MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY AT HOME BY JOZEF YOUSSEF
Molecular Gastronomy at Home the book by Jozef Youssef
Molecular Gastronomy at Home by Jozef Youssef is a book for avid home cooks, professional chefs and culinary academics. The book is aimed at giving it’s readers an easy to understand introduction to the world of molecular cooking and all the ideas and concepts associated with this modernist style.
Before starting on a quest to become a ‘molecular’ cook, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the underlying scientific principles behind each technique- the ‘how’ and ‘why’ certain techniques work the way they do. The book helps you understand all the different elements from time and temperature to acidity levels and manual techniques. The book provides three recipe at the end of each technique as a practical guide and leaves the reader armed with the knowledge knowledge required to go ahead and experiment with their own creativity in the kitchen.
The book is broken into the following:
Forewords:
We are honoured to have forewords written (for the non-USA edition) by Herve This the man who developed and coined the term ‘molecular gastronomy’ and Professor Charles Spence, Head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford university and a respected contributor and advisor to Kitchen Theory.
Introduction
Leading the reader through a journey, the introduction gives a brief history of food science, a definition of molecular cooking and its evolution as well as a guide on how to use the book.
Equipment & Materials
Whilst the book is called ‘Molecular Gastronomy at Home’ many of the tools and materials needed are slightly more advanced than what the typical home cook would have to hand. All of the equipment and materials referenced can easily be found online or at specialty shops. Affordable and reliable options have been referenced.
The Techniques:
Each technique which can easily be executed at home is given its own chapter. These techniques are:
- Technique 1: Spherification
- Technique 2: Culinary smoking
- Technique 3: Airs, foams & espumas
- Technique 4: Sous-Vide Cooking
- Technique 5: Transglutaminase
- Technique 6: Cold gels & fluid gels
- Technique 7: Heat tolerant gels
- Technique 8: Dehydration
- Technique 9: Rapid infusion
In addition there are 5 techniques which require specialist equipment mostly found in laboratories and a hand full of specialist kitchens around the world. These techniques are:
- Technique 10: Liquid nitrogen
- Technique 11: the anti-griddle
- Technique 12: Centrifuge
- Technique 13: Rotary evaporator
- Technique 14: Ultra-sonic homogenizer
- Technique 15: Fermentation
Additional Chapters
The book also looks at topics any budding ‘molecular’ cook should be aware of. These topics include:
- Hydrocolloids: Understanding the underlying principles of using gels
- Umami: Understanding the 5th taste
- Multi-sensory flavour perception: Understanding how some of the top chefs in the world work with scientists to transform a meal into an experience by heightening their senses. If you would like to experience this yourself why dont you come to one of our events?
- Flavour tripping: The miracle berry that manipulates your taste buds
- Food pairing: A brief snapshot at the scientific approach to food pairing
- Food presentation: Following on from the chapter on the multi-sensory flavour perception chapter. The importance of food presentation on the overall experience.
- Glossary, index & acknowledgments: The supporting chapters.
Hopefully this book answers all your questions, but if you need any additional information or just want to give your feedback on the book e-mail jozef@kitchen-theory.com
As a final note we would like to give a special mention and thanks to the following people for their contribution to the book:
Ria Osborne for the excellent book photography
Clifton Food Range for supplying their excellent quality water baths
Modernist Chef for supplying all the ‘molecular’ tools and specialist ingredients
iSi for supplying an excellent range of whippers, chargers and accessories
Also a special thank you to Gauron Simmonds, Faraz Siddiqui and Antoine Zauli for their help in the test kitchen and during the photo shoots.
We are currently looking into obtaining rights to the book for UK distribution, in the meantime Amazon is selling the UK version.
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