Does Molecular Gastronomy Make You Nervous?
Mustard ice cream on braised pineapple with coconut foam, pineapple tuille, and mustard sauce at wd-50 in New York. Photograph from roboppy on Flickr.
Molecular Gastronomy doesn't have to be scary as it sounds.
As our Chicago correspondent Michael Nagrant points out at Hungry Mag, frying an egg in a skillet "southern grandmother style" is molecular gastronomy. The egg proteins get friendly with other molecules. The runny yolk solidifies. Molecular gastronomy—in action! Done.
Then you have Alinea chef Grant Achatz and his idea of molecular gastronomy. Before dining at Alinea, Nagrant thought the experimental foams and mousses might "reinforce or mimic the alienation of the world, leaving us more cold and unsettled than we were before." Cold and unsettled: nobody wants to feel that at the table. But that was before he ate at Alinea.
Just because it's sciencey doesn't mean molecular gastronomy has no "soul" or "classic roots." For Nagrant, the food "evoked real and personal memories of seasons past." Are you still skeptical of molecular gastronomy? Prefer the runny yolk option? Or could coconut foam remind you of a childhood emotion or past summers?
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29 Comments:
If what I see in the photo--an effetely fussy, obnoxiously cute, impossible-to-eat, distractingly architectonic assemblage of nearly random ingredients, sauced with what appears to be a gobbet of Newfoundland-terrier drool, with a description that's offputting if not outright revolting, and a price I don't even dare to guess at--is meant to be representative of molecular gastronomy, then I guess I'm a skeptic.
Barry Foy at 7:38PM on 09/18/08
While not as eloquent as Barry I too am skeptical if not a little afraid from what I've read about this bold new food front. The pictured pooch drool is unappetizing to say the least but what really scares me is the unusual chemical compounds I've seen used. I don't mind the flash freezing or odd textures; that seems interesting but I'll stick to grandma's molecular gastronomy. She has yet to fail me and has generations of food culture behind her culinary creations.
christopher at 8:40PM on 09/18/08
Who wants a solid rubbery yolk?
frackle at 9:41PM on 09/18/08
That "drool" looks like beer foam to me.
MMmmmm.... beer. :)
FastFoodCritic at 9:49PM on 09/18/08
The word "pedantic" comes to mind--something that should never ever happen when looking at food.
buffy at 10:04PM on 09/18/08
The coconut foam looks like toad spit (saw a picture of it once when I was a kid--lasting impression). As for mustard ice cream? don't think so.
beth1 at 11:00PM on 09/18/08
Food doesn't have to be clever, but it should taste good. It should also have a pleasant texture and look appealing. The photo above doesn't look terrible, but it doesn't look like something I'm going to dive into wholeheartendly. Something about it is off-putting, although I'm not sure what it is.
And I am skeptical about mustard ice cream. It sounds "interesting" but that doesn't mean I'd enjoy eating it. I'd try a taste, but I doubt it would appeal to me as much as more traditional flavors. I'll keep an open mind, though.
It's kind of funny, though, on the one hand we have the locovore, organic, chemical-haters who are skeptical of cane sugar if it isn't a little bit brown, and who read labels to make sure there are no chemicals -- and then we have molecular gastronomists who are using those same chemicals, but in a less mechanized way, and that's super-trendy as well.
dbcurrie at 11:12PM on 09/18/08
I don't like my eggs runny. Also I think foam on a plate is gross and unappealing. When things start to rot they give off foam and runny nasty things. Texture is the issue for me. Foam and tapioca pudding like conoctions make me feel not so hungry. That bubble tea thing makes me think evil thoughts. I cannot understand for the life of me how anyone can see black stuff floating in a cup of white and say oh yum. Cringe.
JerzeeTomato at 11:17PM on 09/18/08
No, it doesn't bother me but it needs to be food and neither a science experiment nor an abstract art piece that you happen to be able to eat. So many things that we are used to eating are all about cooking science: custards, starch thickening, caramelization, fermentation, the Maillard effect, gluten production ... all molecular/structural transformations. The difference is that we are used to these kind of things used in foods that we recognize that have a long and accepted history.
That said I personally tend to gravitate towards "rustic" cuisine, as it's more about the quality of the ingredients and the gentle hand in preparing them rather than the chef who wants to impress me with his fancy concepts. Let the pastry/confection guys rule there.
