Molecular Gastronomy

Molecular gastronomy is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to investigate, explain and make practical use of the physical and chemical transformations of ingredients that occur while cooking, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general.[4] Molecular gastronomy is a modern style of cooking, which is practiced by both scientists and food professionals in many professional kitchens and labs and takes advantage of many technical innovations from the scientific disciplines.
The term "molecular gastronomy" was coined in 1992 by late Oxford physicist Nicholas Kurti and the French INRA chemist Hervé This.[5] Some chefs associated with the term choose to reject its use,[6] preferring other terms such as culinary physics and experimental cuisine.
Objectives [edit]
The objectives of molecular gastronomy, as defined by Hervé This are:
Current objectives:
Looking for the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes (from a chemical and physical point of view) in three areas:[9][29]
1. the social phenomena linked to culinary activity
2. the artistic component of culinary activity
3. the technical component of culinary activity
Original objectives:
The original fundamental objectives of molecular gastronomy were defined by This in his doctoral dissertation as:[29]
1. Investigating culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings, and old wives ' tales
2. Exploring existing recipes
3. Introducing new tools, ingredients and methods into the kitchen
4. Inventing new dishes
5. Using molecular gastronomy to help the general public understand the contribution of science to society
However, This later recognized points 3, 4 and 5 as being not entirely scientific endeavours (more application of technology and educational), and has since revised the primary objectives of molecular gastronomy.[4]
Examples [edit]

Adam Melonas 's signature preparations is an edible floral center piece named the "Octopop": a very low temperature cooked octopus fused using transglutaminase, dipped into an orange and saffron carrageenan gel and suspended on dill flower stalks
Example areas of investigation: [30]
• How ingredients are changed by different cooking methods
• How all the senses play their own roles in our appreciation of food
• The mechanisms of aroma release and the perception of taste and flavor
• How and why we evolved our particular taste and flavor sense organs and our general food likes and dislikes
• How cooking methods affect the eventual flavor and texture of food ingredients
• How new cooking methods might produce improved results of texture and flavor
• How our brains interpret the signals from all our senses to tell us the "flavor" of food
• How our enjoyment of food is affected by other influences, our environment, our mood, how it is presented, who prepares it, etc.
Example myths debunked or explained:
• The cooking time for roast meat depends on the weight (true or myth?)[31]
Examples of myths that were true before, but not any more:
• You need to add salt to water when cooking green vegetables (not true with commercial salt)[32]
Examples of debunked myths:
• Searing meat seals in the juices (not true)[32]
• When cooking meat stock you must start with cold water (not true).[14]
Eponymous recipes [edit]
New dishes named after famous scientists include:[33]
• Gibbs - infusing vanilla pods in egg white with sugar, adding olive oil and then microwave cooking. Named after physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs (1839–1903).
• Vauquelin - using orange juice or cranberry juice with added sugar when whipping eggs to increase the viscosity and to stabilize the foam, and then microwave cooking. Named after Nicolas Vauquelin (1763–1829), one of Lavoisier 's teachers.
• Baumé - soaking a whole egg for a month in alcohol to create a coagulated egg. Named after the French chemist Antoine Baumé (1728–1804).
As a style of cooking [edit]

Dessert at Alinea. This dessert, called Chocolate Finale is 'plated ' directly on the table by one of the Alinea chefs, illustrating the movement 's interest in subverting dining expectations.

