I rarely eat wings, but when I do, I want them lightly CRISPY, not coated in batter.
I’ve even attempted to do ‘air fryer CPR’ on left over french fries.
From frozen fries in a bag to oven-roasted meats, I’ve realized that what I’m really chasing is that thin, brittle surface that gives way to something soft inside.

It’s still a work in progress, but I’ll share what I’ve learned so far about how crispiness actually works.

Crispy food is mostly about water leaving the surface and heat doing its job.

As long as water is sitting on the outside of food, the temperature can’t rise much above the boiling point of water. That means the food cooks, but it won’t become crisp.

For crispiness to happen:

1. Moisture must leave the surface

2. The surface must become hot enough to brown

Once that happens, three simple processes shape the texture of food.

Proteins are long chains that fold into complicated shapes, almost like tangled yarn.

When heat is applied, those shapes unfold and tighten. As they tighten, they form a firmer structure.

That is why raw meat feels soft, but cooked meat becomes firm.
When the surface dries enough, those tightened proteins can also brown and contribute to a crisp outer layer.

A simple way to picture it:

Heat turns loose protein strands into a tighter net.
Protein tightening → structure

This mostly affects meat, fish, and eggs.
Raw proteins are folded into loose shapes, almost like tangled yarn.
When heat is applied, those shapes unfold and tighten.

As they tighten, they form a firmer structure.
That’s why raw chicken feels soft but cooked chicken becomes firm.

If the surface becomes dry enough, those tightened proteins can also brown and form a slightly crisp outer layer.

Starch swelling → softness

This affects foods like potatoes, rice, flour, and breading. Inside these foods are tiny starch particles. When starch is heated with water, those particles absorb water and swell.

This makes the inside of foods like potatoes soft and fluffy.

Later, when the outside dries during frying or roasting, that same starch layer can harden into a crisp shell.

Simple way to picture it: Tiny dry beads → heat + water → big soft beads

Maillard browning → color and flavor

This is what creates the golden brown crust on food.

What frying actually does

When food goes into hot oil
*NOTE: Oil TYPE (High smoke point, not frequently reused.) and Oil TEMPERATURE (350-360 degrees F) matters :

• heat hits the entire surface at once
• water near the surface turns into steam
• steam escapes outward

That steam helps cook the inside while the outside dries.

Once the surface dries:
• proteins tighten
• starch hardens
• browning begins
That combination creates the crispy shell with a soft interior.

Why some foods crisp easier than others

Foods crisp differently depending on their structure.

Proteins

Chicken skin, steak, fish
Crisp through protein tightening and browning

Starches

Potatoes, breading, batters
Crisp through starch gelatinization and drying

Vegetables

More complicated because they contain cell walls and lots of water

Vegetables like:
• zucchini
• mushrooms
release a lot of moisture while cooking.

That moisture turns into steam, which prevents crisping.

Vegetables like:
• carrots
• broccoli
contain less water and crisp more easily.

Why sweet potato fries are tricky

Have you ever attempted to make homemade sweet potato fries? Did they end up sad and soggy? Sweet potatoes contain more sugar and less starch than regular potatoes.
Sugar softens faster than starch hardens, which is why sweet potato fries often turn floppy.

To get them crispier:
• cut them thinner
• dry them very well
• give them space in the oven or air fryer
• cook at higher heat
• flip once so both sides dry

Even then, they’ll usually be slightly softer than regular fries.

Other ways cooks create crispy surfaces

There are a few common kitchen techniques that help create crisp surfaces.

Oven sear to start → High heat roasting

Drives moisture out quickly so browning can begin. I usually have a preheated oven at a high temp like 425 or 450 F. Then, after 15-25 minutes, drop the temperature (to what depend on what you are cooking and the size of it.) to allow the internal temperature to begin cooking slowly without drying out too quickly.

Pan sear → Oven finish

Creates an initial crust in the pan, then cooks the interior evenly in the oven.

Dry surface coatings

Very light starch coatings help absorb moisture and create a rough surface that browns faster. In future videos, I’ll demonstrate tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years.

