Molecular Gastronomy : Beginners Guide


Molecular Gastronomy is generally the science applied in combination with the culinary techniques to transform the physical & chemical changes in the food. This is usually done with the help of specified edible chemicals & equipments. This term was invented by Nicholas Kurti in 1969 in collaboration with French Scientist Herve This. It  was out of the curiosity by them that why particular food have only that very physical properties & what could be the outcome if any changes being done. This gave the rise of such chemicals that are conducive to the same. 

This is not only restricted to Chefs but mixologists & bartenders can play & experiment with their cocktails & drinks too. The scientific aspects are best understood with the techniques, tools & ingredients used for cooking that are summarized below :

    • Spherification : As the name says itself , spheres of different sizes can be developed through this technique. The liquid used jellifies which forms spheres when submerged in the bath. These spheres have a thin membrane & are filled with the desired flavored liquid & so it explodes in the mouth. There are basically 2 kinds of Spherification mentioned as below :
      1. Basic Spherification : This involves mixing of any liquid  with sodium alginate & submerging in the bath of calcium. The Sodium & Calcium ions then reacts to form a very thin membrane. The process of this jellification continues even after rinsing with water, thats why it has to be consumed immediately as it starts to form a gel.
        2. Goat cheese walnut Tikki, Basil Chutney Spheres
      2. Reverse Spherifiaction :This is the opposite of Basic Spherification as the bath is of Sodium Alginate & liquid has been mixed with Calcium. However, the sphere can also be made if the liquid already has calcium into it like Curd. So, one can just beat the flavored curd upto a required thickness & just submerge it into the Alginate bath.The membranes in this case are thick & hence long lasting as the jellification process stops there & then after the removal from bath.

      Flourless Chocolate cake, sesame tuile, saffron foam
    • Emulsification : Emulsification means the mixing of two insoluble liquids , say water & oil. This is closely related to foams. So , these foams need a stabilizer which is usually obtained with the help of soy lecithin which is generally a seaweed. Soy lecithin is being mixed with the liquid in a bowl & then blended with immersion blender.



    • Powders : This is obtained with the help of chemical called Maltodextrin which has the property of absorbing all the fats & gives that required flavour, for ex : Basil oil is mixed with maltodextrin powder in a proportionate amount to create basil powders to dust anywhere in the plate to complement with the end food product.
    •  Sous Vide : This is a process where the food or meat is being cooked in a vacuum packed bag in the water bath at controlled temperature for a certain time limit that varies from each other. The end product is uniformly cooked food as it breaks the tissues of the food evenly.
    • Liquid Nitrogen : This is nitrogen at liquid state which has a temperature of -196 degree celsius. As the temperature is so high , it causes rapid freezing & also used for making ice creams. This is usually stored at an insulated cylinders for safety purpose & to be taken out from it wearing hard silicon gloves.
    • Dehydrator : A food dehydrator reduces all the moisture from the fruits & vegetables through hot air flow at a constant temperature that gradually aids in preservation of the same. Ever thought of making a Dal Makhni papad, yes it is very much possible with this so versatile equipment.Just puree Dal Makhni very fine , strain & put over the mat into the dehydrator, the heated air inside draws  out all the moisture & gives a crisp cracker after a certain set time. 
      Assorted vegetable pureed crisps using dehydrator

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