Several people have mentioned that their favorite part of the class is learning about the science of food. To that end, I've put together a short list of books for anyone wanting to get started on the topic. (This list is more "what I have at hand on the bookshelf" than an attempt to be exhaustive. Your mileage may vary.)
On Food and Cooking, Harold McGee. The bible for understanding everything about how food works. Explores not only science, but history and culture. Immensely readable, absolutely invaluable.
Alinea, Grant Achatz. Absolutely gorgeous book from one of the best restaurants in the world. Many of the recipes and techniques are impractical for home use, but the ideas and thought put into each item are stunning.
The Food Lab, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Thoroughly explores why every recipe works, with detailed explanations. I've followed his blog for years.
I'm Just Here for the Food, Alton Brown. His work has had a huge impact on my life. If you've not seen his show Good Eats, I can't recommend it highly enough.
Modernist Cuisine at Home, Maxime Bilet & Nathan Mhyrvold. The condensed, simplified, and actually usable version of Modernist Cuisine, a five volume, 50 pound behemoth that is the result of the most in-depth exploration of food science I've ever heard of. Fascinating reading.
This post originally appeared as part of the Ex Culina newsletter sent on 1/22/19