Editing Cooking (section)

==Scientific aspects==
{{main|Molecular gastronomy}}
The scientific study of cooking has become known as molecular gastronomy. This is a subdiscipline of [[food science]] concerning the physical and chemical transformations that occur during cooking.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/molecular-gastronomy#:~:text=Molecular%20gastronomy%2C%20the%20scientific%20discipline,new%20dishes%20and%20culinary%20techniques. Molecular Gastronomy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019161107/https://www.britannica.com/topic/molecular-gastronomy#:~:text=Molecular%20gastronomy%2C%20the%20scientific%20discipline,new%20dishes%20and%20culinary%20techniques. |date=19 October 2021 }} from ''Encyclopedia Britannica''</ref>

Important contributions have been made by scientists, chefs and authors such as [[Hervé This]] (chemist), [[Nicholas Kurti]] (physicist), [[Peter Barham]] (physicist), [[Harold McGee]] (author), [[Shirley Corriher]] (biochemist, author),  [[Robert Wolke]] (chemist, author.) It is different for the application of scientific knowledge to cooking, that is "molecular cooking" (for the technique) or "molecular cuisine" (for a culinary style), for which chefs such as Raymond Blanc, Philippe and Christian Conticini, [[Ferran Adria]], [[Heston Blumenthal]], [[Pierre Gagnaire]] (chef).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Guler|first=Ozan|title=The Harmony of Science and Food:Molecular Gastronomy|publisher=Strategic Researchers Academy Publishing|date= 2019|isbn=978-605-69709-1-7}}</ref>

Chemical processes central to cooking include hydrolysis (in particular beta elimination of pectins, during the thermal treatment of plant tissues), pyrolysis, and glycation reactions wrongly named [[Maillard reactions]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.food-info.net/uk/colour/maillard.htm|title=Food-Info.net : Maillard reactions|website=www.food-info.net|access-date=2017-03-29}}</ref><ref>Handbook of Molecular Gastronomy, CRC Press, 2021</ref>

Cooking foods with heat depends on many factors: the [[specific heat]] of an object, [[thermal conductivity]], and (perhaps most significantly) the difference in temperature between the two objects. [[Thermal diffusivity]] is the combination of specific heat, conductivity and [[density]] that determines how long it will take for the food to reach a certain temperature.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barham|first=Peter|title=The Science of Cooking|page=39}}</ref>