A Review of Modernist Cuisine - Volume 2

[Anonymous Modernist 301]

Continued from Book Review #1:

 

“Honey, there is the huge box and It weighs a ton; I dragged it into the garage,” my wife tracked me down while I was on the rental return bus to the air terminal. “What is it?”

 

“I don’t know,” I lied‚ “could be anything.”

 

“You have no idea what you ordered that is that big and heavy and takes up half the garage [exaggeration]?”

 

I heard paper crumbling as she whipped out her Spanish inquisition checklist of questions.  “Gee honey, almost to the security checkpoint. Got to go, see you tonight, late”. I listened for her final protest and then pressed end.

 

On to the Book: Chapter 7 is positively the best set of explanations and pictures on the various methods of cooking. Starting with grilling and ultimately ending with smoking, consider this chapter like a walking tour of your favorite art museum, complete with awesome cut-away pictures and narratives from the artists themselves. There is even a touch of math in these pages where the authors show you how to calculate the sweet spot of your grill and broiler.

 

Check out the Girardet Method (page 24-25); this yummy method of fish preparation is very tasty and oh so easy.  In Power to Burn, page 52, I decided that real wok cooking was not a great idea for my kitchen; I couldn't sneak the hood and sprinkler system past my wife.  I never really understood why my wok dishes didn’t turn out authentic until I read the chapter on stir frying.

 

And, though I have watched things boil hundreds of times, I must confess, I never understood “The Birth of the Bubble,” see page 65.

 

In pan frying, we learn that “the thickness of the pan matters more than the material.” Bad news for consumer premium pan suppliers - buy copper only for the looks, you can get performance in many other ways. Also, match your flame with pan and you’ll get better efficiency. Most of us know these things, but it is very interesting to have them laid out, all of it in photographic glory.

 

With a tour through frying and smoking, your tour is complete - fourteen cooking methods surveyed in all.

 

Chapter 8 is about cooking with moist air, for example a combi oven. Though I appreciate the distinction of combining temperature and humidity, this information is useful for the professional chef and is not within reach for but the very few home chefs with infinite budget and room.

 

Moving on to microwaves, there two things that I absolutely didn’t expect to learn from this sophisticated text: how to do irresponsible things in a microwave (like plasma grapes), and how to measure the speed of light with a microwave and a cheese slice. If James Maxwell (1805) had only had Velveeta and space-saver microwave, just imagine the possibilities!

 

I was eager to finally reach Chapter 9: Cooking Sous Vide. First the defining feature: “…[it is] the fine control of heat that modern timing and temperature-control technology enable.” The sealing and the water bath are all a means to this end. “Cooking sous vide is simple because it eliminates guesswork.” The chapter offers five steps: prepare, package, set temperature, cook, and finish. The chapter also delves in to details of types of sealers and water baths.

 

Don’t miss the “Why Cold-Shocking Doesn’t Halt Cooking” on page 254.This chapter provides a complete overview of the processes involved. Each popular method of sealing is presented and contrasted along with strategies for chilling and reheating.

 

The coup de grace is a Rosetta stone of sous vide cooking times and temperatures found on page 276-279. The remainder of the volume is a whirlwind tour through techniques to enhance flavor, clarify liquids, dry, and freeze. Unfortunately some (a lot) of the equipment is well outside of the budget of the home chef.  But one thing that is very helpful is that the authors go to great pains to identify multiple techniques that can be accomplished in the home kitchen.

 

What do a mouse and a mine shaft have to do with making the best stocks? Well you’ll have to read about it on page 288, and when you do, you’ll change the way you make stock forever.  Even the method of preparation is different than what I had expected: see 296-297 for a tidy summary. I won’t recount but do not miss a page.

 

Now, on to finish my story: “It’s a chamber vacuum sealer.” I proudly removed all of the packing flakes that clung to its stainless steel casing, “Ta daa.” It’s not just a sealer; it is a VacMaster VP215, oil pump powered, commercial Vacuum Packing System tipping the scales at 96 pounds. “It’s for Sous Vide cooking.”

 

“That isn’t staying on my counter,” she proclaimed.

 

“Oh nooo, I‚’ll be putting it downstairs,” as I measured how I might fit it into the pantry (not downstairs).  Turns out a quick trip to The Container Store and you can buy a rolling table that fits its dimensions very nicely with storage drawers for the bags and other assorted utensils.  “Let me just leave it here in the pantry, I have to get someone to help me bring it downstairs, it’s way too heavy for me.”

 

“Un huh,” she sensing the insincerity that I was radiating on the subject.  “Maybe in one of those books,” she pointed at the offending Modernist Cuisine collection‚ “there will be a tip on how to move that thing out my kitchen.”

 

I chuckled,  “Not in book 2.”

[Ted Blockley]

That's terrific! The essence of the conflict on all levels.

"I remember Agar from biology, why is it in our Kitchen?"

"No dear, i'm not buying meat glue (yet)."

I look forward to more.