What will
you do if you are asked to make a dessert using strawberries? Well, for me, I
would bake my long time favorite, strawberry cheesecake. But for a chef of a well-known
restaurant, the answer may be very different. Here’s a link of how one chef at
Ryu Gin Tokyo, a Michelin three-star restaurant, makes one of the restaurant’s
most famous desserts “-196 °C candy strawberry”
When I
watched this video, I was impressed by how the chef used the high tech cooking equipment
to turn strawberries into various forms. After further searching, I got to know a modern concept of cooking: molecular gastronomy, a style of cooking in which scientific methods and equipment are used. With the help of high tech equipment, molecular gastronomy cooks examine the physical and chemical transformations that happen during cooking that can change ingredients into different forms, for example, powder. Temperature, time, moisture and many other variables involved in the cooking process are carefully controlled by equipment.
I haven’t
had the chance to taste this fancy kind of cuisine yet, but just by reading the
concept of it, my opinion on this modern cooking technique is mixed. On the one
hand, I really appreciate how molecular gastronomy perfectly combines science
and cooking, two seemly unrelated subjects, together. On the other hand, I’m
skeptical about the “keep the food’s flavor, but change it into anther form”
thing. After all, enjoying the natural texture of food is also an important
part of food tasting.
I see why you have mixed feeling about this. I definitely crave the textures of natural foods and don't find this appealing to eat, but at the same time, I would want to try this. I also found the combination of elements in this video, the music, the cooking, the molding and candy blowing, the foreign cooking devices, strange to watch and listen to. Thanks for the interesting video!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! While molecular gastronomy scares me, I would always be up for the challenge. I think, if it's used correctly, it can end up enhancing the natural flavor of the ingredient and elevating it to another level. However, if done poorly, it can just as well be a bad science experience.
ReplyDeleteThat was so impressive. I can't believe that it takes so long to make one dessert! The video kind of reminds me of one of those "don't try this at home, children" science experiments.
ReplyDeleteThere is a molecular gastronomy course over at UMass that I want to take next year. I'm with you on making strawberry cheesecake. The creations that some chefs come up with that revolve around one flavor is truly extraordinary. I remember watching an episode of Foodography on Food Network that featured a molecular gastronomy chef who made a dessert revolving around chocolate.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is so interesting. The beginning really freaked me out but by the end all I could think about was how gorgeous the candy ends up looking. But perhaps the most compelling thing about this video is the end. After all that hard work it is almost instantly destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing! I do not particularly desire to do this on my own, but it was very very cool to watch. I like the idea of playing with food in this way. This relates chemistry and cooking quite literally.
ReplyDeleteAfter this video was mentioned in class I knew I had to watch it! This was really cool!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a giant leap from my usual strawberries + whipped cream dessert.