Molecular Cooking At Home

"This book embodies the ultimate crash course for the amateur chef and home cook in preparing food using modern scientific principles... For a reader seeking new and broader culinary horizons just come armed with a dash of patience and a pinch of scientific interest -- the results ought to be astounding." -- Publishers Weekly At one time revolutionary and the sole purview of dedicated expert chefs, molecular gastronomy is well established as a cuisine choice. Food aficionados who want to create it at home can now find equipment and locate the catalyst ingredients, but it's neither a bargain method of cooking nor a quick study. This book shows the most common methods used in molecular gastronomy adapted for the home. Clear and easy-to-follow step-by-step photographs demonstrate each technique so that cooks can practice the unique skills, handle the unusual ingredients and plate the dishes. Most beneficial to home cooks, however, is that should special equipment be unavailable, the author recommends the closest domestic equivalents. Molecular Gastronomy at Home is an outstanding practical introduction to a fascinating and delicious cooking method. It demonstrates how with clear technical guidance, numerous illustrations, achievable recipes and a generous dose of patience, home cooks can take culinary physics out of the lab and into their home kitchen. With the first edition of Molecular Gastronomy at Home sold out, this second edition will be available for a wider audience of cooks who like to explore and learn new skills.

French chemist and television personality Herve This uses recent research in chemistry, physics, and biology of food to challenge traditional beliefs about cooking and eating.

Uncover the science of cooking with this International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award finalist - Molecular Gastronomy: Scientific Cuisine Demystified Molecular Gastronomy: Scientific Cuisine Demystified aims to demystify the intriguing and often mysterious world of cooking that we call molecular gastronomy, or “Avangard Nueva Cocina”, as Ferran Adriá has called it. This book provides readers with crucial knowledge of the ingredients used to execute the fundamental step-by-step techniques provided and is written to help readers expand their skills in the Molecular Gastronomy area. Written by a chef who has spent years cultivating his craft, Molecular Gastronomy: Scientific Cuisine Demystified focuses on introducing the subject to readers and future chefs who have minimal or no experience in the molecular gastronomy of various foods. With its scientific approach, Molecular Gastronomy: Scientific Cuisine Demystified provides a foundation and platform for experimentation, while delving into new and exciting cooking techniques. Stunningly illustrated with hundreds of full-color photos of finished dishes and the process along the way, this unique culinary offering breaks down the science of food while introducing future chefs to some of the most innovative techniques used in today's competitive kitchens.

Handbook of Molecular Gastronomy: Scientific Foundations and Culinary Applications presents a unique overview of molecular gastronomy, the scientific discipline dedicated to the study of phenomena that occur during the preparation and consumption of dishes. It deals with the chemistry, biology and physics of food preparation, along with the physiology of food consumption. As such, it represents the first attempt at a comprehensive reference in molecular gastronomy, along with a practical guide, through selected examples, to molecular cuisine and the more recent applications named note by note cuisine. While several books already exist for a general audience, either addressing food science in general in a "light" way and/or dealing with modern cooking techniques and recipes, no book exists so far that encompasses the whole molecular gastronomy field, providing a strong interdisciplinary background in the physics, biology and chemistry of food and food preparation, along with good discussions on creativity and the art of cooking. Features: Gives A–Z coverage to the underlying science (physics, chemistry and biology) and technology, as well as all the key cooking issues (ingredients, tools and methods). Encompasses the science and practice of molecular gastronomy in the most accessible and up-to-date reference available. Contains a final section with unique recipes by famous chefs. The book is organized in three parts. The first and main part is about the scientific discipline of molecular and physical gastronomy; it is organized as an encyclopedia, with entries in alphabetical order, gathering the contributions of more than 100 authors, all leading scientists in food sciences, providing a broad overview of the most recent research in molecular gastronomy. The second part addresses educational applications of molecular gastronomy, from primary schools to universities. The third part provides some innovative recipes by chefs from various parts of the world. The authors have made a particular pedagogical effort in proposing several educational levels, from elementary introduction to deep scientific formalism, in order to satisfy the broadest possible audience (scientists and non-scientists). This new resource should be very useful to food scientists and chefs, as well as food and culinary science students and all lay people interested in gastronomy.

Presents recipes ranging in difficulty with the science and technology-minded cook in mind, providing the science behind cooking, the physiology of taste, and the techniques of molecular gastronomy.

A renowned chemist and cooking pioneer breaks down the properties and benefits of cooking with molecular gastronomy. 1-Octen-3-ol, which has a scent of wild mushrooms; limonene, a colorless liquid hydrocarbon that has the smell of citrus; sotolon, whose fragrance at high concentrations resembles curry and at low concentrations, maple syrup or sugar; tyrosine, an odorless but flavorful amino acid present in cheese—these and many other substances, some occurring in nature, some synthesized in the laboratory, make it possible to create novel tastes and flavors in the same way that elementary sound waves can be combined to create new sounds. Note-by-note cooking promises to add unadulterated nutritional value to dishes of all kinds, actually improving upon the health benefits of so-called natural foods. Cooking with molecular compounds will be far more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable than traditional techniques of cooking. This new way of thinking about food heralds a phase of culinary evolution on which the long-term survival of a growing human population depends. Hervé This clearly explains the properties of naturally occurring and synthesized compounds, dispels a host of misconceptions about the place of chemistry in cooking, and shows why note-by-note cooking is an obvious—and inevitable—extension of his earlier pioneering work in molecular gastronomy. Includes an appendix with representative selection of recipes, vividly illustrated in color. “Taking kitchen science to a whole new (molecular) level, Hervé This is changing the way France―and the world―cooks.”—Gourmet “[This] explores the science behind shape, consistency, odor, and color, giving readers the knowledge to create their own magnum opus in the kitchen.”—Discover

Considering six bistro favorites, Hervé This isolates the exact chemical properties that tickle our senses and stimulate our appetites. More important, he identifies methods of culinary construction that appeal to our memories, intelligence, and creativity.