Smells Nasty and Nice

Here’s a view of my IPad, from last night’s completely brilliant talk with Harold McGee and @fuchsiadunlop on Smells Nasty and Nice: How They Guide Us in the Kitchen and at the Table. Howard’s concept of the ‘osmocosm’ - his newly minted word for ‘the world of smells’ around us, is a useful way of interpreting how we perceive things, and how we can fine-tune our cooking by really using our noses. Harold’s new book, Nose Dive, goes into great detail (650-plus pages!). He calls it a ‘field guide to the world’s smells’ and it will have you sniffing everything you come into contact with and eat, and will possibly change the way you cook. It even got me interested in organic chemistry. A feat!