The Cook's Chemical Toolkit

Every cooking technique maps to a chemical principle. Here is your cheat sheet:

• Boiling transfers heat through water, maxing out at 100°C - which is why boiled food never gets crispy
• Frying uses hot oil to push the surface well past boiling, hot enough to trigger browning reactions that water cannot reach
• Brining works because salt diffuses into the meat and changes muscle proteins so they hold water during cooking
• Marinating in acid partially denatures surface proteins before cooking even begins
• Resting meat lets carryover heat finish the job while juices redistribute through the protein network.