How Do I Learn To Cook With Molecular Gastronomy? - Page 2

C'mon Durango. Let's go drinking. I don't get it either. Foam to me looks like spit on my plate and makes me gag. I once accidentally made a fish foam when I was trying to puree steamed cod for a patient who'd had a stroke. By the time I had enough water in it to puree it, it was too runny so I added xanthum gum. Instant foam. The whole thing makes my head hurt trying to figure it out. I don't have anything against MG because I don't know a thing about it. Too complicated for me. I wouldn't mind trying it (like you). I'm not a fan of modern art either so I guess that would explain it. It seems to me like culinary abstract art. Some people will get it and some won't. All the same I'm not sure it isn't all just an attempt to re-invent the wheel. Nice explanations from several people here though.

EJDutcher - I bought Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck Cookbook and it has a ton of the recipes that they use at the restaurant.  More than enough to keep anyone occupied for a while.  The only reason I haven't tried any experimenting is that it looks like it can become quite expensive.  I did thoroughly enjoy the history section though.

REMEMBER   The Hoola Hoop, Whamo Slingshot , The Slinky, Rubicks Cube?  Where have all these fads gone ????????????

For $39.00 I want a steak not a cloud.

greyeglam, 

can we start drinking yet?...i'm  way past ready..think there's alot of drinking going on here at CT....which is part of what makes it such a motley crew!!!..let's see, your in minnesota and i'm in colorado..where should we meet? vegas might be fun.......yeah, spit on my plate always stirs my appetite...haven't heard a peep from the MG guys...do you think we scared them off? i am generally a very open minded person on most things and especially with cooking, but i really just plain don't get it....seems like alot of time and energy spent bent over plating...omg, what happens when the waitstaff somehow screws up the plate on the way to the table? yikes!

joey

The faster you pull a frozen dessert's liquid "base" through the phase change from liquid to solid, the smoother the frozen dessert is going to be.  Yeah, I mean ice cream. 

The Zeroth law of Thermodynamics tells me that the colder my refrigerant is, the faster the phase change will be.  Is that, "molecular gastronomy?" I don't think so, but am perfectly willing to be wrong and/or accept a different level of inclusion for the sake of harmony. 

Some of this stuff is fun and interesting.  Some of it's old stuff by a new name.  Some, same old thing using better tech.  Some of it isn't. 

For myself as a diner, surprise me.  I'm game.

As a cook, I'm all in favor of doing things better, easier, prettier as long as the final dish still fits within my culinary viewpoint.  I'm always willing to learn, but my food will forever be ingredient driven, technique in service to ingredients, one star on the plate, not too many supporting players,  correctly seasoned, all in counterpoise and harmonious balance.  On purpose. Really.

A nice glass wine couldn't hurt.

BDL

Vegas sounds good to me Durango. Never been there. But you can start without me if you want as you might go crazy if you wait. I don't think we scared anybody off. If they're interested in GM, then they are and more power to them as long as they don't mess around with my bourbon. I'd get more excited over a well made roux based gravy than I would anything involving foam, but that's just me. Have you noticed that no one seems to be able to make a good gravy anymore? Too proletarian I guess, but on a pot roast and mashed 'taters....nothing better, in my world. Cheers!

I think I've already said that I've eaten at a few GM restaurants, quite a few times at the Fat Duck, because my husband adores the food.  Now me?  I'm full of admiration and 'how does he DO that'...  but would prefer to spend the same sort of money at Le Manoir, Raymond Blanc's gaff, or one of Ramsay's London restaurants, or for modern Indian food, Benares in London.

Greyeaglem  - if you are ever on this side of the pond, and you want to find a young chef who makes sublime gravies, then can I suggest The Kitchin in my home city of Edinburgh?  Tom Kitchin is one of our younger michelin-starred chefs and his food is really wonderful.  I suspect that some might call is food proletarian in origins, but it is a real treat - even if you have to book weeks in advance to eat there on a Friday or Sat evening!    http://www.thekitchin.com/kitchin/home

Molecular Gastronomy is not new. The study of it today however doe;s debunk a lot of old theories .Like searing meat does NOT lock in it;s juices .Salt on meat before cooking does not dry it out,  All of the alcohol in a dish does not burn out,  Washed mushrooms do not become soggy and retain moisture when cooked, and  Adding salt to green beans will not keep them from softening when  cooked.

It goes beyond foams which are just dispersions of some food particles being disbursed in others.It is the study of understanding the physical and chemical properties of ingredients and equipment and techniques that make it all happen. One could spend years doing this

Mayo, whipped cream,souffles  are examples of molec. gastro. and they have been around for years.

Greyeagle's question reminded me of something from the past. 

As to potroast specifically, let me see if I can put it the way I learned it: 

No molecules, parsley. 

