Hi, this is Daniel Garber at the Movies for culturalmining.com and CIUT 89.5 FM.

While professional chefs might talk about their signature dishes, they like to keep their recipes a closely guarded secret. Even Colonel Sanders wouldn’t reveal his 11 herbs and spices. But is it simply a matter of flavour …or is there some hard science in the mix? And what are these hidden tricks of the trade?

Chef Secrets is a new documentary that looks at the science behind some everyday dishes, how they are applied, and why they make food taste so delicious. It follows a number of chefs and scientists, cooking everyday things like sourdough bread and mashed potatoes. And it  proposes some intriguing conundrums like what food is solid, liquid and gas — simultaneously? The documentary is produced, directed and written by award-winning documentary filmmaker Leora Eisen whose work has been seen on CBC, Radio-Canada, History, Bravofactual, Smithsonian, BBC Worldwide and Amazon Prime.

I spoke with Leora Eisen in Toronto via Zoom.

Chef Secrets: The Science of Cooking is now streaming on The Nature of Things on CBC Gem.

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