Culinary techniques and new video game release

Chef and culinary author J. Kenji López-Alt has developed a specific method for achieving crispy roasted potatoes that are soft on the inside. The process involves boiling peeled potato chunks in water containing salt and baking soda. The addition of baking soda creates an alkaline environment that breaks down pectin in the cell walls more quickly than neutral water, allowing the surface to release free starch which contributes to a crunchy texture when roasted at 230 °C.

In the gaming sector, Jonathan Blow's new title, Order of the Sinking Star, is being noted for its immense scale and complexity. The game moves beyond the traditional puzzle genre by utilizing a completely new programming language developed specifically for the project. The work is described as an extreme expression of Blow's creative vision, characterized by a vast micro-universe where puzzles are interconnected through a unique systemic design.