Cocktails in ice spheres. Caviar made of olive oil. Disappearing transparent raviolis. Sound cool? Well these are all examples of Molecular Gastronomy. Molecular Gastronomy blends physics and chemistry to transform the tastes and textures of food. The result? New and innovative dining experiences. The term Molecular Gastronomy is commonly used to describe a style of cuisine in which chefs explore culinary possibilities by borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry. Formally, the term molecular gastronomy refers to the scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Molecular
gastronomy seeks to
investigate and explain
thechemical reasons behind
the transformation of
ingredients, as well as the
social, artistic and technical
components of culinary and
gastronomic phenomena.
Many modern chefs do not
accept the term molecular
gastronomy to describe their
style of cooking and prefer
other terms like "modern
cuisine", "modernist cuisine",
"experimental cuisine" or
"avant-garde cuisine". Heston
Blumenthal says molecular
gastronomy makes cuisine sound elitist and inaccessible, as though you need a degree in rocket science to enjoy it. In the end, molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine - or whatever you want to call this cooking style - refers to experimental restaurant cooking driven by the desire of modern cooks to explore the world's wide variety of ingredients, tools and techniques. Molecular gastronomy research starts in the kitchen where chefs study how food tastes and behaves under different temperatures, pressures and other scientific conditions.
Molecular Gastronomy