The Hungry Scientist Handbook by Patrick Buckley and Lily Binns (Review)

Released September 2008 (Lifestyle) * 224 pages * ISBN 13: 9780061238680

I can’t remember where I first came across The Hungry Scientist Handbook: Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies,  but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to get a look at it. After all, what science geek could resist?

Before I got a look at the book it crossed my mind that this might be a good book for exploring science with kids. If that thought occurs to you too, put it out of your mind right now. This is not a kids’ book Thankfully, this is made abundantly clear with the first recipe: Edible Undies (Lace Up Caramel Lingerie). Definitely not for the younger set. Even the LED lollipops require two AA batteries strapped to the lollipop stick.

Now, what about us older “kids”? Usually I test a cookbook before writing a review. Unfortunately I didn’t have the time (or energy) to test these recipes though the instructions are clear and have equipment and materials lists. There are pictures to help you along, but unfortunately they are in black and white. Also, there’s no way I’m wearing edible caramel underwear because, well, it sounds sticky and ouch-worthy (and while the other half was more than happy to contemplate me trying them out, he was not as quick to volunteer himself for the experiment–apologies for the mental images, especially for anyone who knows us).

I wasn’t particularly entranced by the dry ice martini, lemonade, and root beer. One beverage would have been enough for me, but then I’ve played with dry ice to my heart’s content and am over the novelty (I’m even over the novelty of scaring the bejeesus out of fellow lab rats by putting dry ice in snap cap tubes, hiding them in their desk drawer, and waiting for the tubes to blow their caps — yes, we had slow days in the lab). For those who still find dry ice interesting, the drinks might be worth a shot.

While many of the recipes can be done with ingredients easily purchased or found around the house, some are not so easy to come by. The one recipe that I desperately wanted to try (and have always wanted to try, even before this particular book) is the one for cryogenic ice cream. I’ve made ice cream the regular way, but I’ve always wanted to try it with liquid nitrogen. Unfortunately, I never was able to talk any of my bosses into authorizing ice cream making in the lab and now I no longer work in one. The authors of The Hungry Scientist Handbook admit that liquid nitrogen is one ingredient that may be difficult to snag because it is dangerous if not handled/transported properly and suppliers are reluctant to sell directly to consumers for this reason (but if you have access and try making ice cream, I want to hear all about it!).

While the book suggests it is for “techies, tinkerers, and foodies,” I suspect the first two will get more out of this than the last one. None of the recipes struck me as particularly tasty, though they were mostly novel except for the bread and the beer recipes which were fairly standard. Tinkerers will probably enjoy some of the projects more, like the camera made from a pumpkin, the smart coaster that lights up red or blue depending on whether you put a hot or cold drink down on it, or the iPod portable Tupperware boom box.

The Hungry Scientist Handbook is interesting to flip through though some projects seemed a bit boring to me (there’s a good chance I’m jaded though). In the end I didn’t try any of them because they looked like too much work for the end result. On the other hand if you wouldn’t mind spending an afternoon making a temperature indicating coaster or frying up some phyllo origami swans then it might be the book for you. And if you try to make the caramel edible underwear, please don’t report back. I really don’t want to know how that turns out.

Feeling brave? You can pick up a copy of The Hungry Scientist Handbook at amazon.com, amazon.ca, or amazon.co.uk.

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