The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

way. You can find it in his book In Search of Perfection,
from the BBC series of the same name. It’s also easily found
online.
† † † So the next time someone threatens to throw you in
boiling oil, just tell them, in your haughtiest tone, “Actually,
it’ll be the water content in my body doing the boiling, not
the oil.” Then run.
‡ ‡ ‡ The word “tempura” itself comes from the Portuguese,
as do many other Japanese words. According to Harold
McGee’s On Food and Cooking, “tempora” means “period
of time” and refers to the fasting seasons during which fried
fish was consumed in place of meat. These days, the word
refers to any battered and fried item cooked in the manner
of tempura fish, much like Americans have their “chicken-
fried steak”—steak cooked in the manner of fried chicken.
§ § § The popular In-N-Out chain of fast-food hamburgers
prepares their French fries in this manner—they are cut,
rinsed, fried, and served. As anyone can tell you, despite
how great their burgers are, their limp, pale fries leave much
to be desired. A second trip to the fryer would do wonders
for them.
¶ ¶ ¶ Does this remind anyone else of the razor-blade battles
when Schick came out with its four-bladed Quattro to
compete with Gilette’s Mach 3, and Gilette responded with a
five-bladed razor? When will it all end?!?