About Otium
Who are you?
My name is Jessica Burke and I am a junior at Hamilton High School in Arizona! I have always been involved in the world of food from a young age; regularly throwing myself into any cooking class I could attend. During one of the classes, we were making a marinade for a chicken recipe. As a curious kid, I asked how does the chicken attain the flavor of the marinade. To my surprise, my teacher did not have an answer. I was shocked; how does this professional chef not know the science behind his art? I went home that night and was exposed to the world of food science. Stemming from the desire to teach my cooking instructor, I wanted to invest my time to know as much as I could about the science behind what I am doing in the kitchen, but also what exactly I am eating. During the summer of 2019, I decided to share my love for food science and created this blog, otiumeats.com This blog has made me finally realized what my passion is in cooking: combining my love for chemistry with food as a way to educate the public on what exactly are they eating.
What is Otium?
Otium is the latin abstract word for something you do in your free time whether that be eating, drinking, playing, or even academic endavors. This food science blog was created to bring you everything you need to know to get in the kitchen and cook, from fundamental techniques to the science behind your favorite recipes. Recipes can be intimidating and knowing why you are doing each step can help ease the tensions in the kitchen. This blog was created to make cooking a peaceful endeavor, paralleling the true essence of its name. The way the blog works is that people send in questions that is related to food. Questions that have been asked range from why do onions make you cry to what is freezer burn. Please feel free to send in any questions you might have!
