'The Perfect Meal can't tail to entertain, inform and ultimately to dazzle'

Heston Blumenthal, chef and owner of The Fat Duck

'Nowadays a great many chefs are realising that science also has a place at the table; that a dining experience is made up of far more than just good food. By understanding how we use our senses to interact with and appreciate food we may be able to further enhance our guests' dining experiences. This book, looks at many topics which will become increasingly relevant to both chefs and our food culture as a whole in the coming years'

Jozef Youseff, chef and author of Molecular Gastronomy at Home (www.kitchen-theory.com)

'The Perfect Meal goes beyond the exotic ingredients and creative insights of the chef and into the realm of the diner's psychology. Using an accessible writing style that neither talks down to the reader nor dumbs down the science, the authors take us into the relatively unexplored world of the dining context: the gastrophysics of the visual, acoustic, tactile influences -- not to mention taste and smell -- that we are exposed to in every dining experience'

John Prescott, Ph.D, author of Taste Matters: Why We Eat the Foods We Do

'Focussing on the brain's interpretation of our eating experience, pioneers Spence and Piqueras-Fiszman acknowledge the Interdisciplinary nature of gastronomy, rendering a complex area of study both digestible and applicable. This valuable input furthers the development of co-evolving disciplines -- the scientific study of our brains, and the relentless creativity, experimentation and intuition so important in producing a truly great meal'

Ben Reade, Gastronome and Head of Culinary Research and Development at Nordic Food Lab

'Not many people are as ready to realise the importance of the senses, not only in cooking but in eating, as Charles Spence and Betina Piqueras-Fiszman. This book demonstrates beyond doubt that gastronomy is the most complex creative discipline that exists'

Ferran Adria, elBullifoundation

Molecular Gastronomy, Microgastronomy, Bistronomy, Avant Garde Cuisine, Multi-Sensory Dining all mean the same thing -- using food science to bring flavor, texture, taste and aromas to recipes in new ways.

This book teaches the experienced home cook how to practice dozens of the most common methods used in molecular gastronomy. Clear and easy-to-follow step-by-step photographs demonstrate each technique so cooks can practice the unique skills and presentation concepts. Techniques that require special equipment are shown with their closest domestic equivalents.

In addition to a brief history of molecular gastronomy, how it works, ingredients used and important safety rules, the book includes techniques and recipes as follow:

• Sous-Vide -- 'Under vacuum' cooking, e.g., Confit salmon with pomme puree and squid ink
• Transglutaminase -- 'meat glue' e.g., Salmon and lemon sole terrine
• Dehydration -- e.g., Beet powder and black olive 'soil'
• Centrifugal Cooking -- e.g., Clarified watermelon cocktail
• Evaporation -- How to make mouth-watering syrups and beverages without artificial flavorings
• Rapid Infusion -- How to infuse flavors into liquids, e.g., Celery ice cream
• Adding Smoke -- e.g., Smoked chocolate mousse
• Spherification -- e.g., Sweet chili bubbles with roast duck
• Carbonation -- How to intensify the flavors and aromas of foods
• Foams and Airs -- e.g., Shellfish bisque with a lemongrass foam
• Hydrocolloids (gels, gums) -- Cured salmon with cucumber jelly
• Liquid Nitrogen -- For super-smooth sweet and savory ice creams
• Food Pairing -- An essential skill in molecular gastronomy
• Avant-Garde Presentation -- Inspiration and tips
• Multi-sensory Taste Perception - The five senses in molecular gastronomy.

Molecular Gastronomy at Home shows how with clear technical guidance, delicious and easy-to-follow recipes plus a generous dose of patience, home cooks can take culinary physics out of the lab and into their home kitchen.

The Show-Me State has plenty of geology to show, including the biggest entry room of any cave in North America, the largest lead deposit in the United States, and the only exposures in the Midwest of a large province of 1.48-billion-year-old granite and rhyolite. Geologic history is still being made here, too. In 1811 and 1812, an unprecedented series of magnitude 7 and 8 earthquakes rocked southeast Missouri, liquefying the floodplain sediments and temporarily blocking the flow of the Mississippi River. In Roadside Geology of Missouri, author Charlie Spencer shows you around the state—from the flat, glaciated plains in the north to the knobs of rhyolite in the St. Francois Mountains in the south, and from the earthquake-formed sand boils on the Mississippi floodplain in the southeast to the layers of coal, shale, sandstone, and limestone on the Springfield Plateau and Osage Plains in the west. With this book as your guide, find out where dinosaur fossils have been found in Missouri, why caves and springs seem to pop up nearly everywhere, and which of Missouri's mysterious structures were formed by meteorite impacts.

The Civil War hit Edisto Island hard. Between the mandated evacuation, Union occupation and the eventual emancipation of the slaves, the cotton plantation economy that had sustained the island fell to ruin. But this phoenix was to rise from the ashes of war to become one of the premier destinations for fun and sun on the South Carolina coast.
Charles Spencer, in his second volume of Edisto history, recounts the events of the Civil War, the struggles of Reconstruction, the effects of the new freedman class and the island's rebirth as a favorite vacation spot and modern community in the twentieth century. Each chapter offers an enjoyable excursion into the past and a detailed look at the remarkable history of Edisto.

Beautiful Edisto Island has not always been a vacationers' haven in the South Carolina Lowcountry. Before European settlement, it was home to the Edisto Indians and a wide variety of wildlife. Author Charles Spencer chronicles Edisto's history, from the early days when English and Scottish planters and their African slaves settled the lush island paradise and established plantations that flourished until the Civil War. Wild Eden to Cotton Aristocracy is an impeccably researched and superbly written must-read for all whose hearts call Edisto home.

King Charles's Pirate Prince

The strong algorithmic emphasis of Discrete Mathematics is independent of a specific programming language, allowing students to concentrate on foundational problem-solving and analytical skills. Instructors get the topical breadth and organizational flexibility to tailor the course to the level and interests of their students.

Algorithms are presented in English, eliminating the need for knowledge of a particular programming language. Computational and algorithmic exercise sets follow each chapter section and supplementary exercises and computer projects are included in the end-of-chapter material. This Fifth Edition features a new Chapter 3 covering matrix codes, error correcting codes, congruence, Euclidean algorithm and Diophantine equations, and the RSA algorithm.

MARKET: Intended for use in a one-semester introductory course in discrete mathematics.

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Gordon W. Spence.