Molecular gastronomy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A classic example of molecular gastronomy is the investigation of the effect of specific temperatures on the yolk and white when cooking an egg. Many cookbooks provide the instructions of boiling eggs 3-6 minutes for soft yolks, 6-8 minutes for a medium yolk and so on. Molecular gastronomy reveals that the amount of time is less important to cooking the eggs than specific temperatures - which always yields the desired result.[1][2]Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking.[3] It investigates the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking, attempts to explain them, and investigates the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view).

Watch this video :


Information revealed through the practice of molecular gastronomy research can be applied by cooks to improve their cooking, as it explains various reasons why things happen when cooking - for instance, why a soufflé rises. Knowing this information can enable a cook to create the optimum conditions for the rising of a soufflé, based on the science behind the transformation of the ingredients during cooking.[4]

In addition to its use in explaining the "why" of how we already cook, molecular gastronomy also often reveals information that is helpful in creating new techniques, recipes and dishes. For example, cooks are often taught that water is the enemy of melted chocolate, causing it to clump when being tempered.[5] Molecular gastronomy reveals that in fact given the proper ratio of water and chocolate one can produce a "chocolate mousse" without the need for any other ingredients.[6][7]

Observations made through the scientific investigation of the social and artistic aspects of food and cooking (e.g. how the ways food is prepared and presented affect us), can be used by cooks to understand and enhance the enjoyment of food.

This type of information is typical of molecular gastronomy, which seeks to dispel culinary myths handed down over generations and provide scientifically accurate information about the process of cooking, as well as provide information helpful in enhancing our enjoyment of food, cooking and eating.[8]

Since molecular gastronomy investigates cooking, it involves cooking during its investigations. Though it is often mistakenly applied as a term to describe the food and cooking of experimental chefs who embrace science, even though chefs are generally not scientists and the food and cooking of a chef involves much more than science, it also involves skill, creativity, art, craft, nature, technology and tradition - to name but a few things.