Examples of Molecular Gastronomy in Action

 

Mix science with cooking, and behold, molecular gastronomy is born! Indeed, who would have thought that special effects would not be limited to the screen, but also descend into our kitchens and make their way into our food?

Modern gastronomy relies on the principles of physics and chemistry – both laboratory ingredients and equipment are transported into the kitchen to dish up novel ways of presenting food that make everyone exclaim with delight! The taste can be the same or the chef may experiment with something new; but the wow factor of the appearance will never fail to thrill the onlookers. At times, just the application of molecular gastronomy can transform regular food to an enchanting and tempting plane!

Let us take a look at some of the examples of molecular gastronomy in motion:

·        Frozen drinks –This is all about turning drinks into a solid state that gives birth to crunchy cocktails and mocktails, thus adding an unexpected element to them.

·        Foam on foods – Foam can be crafted out of a variety of ingredients with the emulsification technique before being artistically arranged over a dish or even a drink. It adds a touch of exotic taste giving an ethereal quality to the food. The foam will immediately dissolve in the mouth even as the flavor envelopes the tastebuds.

·        Spherification –This is all about trapping a liquid or puree inside a thin membrane that is round in shape and will eventually burst in the mouth. These delicate beads or ‘pearls’ have become an avant-garde presentation style that never fails to ensnare attention while being high on the flavoring scale as well.

·        Carbonated pops – This is literally about fun explosions in the mouth as the food gives a popping sensation the moment it is eaten. The science behind it is carbon dioxide which gets released when it comes in contact with moisture.

·        Gelification–This relates to turning a liquid – like tomato soup or papaya juice - into a gel form so that it can be transformed into solid foods like noodles or transparent pasta sheets. Therefore, the new dish will excel on both the taste and presentation scales!

In sum, modern gastronomy is all about giving an artistic twist to food that is both unexpected and enticing. It could be anything from bubbles to fluffy clouds to shattered ice.

However, this culinary style calls for some novel ingredients – like agar agar, alginate, calcium chloride, fruit powders, guar gum, konjac gum, maltodextrin, pectin, potassium bicarbonate, sunflower lecithin, etc. - that may not be available in regular food and kitchen stores. While some may stock some of these exotic items, the prices may be atrociously high. Cape Crystal Brands (https://www.capecrystalbrands.com/) is the answer to sourcing such specialty cooking ingredients that are of good quality and yet in an acceptable price range.