Harold McGee

Harold McGee is a man that requires no introduction if you are someone who has worked in food and drink in any capacity at all. In 1984 he published McGee On Food & Cooking and brought the science and technology of cooking and flavour to the masses. A second edition in 2004 served as the practical manual for any chef worth their salt, and elevated Harold to the status of godfather - or perhaps even god - of culinary science. More recently, he published a book called Nose Dive, which investigates aroma and smell, which is a topic we explore during our conversationAlso on the menu:Why humans enjoy bitterness, how herbs have co-opted us, how salt makes food more delicious, how water opens up the aromas of spirits, what happens when wine matures in the bottle, why some drinks have ‘length’, how evolution and culture have shaped our flavour preferences, what we mean when we say a drink or dish is balanced, what the next frontiers of flavour science look like, and much more. 📷 Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tristanstephenson/📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - https://www.thecuriousbartender.com/

Dr. Harold McGee, PhD, is a renowned author on the topics of food chemistry and culinary science. He explains how cooking methods, types of cookware and temperature can be used to transform food and drink flavors and presents simple but powerful ways to improve nutrient availability. We also discuss how our individual biology, genetic and cultural backgrounds shape our taste preferences. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or someone who simply loves to eat, our conversation will change how you think about food and cooking, give you actionable tools to try and deepen your appreciation of the experience of eating and drinking. Read the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Our Place: https://fromourplace.com/huberman Mateina: https://drinkmateina.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps 00:00:00 Harold McGee 00:02:21 Food Chemistry, Using Copper, Modern vs Traditional Techniques 00:09:59 Sponsors: Eight Sleep & Our Place 00:13:33 Cooking, Food & Heat, Taste & Smell 00:22:10 Umami, Savory Tastes, Braising & Meat 00:29:56 Chemistry of Cooking & Eating, Sugars & Conjugates; Slowly Enjoying Food 00:36:14 Savory Meal & Dessert; Food Course Order; Palate Cleansers 00:43:56 Salt, Baseline & Shifting Taste Preferences 00:47:18 Sponsors: AG1 & Mateina 00:50:07 Whole vs Processed Foods, Taste & Enjoyment 00:53:37 Brewing Coffee, Water Temperature, Grind Size 01:00:33 Tea & Tannins, Growing Tea Plants; Tea & Meals, Polyphenols 01:08:16 Food Combinations, Individual Tolerance; Is there an Optimal Diet? 01:11:34 Onions & Garlic, Histamines, Tool: Reduce Crying when Cutting Onions 01:13:55 Gut Sensitivities & Food, Capsaicin & Spicy Foods 01:17:21 Supertasters & Taste Buds, Bitter Taste, Chefs 01:21:57 Sponsor: Function 01:23:45 Salt & Bitter, Salting Fruit, Beer or Coffee, Warming Beer 01:26:11 Human History of Alcohol & Chocolate 01:29:25 Wine Expense vs Taste, Wine Knowledge 01:35:49 Cheese Making, Aged Cheese & Crystals, Tyrosine; Smoke Flavors, Distilling 01:44:30 Fermentation, “Stink Fish”, Caviar, Traditional & New Foods 01:50:42 Personal Journey, Astronomy, Poetry & Food 01:54:55 Beans & Gas, Tool: Soaking Beans 01:57:23 Gut Microbiome, Fermented Foods; Kids & Food Aversions 02:00:47 Cilantro & Divergent Tastes; Microwave Popcorn, Parmesan Cheese 02:04:46 John Keats Poetry, To Autumn; Acknowledgements 02:10:48 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 🧬 DOWNLOAD THE PDF SUMMARY: Don't miss the specific dosages and timing protocols discussed today. Get the full visual guide and supplement breakdown here: 👇 https://goo.su/VOTEb Verified Science Resources.

📖🎧 Want to dive deeper? Get the book or audiobook on Amazon ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . In "Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells," Harold McGee takes listeners on a fascinating journey through the science, history, and cultural meaning of scent. From his initial sensory awakening with a game bird to exploring the molecular makeup of aromas, McGee uncovers how smells are formed and perceived. The book dives into the volatile compounds found in outer space, early Earth, plants, animals, and humans, revealing how these molecules create the rich palette of smells we encounter daily. McGee also breaks down how smells evolve through processes like cooking, fermentation, curing, combustion, and synthetic manufacturing. This deep dive into olfactory science bridges biology, chemistry, and anthropology—highlighting how scent connects us to memory, emotion, and environment. Whether you're a food lover, science enthusiast, or curious mind, this book offers a new way to appreciate the invisible world of smell that shapes how we experience life. Note: As an Amazon Associate, Book Decoded earns from qualifying purchases. #NoseDive #HaroldMcGee #ScienceOfSmell #Olfaction #ScentScience #AromaChemistry #Fermentation #FoodScience #CulturalAnthropology #MolecularGastronomy #SmellPerception #PodcastOnBooks #NonfictionPodcast #BookSummary #CuriousMinds

