I think most us will agree, few groups have prospered more in recent years than foodies. From the explosion of niche food blogs to steamy tweets served straight from your favorite celebrity chefs, a steady stream of food porn is now accessible 24/7 and foodies couldn’t be happier....

Microsoft’s first CTO Nathan Myhrvold released a mammoth six-volume cookbook titled Modernist Cuisine. The 2,438-page collection is reported to be as much chemistry as it is cooking with some recipes calling for high-tech equipment like rotor-stator homogenizers and centrifuges....