Monday, January 18, 2010

Thinking about Molecular Gastronomy

I am not one for subtlety... I like Chemistry and I like food, hence the ChemistFoodie blog name. As part of my PhD requirements here in the South I need to present a literature seminar on an area of science that has nothing to do with my research; (I make shiny, purty, girly crystals that get attached to magnets) so for me there was only one clear option: Molecular Gastronomy. This search for chemical relationships has taken me to find different books and a buttload of papers that talk about Molecular Gastronomy. My gripe is that most of the stuff does not go deeper into the chemistry and explain why is it that adding one specific chemical will give the flavor of mushrooms or lavender... It does tell me why beans are the magical fruit but ot stays there. I've contacted Super Richard Blais regarding his suggestions for books but I am wondering if; first anyone is reading this and if someone is if they can recommend a good Molecular Gastronomy book...


Thanks

1 comment:

Steve Sidman said...

Check out Chef Grant Achatz' cookbook "Alinea," from his Chicago restaurant of the same name. Grant (who does not really like the term "molecular gastronomy")is nonetheless the preeminent practitioner of "MG" in the US, and was the James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best Chef - US. Chef Blais externed at The French Laundry under Chef Thomas Keller when Grant was Chef Keller's sous chef there, and Richard was a student at Culinary Institute of America.

Also check out anything by Chef Ferran Adria of Spain's El Bulli, or anything by Chef Heston Blumenthal of England's The Fat Duck.