Crispy food is mostly about water, heat, and structure.

Most foods contain a lot of water. As long as that water remains on the surface, the temperature cannot rise much above the boiling point of water (212°F / 100°C). Food can cook at that temperature, but it will not become crisp.

For crispiness to happen:

1. Moisture must leave the surface

2. The surface must become hot enough to brown

Once that happens, three important processes shape the texture and flavor of food.

Kitchen Skill takeaway:

Crispiness happens when moisture leaves, structure sets, and browning begins.
Crispy food isn’t just about texture and flavour - it’s about transformation.

Soft becomes firm.
Water becomes steam.
Pale becomes golden.

And all of it happens because of a few simple changes you can learn to recognize.
So the next time you cook, pay attention to those moments:
when moisture escapes, when surfaces dry, when color begins to form.

That’s where the magic is happening.
And once you learn to see it, you’ll never cook the same way again.

Next up…
You just learned that crispiness isn’t about luck - it’s about what happens before and during cooking.

Beans follow the same rule. And once you see it, you won’t cook them the same way again. Next article: Kitchen Skills #4, we’re going to look at whether that blame is actually misplaced, and what generations of cooks figured out long before the science caught up.

In the meantime, your support is needed more than ever.
As science and public health are under attack, research institutions remain gatekeepers of knowledge, I am still here - still translating knowledge and science for the benefit of health for all who seek it.
Please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Monthly or Yearly subscriber - it’s a worthy case.

Pls Help Me Continue this Work

Subscribing helps keep science accessible, usable, and in the hands of people who need it.

Here’s to your happiness, good health, and being well-fed,
Dr. Sunshine Best | ChefDocShine

Applying lessons from lived experience while translating the science behind everyday cooking so anyone can understand why it works.

Most people choose cooking oil based on two things:
Flavor
or
Price.

But oils are not just ingredients.
They are fats that change when they get hot.
When oil is heated in a pan, its structure begins to change. Those changes affect:
• flavour
• how the food cooks
• how stable the oil remains
• what ends up in the air of your kitchen
• and what enters your body through the food you eat

Understanding what happens to oil when it gets hot helps cooks make better decisions every day.

What Heat Does to Oil

Cooking oils are made of fat molecules.
When these fats are exposed to heat, oxygen, and light, they slowly begin to break down. This process is called oxidation. (oxidation simply means oxygen reacting with fat molecules and changing them)

When oils oxidize, several things can happen:
• the flavor becomes bitter or rancid
• smoke begins forming in the pan
• the oil loses some of its natural nutrients
• new compounds form as the fat molecules break apart

The hotter the oil gets, the faster this process happens.
Some of these breakdown products stay in the food. Others can become part of the cooking fumes in the air.

In restaurant kitchens where oil is heated for many hours, scientists have studied cooking fumes and found that some of these compounds can irritate the airways when ventilation is poor.

In home kitchens the exposure is usually much smaller, but the same chemistry still happens in the pan.

That’s why how we heat oil, how long we heat it, and how often we reuse it matters.

Not All Fats Handle Heat the Same Way

The stability of an oil depends on the type of fat it contains. In simple terms:
• Saturated fats tolerate heat well
• Monounsaturated fats are fairly stable
• Polyunsaturated fats break down more easily when heated

This is why different oils behave differently in the kitchen.
Some tolerate heat better than others.

Why Different Cooking Oils Behave Differently

Not all cooking fats act the same in a pan, on your tongue, or in your body.
Some stay solid at room temperature.
Some pour easily.
Some taste rich and creamy. Others feel lighter.

That difference comes from the shape of the fat molecules that make up the oil.

Think of fats like different kinds of building pieces.

Some are packed tightly together and stay firm.
Some have one bend and move more easily.
Some have several bends and are much more fragile.

Those differences affect:
• how well the fat handles heat
• how it tastes and feels in food
• and how the body processes it

Saturated Fats
(fats that are tightly packed and often solid)

Saturated fats have chains that are mostly straight and tightly packed together.
Because they have fewer weak spots, they usually handle heat well.

