Harold McGee, also known as the New York Times’s “Curious Cook,” visits the Harvard Bookstore this evening to chat with Rialto’s Jody Adams. They’ll talk about how to cook well, even when you’re working with a flawed recipe. (Surely an apt lesson for those of us trying to replicate Auntie Mildred’s age-old eggnog restorative this holiday.)
His new book, Keys to Good Cooking, makes the scientific aspects of cooking accessible for pros and amateurs alike. Adams, who’s been following McGee’s career of food de-mystification since she was a line cook, tells Grub Street that she’s excited to banter with such a down-to-earth guy. “The way he writes, you feel like you know him,” she tells us. “He clearly has a sense of humor about himself.” One thing she’s dying to find out? “I want to know what his favorite kitchen tool is,” she says. “It tells you a lot about a person.” Their Q&A; begins at 7 p.m.; admission is free. [Harvard Book Store]
Meanwhile, it’s David Chang’s turn to lecture at Harvard, as part of their Science & Cooking Public Lectures. Momofuku’s mastermind plans to discuss “Creative Ceilings: How We Use Errors, Failure and Physical Limitations as Catalysts for Culinary Innovation.” Perhaps he refers to the kind of “physical limitations” one might experience upon ingesting 10 crack pies in a single sitting? His lecture also begins at 7 p.m. [Harvard SEAS]
