Archive for February, 2009
Chemist, Biologist, Architect, Historian
Posted on February 9, 2009, under Uncategorized.
Michael Laiskonis, executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin, writes eloquently about the many dimensions of being a chef:
It seems we wear many hats as chefs; we’re chemists and biologists, we’re architects and historians. And there’s the art/craft aspect, too. I am (or at least used to be) a huge film buff, and one alternate dream career for me would involve directing. It hit me the other day how there’s a parallel between making a film and the running of a restaurant: the creation of and immersion into a mood, an atmosphere, a narrative arc. And it’s all a game of chance, as no matter how much of what we do is for ourselves as cooks, we’re really trying to anticipate what will make a lot of different people happy. Our clients come to the restaurant for much more than mere sustenance; perhaps we sometimes wear the hat of psychologist, too.
Cheese “Snow” Using Liquid Nitrogen
Here’s a cool video of Alex Talbot of Ideas In Food using liquid nitrogen to quickly freeze cheese, which is then powdered in a blender. The video is taken from a November dinner at A Razor, A Shiny Knife, Michael Cirino’s Brooklyn-based supper club.
Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen from Mike on Vimeo.
UPDATE: Cathy Erway has a photo gallery of the entire dinner, entitled “A New Palate”, available on flickr.
Alex and his wife Aki Kamozawa are doing a hands-on workshop on “cold cooking” with liquid nitrogen on March 16th, through the Astor Center here in NYC. Sounds like fun!
This class will explore different techniques using liquid nitrogen covering basics on safety and handling and culinary techniques in order to bring cold cooking into your kitchen as a useful and efficient tool as well as an ingredient of refinement.
Test Your Tongue! The Science of Taste
Just bought my ticket for next week’s event at The New York Academy of Sciences on the science of taste.
The fourth event in the Science of the Five Senses Series, a 5-part series of live events designed to convey to scientists and nonscientists alike the state-of-the-art scientific knowledge about how humans perceive our environment, through presentations that integrate science and art.
At this event, a leading expert in taste and a popular food writer look at our understanding of the science of taste and the chemical underpinnings of flavors and foods. Learn about your own tastebuds by sampling miracle fruit, artichokes, fruit strips, and more!
Linda Bartoshuk, PhD is an internationally known researcher in the chemical senses of taste and smell and Director of Human Research at the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste. She joined the University of Florida faculty as a visiting professor in the College of Public Health and Health Professions in 2005 from Yale University. She is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Her research explores the genetic variations in taste perception and how taste perception affects overall health.
Harold McGee is a New York Times columnist and food science guru whose books include On Food & Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen; The Curious Cook: More Kitchen Science and Lore. He started out studying physics and astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, and then English literature at Yale University. In 1984 he published On Food and Cooking. Twenty years later, the revised and enlarged edition was named best food reference of 2004 by the IACP and the James Beard Foundation. In 2005, Bon Appétit magazine named McGee food writer of the year. In 2008, Time Magazine named him to its annual list of the world’s most influential people. He writes a monthly column, “The Curious Cook,” for The New York Times.
Full information and registration details here. Looks like we’ll be tasting miracle fruit courtesy of the Miracle Fruit Man!
A Meal In Venice
Photo by musical photo man
While I usually focus here at Tasty Molecules on the science, technique, and ingredients behind modern food, the whole context of a meal, and who it is shared with, are every bit as important to our enjoyment of food. In that spirit, I invite you to read this answer to the question “what was the best meal you have ever had?” — an account of a memorable meal eaten in Venice some three decades ago.
Thanksgiving with Grant Achatz
Serious Eats points us towards these two videos of Grant Achatz preparing a Thanksgiving meal in the kitchen of Nick Kokonas, Alinea‘s managing partner.
Cooking Sous-Vide Turkey
Cooking Sous-Vide Stuffing and Deconstructed Pumpkin Pie
Grant’s version of pumpkin pie is a cube of pumpkin puree gel impaled on a cinnamon stick, battered and deep fried, then the cinnamon stick “handle” is set smoldering with a kitchen torch.