Examples include:
• butter
• coconut oil
• ghee
• lard or tallow

What they do in cooking

These fats create:
• rich flavor
• creamy mouthfeel
• crisp edges when frying or roasting

This is why butter makes pastries tender and why animal fats can produce deep flavor when cooking meat or vegetables. And why in so many cultures, after cooking a meat, that fat is preserved for preparation to be used in dishes later.

What they do in the body

Your body can use saturated fat for:
• energy
• building cell membranes
• making hormones
• absorbing certain vitamins

But because these fats are rich and dense, eating very large amounts regularly may raise LDL cholesterol, often called “bad cholesterol.” In school, I taught myself to remember the L is for Lethal - in order to remember the difference :)

Tropical Saturated Fats
Not all saturated fats are identical.

For example, coconut oil contains shorter fat chains that the body can use for energy relatively quickly.

These fats can raise both:
• LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• HDL (“good”) cholesterol (From my school notes to help me remember, H = Healthy)

This is one reason scientists still debate how tropical oils fit into long-term diet patterns.

The main takeaway is simple:
saturated fats are not all the same.

Monounsaturated Fats
(fats with one bend in their structure)

Monounsaturated fats contain one bend in the fat chain.
This makes them a little more flexible than saturated fats but still fairly stable.

Examples include:
• olive oil
• avocado oil
• peanut oil

What they do in cooking

These oils work well for:
• sautéing
• roasting
• dressings
• finishing foods

They carry flavor beautifully without feeling overly heavy.

What they do in the body

These fats are often associated with heart-friendly eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet. They can help maintain healthy cholesterol balance when used instead of more processed fats.

Polyunsaturated Fats
(fats with several bends in the chain)

Polyunsaturated fats contain several weak spots in their structure.
Because of this, they tend to change more quickly when exposed to heat, air, or light.

Examples include oils made from:
• sunflower
• corn
• soybean
• flax
• walnut

What they do in cooking

These oils can work well for:
• dressings
• sauces
• lower-heat cooking

But they are more delicate and can break down faster during intense heat.

What they do in the body

Some polyunsaturated fats are essential, meaning the body needs them but cannot make them itself.

They help support:
• brain function
• cell structure
• growth and repair

So again, these fats are not bad — they simply need to be handled carefully when cooking.

What “Oxidation” Means

When oils are exposed to heat, air, and light, they slowly begin to change.
This process is called oxidation.
(oxidation simply means oxygen in the air reacting with the fat and damaging it)

When oils oxidize they can:
• lose their fresh flavor
• smell stale or bitter
• lose some nutritional value

If this continues long enough, the oil becomes rancid, meaning it smells and tastes spoiled.

Heat speeds this process up.

Smoke Point Isn’t the Whole Story

You may hear cooks talk about an oil’s smoke point.
Smoke point is the temperature where oil begins to visibly smoke. This is not only bad for your dish, may be harmful to your health, AND it could burst into flames.

But smoke point doesn’t tell the entire story about how well an oil handles heat.

Some refined oils have high smoke points but still break down fairly quickly because of the types of fats they contain.

That’s why choosing an oil depends on both:
• the type of fat
• and how hot you plan to cook

Butter vs Margarine

Butter contains a mix of fats plus small amounts of water and milk solids (including sugars, which is why it browns). Those milk solids give butter its wonderful flavor, but they cancan burn quickly at high heat.
They are also why why many cooks (and chefs, like me!) combine butter with another oil when sautéing and it flavour is beneficial.

Margarine is made from vegetable oils.
Depending on the formulation, those oils may break down faster when heated.
Older margarines once contained trans fats, which were later linked to heart disease. Many modern margarines have been reformulated, but their stability still depends on the oils used to make them.

Understanding the type of fat helps determine how well it handles heat.

Why Olive Oil Became So Famous

Olive oil became popular partly through cooking shows and attention to Mediterranean diets.