Make something that "transcends our concept" of anything and you have my attention with a solid Oh Really?
Give me a perfect plate of pasta pomodoro, a perfectly roasted chicken, a bowl of mussels provencale with rustic crusty bread to sop the jus, or a slab of serious bbq ribs and you have won my heart forever.
Bunnyman at 12:24AM on 09/19/08
Did anyone actually read my piece? I'd like to hear your thoughts after you've digested my argument.
Michael Nagrant at 12:43AM on 09/19/08
The while "foam" trend is lost on me.
The one word that always comes to mind is: Why?
And mustard ice cream? Again: Why?
--------
The only foam I have ever truly appreciated is whipped cream.
CJ McD at 7:03AM on 09/19/08
There are several things molecular gastronomy suffers from that prevent it from gaining wide-spread acceptance.
The first is that it is not (yet) "of the people". It's elitist. That makes for a knee-jerk reaction - and whether that reaction is correct or not is up for debate.
The second is that it is intellectual. And Americans don't tend to take to the intellectual too kindly for the most part. Worse than that, it is intellectuals looking like they are playing which makes it even worse.
Cooking style and methodology must change as time goes by. There must be invention otherwise the genre dies in terms of growth and creativity. And that's a pretty sad thing to have happen in any genre - not to mention a pretty boring thing too.
The other day I pulled up an old article from Discover Magazine on mg. It's posted here . It offers some good insight into exactly what mg is, without the hype and hoopla attached.
Would I want to eat food that looked like the photo above every day? Probably not - I've gone full circle in my food tastes and prefer the simplest things made in the simplest ways that can yield the best textures, tastes, and looks.
But if I were back as a working chef again, I'd definitely be exploring mg. It would seem idiotic not to. And in terms of restaurant culture as a participant-diner, yes - I'll head to the mg places when I get a chance.
As I don't live in a large urban area and don't do gastro-travel, those chances don't occur all that often. :)
Cute photo, though. I think it looks like a sailboat. Yes, I'd let it sail right into my mouth quite happily.
foodvox at 7:14AM on 09/19/08
The only thing that would make me nervous is figuring out how to eat it. Then again, I'm awkward like that in fancy restaurants. "Is this a garnish? Do I eat it? Can I? Use which fork? That's my bread plate. That's my water." I'd love to try it, though--I love trying new things, and I think it would be fun to try familiar ingredients prepared in new ways.
OneWallKitchen at 11:26AM on 09/19/08
Reading the article made me start thinking about correlations between art and food. Just like so many couldn't accept impresssionism at first, perhaps it'll take time for people to get into 'postmodern' cuisine? Personally, I think it's exciting.
gastronomeg at 11:29AM on 09/19/08
Michael -
I read your article and grew up in the woods. Short of a few years new Boston I've never lived in big cities and most of my meals came from our woods or near-by farms. We didn't think of it that way, that's just how it was. My “meat glue” came from boiling bones or fish heads rather than transglutaminase. The pure 'chemical' versions scare me in food because its different from what I know. I'm sure the first human to throw a piece of meat on the fire was laughed at too so perhaps I'm just threatened by change. If someone were to take me to Alinea I would indulge in their craziest concoctions but I probably won't seek it out on my own.
christopher at 11:45AM on 09/19/08
skeptical in general, only slightly. skeptical of mustard ice cream, definitely.
thursdaynightsmackdown at 11:56AM on 09/19/08
It doesn't make me nervous. Heck, even as a home chef I've thought about trying to get a hold of some of the ingredients to make some thing like a fruit juice "caviar" or similar. Sous vide is a technique associated with molecular gastronomy and that's become much more accepted and even used at the home level by some.
On the other hand, there is a popular perception of molecular gastronomy that turns some people off. Not everyone wants to eat something off an oddly shaped utensil, possibly without the use of your hands, or listen to a lecture about how you should inhale the fumes of this pine scented vaporizer before you eat a particular dish in order to "enhance the sensory experience of dining". Some people want to just eat! My boyfriend is one of those. He feels that sort of thing is entirely too precious, at best, and obnoxious, at worst. He has no interest in visiting that sort of establishment.
