"Molecular gastronomy is the scientific approach of cuisine from primarily the perspective of chemistry."
Texture plays a key role in the perception of food. Molecular gastronomy chefs explore methods to create new textures such as foams, gels, airs, and powders. Understanding texture manipulation is fundamental to the creation of unique molecular gastronomy dishes.
Emulsifiers: Substances that keep two immiscible substances from separating.
Hydrocolloids: Substances that thicken liquids.
Sous Vide: A cooking method that involves vacuum-sealing food in a plastic bag and cooking it in a water bath at a precise temperature.
Spherification: A texture technique that transforms liquids into small, jelly-like spheres.
Gelification: The process of transforming a liquid into a gel-like substance.
Foams: Using gels and stabilizers to create bubbles in liquids, resulting in a light and airy texture.
Dehydration: The process of removing moisture from food to increase its flavor and texture.
Reverse spherification: A technique that involves adding a calcium salt to the liquid and dipping it in a sodium alginate bath, resulting in a sphere with a liquid center.
Thickening agents: Substances that increase the viscosity of a liquid without altering its taste or color.
Suspensions: The process of suspending insoluble particles in a liquid, creating a unique texture and mouthfeel.
Gelling agents: Substances that form a gel when added to a liquid.
Agar: A type of hydrocolloid that is extracted from seaweed and is commonly used in the food industry as a thickening and gelling agent.
Methocel: A type of hydrocolloid that is used to create foams and gels.
Carrageenan: A type of hydrocolloid that is used to stabilize emulsions and thicken liquids.
Xanthan gum: A type of hydrocolloid that is used to thicken liquids and create stable emulsions.
Locust bean gum: A type of hydrocolloid that is used as a thickener and stabilizer in food products.
Methylcellulose: A type of hydrocolloid that can turn liquids into gels when heated.
Amylase: An enzyme that is used to break down starches, resulting in a smoother texture.
Lipase: An enzyme that is used to break down fats, resulting in a smoother texture.
Flavors: The addition of various flavors to additives to enhance the overall taste and texture of the food.
Spherification: It involves transforming liquids into spheres, making them look and feel like caviar.
Reverse Spherification: This technique is the same as spherification, except the setting bath has calcium ions rather than sodium ions, and the main liquid contains alginate.
Gelification: It involves thickening liquids into gels, often using chemical agents like agar-agar or gellan gum.
Foaming: This technique makes use of a siphon to inject a liquid with a gas, producing foams that can add texture and flavor to foods.
Emulsification: It is the process of combining two ingredients that wouldn't ordinarily mix—such as water and oil—into a stable, homogenized mixture.
Thickening: Thickening is the process of adding a thickener to a mixture, such as cornstarch or arrowroot, to create a thicker texture.
Dehydration: One can concentrate the flavors and textures of foods by removing the water element. It can be done using dehydration.
Flavour pairing: This technique involves exploring the science of how food compounds interact with one another to create new and exciting flavors.
Sous vide: This technique involves cooking food in vacuum-sealed bags under precise temperature conditions, producing a unique texture different from other cooking methods.
Smoking: Smoking is the process of exposing food to smoke from burning wood or other materials, infusing it with a unique flavor and texture.
"The composition (molecular structure), properties (mass, viscosity, etc), and transformations (chemical reactions, reactant products) of an ingredient are addressed and utilized."
"It is a branch of food science that approaches the preparation and enjoyment of nutrition from the perspective of a scientist at the scale of atoms, molecules, and mixtures."
"Nicholas Kurti, a Hungarian physicist, and Hervé This, at the INRA in France, coined 'Molecular and Physical Gastronomy' in 1988."
"The composition, properties, and transformations of an ingredient."
"The composition (molecular structure), properties (mass, viscosity, etc), and transformations (chemical reactions, reactant products)."
"It approaches the preparation and enjoyment of nutrition from the perspective of a scientist at the scale of atoms, molecules, and mixtures."
"It is a branch of food science."
"A scientist's perspective at the scale of atoms, molecules, and mixtures."
"Nicholas Kurti and Hervé This coined 'Molecular and Physical Gastronomy'."
"The perspective of chemistry."
"Mass, viscosity, etc."
"The composition, properties, and transformations of an ingredient are utilized in the preparation and appreciation of the ingested products."
"Its molecular structure."
"Chemical reactions, reactant products."
"He was a Hungarian physicist."
"At the INRA in France."
"In 1988."
"It is a branch of food science."
"At the scale of atoms, molecules, and mixtures."