Extra virgin olive oil contains plant compounds that contribute to both flavor and health benefits.But these compounds are delicate. Very high heat can damage them. This doesn’t mean its unhealthy - but the quality/integrity of the oil changes.

That’s why olive oil works best for:
• moderate heat cooking
• sautéing
• finishing dishes

Using expensive extra virgin olive oil for very high-heat frying often destroys the qualities people are paying for.

Oil, Plastic Bottles, and Storage

Another factor people rarely think about is how oils are stored.
Many cooking oils are sold in plastic bottles.

Oils are very good at dissolving other fat-soluble substances.
Because of this, small amounts of compounds from packaging materials can sometimes migrate into oil during storage. This is also true for other food related products, like those super affordable rotisserie chickens at grocery stores and big box retailers.

Heat, light, and long storage times can increase this process.

For this reason, many higher-quality oils are packaged in dark glass bottles, which protect the oil from both light and packaging interactions.

A Simple Way to Think About It

Imagine three ropes.
One rope is smooth and strong.
Another has one weak spot.
A third has several weak spots.

When heat and air pull on those ropes, the one with the most weak spots breaks first.
Cooking fats behave the same way.
Some are sturdier.
Some are more delicate.

Neither is automatically good or bad.
They simply need to be used in the right way.

Why This Information Rarely Reaches the Public

Spend a few minutes on social media and you’ll see endless posts warning about “hidden toxins” in household products:
• dish soaps
• air fresheners
• cleaning products
• cosmetics
Some of those concerns are valid.But something interesting happens in the conversation.

Very little attention is given to what happens when we heat the foods we cook every day.
Many cooking oils are classified as GRAS — Generally Recognized As Safe.

That classification usually refers to normal use of the ingredient itself.

What receives much less attention is how oils behave when they are repeatedly overheated or broken down during cooking.

Scientists have studied cooking oil degradation and cooking fumes for decades, especially in restaurant kitchens. Yet very little of that information is translated into practical guidance for everyday home cooks.

The Kitchen Skill

Instead of using the same oil for everything, match the oil to the type of cooking you’re doing.

For example:

Higher-heat cooking

Choose oils that tolerate heat well.
Examples include:
• avocado oil
• peanut oil
• refined olive oil
• refined coconut oil

Moderate-heat cooking

These oils work well for sautéing.
Examples include:
• olive oil
• butter combined with oil

Finishing oils

Some oils are best added after cooking.
Examples include:
• extra virgin olive oil
• sesame oil (especially dark sesame oil)
• walnut oil
• flaxseed oil

These oils bring wonderful flavor but break down easily when exposed to high heat.

Practical Cooking Habits

A few small habits make a big difference.

1. Avoid overheating oil
If oil is smoking heavily, it has already begun breaking down. (Bad for taste, no great for health, and worst of all - it’s a fire hazard.)

2. Store oils away from heat and light
Light and warmth speed up oxidation.

3. Don’t reuse frying oil endlessly
Repeated heating slowly degrades oils. Not great for health.

4. Save delicate oils for flavour
Use them after cooking (finishing oil) or a salad dressing, rather than for high heat.

Why This Skill Matters

Cooking oils influence more than flavour.

They affect how food cooks, how stable fats remain, and even the air quality in the kitchen.

Understanding how heat changes oil helps cooks make choices that improve both cooking results and long-term health.

And like many things in cooking, the goal isn’t fear.
It’s simply knowing what’s happening in the pan AND WHY.

What Comes Next

One of the most satisfying textures in cooking is crispy food.
But crispiness isn’t magic. It’s chemistry.

In the next post we’ll look at why foods become crispy - and how to make that happen on purpose.

Here’s to your happiness, good health, and being well-fed,
Dr. Sunshine Best aka ChefDocShine

Applying lessons from lived experience while translating the science behind everyday cooking so anyone can understand why it works.

Others know me as a chef,

my time promoting sustainable urban agriculture through culturally curated community gardens,

my work in plant medicine,

or as someone who has taught cooking classes across countries and an ocean.

What fewer people see is the thread connecting all of those things

For years I’ve taught basic cooking and gardening as life skills — tools that help people live healthier, more independent lives.

