The Chemistry of Food & Taste | Dr. Harold McGee

(Upbeat music) Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. My guest today is Dr. Harold McGee. Dr. Harold McGee is a professor at Stanford University and world-renowned author on the topic of science and the chemistry of food and cooking. He has spent more than four decades researching and writing about this topic. His work is unique because it at once teaches us about why foods taste the way they do, as well as how to make essentially any food or drink taste better. I, like presumably most of you, absolutely love to eat. And for me that's an understatement. I love food and eating. Today Harold teaches us about everything from how certain types of cookware, the bowls, the pans you use, even the utensils you use can change the taste of those foods, as well as simple things like adding a pinch of salt to anything bitter-tasting, including coffee, yes coffee, changes its chemistry and flavor for the better, and he explains why. We discuss the preparation of meat, and this thing that we call savoriness or the umami taste, and how it's brought about by heating proteins in very specific ways and how you can bring out more of those flavors, and how to get more of the healthy compounds such as polyphenols found in chocolate and cacao. And we cover the much debated issue of whether more expensive wines are truly better than less expensive ones in terms of their taste, or whether it's all a function of marketing. So if you're a seasoned cook or perhaps you only know how to make a few basic dishes, or if your version of cooking is basically a protein shake and some oatmeal, this discussion with Harold McGee will let you understand the essential chemistry of food and cooking and how to prepare food that is far more enjoyable. As I said before, I love to eat, and this discussion taught me how to make the foods I love so much, meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit, starches, et cetera, all taste far better. And since eating is a big part of life, not just a way to support our health, I'm certain that everyone will glean useful knowledge and practical tools from Dr. McGee. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford. It is, however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science-related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, today's episode does include sponsors. And now for my discussion with Dr. Harold McGee. Dr. Harold McGee, welcome.

Thank you, Dr. Huberman. (laughs)

(laughs) I, like most people, love to eat. I also love food. I love the look of it, I love the smell of it. I love the anticipation of eating. And you've had a truly unique career. We'll talk a little bit more about your background later, but you've had such a unique career focusing on the chemistry of food, food interactions, and I must say, even just knowing a little bit about your work, you've changed the way that I think about even, like the sorts of metals that I might use to prepare my food, because it turns out these things are all impacting one another in not just small ways, but really profound ways that impact our experience of food and, and taste. So just to kick things off, is there any one wild food interaction chemistry fact that you just particularly find interesting?