I have been cooking for a while now, but its mostly what I picked up watching others cook. Now, I am an engineer by profession, and it seems there ought to be a reason for cooking food the way it is done.
I'm curious to understand the science of what's actually happening in cooking. Why it is that everything actually works the way it does?
What resources are there (books, websites, tv/video series) that explain the science behind cooking, as opposed to the art and trial-and-error process that it actually is in practice?
Note: new answers should be added to the existing community wiki answer. They should keep to the existing format: explain what the book is about, your general impressions, pros and cons, scientific depth, etc. No need for a full-page review but please explain your suggestion.