Food science expert Harold McGee helps us separate food science fact from fiction and explains our most profound questions about taste and smell. Why do oysters taste like cucumbers? Is there such a thing as the smell of raspberries? McGee has the answers! Plus, we learn about 30-foot longevity noodles from Jason Wang, the co-founder of New York’s Xi'an Famous Foods; Grant Barrett and Martha Barnette tell us who lobster Newburg and chicken tetrazzini were named after; and we make pork in Veracruz sauce. (Originally aired Feb. 26, 2021.) Get the recipe for Pork in Veracruz Sauce here . We’re working on a story about the battles we have in our kitchens at home, and we want to hear about your kitchen drama—from the biggest food fights to your everyday grievances. Please leave us a voicemail at 617-249-3167 or send a voice memo to radiotips@177milkstreet.com . Listen to Milk Street Radio on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Achieve Investment Group is happy to present to you the guest speaker, Harold McGee. Harold has 21+ years in the real estate brokerage and financial services industries including customer service, sales, investing, and lending. He successfully started, grew, and sold a 120+ unit property management company. In 2014, he learned about the financial concepts of Infinite Banking (IBC) and became an authorized practitioner. Harold specializes in working with real estate entrepreneurs to leverage IBC to grow two assets with the same dollar. Learn Passive Investing In Commercial Real Estate with my #1 best-selling audiobook: https://achieveinvestmentgroup.com/freeaudiobook #passiveinvesting #realestateinvesting #infinitebanking #realestatesyndication #raisecapital #passiveinvestingincommercialrealestate

Harold McGee writes about the science of food and cooking. He started out studying physics and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and then English literature at Yale University. In 1984 he published On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. Twenty years later, the revised and enlarged edition of On Food and Cooking was named best food reference of 2004 by the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2005, Bon Appétit magazine named McGee food writer of the year, and in 2008, Time magazine included him on its annual list of the world’s most influential people. Along the way McGee published The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore (1990), and has written articles and reviews for many publications, including The World Book Encyclopedia, Nature, Physics Today, Food & Wine, and Fine Cooking. He writes a monthly column, “The Curious Cook,” for The New York Times. (San Francisco, CA) November 2010 This video was produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service to the International Olive Oil Commission. Learn more about olive oil at https://www.plantforwardkitchen.org/olive-oil-and-the-plant-forward-kitchen

We spoke with award-winning science writer Harold McGee, author of the new book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells , a wondrous and entertaining guide to the smells of food, yes, but also of our surroundings—indoor as well as outdoor, from rotten eggs and wet dogs to coffee and perfume—and offers readers a whiff of the very building blocks of the universe itself. Harold McGee on the science of smells

My guest today is Harold McGee . He has been writing for more than four decades about the science of food and cooking: where our foods come from, what they are, and how cooking transforms them. He is best known for his seminal book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. His latest book “Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells” came out in 2020 and it’s all about smells: the aromas of food and drink, but also the many other flying bits of the world that scent our lives. Show Notes: Check out Harold’s Website: https://www.curiouscook.com Harold on Twitter: @Harold_McGee Check out Harold’s Books: Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes Savoring the World Harold McGee's James Beard Award for Who's Who Culinary Institute of America: https://www.ciachef.edu Enjoy 35% OFF New West Knife Works El Bulli Restaurant: http://www.elbulli.info Alinea Restaurant: https://www.alinearestaurant.com Chef Kyle Connaughton's Website and Twitter Chef Heston Blumenthal's Website and Instagram Chef Elwyn Boyles Chef Grant Achatz Hubert Reeves Hour of Our Delight: Cosmic Evolution, Order, and Complexity Book Chef Fritz Blank and Deux Cheminees Restaurant in Philadelphia Learn more about Vanillin Molecule — If you come across something you ended up having to search for, send me a message to help make this Show Notes better! — 🤑 To learn more about courses, community, and coaching for hospitality creators: https://www.joinrepertoire.com Join Repertoire Pro Community: https://www.joinrepertoire.com/pro-membership — What's next? 👇 Share th

