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Molecular gastronomy index or list


OliverB

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I'm looking for some kind of list or index of all the strange ingredients used in "molecular gastronomy", meaning the foams, gels, etc.

It would be nice to have a list of all of these things, best would be a list where each item has a short description of what it does and a link to more detail, maybe with instructions on how to use it.

While I think that these things are a bit overused in some fancy restaurants, they seem fun things to play with at home, make something that looks like one thing tastes like an other etc. Just a little surprise to serve here and there.

I googled and looked here, but am not really sure what to search for also, as this is a new thing to me.

Thanks!

Oliver

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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I'm looking for some kind of list or index of all the strange ingredients used in "molecular gastronomy", meaning the foams, gels, etc.

It would be nice to have a list of all of these things, best would be a list where each item has a short description of what it does and a link to more detail, maybe with instructions on how to use it.

While I think that these things are a bit overused in some fancy restaurants, they seem fun things to play with at home, make something that looks like one thing tastes like an other etc. Just a little surprise to serve here and there.

I googled and looked here, but am not really sure what to search for also, as this is a new thing to me.

Thanks!

Oliver

Here is a start: http://postmodern-pantry.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page (Run by the gang at Alinea)

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somehow my edit to the last post did not work and now it's locked. Anyway, great link but the guys at Alinea are probably busy making up new things, there are lots of things listed but only a few have actual info about how to use them, a recipe or technique. Good start though.

Maybe there's some other site or maybe a book?

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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How about the Khymos recipe collection?

ETA: You might have some trouble finding a comprehensive list of ingredients and techniques, because this stuff is all so new, and so oriented around individual creativity, that very little of it is codified (perhaps apart from a few specific techniques, such as spherification). There is no "Escoffier's complete guide to the art of molecular gastronomy". There are lots of books that have come out in the past year or two that have examples of some avant-garde techniques - Alinea, Fat Duck, Dessert Fourplay are three that come to mind - but they all reflect the creativity of the individual chefs and kitchens that produced them, rather than a comprehensive overview of the techniques in question.

Edited by mkayahara (log)

Matthew Kayahara

Kayahara.ca

@mtkayahara

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I second the Khymos collection... but also check out the texturas el bulli site where they sell lots of ingredients but also show excellent videos on how to use some of them.. I think it's albertandferranadria.com or something like that... do a google search for texturas el bulli then click the link for the videos and recipes... Also, Willpowder (who also sells the ingredients) lists them by function - spherification, gelling, emulsification, etc., and gives a pretty good description of everything they carry...

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I have the Alinea and Fat Duck books, thanks for the khymos link, that looks good! Forgot to check on Willpowder, good idea.

The adria site is http://www.albertyferranadria.com/index.html

Only in spanish so far, but the videos are easy to understand (no spoken words) and all ingredients are named in English too, at least in the video I just watched.

Good stuff, thanks!

Oliver

"And don't forget music - music in the kitchen is an essential ingredient!"

- Thomas Keller

Diablo Kitchen, my food blog

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I'm a chemist by trade....try looking for sites with information about pharmaceutical compounding esp. with formulas b/c much of what they contain can easily be adapted to edible foods. Frequently we compound medications from liquids into solids & semi-solids (for individuals with various disabilities etc)...there are formulae for thickened liquids, gels (in all states of viscosity) etc that might suprise you with their adaptability to the kitchen. Most of the ingredients required to create the vehicle (aside from the drug itself)are things easily obtained by anyone.

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L'epicerie has 5 pages of ingredients under their molecular gastronomy section.

Edited by fooey (log)

Fooey's Flickr Food Fotography

Brünnhilde, so help me, if you don't get out of the oven and empty the dishwasher, you won't be allowed anywhere near the table when we're flambeéing the Cherries Jubilee.

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I'm not sure how relevant Clement's (a la cuisine's) reference still is, DooDad.

The molecular gastronomy pages haven't been updated in almost 5 years, the blog 2+ years.

L'epicerie still recommends it as a resource, so I could be wrong.

I wish he'd come back.

He had awesome food photography.

Edited by fooey (log)

Fooey's Flickr Food Fotography

Brünnhilde, so help me, if you don't get out of the oven and empty the dishwasher, you won't be allowed anywhere near the table when we're flambeéing the Cherries Jubilee.

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  • 2 years later...

Not sure if anyone is still interested in a list of molecular gastronomy ingredients, but I've been working on one for a few weeks and it's now up on my blog here.

Would greatly appreciate any input from the crowd. Tell me I'm an idiot, I'm a glutton for punishment!

(and just kind of a glutton overall, actually...)

I blog about science and cooking: www.sciencefare.org

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