Later, my work expanded into environmental and occupational health science, toxicology, and translational science. But the core question stayed the same:

How do we make complex knowledge usable in everyday life?
One of the most practical places to do that is the kitchen.

Cooking is chemistry.
Food safety is microbiology.
Exposure science shows up in cookware, oils, and additives.
Yet most of us were taught recipes without understanding why they work.

That gap matters.

Because when people don’t understand the “why,” they either follow rules blindly or rely on highly processed convenience foods that have been normalized as “food.” (This, by the way, is a major health concern.)

For many youth aging out of foster care, the gap is even wider.

Practical life skills — including cooking — are often inconsistent or missing.

This series is an attempt to close that gap.

I’ll be sharing short, practical explanations of everyday kitchen skills:

why salt changes food structure
why soaking beans matters
how to avoid food poisoning
why certain oils break down under heat
what food labels actually mean

Some posts will stay short and accessible.

Others will go deeper into the science, toxicology, and environmental health context for readers who want more detail.

Science translation in the kitchen is inclusive public health.

You shouldn’t need a culinary degree or a science background to understand what’s happening in your own pan.

That’s the goal here.

If that kind of knowledge matters to you, you’re in the right place.

Here’s to your happiness, good health, and being well-fed,

Dr. Sunshine Best
ChefDocShine

“Applying lessons from lived experience while translating the science behind everyday cooking so anyone can understand why it works.”

That’s true ~ but it’s not the whole story.

Salt doesn’t just sit on the surface of food. It actually changes the structure of food itself. Understanding what salt does - and when to use it - can dramatically improve how food tastes and cooks.

This is one of the simplest kitchen skills, and one of the most powerful, which is why I’m using it first.

Why Salt is NOT the enemy
Salt has developed a bad reputation in many nutrition conversations.

But salt itself is not the problem.

For most people, salt is necessary for the body to function properly.
What often causes concern is the very high levels of sodium in heavily processed foods, not the small amounts used in home cooking.

Salt is made of sodium and chloride - two minerals your body actually needs.

Your body uses sodium to help:
* regulate fluid balance (keeping the right amount of water inside and outside cells)
* transmit nerve signals (how nerves communicate with muscles and organs)
* support muscle contraction (including the muscles that control breathing and the heartbeat)

Without enough sodium, the body cannot properly maintain these systems.

This is why completely eliminating salt is neither realistic nor healthy for most people. The goal is balance, not fear.

What Salt Actually Does

Salt affects food in three major ways:"

* Osmosis (movement of water through cells toward salt)
* Protein modification (changing how proteins hold water and structure)
* Cell structure changes (weakening plant cell walls, which affects texture)

Each of these changes how food tastes, cooks, and feels in the mouth.

Osmosis
(water moving through cells toward salt)

When salt is added to food, it pulls water out of the cells.

That water dissolves the salt and creates a light brine. Over time, this salty liquid can move back into the food.

This is why properly salted food tastes seasoned throughout, not just on the surface.

Protein Modification (changing how proteins hold water)

In meat, salt interacts with muscle proteins - especially one called myosin.

Salt loosens how these proteins are bundled together, which allows them to hold onto more water during cooking.

This is why techniques like brining can help tenderize meats that easily dry out, such as turkey or chicken breast.
When the proteins retain more moisture, the result is meat that cooks up juicier and more tender.

Cell Structure Changes (weakening plant cell walls and changing texture)

Vegetables have cell walls that give them structure.

Salt interacts with compounds in those walls and slowly weakens them. As a result, vegetables release water and soften.

You can see this clearly when salting foods like:
* cucumbers
* cabbage
* mushrooms
* eggplant

How Salt Helps Us Taste Flavor

Salt does something else important - it helps unlock flavour.

Salt activates and enhances taste receptors on the tongue.
This allows the brain to perceive flavors more clearly.

When the right amount of salt is used, it doesn’t make food taste “salty.”
Instead, it helps the natural flavors of the food become easier to detect.