BDL

hey greyeglem,

am i being stood up? don't think you can do that in 'virtual' vegas....i'll just take my 'virtual' champagne and party on without you...a lot to be said for working mans' food..i have a meatloaf dish on the menu that if i ever took off, would be hung from the nearest rafter...of course it involves mashers and lots of gravy....i love gravy...when i really need some comfort food, its usually a small bowl of mashers with peas mixed in,s&p and gravy...better than prozac!...cheaper too!

joey

http://www.cookingissues.com/primers/

Here is a link to a nice blog run by those in charge of the tech department of the French Culinary Institute.  The link will take you to a section of "primers" which will give one a crash course in a few things you may find interesting such as using liquid nitrogen, Transglutaminase, hydrocolloids, etc.  I work in a restaurant that uses much of what you call MG and by my standards the things discussed on this blog are bleeding edge.

gotta love those  stomach/appetizing appealing terms...transgluminase and hydrocollides...sounds soo yummy!).. just can't compete with fresh basil, and just picked garden tomatoes with garlic and a really good olive oil, or fresh corn on the cob, grilled with a ton of butter....but in fairness and deference, and the proverbial nod to the younger generation, will look up the website, , just for new knowledge and to see what i'm missing in the brave new world...ciao all

joey

Everyone starts as a cynic but if you go to the restaurants and see what all the fuss is about you too will not think manipulation is a dirty word.  An August tomato isn't lost on us but for those comfortable with a little bit of science, some extraordinary techniques devised by some brilliant chefs only help to get the best out of those ingredients.

A carrot cooked sous vide tastes more like a carrot

A parsley sauce thickened with ultra tex tastes more like parsley

Ice cream frozen with liquid nitro tastes creamier

Vacuum distilled water can taste like anything you want!  Even dirt!  Without containing dirt.

And as always a change in texture, presentation, appearance, or temperature can make you reappreciate classic flavors.

Geez Durango, you make it tough. You had to go and bring meatloaf into it. Meatloaf? With mashed potatoes and gravy? How can I refuse? I wasn't trying to stand you up, I just don't see how I'd ever have time to go to Vegas and I didn't want you to die of dehyration. Afraid you're going to disown me anyway, though. My bar manager was asking if I ever heard of "caviar" for drinks, which he wants to try, so I forked up $20 for a MG starter kit for him to play with. I feel like such a traitor. I'll crawl back under my rock now.

thanks grey,

 living in the colorado rockies at 8500 feet, i know hydration...but, but a caviar cocktail...yum...tell me more...2 of my favorite things together! would the actual cocktail be made with caviar, or does caviar mean something else altogether?  i think that bar drinks are the perfect venue for mg, seeing as its already liquid...gotta say, even though it most probably won't ever be my thing, it does sound fun and interesting, and you sound pretty hopped up on it...keep us posted, for sure. just don't turn my meatloaf with mashers and gravy into a drink...i'll  throw something, i swear!...must be a pretty swank place if you're talking caviar in the first place....don't know if this has been done, or if its even possible, but my idea of a perfect martini would be; a large chilled martini glass, wet the rim with a lemon twist and dip the rim in black caviar...fill the glass with very, very cold, very good vodka....good day chef...

joey

Well, yes Durango. I think a person could use real caviar in a martini. Might try it. The "caviar" I'm referring to though is called that because of how it looks. I know next to nothing about this subject other than you can take any liquid (not sure about oils though) and drop it from a syringe into a solution containing sodium algaenate (extract from algae) and it will form a gelatin-like coating around the liquid. So you could take for instance cherry juice, make the caviar beads with it and put in a chocolate martini. The person drinking it wouldn't get the cherry taste until they bit into the bead. There are other complications regarding Ph that I need to research. I'm not overly hyped, but I'm willing to play. We're not at all a fancy place, just old and established which can be both a benefit and detriment. It slows down a lot in the winter, so we're looking at this as a possible draw as no one else in the area is doing it. There are several other very good established restaurants in this area, so competition is stiff. We're the oldest of the bunch as the business predates the railroad. We ended up being a seafood place because the local Indians used to bring walleye from the Mississippi to trade with the original owners. The place at that time was an inn. We buy our walleye from Canada now, but still sell a ton of it. Therefore, I can't change the place a whole lot and don't really want to. It is what it is, but I try to bring in new things to keep it updated. Check us out at www.hillsidefishhouse.com

Grey,

Your place looks very nice. When you speak of Indians , is there anything sold your way called " steak and cornbread ? " The Mohawks make it in some of their restaurants off the island of Montreal and they are famous for it.(besides theri great baking)

I enjoyed your post.

There is a book called “Petit precis de cuisine moleculaire” by Anne Cazor and Christine Lienard. In the book they use over 20 techniques and have 40 plus recipes. I have made several of them this past year. One thing about MG , it comes across as intimidating maybe because of the preconceived ideas about it but once you have your basic ingredients on hand which are very easy to get, the rest is just sheer enjoyment.

Some of the things that are so easy to make are: Cristal de vent, which is a meringue of mint and anise.

Meringue auvergnate, which is just meringue and d'auvergne blue. (it looks like a cookie)

Sweet yolk,, egg yolks and sugar, this technique involves a few stages using different temperatures but in the end, anyone can make this, including my 7 year old nephew.

Infused tea called : Apple jelly cubes with beet squares, the only things needed are , apple juice, water, beet, earl grey tea, powdered sugar, geletin sheets....its the steps to get there....

Pims Balsam, balsamic vinegar jellied in a chocolate genoise

Bee nest, pearls of honey and camembert cheese.

Huitre coquette, a pearl of raspberry vinegar in an oyster (its a show stopper !)

Shot ball, sphere of apple caramel and vodka, the sphere in round and sits in the shooter glass.

These are just some things.....using a bit of chem to create a dish. 

ps. I am still "old school ".

Thanks for the info Petals. I have not heard or the steak dish you mentioned. Sounds interesting. I'm sure the Indians in my area had some version of it as they had corn and buffalo and deer. I remember thinking it odd that all the U.S. Indians seemed to make fry bread when their food varied from area to area. Finally I got curious and looked into it. None of them had fry bread until the Government started giving them commodities. They weren't familiar with wheat flour, but oddly enough all did about the same thing with it.