Amandarama at 12:00PM on 09/19/08
I've had mustard ice cream at the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum -- although it was vanilla with a swirl of hot honey mustard, not homogeneously mustard-flavored. The effect was similar to drizzling balsamic over ice cream: the mustard's heat contrasts nicely with the sweet cream, which also brings out the sweetness in the mustard. Quite a good experience, overall -- although not one I've repeated.
me3dia at 12:14PM on 09/19/08
I ate at Alinea a year or so ago and will die remembering that meal. From lavender filled pillows to paper sheet tin bacon hung on a wire with caramel and an apple string to a smoke filled upside down highball glass filled with smoke unveiling a piece of A-1 Kobe beef.
I would have never thought that basil ice or brie cheese ice cream would be that good and a ball made of cocoa butter with celery and radish juice that explodes in your mouth.
The experience is worth the price.
bmfesq at 2:30PM on 09/19/08
Kitten puke. It looks like kitten puke.
Kerosena at 2:55PM on 09/19/08
No skepticism here. I just think it's the stupidest food trend in decades, chemical concerns or no chemical concerns. Pretty much what Barry Foy said.
Foodvox called it "elitist," and I'd venture to say it's beyond elitist. I consider myself (good or bad) a food snob, and I want nothing to do with it.... it's pointless frippery meant to make people feel like food elite whether they are or not.
Foam looks like salted slug.
Bah humbug.
Tactful_Cactus at 3:13PM on 09/19/08
Ha ha ha you guys are funny. Really.
But if you can forget the elitist component, and forget the price, and forget where one decides one must stand in the various elevated stations of food snobbishness . . .
It's like playing with your food.
Just plain fun.
Molecular Gastronomy is something someone like Roald Dahl would love. And I think he'd love making fun of it, too. :)
Can't get much more perfect than that.
foodvox at 3:50PM on 09/19/08
I'm with foodvox here. And I'll add that this style of cooking is so inaccessable to the home cook that, even as a chef, I find it very...alien. Maybe someday we'll see an issue of Cook's Ill. on gm...
sailordave at 4:05PM on 09/19/08
This form of cooking is very accessible to the home cook, like ridiculously accessible... All it is, is taking old techniques and re-inventing them.
The foam can be made with coconut cream, and creme anglaise, all you have to do is agitate it enough, and scrape off the foam. The ice cream is easy, the tuille is easy, and the braised pineapple is easy.
For every other crazy technique, like faux caviar or foams, check out recipes online, its easy, and i think if you're a home cook that likes to experiment, try these new things, it'll surely impress your friends.
eatyourheartout at 8:28PM on 09/19/08
I think a lot of people are reacting to the photo of a particular WD-50 dish and not reading through the actual column linked.
I liked post-modern food (tried it at Tailor and WD-50) but did not love it until I ate at Alinea. As others have said, you have to be willing to put yourself in the chef's hands. These are restaurants to surprise, delight, shock, and sometimes confound. Yes, it is expensive and labor-intensive. The portions tend to be small.
However, while other restaurants play a lot with both form and flavor, Alinea is way more conservative than other places when it comes to flavor profiles. They do a lot of thinking about what flavors go with other flavors. I had the 24+ course tasting menu last summer and every single dish was spot on. They all tasted good. I can't say the same when some friends and I ordered the entire Tailor menu and shared, or when my boyfriend and I did the tasting menu at WD-50 a few years ago.
Don't knock it until you've tried it. And, of course, try it at Alinea. No other restaurant compares.
kathryn at 9:20PM on 09/19/08
I'd try this without the foam. Foam says to me, "I'm slobber from the jaws of a rabid canine." And that's just disgusting to imagine on my food. Some primitive instinct is trying to protect me from perceived danger, I think.
@JerseyTomato: Bubble Tea isn't that popular, so you're not in the minority. Mr. Sus (the "normal one") persecutes me for drinking them. Odd how I can drink gobs of tapioca but can't handle the texture of a raw banana, eh? As so many SE threads have shown, we all are food weirdos in some respect.
Susquehanna at 9:43PM on 09/19/08
("@Jerzee Tomato" was intended. *Duly corrected before crucifixion*).
Susquehanna at 9:48PM on 09/19/08
the link to the article doesn't work.
cybercita at 10:15AM on 12/31/08
the tasting menu at WD-50 blew my mind away. it opened a whole new world of textures and flavor combinations for me. i will agree not everything worked, but the ones they did pull off were spectacular. yes, a lot of it will end up being a stupid fab/trend, but i am excited about the new ground that is being explored here.
elvinwei at 6:19AM on 07/06/09