A personal discussion with Harold McGee on his latest book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells and the infinite importance behind understanding the value of our sense of smell. Harold McGee studied at Caltech and Yale, and since 1980 has been writing about the science of food and cooking. He’s the author of the award-winning book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, a visiting lecturer in Harvard University’s course “From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science,” and a former columnist for The New York Times. He’s been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the TIME 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. His latest book is Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells. Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNzDpTcNMZPf5vt2vWmIong Website: https://terrescience.com/ Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1PYVjTHnClAUqVI5GdrpVM Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2yt2n5pt Listen on Radio Public: https://radiopublic.com/terrescience-podcast-GMXRkZ Listen on Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy84MjI3ZjA0Yy9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw TerreScience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrescience/ TerreScience Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerreScience TerreLocal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrelocal/ TerreLocal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerreLocal Music: https://www.bendsound.com/royalty-free-music Music: A New Galaxy from Bendsound.com Email us: info@terrescience.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/terrescience/support

Did you know that all humans go through a period, during late infancy or early childhood, when their sense of smell judgement is almost completely blank? That's the reason babies put anything and everything in their mouths. It turns out disgust and displeasure for particular tastes and odors are learned. Renowned food and cooking scientist and James Beard award-winning author Harold McGee takes us on a sensory journey in this episode. We learn about the importance of smells, what McGee calls a ‘smell renaissance’, and more on the particles we breathe in —the molecules that trigger our perceptions of certain scents, such as flowers, food, and even tin cans. Listen in as Greg and Harold give us an insider's view of McGee's latest book, Nose Dive: A Field Guide To The World's Smells. Episode Quotes: How does knowledge of food science affect our dining experience? It just seems to me that it adds a dimension. It adds a layer of appreciation. When I eat something, even knowing the compounds, it's not the compounds that I first encounter. It's my experience. It's the taste and the smell and so on. And if it's interesting enough, I've always wanted them to understand more about it. Why does this thing have this wonderful flavor? Why did the grouse have that effect on me? And so learning about what underlies that experience, it seems to me, if you're drawn to the experience in the first place, it just adds a dimension of appreciation that you wouldn't have otherwise. How are different disciplines such as history and humanities intersecting with food science? So, it started in the late 1970s, around that same time that I had discovered food science as an academic discipline. But, I still have trouble understanding why it is that something so fundamental to human existence wasn't a respectable academic subject. I know many people who proposed thesis projects on food, history, sociology, and philosophy and were told by their advisors, 'No, you can't do that.’ Now, it's very different. Now, there are food studies programs all over the place and all kinds of exciting work being done. I think there just had to be this kind of shift in attitude in the academy that then helped make the study of food not only fun and fascinating, but respectable. Why do humans camouflage smells that are reminiscent of their animal nature? We're living in more crowded conditions than we did way, way back. And so, we're in contact with each other more intimately, more often. And we're— generally speaking —shut up indoors. You know, we don't spend that much of our lives outdoors where the air is fresh. So, we have to create this illusion of freshness indoors, which has led to the dominance of citrusy, piney kinds of smells, becoming the sort of smell clichés for “nice” indoors. And we are reluctant to impose our personal smells on other people. Or to have other people's personal smells imposed on us because there's no escaping them if they're there. So, I think that's a big part of it.circumstances in which we live have changed over the centuries. And that has led to this kind of deodorization of our daily lives. Why do humans have such sensitive noses? I think the general point would be that smell is a chemical sense. It tells us what molecules are in our neighborhood. And, that's been important to life from the very beginnings of life. The first single cells needed to know what direction they needed to float in, or propel themselves in, to get food or to avoid toxins. So, it's just absolutely fundamental to life. And, in mammals, we now have a sense that has been developed, for us, in particular, with our noses up off the ground. A sense that has developed to answer the needs of our particular biological and ecological situation. Time Code Guide:

Jill reviews Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World's Smells by Harold McGee

A podcast for lovers of wine, beer, liquor (incl. whisky, whiskey, bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila etc) and cocktails, Drinks Adventures hosts wine makers, brewing and distilling experts, sommeliers, bartenders & more. People often scoff at wine being described as having notes of blackberry and sandalwood, or beers that smell of citrus and fresh herbs. But there is actually science underpinning some of these associations. Harold McGee is a world renowned expert on the chemistry of food and drink. You may also like: Wine episodes on Drinks Adventures His latest book, Nose Dive , is a field guide to the entire world of smell. It doesn't matter how weird or offensive a smell is. If you can name it, Harold's smelt it. And he explains the science behind every imaginable smell in this accessible and entertaining guide. Harold joins us for this must-listen interview on the Drinks Adventures podcast.