What you will learn
- How scientific concepts are at the basis of traditional, modernistic, and haute cuisine.
- Explore the science and apply principles of physics, engineering, and chemistry to cooking.
- How to think like a chef and a scientist.
- Understand the scientific principles and application of instruments used for chemical and microbial characterization.
- How to appreciate fermented foods and their history, culture, and science, including food preservation and safety methods., culture, and science, including food preservation and safety methods.
Let’s play with food!
Through the professional certificate in the Science of Cooking, you will not only examine scientific concepts that are essential for everyday cooking, but you will also learn how biology, chemistry, and physics change food flavor, texture, and preservation — making our food more nutritious, delicious, and safe to eat.
In Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (chemistry), you will learn to think like a chef and a scientist by understanding how chemical reactions affect food properties.
Course two focuses on physics for you to enhance your scientific understanding of food characteristics, exploring elasticity, viscosity, and the benefits and challenges of enzymes in cooking.
Finally, in the third course, Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes, you will explore the role that microbes play in producing, preserving, and enhancing diverse foods.
By the end of this program, you will have gained a comprehensive understanding of how a foundation in food science can be vital to cooking, preparing you for culinary exploration in the kitchen and beyond!
Courses in this program
HarvardX's The Science of Cooking Professional Certificate
- 2–3 hours per week, for 16 weeks
Top chefs and Harvard researchers explore how everyday cooking and haute cuisine can illuminate basic principles in chemistry, physics, and engineering. Learn about food molecules and how chemical reactions can affect food texture and flavor.
- 2–3 hours per week, for 16 weeks
Top chefs and Harvard researchers explore how traditional and modernist cooking techniques can illuminate basic principles in chemistry, physics, and engineering. Learn about elasticity, viscosity, mayonnaise, baking, and more!
- 2–3 hours per week, for 14 weeks
In Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes, explore the roles that microbes play in the production, preservation, and enhancement of diverse foods in a variety of culinary traditions, and learn about the history of food fermentations.
- Overall employment of agricultural and food scientists is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030. – Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The 5-year job outlook for a fermentation scientist is strong. Fermentation scientists study microorganisms; researching, analyzing, and developing new uses for fermentation in food and medicine. - AGCareers.com
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