On Food and Cooking

Of all the major food molecules, proteins are
the most challenging and mercurial. The
others, water and fats and carbohydrates, are
pretty stable and staid. But expose proteins to
a little heat, or acid, or salt, or air, and their
behavior changes drastically. This
changeability reflects their biological
mission. Carbohydrates and fats are mainly
passive forms of stored energy, or structural
materials. But proteins are the active
machinery of life. They assemble all the
molecules that make a cell, themselves
included, and tear them down as well; they
move molecules from one place in the cell to
another; in the form of muscle fibers, they
move whole animals. They’re at the heart of
all organic activity, growth, and movement.
So it’s the nature of proteins to be active and
sensitive. When we cook foods that contain
them, we take advantage of their dynamic
nature to make new structures and
consistencies.