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Sunday February 06, 2011
Hot Hot Hot! Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking
When you browse through the volumes of this book, or any of the books written by the leaders in this field, you come to realize we have definitely entered a new era of cooking. Working with methods, equipment and ingredients not typically considered for everyday home cooking such as homogenizers, centrifuges, freeze dryer and sous vide; and recipes that call for an array of ingredients that for most can only be sourced online like hydrocolloids, emulsifiers and enzymes, it makes you wonder where the movement will go from here. How and when, will these techniques move into our homes for everyday cooking? Sous Vide cooking will probably make the first transition from labs and professional kitchens into our home kitchens.
To me, this is high-brow culinary art and a glimpse into the exquisite side of ultra-modern living. I bet if one gathered the masters of this movement and organized a museum exhibition or very special event, people would jump at the chance to feast their eyes on the stunning, provocative images (Alinea's photography is one of my favorites) while dining on uber-modern, seductive culinary creations. I bet the tickets would sell out as fast as the most sought after concert, play or sporting event in town.
"Chefs often associated with molecular gastronomy because of their embrace of science include Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià, Jose Andres, Sat Bains, Richard Blais, Heston Blumenthal, Sean Brock, Homaro Cantu, Michael Carlson, Wylie Dufresne, Pierre Gagnaire, Will Goldfarb, Adam Melonas, Randy Rucker, Kevin Sousa, Sean Wilkinson, Laurent Gras" (wikipedia)...and now we can add: Maxime Bilet, Chris Young, and Nathan Myhrvold.
Imagine eating what you would normally drink. Drinking what you would normally eat. And experiencing mind-bending food flavors as you eat a scoop of ice-cream that taste like filet-mignon or a peach that taste like caviar. "A rose is a rose is a rose" no longer holds true when science and food come together as they do in molecular gastronomy.
Packaged as a five-volume, 2,438-page set, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking, reveals science-inspired techniques for preparing food with recipes created by the authors and their staff of twenty at The Cooking Lab. I look forward to seeing how far the series will go when it comes to mass market appeal as it is being touted as the best volume yet on this fairly new food movement, a book destined to "reinvent cooking". Written for cooks and culinary professionals, Modernist Cuisine sheds light on a new world of culinary possibilities.
1: History & Fundamentals
Written explicitly for cooks, Modern Cuisine presents the fundamental basics every culinary enthusiast should master. Starting with a historical overview of the modernist cooking movement (masters of modern cooking are presented here), to the latest and greatest practices in today's professional kitchens and beyond, to information on foodborne illnesses, and eating and staying healthy.
2: Techniques & Equipment
Let go of everything you've been taught about traditional cooking and step into a world of new cooking methods, gadgets and equipment and of course, possibilities.
3: Animals & Plants
Learn more about the foods you eat with new insight and tips on ways to maximize the best results for juicy, tender and flavorful seafood, meat and vegetable dishes as you learn about the biochemical and molecular nature of the foods we eat. Step-by-step "How-To's" reveal the best cooking strategies helping to avoid common mistakes in the kitchen.
4: Ingredients & Preparations
Gels, emulsifiers, thickening agents, delicate feathery foams and more - here we learn new ways to create stocks, sauces and everyday fare, from the sublime to way out there. Topics include homemade noodles made of gel, how to make a perfect hamburger patty, and incredible sci-fi creations like mussels presented in spheres of their own brine.
5: Plated Dish Recipes
Here you will find a variety of recipes ranging from regional BBQ to cutting-edge dishes.
More from Amazon.com:
How do you make an omelet light and tender on the outside, but rich and creamy inside? Or French fries with a light and fluffy interior and a delicate, crisp crust that doesn't go soggy? Imagine being able to encase a mussel in a gelled sphere of its own sweet and briny juice. Or to create a silky-smooth pistachio cream made from nothing more than the nuts themselves.
Modernist Cuisine offers step-by-step, illustrated instructions, as well as clear explanations of how these techniques work. Through thousands of original photographs and diagrams, the lavishly illustrated books make the science and technology of the culinary arts clear and engaging. Stunning new photographic techniques take the reader inside the food to see cooking in action all the way from microscopic meat fibers to an entire Weber grill in cross-section. You will view cooking and eating in a whole new light.
Here are some quotes from Amazon.com:
2: Techniques & EquipmentLet go of everything you've been taught about traditional cooking and step into a world of new cooking methods, gadgets and equipment and of course, possibilities.
3: Animals & PlantsLearn more about the foods you eat with new insight and tips on ways to maximize the best results for juicy, tender and flavorful seafood, meat and vegetable dishes as you learn about the biochemical and molecular nature of the foods we eat. Step-by-step "How-To's" reveal the best cooking strategies helping to avoid common mistakes in the kitchen.
