Table Of ContentModernist Cooking
Made Easy:
Getting Started
An Introduction to the Techniques,
Ingredients and Recipes of
Molecular Gastronomy
By Jason Logsdon
Copyright © 2012 by Primolicious LLC
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book
may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews.
For more information please contact Primolicious LLC at 12 Pimlico Road,
Wolcott CT 06716.
ISBN-13: 978-1481063319
ISBN-10: 1481063316
For my wonderful wife,
who continues to support everything I do,
no matter how crazy.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Modernist Cooking
Acknowledgments
How To Use This Book
What is Modernist Cooking?
Are These Chemicals Safe?
Science or Cooking?
Do I Need Lab Equipment?
Why Do People Feel This Way?
What Makes a Modernist Dish?
Modernist Cooking Basics
Common Terms
Exactness in Measuring
Proper Weighing
Common Flavored Liquids
Modernist Equipment
Starting Equipment
Required Equipment
Helpful Items
Big Ticket Equipment
Everyday Modernist Cooking
Thickening
Entertaining
Sauces and Vinaigrettes
Modernist Cooking Techniques
Emulsifying
Stabilizers
Emulsion Properties
Emulsifying Tools
Vinaigrettes
Foams
Spectrums of Foams
Types of Foams
Stabilizing Foams
Foaming Equipment
Light Foams
Fluid Gel Foams
Whipped Foams
Gelling
How Gelling Works
Gel Spectrums
Other Properties of Gels
The Gelling Process
Other Gel Considerations
Gelling Ingredients
Shaping Gels
Fluid Gels
Low Temperature Cooking
History of Sous Vide
How it Works
Basic Sous Vide Technique
Choose Your Finishing Method
Sous Vide Safety
Spherification
How Spherification Works
Gelling Agents, Ions, and Sequestrants
Direct vs Reverse Spherification
Spherification Variables
Reverse Spherification Process
Direct Spherification
Caviar
Thickening
Why Thicken?
Thickening Process
Common Thickeners
Other Techniques
Centrifugal Separation
Compression
Dehydration
Freeze Drying
Freezing
Rotary Evaporation
Modernist Cooking Ingredients
Agar
Dispersion and Hydration
Agar Gels
Agar Fluid Gels
Agar Foams
Carrageenan
Dispersion and Hydration
Iota Carrageenan
Iota Carrageenan Thickening
Iota Carrageenan Gels
Iota Carrageenan Fluid Gels
Kappa Carrageenan Gels
Iota and Kappa Gels
Gelatin
How to Use Gelatin
Converting Between Gelatin Types
Gelatin Gels
Gelatin Foams
Gelatin Sponges
Lecithin
Lecithin Dispersion
Lecithin Foams and Airs[21]
Lecithin Emulsions
Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin Fat Powders
Methylcellulose
Dispersion and Hydration
Methylcellulose Foams
Methylcellulose Gels
Sodium Alginate
Reverse Spherification
Direct Spherification
Xanthan Gum
Uses of Xanthan Gum
Dispersion and Hydration
Thickening With Xanthan Gum
Xanthan Gum Foams
Xanthan Gum Emulsions
Other Ingredients
Calcium Chloride
Calcium Lactate
Calcium Salts
Gellan
Glucose
Guar Gum
Gum Arabic
Isomalt
Konjac
Locust Bean Gum
Mono and Diglycerides
Pectin
Pure-Cote B790
Sodium Citrate
Sodium Hexametaphosphate
Trimoline
Ultra-Sperse
Ultra-Tex
Versawhip
References
Ingredient Tables
Ingredient Techniques
Ingredient Temperatures
Sous Vide Time and Temperature
Doneness Range
Beef - Roasts and Tough Cuts
Beef - Steak and Tender Cuts
Chicken and Eggs
Duck
Fish and Shellfish
Fruits and Vegetables
Lamb
Pork
Turkey
Fahrenheit to Celsius Conversion
Sous Vide Thickness Times
Beef, Pork, Lamb Thickness Chart
Chicken Thickness Chart
Fish Thickness Chart
Modernist Cooking Resources
Modernist Cooking
Sous Vide
Ingredient and Tool Sources
End Notes
SECTION ONE
INTRODUCTION TO MODERNIST COOKING
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In cooking, most
new dishes, flavors, and techniques
are building on the work of prior
generations of cooks. There are very
few truly original works and we all
owe a debt of gratitude to those that
came before us and paved the way
for us. There has been a great
tradition of sharing and codifying
cooking techniques from Escoffier to
Ferran Adrià to Grant Achatz to
Nathan Myhrvold, each of which
built on the works of those that came
before.
This book is no exception. I could never have written it, much less explored the
latest modernist techniques, without the chefs, authors, and cooks who
experimented with food, and most importantly, shared their knowledge with us
in books and on the internet.
I’d especially like to mention several resources that were invaluable in creating
this book. I highly recommend them for you to read if you want more in-depth
knowledge.
Alinea by Grant Achatz is filled with amazing techniques and whimsical dishes.
Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot delve into the “why” in their Ideas in
Food book, as well as their always informative website. Texture - A hydrocolloid
recipe collection, compiled by Martin Lersch from Khymos.com, is a great
compendium of recipes for many modernist ingredients. The Hydrocolloids
Primer from Dave Arnold and the Cooking Issues website help to clarify some
of the uses of and reasons for modernist ingredients . And, of course, the
comprehensive Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold, which covers pretty
much every cooking technique you would ever need to know.
All of these resources gave me a foundation that I could use to explore the
techniques and ingredients found in this book.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This book is meant to be used as both a reference guide and instruction manual
for the new techniques and ingredients that are being used in modernist cooking.
It has been written so each chapter can be used independently. I do recommend
reading the Introduction to Modernist Cooking section first since it will provide
you with a foundation of knowledge required to understand the remainder of the
chapters.
After you have read the introduction chapters, there is no need to read the book
straight through unless you want to. Feel free to jump around to any of the
techniques or ingredients that interest you. If you seek additional information
about a recipe you can look up the specific ingredients or techniques used in it to
get a more detailed description of how they work.
We have provided images of many of the dishes. For larger, full color images
you can go to:
www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/getting-started
To stay up to date with modernist cooking and what we are working on you can:
Join our monthly newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/owpNb
Follow me on twitter at: @jasonlogsdon_sv
Like our Facebook page at:
www.facebook.com/ModernistCookingMadeEasy
Most importantly of all, remember to have fun!
WHAT IS MODERNIST COOKING?
If you have any questions you can ask them in the Modernist Cooking
Forums on our website. Just post your question and other cooks will
weigh in with their answers.
You can find them on our website at:
www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/modernist-cooking-forums
