – What is the best way to prevent browning?
- Video: 7.8: What are the prominent tastes in fruits and vegetables?
- Reading: Assignment 8 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 8 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 8 – Result Sharing
- Discussion Prompt: Module 7: Discussion
- Video: 7.9: Fruits and Vegetables - Topic Summary
- Video: 8.0: A Perfect Steak - Topic Outline
- Video: 8.1: How to cook a perfect steak?
- Video: 8.2: What are the components of meat?
- Video: 8.3: Why fish muscles are different from that of mammals?
- Video: 8.4: What else does a piece of meat contain?
Graded: Assignment 8 – Submission
WEEK 5
Module 8 (continued) and Module 9
This week, we will continue our focus on the preparation and cooking of meat and learn about the elements that affect the preparation of sauces.
18 videos, 1 reading
- Video: 8.5: How to choose a piece of meat – marbling?
- Video: 8.6: How to choose a piece of meat – body parts?
- Video: 8.7: It’s tough, what should I do?
- Reading: Assignment 9 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 9 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 9 – Result Sharing
- Video: 8.8: How does heating change a steak?
- Video: 8.9: Does it matter to have more connective tissue or more muscle?
- Video: 8.10: Choose the right temperature for meat cooking
- Video: 8.11: Create your own meat flavor and color in steak cooking
- Video: 8.12: The final touch on a steak – its juice and its flavor
- Discussion Prompt: Module 8: Discussion
- Video: 8.13: A Perfect Steak - Topic Summary
- Video: 9.0: Sauces - Topic Outline
- Video: 9.1: The Importance of sauce in a dish
- Video: 9.2: Sauce and viscosity
- Video: 9.3: Things to know when changing the viscosity of a sauce
- Video: 9.4: Changing the viscosity of a sauce I: Larger or smaller molecules?
- Video: 9.5: Changing the viscosity of a sauce II: Particles and bubbles
- Video: 9.6: What makes an ideal sauce?
Graded: Assignment 9 – Submission
WEEK 6
Module 9 (continued) and Module 10
This week, we will continue our focus on the preparation of sauces and finish up the course with the last topic on dessert. After completing all the content, it's time to test your understanding on the entire course. Take the final exam and complete the post-course survey. Your valuable feedback will certainly help us improve future iterations of the course.
19 videos, 3 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: 9.7: Using salt in sauce
- Reading: Assignment 10 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 10 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 10 – Result Sharing
- Video: 9.8: Using alcohol in sauce
- Video: 9.9: Using protein in sauce
- Video: 9.10: Using fat in sauce
- Video: 9.11: Using starch in sauce
- Video: 9.12: Sauces - Topic Summary
- Video: 10.0: Dessert - Topic Outline
- Video: 10.1: Textures in desserts
- Video: 10.2: How is gluten formed?
- Reading: Assignment 11 – Instruction
- Video: Assignment 11 – Instruction Video
- Video: Assignment 11 – Result Sharing
- Video: 10.3: Factors affecting the formation of gluten
- Video: 10.4: Chemical or Biological Leavening Agent?
- Video: 10.5: What do we need to make a cake rise?
- Video: 10.6: The stable egg white foam
- Video: 10.7: Ginger milk curd
- Discussion Prompt: Module 10: Discussion
- Video: 10.8: Dessert - Topic Summary
- Practice Quiz: Post-course Survey
- Reading: Rate this course
Graded: Assignment 10 – Submission
Graded: Assignment 11 – Submission
Graded: Exam
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Ratings and Reviews
Great course. I learned a lot about food preparation and why we cook foods certain ways. The demonstrations were great and interesting. The instructors were very engaging and seemed excited about what they were teaching. The assignments were great in helping me to understand different things I learned in the lectures. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in food preparation.
Excellent!
It was vary good gave me ideas on how to improve my cooking technique, and allowed me to use my imagination to make my dishes better!
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