Molecular Gastronomy

Image by Cloudzilla

• Apparently, there is a company that is making citrus juicers from the recycled bottoms of water bottles. This is a cool idea, but I wouldn't buy one. Make one yourself. The bottle of water will be cheaper - and come with water.

• This is a cool can opener. The way it works sounds a bit like my favorite can opener... an ancient thing that I've never been able to find a duplicate of... This one appears to have a somewhat different mechanism, though.
• Do you have a car cooler? I have to admit, the idea appeals to me. Too often have I been reluctant to pick up something cold or frozen for fear that it would get too warm before I could get it home.
• Inc. has a short article about some of the companies that make tools for use in molecular gastronomy. Other than the Anti-Griddle, though, most of these aren't MG-specific.
• Boing Boing Gadgets teaches us how to build our own pizza ovens... a subject dear to me.

Earlier this month, the planned launch of the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science was announced. According to the website, "the journal will contain scientific papers, review articles and notes on a whole range of overlapping topics, food taste and flavour, culinary processes, global trends (lifestyles, healthy eating), nutrition, food service/management,…"

The journal will be published by Elsevier. This, unfortunately, means that the cost to access content in these journals will be high. Elsevier's institutional subscription prices run in the thousands of dollars per journal. Their subscriptions for individuals are more affordable, generally at about $200 - which is still more than most non-professionals can reasonably afford. They do offer PDF downloads, but at $31.50 per article...

Now, the material that will be in there might be worth it. I don't know. We haven't even seen who is on the editorial board. Still, I can't help but think that the scientific journal is becoming an increasingly outmoded medium. It was once a primary method of communication and information dissemination between members of an academic discipline. The Internet has changed that.

In food science, we have high-quality web sites and blogs that serve these purposes. What would an academic journal really add... other than exclusivity?

Ive been following They Go Really Well Together (TGRWT) for some time now. It began on Khymos as a group project in molecular gastronomy to test whether foods that shared key chemicals that contributed to their aroma or flavor would compliment each other. Each month, a different flavor combination is chosen by the (rotating) host, and people from around the web contribute their creations. This month's pairing is chicken and rose, and my contribution follows...

Texture: A hydrocolloid recipe collectionTexture - A hydrocolloid recipe collection should be one of the first stops for anyone who is intrigued by the idea of molecular gastronomy. It provides an easy overview of fifteen different hydrocolloids. Hydrocolloids are substances that thicken or gel in conjunction with water. They certainly aren't the end all of molecular gastronomy, but they are a reasonable place to start, and Martin Lersch's book provides just about everything you need to know about them. Also, it is a free download.

From Agar to Xanthan...

Most people will be familiar with some of the hydrocolloids in Texture, such as gelatin and cornstarch. That's useful, because they provide good reference points and are treated with the same rigor as more esoteric substances like methyl cellulose and sodium alginate.
Each hydrocolloid has a page that lists its basic properties as well as tips for using it. This is followed by a number of simple recipes featuring the hydrocolloid.
The book is rounded out by a comparison of hydrocolloids and their properties, a list of suppliers, references, and an index.
What I like about this book is that it has a very clearly defined goal: to provide a comprehensive, accessible reference for hydrocolloid use. It accomplishes that admirably without getting sidetracked.

I was fortunate enough to be taken to moto in late 2006. This is the epic story of that meal...

Chef Cantu and his Algae Photobioreactor
Image courtesy of moto.Homaro Cantu is the executive chef of moto and founder of Cantu Designs. Chef Cantu is a Le Cordon Bleu (Portland, Oregon) graduate who got his start on the West Coast. He moved to Chicago where he worked as Sous Chef at Charlie Trotter's before opening moto. While he is the chef at moto, he doesn't limit his innovation to his own kitchen. Cantu Designs is a business that consults on food technology, green kitchens, and restaurant concepts. It holds patents on various sorts of food technology, ranging from printed food to dinnerware. According to the Cantu Designs website, it has numerous spin-off projects not directly related to the restaurant business and is currently working in areas ranging from aerospace to famine relief...

Ideas In Food is the blog of Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot, a team of chef-consultants based in New York City. The two also write the Kitchen Alchemy column for Popular Science online.