The Perfect BBQ

Perhaps it is this primeval connection that makes grilled foods such as hamburgers so mouth-watering: we’re hard-wired by evolution to find comfort in the heat of the grill, the smell of the smoke, and the taste of the food.

Although grilling food is so simple that our ancestors managed to do it eons ago, mastering the heat of the grill is a culinary challenge of the highest order. Just remember, the food must be relatively thin to cook properly in the intense radiant heat and scorching air rising from the coals. Food that is too thick will burn on the outside before heat can penetrate to its core.

From Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young & Maxime Bilet, £395 modernistcuisine.com