If a dish tastes salty,
that usually means the salt has gone beyond this balancing point and started to dominate the flavour. (Meaning you’ve added too much.)

Used properly, salt doesn’t hide flavour - it reveals it.

A Quick Note About Salt Grain Size

Not all salt behaves the same way.

The size of the salt crystals affects how quickly it dissolves and how evenly it spreads through food.

For everyday cooking, it helps to understand three common types:

Fine salt

(small grains that dissolve quickly)

This works well for things like pasta water, soups, sauces, and baking because it dissolves quickly and distributes evenly.

Kosher or coarse salt

(larger crystals that are easier to control with your fingers)

This is often preferred for seasoning during cooking because it spreads more evenly and is easier to measure by feel.

Flaked finishing salt

(thin, delicate crystals designed to stay on the surface)

Flaked salt is usually used at the end of cooking.
It adds a light crunch and bursts of flavor on top of food.

Because the flakes are large and dissolve slowly, it’s not ideal for seasoning pasta water or mixing into dishes while cooking.

Using the right salt for the right moment makes seasoning much easier to control.

Three Quick Salt Habits That Instantly Improve Cooking

Understanding what salt does is useful.

But a few simple habits can improve cooking right away.

1. Salt early when possible
Salting ingredients earlier gives salt time to interact with the structure of the food, improving flavor and texture. Salting meat before cooking helps proteins hold moisture and improves flavor penetration.

2. Taste as you go
Salt works best when added gradually. Tasting while cooking helps you stop before the flavor becomes overly salty. Instead of adding a large amount at the end, add small amounts throughout cooking so seasoning distributes evenly.

3. Use finishing salt intentionally
A small pinch of finishing salt at the end can brighten flavors and add texture, but it should enhance the dish - not overpower it.

These small habits make seasoning more precise and help food taste balanced rather than simply salty.

Bonus Point: When Salt Timing Affects Texture

Your instinct about timing is correct, but the bean example needs a small clarification.

The old advice said “never salt beans until the end.”

Modern testing has shown this is mostly a myth. In many cases salting beans early actually helps them cook more evenly and keeps the skins intact.

Where timing does matter a lot is skin texture and surface moisture.

When the Timing of Salt Matters

Salt doesn’t only change flavor—it also affects moisture on the surface of food.

Because salt pulls water toward it, adding salt at the wrong time can change how food browns or how the skin behaves.

For example:

• Chicken or turkey skin
If you salt poultry and cook it immediately, the salt pulls moisture to the surface and the skin may steam instead of crisping.

If you salt poultry 30–60 minutes before cooking (or even overnight in the refrigerator), the moisture has time to redistribute and the skin can crisp much better.

• Mushrooms and watery vegetables
Salting too early in a crowded pan can release water faster than it evaporates, which causes steaming instead of browning.

• Beans and legumes
Older cooking advice suggested salting beans only at the end. More recent testing shows that salting the cooking water can actually help beans cook more evenly and keep their skins intact. However, keeping skin intact may not be a part of the recipe - so keep that in mind.

As with many kitchen skills, timing is the real secret.

In Closing ~

Salt is one of the simplest ingredients in the kitchen.

Yet something as small as a grain of salt can change how food cooks, how it tastes, and how it feels.

Understanding what salt actually does turns seasoning from guesswork into a skill. And that’s the real goal of kitchen literacy.

Not memorizing recipes.

But learning the small mechanisms that make food behave the way it does.

Once you understand those patterns, cooking becomes easier, more flexible, and far less intimidating.

Next in this series, we’ll look at another place where everyday food advice often gets confused:

why some foods make people feel sick ~ and why those reactions are not always the same thing.

Kitchen Skills & Food Science Series

New posts each Wednesday exploring everyday cooking skills and the science behind why they work.

Subscribe if you’d like the next lesson delivered directly to your inbox.

Until next time ~
Here’s to your happiness, good health, and being well-fed,

Dr. Sunshine Best | ChefDocShine

Applying lessons from lived experience while translating the science behind everyday cooking so anyone can understand why it works.