IFT Experts Share Food Science Secrets Behind Successful Cooking

• Food Science Communicator Alfred Bushway, University of Maine, revealed the science behind a recipe for consistently great mashed potatoes in the September/October issue of Cook’s Illustrated. To explain why boiling the potatoes whole produced better results, Bushway noted that peeling and cutting the potatoes before simmering increased the surface area through which they lose soluble substances—such as starch, proteins and flavor compounds—to the cooking water. The greater surface area also e…