Tastes Like Science
3rd Edition - Cabbages, Stale Bread, and Adam Ragusea?
Happy Friday everybody!
This newsletter is still in its formative years so I’d be happy to hear what you think or take suggestions for future topics. Even if you just want to say hi, feel free to reply to this email and you’ll hear back from me.
This week’s challenge was to utilize cabbage as a main ingredient. I’m a bit embarassed to say I almost never use cabbage, even though I've prepped probably thousands across my two summers working at Panda Express (shoutout). But it’s never too late!
My idea was to make a cabbage steak— something I’ve seen done with cauliflower. I thought this would be the perfect way to highlight the cabbage without doing too much.
Buuuuuut, I fucked up.
It was still really good (thanks to the miso butter), but I didn’t realize how quickly the cabbage would lose its structure and soften. So next time:
think about what texture you want to serve the cabbage and monitor the cook time closely
adjust thickness of each slice—thicker cuts should cook slower while thinner ones should cook faster
NEXT WEEK:
I feel like I always have leftover herbs. Whether it’s basil, cilantro, or parsely, I usually use half the bunch and the rest wilts away until I find it in the back of the fridge three weeks later.
A while back, I saw a creator (@hwoo) use basil oil for his signature dish. All you have to do is blend up herbs with oil and strain it. Easy enough. I’ll be trying this with a few different herbs and pairing with dishes.
Why bread goes stale (and how to stop it)
The Science:
When bread is baked, starch molecules gelatinize. All this means is that they absorb water and swell, giving bread its soft, fluffy texture.
But as it cools down, those starches start to recrystallize (reorder into rigid structures) and lose water—a process called retrogradation. This makes the crumb hard, dry, and crumbly.
DO NOT refrigerate bread as it speeds up retrogradation! Cool temperatures shy of freezing actually encourage recrystallization, rather than stopping the process.
Actionable Tips:
Freeze it for longer term storage. Freezing pauses retrogradation. Slice your bread before freezing so you can easily retrieve slices when you need them.
A quick toast or warm-up (oven or toaster) temporarily reverses starch crystallization and makes bread soft again.
Store in an airtight plastic bag to retain moisture and slow recrystallization.
I've been loving Lucini olive oil (not sponsored). To clarify, this is a finishing olive oil that's made to garnish dishes, not for regular cooking. I'm not an olive oil connoisseur, but I've tried my fair share and this is one that actually makes me crave a simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip with bread.
I think the food and cooking podcast space is severely lacking in diversity (foreshadowing). But I've always been a fan of Adam Ragusea's podcast. This week, he talks about the history of ultra processed food and how it is specifically differentiated from how we "process" food in the kitchen.
I think the Chef's Press is one of the most under appreciated kitchen tools on the market (also not sponsored). It definitely has its fans among dedicated home cooks and professionals, but isn't talked about nearly enough. From maintaining good contact on the pan to frozen foods submerged under water, it's a tool I reach for more than a couple times a week.
Thanks for reading— Hope to hear from you and see you next week!
*If you’d like to read more of the Tastes Like Science Newsletter, you can read previous editions on my SubStack.