Food, glorious food…
The Exploratorium in San Francisco has started an Accidental Scientist series which focuses on the science in everyday life. Their first subject is the science of cooking. Now that’s something every kid can really sink his or her teeth into. From little bread yeasties to the bacteria that make the lactic acid in pickles, this website takes a multicultural look at how various foods are produced. There’s a fun tour of a lollipop factory and tips on making good barbecue.

If you weren’t pleased with the updated “Joy of Cooking”, Ethan Becker, the grandson of the book’s original author, agrees with you. He thinks the “committee of 100” approach in the 1997 edition took away much of the book’s family voice and left it less usable. Although he was listed as an author of that edition, he says the editor shoved his contributions aside. Critical information was not included, such as how to use different yeasts and the differences between types of flour. This time around, Becker and his wife will be taking the cookbook back to its family roots. No word on whether the porcupine, armadillo, raccoon, beaver, woodchuck, muskrat, and bear cooking instructions will return, but you know, there’s always the web to turn to. (full L.A. Times article available, registration req’d)