Appeared at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, molecular cuisine has literally revolutionized the way we think about cooking. It was first studied by French researchers at INRA, the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, with physicist and gastronome Hervé This And Nobel laureate in Physics Gilles de Gennes.!
The basis of the molecular cuisine there is a careful and scientific study of the mechanisms that are triggered during culinary transformations, in order to research and obtain new methods of food preparation and cooking, alternative to traditional ones.
Preparation in the molecular cuisine is based on the use of foams, additives, jellies, which are used to create dishes that bring with them new, unusual flavors, extraordinary combinations, while respecting the organoleptic characteristics of foods.
What are the main techniques of molecular cooking?
Molecular cuisine Abandon the flame, because the main firing technique of foods occurs through immediate chemical reactions achieved with particular substances, such as additives; among them:
- agar agar
- carrageenan
- the jelly
- the gellan
The main processing techniques in molecular cuisine Are:
- Gelling (liquid substances solidified and transformed into food gels)
- spherification (small globules of flavors that 'burst' in the mouth)
- emulsions
- pressurization of food in its liquid state with a siphon to increase its volume,
- suspension (thanks to which fruits and herbs do not precipitate to the bottom of creamy solutions)
- cooling through liquid nitrogen
- frying in sugar (without oils or fats)
- the pulverization by maltodextrin
The chefs of molecular cuisine
Among the chef most representative of the molecular cuisine there are the great Ferran Adrià, chef of El Bulli in Spain, who is credited with the invention and fine-tuning of the spherification process.
In addition to Adrià, also worth mentioning are:
- Heston Blumenthal,
- Pierre Gagnaire
- Ettore Bocchia
Ettore Bocchia invented, for example, frying through a mixture of molten sugars, a technique that allows flavors to be retained.
Do you also want to learn the techniques of preparing the dishes of this revolutionary cuisine? Discover the molecular haute cuisine specialization course by Italian Food Academy.