4: Ingredients & PreparationsGels, emulsifiers, thickening agents, delicate feathery foams and more - here we learn new ways to create stocks, sauces and everyday fare, from the sublime to way out there. Topics include homemade noodles made of gel, how to make a perfect hamburger patty, and incredible sci-fi creations like mussels presented in spheres of their own brine.
5: Plated Dish Recipes
Here you will find a variety of recipes ranging from regional BBQ to cutting-edge dishes.
More from Amazon.com:
How do you make an omelet light and tender on the outside, but rich and creamy inside? Or French fries with a light and fluffy interior and a delicate, crisp crust that doesn't go soggy? Imagine being able to encase a mussel in a gelled sphere of its own sweet and briny juice. Or to create a silky-smooth pistachio cream made from nothing more than the nuts themselves.
Modernist Cuisine offers step-by-step, illustrated instructions, as well as clear explanations of how these techniques work. Through thousands of original photographs and diagrams, the lavishly illustrated books make the science and technology of the culinary arts clear and engaging. Stunning new photographic techniques take the reader inside the food to see cooking in action all the way from microscopic meat fibers to an entire Weber grill in cross-section. You will view cooking and eating in a whole new light.
Here are some quotes from Amazon.com:
"This book will change the way we understand the kitchen." --Ferran Adrià
"A fascinating overview of the techniques of modern gastronomy." --Heston Blumenthal
"Modernist Cuisine is a landmark contribution to the craft of cooking and our understanding of its underlying principles. Its scale, detail, and eye-opening graphics are unmatched by any other book on the subject. It will be an invaluable resource for anyone with a serious interest in cooking techniques, whether the professional innovations of the last few decades or the long traditions on which they build." --Harold McGee
"A breathtaking new benchmark in understanding cooking, Modernist Cuisine is destined to be as important a work for the 21st century as Escoffier's Ma Cuisine was for the 20th century." --David Kinch
"The most important book in the culinary arts since Escoffier." --Tim Zagat
"The cookbook to end all cookbooks." --David Chang
"Amazing! Unparalleled in its breadth and depth." --Wylie Dufresne
"A fascinating overview of the techniques of modern gastronomy." --Heston Blumenthal
"Modernist Cuisine is a landmark contribution to the craft of cooking and our understanding of its underlying principles. Its scale, detail, and eye-opening graphics are unmatched by any other book on the subject. It will be an invaluable resource for anyone with a serious interest in cooking techniques, whether the professional innovations of the last few decades or the long traditions on which they build." --Harold McGee
"A breathtaking new benchmark in understanding cooking, Modernist Cuisine is destined to be as important a work for the 21st century as Escoffier's Ma Cuisine was for the 20th century." --David Kinch
"The most important book in the culinary arts since Escoffier." --Tim Zagat
"The cookbook to end all cookbooks." --David Chang
"Amazing! Unparalleled in its breadth and depth." --Wylie Dufresne
I think the jury is still out on molecular gastronomy. I definitely think sous vide will ultimately gain wider acceptance in both commercial kitchens and ultimately with home cooks. Constant temperature, precision and time can certainly produce delicious food.
Like fashion and music, modernist cuisine is a product of cultural evolution. Whether one would prefer there gelato to taste like filet mignon is debatable. But if the interpretation of this cuisine is honest with the intent to satisfy, then it will gain acceptance I think. If the purpose is to maximize profit then it will be seen for what it realy might be; an alchemic gimic. Altering food for new uses and consumption is not new. Look at dehydrating fish and game to support populations during lean times. Turnning grapes into wine. The flip side are products like Cool Whip and non-dairy creamers that have no dairy, just a chemical mixture imitating dairy.
I look forward to educating myself more on this subject.
Hi Micheal, thank you for your thoughtful comment. I would be a shame if this was all a gimmick to maximize profits--I would be very surprised if that was the case. I do appreciate your thoughts about food alteration as part of a lifestyle/need and that fashion and music (and art) are products of cultural evolution. I am very intrigued by this movement and have my eye on it....now I need to visit some of these amazing restaurants to try the food first hand. Can you believe I had reservations at Alinea but work got in the way and I had to cancel! such a shame
I have watched at least two videographies on Spanish Chef Ferran Adria. Many of his creations are both remakable in terms of interpretation of established cooking methods and flavor profiles.
His plates are some of the most fascinating I have ever seen. A true Master Chef.
And you are going to Spain next month? One week? Two?
Hope your trip is exciting, safe and enlightening.
Have you seen the book Alinea - one of my all time favorites - so beautifully designed with gorgeous photography and incredible creations. I am going to Spain in May. The first place I tried to get a reservation was El Bulli but they no longer take reservations - so sad. Adria is truly amazing.
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