While food science and culinary science have “science” in the name, the two fields are very different. Food science focuses solely on the biochemistry, biology, and chemical engineering of food, while culinary science integrates the culinary arts and food science. Both culinary scientists and food scientists may end up developing new food products while working in the R&D divisions of large food companies. For culinary scientists, the combination of practical experience in cooking and scientific knowledge is essential to creatively invent new gastronomic experiences, according to Russin.
This unique experimental approach is particularly valuable when it comes to the practical art and science of food product research and development, where arguably the most important characteristic is the actual taste of the product. As in the most popular article on My Food Job Rocks, gastronomy is merging with food science. The food industry is increasingly recognizing the importance of the culinary arts in the development of new products. Food scientists must understand how the chef's creative process and classic cooking techniques can help them develop new and improved products for retail and catering.
Science is an important and constant element in the culinary process. The foods are proportionally scaled and combined in a certain order to achieve the desired results. Chemical reactions occur during cooking through manipulation or emulsification. Controlling heat and cold maximizes food quality and safety.
Understanding what happens in the cooking process and using a disciplined approach when applying the principles of culinary science will lead to consistent and predictable results. The purpose of the Culinary Arts for Food Scientists course is to allow students to communicate with the chefs of their companies not to turn them into chefs, but to help them learn the language of chefs and to understand the process that chefs go through to create a reference standard. From Food Science, he said the course is one of the first, if not the first, comprehensive culinary arts courses that are presented as part of a food science curriculum. Dean Russin, who has experience in both food science and cooking, says that culinary science graduates have a broader understanding of how food behaves.
The increase in educational opportunities highlights the growing importance of food scientists understanding the culinary arts and that chefs understand the science of food. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), in collaboration with RCA, began offering a continuing education course last fall to give food scientists a culinary perspective.
