Wolke, Robert L.

ADDRESSES: Office—610 Olympia Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15211. E-mail—wolke@pitt.edu.

CAREER: University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, professor emeritus of chemistry, 1990–.

AWARDS, HONORS: Best newspaper column, James Beard Foundation, for "Food 101"; Best newspaper food writing, Bert Greene Award, International Association of Culinary Professionals, for "Food 101"; Grady-Stack Award, American Chemical Society, 2005, for interpreting chemistry to the public.

WRITINGS:

(General editor) Impact, Science on Society, Saunders (Philadelphia, PA), 1975.

Chemistry Explained, Prentice-Hall (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), 1980.

"EINSTEIN" SERIES

What Einstein Didn't Know: Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions, Dell (New York, NY), 1999.

What Einstein Told His Barber: More Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions, Dell (New York, NY), 2000.

(With recipes by Marlene Parrish) What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, W.W. Norton (New York, NY), 2002.

(With recipes by Marlene Parrish) What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, W.W. Norton (New York, NY),

2005.

Author of a biweekly column, "Food 101," Washington Post, 1998–.

The "Einstein" series has been translated into more than twenty languages.

SIDELIGHTS: Robert L. Wolke is Professor Emeritus of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. With over thirty years of lecturing on chemistry, Wolke began writing a biweekly, nationally syndicated column for the Washington Post, called "Food 101," about matters pertaining to the science of food and cooking. In 1999, Wolke published the first book of his "Einstein" series, which has little to do with Einstein and more to do with answering everyday questions or situations with science.

The third book in the series, What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, was published in 2002. This book draws from specific questions readers of his Washington Post column had asked him. Chapters are arranged in broad categories and are presented using a question-and-answer format. A variety of questions are covered, including the answers to why foods turn brown when they are cooked and how coffee is decaffeinated. Reviews of What Einstein Told His Cook were mostly positive. Amy Traverso felt that this book was the "most accessible" of the series in her review in Yankee. A critic in Publishers Weekly noted that Wolke can sound a bit "hokey" at times but felt that "with its zest for the truth, this book will help cooks learn how to make more intelligent choices." Nicole Gregory's review in Shape agreed, saying that What Einstein Told His Cook "is a delight to read, in large portions or small."

The fourth book in the series, What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, is a continuation of the success of his previous book. The same format is kept for the most part, and includes even more recipes by Marlene Parrish. The reviews for this volume were similarly positive. A critic writing in Science News felt that the sequel was "every bit as much fun as the first." Noting his extensive use of puns, a critic in Publishers Weekly, however, claimed that "at times, Wolke's desire to entertain gets the best of him." Summing up his finds, Dave Knoblauch concluded in a Booklist review that answering the assortment of food-science questions by giving "sound scientific information in his punning, idiosyncratic way," Wolke "is sure to provoke many a laugh."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2005, Mark Knoblauch, review of What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science, p. 1255.

Bookseller, February 4, 2005, review of What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel, p. 37.

Library Journal, May 15, 2002, John Charles, review of What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained, p. 121.

M2 Best Books, August 16, 2002, review of What Einstein Told His Cook.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 9, 2002, Suzanne Martinson, "The Sci-Fry Answer Guy."

Publishers Weekly, March 6, 2000, review of What Einstein Told His Barber: More Scientific Answers to Everyday Questions, p. 97; May 6, 2002, review of What Einstein Told His Cook, p. 51; March 7, 2005, review of What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel, p. 61.

Science News, May 18, 2002, review of What Einstein Told His Cook, p. 319; May 14, 2005, review of What Einstein Told His Cook 2, the Sequel, p. 319.

Shape, September, 2002, Nicole Gregory, review of What Einstein Told His Cook, p. 126.

Skeptical Inquirer, May, 2000, Kendrick Frazier, review of What Einstein Told His Barber, p. 54.

Yankee, April, 2003, Amy Traverso, review of What Einstein Told His Cook, p. 84.

ONLINE

Robert L. Wolke Home Page, http://www.robertwolke.com (April 26, 2006).