Molecular Gastronomy

A GASTRONOMIC REVOLUTION: MOLECULAR COOKERY

Do you know about the molecular cookery?

The gastronomy is a creative art from the elaboration of recipes until the tasting of the dish after the selection of products and components. It is an art which does not cease to be innovated since the dawn of time. But the term of “innovation” is not quite strong in describing the present-day revolution in the gastronomic world with the birth of the molecular cookery.

Nicholas Kurti and Hervé This

The term was invented in 1988, by Nicholas Kurti, a physicist of Oxford, and Hervé This, a chemist. The molecular cookery mixes up science and food, uses new ingredients in order to prepare food with gelling agents and liquid nitrogen…which give birth to new recipes like translucent strawberry cannelloni or the English cream without egg. 

THE MAGIC OF THE MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY:

Faux Caviar

Molecular gastronomy experiments have resulted in new innovative dishes like hot gelatins, airs, faux caviar, spherical ravioli, crab ice cream and olive oil spiral. The dishes that molecular cookery suggests to us are real works of art.

Smoke of Nitrogen

They are usually accompanied with quite mind-blowing shows during the presentation: have you ever seen a white cold smoke of nitrogen which, after the gelling of a liquid, transforms it to little spheres? It seems incredible but it is magical to see it live! 

MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY PROCESS:

Actually there are two main processes in this cookery: 

• The gelation: 

A process in which food is deconstructed by extracting its liquid part and presenting this very part in the form of bar of gel, in cube or in cylinder…amazing! 

• The spherification: 

A process in which very small gelled beads are formed by freezing: thus you can get small orange beads with flavor of carrot! 

CAN I EAT THIS? IS THIS SAFE? WHY DON'T YOU TRY IT FIRST?

When people hear molecular gastronomy for the first time they often mistakenly view it as unhealthy, synthetic, chemical, dehumanizing and unnatural. This is not surprising given that molecular gastronomy often relies on fuming flasks of liquid nitrogen, led-blinking water baths, syringes, tabletop distilleries, PH meters and shelves of food chemicals with names like carrageenan, maltodextrin and xanthan. 

Molecular gastronomy attracts by its artistic and incredible preparation. However, critics think that molecular dishes don’t have the flavor expected after such an amazing show of chemistry… I guess it would be up to us to decide once we try it.