A molecular gastronomy rendition of eggs Benedict served by wd~50 in New York City. The cubes are deep-fried Hollandaise sauce.
The term molecular gastronomy was originally intended to refer only to the scientific investigation of cooking,[34] though it has been adopted by a number of people and applied to cooking itself or to describe a style of cuisine.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the term started to be used to describe a new style of cooking in which some chefs began to explore new possibilities in the kitchen by embracing science, research, technological advances in equipment and various natural gums and hydrocolloids produced by the commercial food processing industry.[35][36][37][38] It has since been used to describe the food and cooking of a number of famous chefs, though many of them do not accept the term as a description of their style of cooking.[6]
Techniques, tools, and ingredients [edit]
• Carbon dioxide source, for adding bubbles and making foams
• Foams can also be made with an immersion blender
• Liquid nitrogen, for flash freezing and shattering
• Ice cream maker, often used to make unusual flavors, including savory
• Anti-griddle, for cooling and freezing
• Thermal immersion circulator for sous-vide (low temperature cooking)
• Food dehydrator
• Centrifuge[57]
• Maltodextrin - can turn a high-fat liquid into a powder
• Sugar substitutes[57]
• Enzymes[57]
• Lecithin - an emulsifier and non-stick agent
• Hydrocolloids such as starch, gelatin, pectin, and natural gums - used as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers, sometimes needed for foams
• Transglutaminase - a protein binder, called meat glue
• Spherification - a caviar-like effect
• Syringe, for injecting unexpected fillings
• Edible paper made from soybeans and potato starch, for use with edible fruit inks and an inkjet printer
• Aromatic accompaniment: gases trapped in a bag, a serving device, or the food itself; an aromatic substance presented as a garnish or inedible tableware; or a smell produced by burning
• Presentation style is often whimsical or avant-garde, and may include unusual serviceware[58]
• Unusual flavor combinations (food pairings) are favored, such as combining savory and sweet[59][60]
• Using ultrasound to achieve more precise cooking times[61]
• The term molecular gastronomy was originally intended to refer only to the scientific investigation of cooking,[34] though it has been adopted by a number of people and applied to cooking itself or to describe a style of cuisine.
• In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the term started to be used to describe a new style of cooking in which some chefs began to explore new possibilities in the kitchen by embracing science, research, technological advances in equipment and various natural gums and hydrocolloids produced by the commercial food processing industry.[35][36][37][38] It has since been used to describe the food and cooking of a number of famous chefs, though many of them do not accept the term as a description of their style of cooking.[6]
Molecular mixology
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Molecular Mixology is the term applied to the process of creating cocktails using the equipment and techniques of molecular gastronomy.

Spherification and foam techniques in a single cocktail called Sparkling Watermelon
These methods enable the creation of greater intensities and varieties of flavour, flavour combinations and different ways of presenting drinks, for example using gels, powders, foams, atomised sprays etc., as well as affecting the appearance of the cocktail[1]
Contents
[hide]
• 1 History
• 2 Equipment
• 3 Techniques o 3.1 Spherification
• 4 References

History [edit]
The Art of Drink website suggests that the earliest example of what we now call molecular mixology is the long-established bartending practice of layering ingredients in cocktails. This experimentation with the density and viscosity of fluids uses the principles of scientific investigation that are fundamental to molecular mixology.[2]
Equipment [edit]
The equipment used in molecular mixology can range from comparatively simple items such as blowtorches (frequently used in restaurant cooking) to more specialised items such as a vacuum sealer, a device for combining and infusing ingredients in a vacuum and thus preserving their flavours and enhancing the finished product. These infusions allow unexpected combinations of flavours in cocktails, including flavourings from non-edible substances, such as tobacco and leather (found in the Smoked Old Fashioned cocktail[3]) and perfume (as in the Champagne No.5[4]).Another machine which is used by the best mixologists is the Rotavap. This is a vacuum rotary distillation setup, which allows the extraction of aromas, low temperature reduction of juices and the production of flavored spirits.[5]
Techniques [edit]
The techniques used by a mixologist are mostly bound to the new equipment which is provided by the molecular gastronomy. They are, for the most part, adaptions of new techniques for food preparation, for example: airs were originally created for food applications, but nowadays you can find aires on top of cocktails.[6]
Spherification [edit]
The spherification is one of the techniques applied to molecular mixology, is the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres, they can be small like a caviar or larger like an egg yolk.

References: History [edit] The Art of Drink website suggests that the earliest example of what we now call molecular mixology is the long-established bartending practice of layering ingredients in cocktails. This experimentation with the density and viscosity of fluids uses the principles of scientific investigation that are fundamental to molecular mixology.[2] Equipment [edit] The equipment used in molecular mixology can range from comparatively simple items such as blowtorches (frequently used in restaurant cooking) to more specialised items such as a vacuum sealer, a device for combining and infusing ingredients in a vacuum and thus preserving their flavours and enhancing the finished product. These infusions allow unexpected combinations of flavours in cocktails, including flavourings from non-edible substances, such as tobacco and leather (found in the Smoked Old Fashioned cocktail[3]) and perfume (as in the Champagne No.5[4]).Another machine which is used by the best mixologists is the Rotavap. This is a vacuum rotary distillation setup, which allows the extraction of aromas, low temperature reduction of juices and the production of flavored spirits.[5] Techniques [edit] The techniques used by a mixologist are mostly bound to the new equipment which is provided by the molecular gastronomy. They are, for the most part, adaptions of new techniques for food preparation, for example: airs were originally created for food applications, but nowadays you can find aires on top of cocktails.[6] Spherification [edit] The spherification is one of the techniques applied to molecular mixology, is the culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres, they can be small like a caviar or larger like an egg yolk.