Molecular Gastronomy

Mrs Seabiscuit

Mrs Seabiscuit

Mrs Seabiscuit

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Ok so after having the worlds greatest Christmas present from seabiscuit (clues in title :p).

I have really gotten into this. So has anybody ever done molecular gastronomy? Hints tips and recipies appreciated photos may follow. :D:D
 
I got some friends a molecular mojito kit, they've sent blury (new years) mobile photos of the results but no real feedback on how they were... going to give it a go in a few weeks when we go see them but would be interested to see/hear how you're getting on - looks fun :)
 
Bits and bobs but I certainly don't think it's anything to get excited about.

Just as I've been a musician for more years that I can count, while I feel the use of musical theory is valid, I don't believe it's the be all and end all of being a good player. And unnecessary use will just ruin the gut instincts and sense of groove which make for excellent music.
 
Oi pitchfork pipe down! :mad::p;):D:D

FARGO said:
Please keep this thread updated! I'd be very interested to see what comes come up with :)

It looks very complicated!
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I will be doing some molecular gastronomy later, so i will post pictures etc. I don't think its complicated, but its probably more interesting if you are a Heston Blummenthal fan. I think its more exciting if your doing it for a special occasion or dinner/drinks parties as opposed to everyday use.
 
I think they make a valid point on Masterchef the Profs when all these young chefs can make foams and gels and use liquid nitrogen but can't heart an artichoke or any of the basics.

Don't get me wrong though, I've played about with bits and bobs. I have a space downstairs for stuff like sodium alginate, calcium chloride, sodium citrate and tubes, pippettes and gubbins.

Think best use was a homemade ravioli with a ball of homemade pesto as the "sauce" which when you put your fork through it melted out. You can do really good mac n cheese with agar agar, blended up as it won't reset. It makes it flourless that way. Depends what your definition of it is though really.
 
I think so long as it isn't considered the be all and end all then it either another tool in your arsenal, or something that can add a different experience. But yeah, it certainly wouldn't "replace" solid cooking skills.
So as something fun, like cocktails or maybe dessert, then brilliant.
 
randomshenans said:
I think they make a valid point on Masterchef the Profs when all these young chefs can make foams and gels and use liquid nitrogen but can't heart an artichoke or any of the basics.

Don't get me wrong though, I've played about with bits and bobs. I have a space downstairs for stuff like sodium alginate, calcium chloride, sodium citrate and tubes, pippettes and gubbins.

Think best use was a homemade ravioli with a ball of homemade pesto as the "sauce" which when you put your fork through it melted out. You can do really good mac n cheese with agar agar, blended up as it won't reset. It makes it flourless that way. Depends what your definition of it is though really.
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Think you mean sodium citrate for the mac and cheese? Guess you could use agar but I would have thought the texture would be wrong..

I don't like the term molecular gastronomy as it doesn't make a lot of sense - where do you draw the line between what is/isn't? I know friends who can't understand why I would use certain ingredients in dishes but I tend to do it to produce a better end result - for example the sodium citrate mac and cheese which has left people disappointed by every other mac and cheese they've tried despite it being so easy to produce.
 
oli collett said:
Think you mean sodium citrate for the mac and cheese? Guess you could use agar but I would have thought the texture would be wrong..

I don't like the term molecular gastronomy as it doesn't make a lot of sense - where do you draw the line between what is/isn't? I know friends who can't understand why I would use certain ingredients in dishes but I tend to do it to produce a better end result - for example the sodium citrate mac and cheese which has left people disappointed by every other mac and cheese they've tried despite it being so easy to produce.
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Could you give me that recipe and instructions?


Pics Incoming! :D:D
 
So we just had a play with "spherification". So this is cherry juice caviar in vodka and lemonade...
oO9KmaM.jpg.png


We also blended up a kiwi fruit and made larger spheres of that which MrsS liked. But I'm not a kiwi fan.

We should have left the cherry to clear of air bubbles, but we just wanted to have a bit more of a try.
 
FrenchTart said:
Why is that a bad thing?

Anyhow, plenty of flour in the pasta :)
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Basically the Bechemel sauce dilutes the cheese taste and isn't great at keeping the fats in the cheese mixed with the proteins. When you melt cheese you get that grease coming out, what you really want in a mac n cheese is a pure melted cheese mix but doing so would lead to drier protein lumps swimming in oil.

Sodium citrate is a common emulsifying agent used in commercial cooking. It allows the cheese to melt and remain a smooth liquid without separation.

Sodium citrate and/or phosphate is used to make that god awful american sliced cheese. This is helpful for burgers where it melts into a gooy mess without imply rel;easing the fat into an oily mess.

HOWEVER, there is no reason why this technique is limited to plastic american cheese, you can use it for dry crumbly vintage cheddar or Parmesan etc. and make a mac n cheese with much better cheese qualities and tastes without any diluting and a smoother texture.
 
Yup..I get all that thanks :p My question was "why is that a bad thing?" (in reply to "no flour is a bad thing" by Participant).
 
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Mrs Seabiscuit said:
Could you give me that recipe and instructions?
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Voila:
http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/sodium-citrate-creates-silky-smooth-macaroni-and-cheese/

It's so stable once the sauce is made and it sets to a jelly kind of texture that's odd but just tastes of pure cheese. It's basically the same way they make cheese squares. You can then stir it into macaroni, or use it in a lasagne and so on.

Moses said:
After reading that I watched some videos and it looks amazing. Which makes me wonder about the other things which are amazing/not just for show/not just a tiny bit better but LOADS more work... essentially, the must try 'molecular gastronomy' that's worth trying. Perhaps people who have done cool stuff could provide a top 3/5/10 things which are really worth doing, if people just want to try relatively basic stuff?
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I would have a look here to start for more practical stuff:
http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/

I've recently started doing their pressure cooked vegetable soups - the basic principle creates an amazing vegetable puree and the recipe is easy to change for all kinds of vegetable that can then be turned to a soup, or stirred into a risotto, or just served with a roast piece of meat. They have a recipe on that link for a carrot soup that uses this technique

A lot of the modernist stuff hasn't really fed back in to chef's yet so whilst high end restaurants are catching on, some are still a bit skeptical about it, but I suspect a lot of these techniques will be standard in a few years. There's still stuff coming out of the modernist cuisine labs after these books as well - equilibrium brining for example
 
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