My Understanding Of Molecular Gastronomy

I've decided to write this post on Molecular Gastronomy because personally i have a massive interest in this area and wanted to get a better understanding on the basics of this cooking style. I bought the El Bulli book over 3 years ago and could not understand a thing it was saying to me, so i then decided this year for college and my personal career progression i would research up on it to teach myself and then pass on the imformation that i had recieved and learned from to others.

With its uniqueness,creativity and its science it has inspired me to become more involved with the cooking industry, It has helped me grow as a young chef in many ways, so ive decided to research on the basics of this and try give people a simplified understanding of it, Because when i first seen this i was like wow! i would never be able do anything like those sorta things, little did i know after seeing videos and pictures of all this, it may me realise, its actually not to complicated to understand and learn about. so here is my simplified understanding of molecular gastronomy. i hope you enjoy and take some learning from it :)


Spherification
Sometimes called caviar or ravioli, this is one of the simplest and most used in the practices of molecular gastronomy.  you can take any liquid and turn it into the shape of a  ball. these small round sphers pop into liquid in your mouth and can be the flavour of anything really. There actualy quite fun to experience and are very simple to make. ive researched a basic formula for you to try below.

Basic Formula: Caviar
Equipment: Sodium alginate, calcium chloride

Mix 1.5g alginate and 75g water — use a blender if the alginate starts to gel before it’s assimilated. Add the 500g of your base liquid (fruit juice works, or tea, or beef stock) and mix thoroughly. Allow the solution to rest to let the air bubbles dissipate. Chill.

Mix the calcium chloride with 500g water. Use a syringe or eye-dropper to drop your base liquid into the calcium bath. Remove after 1 minute or so. The timing will vary a bit from batch to batch, so test them as you go. The longer the liquid sits in the bath, the more it will gel.

Rinse and serve. The semi-solid droplets should be served immediately, as the shell degrades over a short period of time.

Gelatin
Gelatin is just like spherification and is used by most chefs today, by transforming soup into stiff noodles or pastes into solid, soft balls. There are a variety of gelatin options out there, depending on whether you want the final product to be cold or hot, i found this very easy recipe bleow to understand the aspect around gelatin below. it can be practiced by anyone once you use the right ingredients and equipment. here below are 2 pictures. you can also by a plastic syringe to produce identical gelatin noodles also.

Basic Formula: Noodles
Equipment: powdered, unflavored gelatine

Mix 6.5g of gelatine with 250g liquid (stock works well, especially if flavored with herbs or spices). Bring solution to a boil and pour over a lipped sheet pan to the desired noodle thickness. Allow to gel, then cut into noodle shapes. Serve as you will. this can be used on any such food as a lovely garnish, its great with sushi if you use a fish stock, or it can be amazing as a desert with some vanilla and chocolate.

Foam is a great and easy sauce like liquid that can enhance the flavour of your primary dish, without a sauce going all over your lovely desert or starter you can create a simple foam to supplement your dish. Ive learned from my recent research on this ive found that
 you can do it at home without the need for nitrous canisters or special equipment. The real secret is powdered soy lecithin, which allows you to create airy bubbles out of fat and water that won’t normally blend together. All you need is the powder and a handheld mixer. or a small cappacino froth maker. here below is a simple basic foam recipe that will not fail to satisfy, below are a couple of pictures to give you an idea

Basic Formula: Chicken stock foam
Equipment: Lecithin powder this can be bought over the internet at very little cost, immersion blender.


Add 1.3 g of lecithin to 250g of stock. Use insertion blender until aerated foam appears on surface. Let foam set briefly, then scoop off and use. Experiment with other liquids, from the poaching liquid used for fish to de-bubbled root beer mixed with parmesan cheese.  

I hope these simplified explanations on the basic aspects of monecular gastyronomy have being helpful for you, i intend to post more advanced areas on this in the future, so now im off to try out my new set :) Enjoy!

The Importance Of Garnishing food

I am doing this blog about garnishing dishes, because its hugely important in the culinary area. to cook like a professional chef people need to understand the importance of food presentation. Nothing completes a delicious meal, without appropriate garnish choices.

Garnishes used throughout a meal to add impact impact to food choices. Garnishes might seem like decoration tossed on the side of a plate as an afterthought, but they play a significant role in the diner's experience of food. Usually consisting of an edible component, garnishes brighten the plate, give a clue to the flavor of the meal, complement the taste of the dish or fill empty space on the plate. Garnishes can take many forms depending on the food they are decorating. Herbs, berries, chopped fruit, sauces or vegetable bits are possible garnishes for foods.

The initial attraction of food comes from visual appeal because we experience food with our eyes before tasting it. Imagine something as simple as a piece of pan fried cod and a portion of white boiled rice would look on a plate without a sprig of parsley or lemon wedge, even the simplest garnishes will make a dish appear more appetizing than the same food without garnishing.Garnishing the plate not only increases aesthetic appeal, but can enhance the flavor of some dishes, for example a piece of caramelized parsnip added to parsnip soup can add meatiness to the dish and can largely enhance it flavor, a sprig of mint can be added to deserts, because it lightly infuses into the dish and can add a refreshing flavor. 

Some plates can look very bare even after the food has being put together. garnishes can fill in the empty spaces and make the dish look less bare and more elegant or more presentable to the consumer and it looks more generous. for instance if you serve a creme brulee on its own in the centre of the plate it appears to be meager. But decorating it with a sugar spiral and swirls of rasberry t it makes the dish look more generous.Though the amount of food does not change, the perception of it does just by adding a garnish.

Some dishes are not readily identifiable just by looking at the food. For instance, it can be difficult to determine if you have a bowl of savory soup of pureed carrots or a sweet dessert soup of pumpkin just by appearance. Both dishes are deep orange in color and thick in texture. Adding a carrot curl on top of carrot soup or a sprinkling of brown sugar and a swirl of cream on a sweet pumpkin soup can help the diner identify what he is about to enjoy. Below is an example of a garnishing techniques employed by myself in college earlier this semester.






Three Rules For Garnishing a Plate

• Garnishes should always be functional. If you can't eat it, it doesn't belong on the plate.There are a few exceptions like skewers and specialty utensils, but these exceptions are few and far between
• .Garnishes should always enhance the primary ingredient. If the garnish doesn't enhance the flavor of your primary ingredient then it doesn't belong on the plate.
• Garnishes should always add contrasting colors, textures and overall interest. If too many components on a single plate share the same color tone, then your plate will look flat. Try to use garnishes with contrasting colors and textures that don't break the first two rules.