Molecular Gastronomy aka The Science of Cooking
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What is molecular gastronomy after all?
Harold McGee defines molecular gastronomy as "The scientific study of deliciousness".
The term "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" was coined in 1992 by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé This. It became the title for a set of workshops held in Erice, Italy (originally titled "Science and Gastronomy") that brought together scientists and professional cooks for discussions on the science behind traditional cooking preparations. Eventually, the shortened term "Molecular Gastronomy" also became the name of the scientific discipline co-created by Kurti and This to be based on exploring the science behind traditional cooking methods.
Kurti and This had been the co-directors of the "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" meetings in Erice, along with the American food science writer Harold McGee,[5] and had considered the creation of a formal discipline around the subjects discussed in the meetings. After Kurti's death in 1998, the name of the Erice workshops was also changed by This to "The International Workshop on Molecular Gastronomy 'N. Kurti'". This remained the sole director of the subsequent workshops from 1999 through 2004 and continues his research in the field of Molecular Gastronomy today.
Molecular gastronomy is a discipline practiced by both scientists and food professionals that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. It is also the use of such studied processes in many professional kitchens and labs. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general.
There are many branches of food science, all of which study different aspects of food such as safety, microbiology, preservation, chemistry, engineering, physics and the like. Until the advent of molecular gastronomy, there was no formal scientific discipline dedicated to studying the processes in regular cooking as done in the home or in a restaurant. The aforementioned have mostly been concerned with industrial food production and while the disciplines may overlap with each other to varying degrees, they are considered separate areas of investigation.
Though many disparate examples of the scientific investigation of cooking exist throughout history, the creation of the discipline of molecular gastronomy was intended to bring together what had previously been fragmented and isolated investigation into the chemical and physical processes of cooking into an organized discipline within food science to address what the other disciplines within food science either do not cover, or cover in a manner intended for scientists rather than cooks. These mere investigations into the scientific process of cooking have unintentionally evolved into a revolutionary epicurean practice that is now prominent in today's culinary world.
The objectives of molecular gastronomy, as defined by Hervé This are:
Current objectives:
Looking for the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes (from a chemical and physical point of view) in three areas:
1)the social phenomena linked to culinary activity
2)the artistic component of culinary activity
3)the technical component of culinary activity
Original objectives:
The original fundamental objectives of molecular gastronomy were defined by This in his doctoral dissertation as:
1)Investigating culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings, and old wives' tales
2)Exploring existing recipes
3)Introducing new tools, ingredients and methods into the kitchen
4)Inventing new dishes
5)Using molecular gastronomy to help the general public understand the contribution of science to society
However, This later recognized points 3, 4 and 5 as being not entirely scientific endeavors (more application of technology and educational), and has since revised the primary objectives of molecular gastronomy
Harold McGee defines molecular gastronomy as "The scientific study of deliciousness".
The term "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" was coined in 1992 by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French physical chemist Hervé This. It became the title for a set of workshops held in Erice, Italy (originally titled "Science and Gastronomy") that brought together scientists and professional cooks for discussions on the science behind traditional cooking preparations. Eventually, the shortened term "Molecular Gastronomy" also became the name of the scientific discipline co-created by Kurti and This to be based on exploring the science behind traditional cooking methods.
Kurti and This had been the co-directors of the "Molecular and Physical Gastronomy" meetings in Erice, along with the American food science writer Harold McGee,[5] and had considered the creation of a formal discipline around the subjects discussed in the meetings. After Kurti's death in 1998, the name of the Erice workshops was also changed by This to "The International Workshop on Molecular Gastronomy 'N. Kurti'". This remained the sole director of the subsequent workshops from 1999 through 2004 and continues his research in the field of Molecular Gastronomy today.
Molecular gastronomy is a discipline practiced by both scientists and food professionals that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. It is also the use of such studied processes in many professional kitchens and labs. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general.
There are many branches of food science, all of which study different aspects of food such as safety, microbiology, preservation, chemistry, engineering, physics and the like. Until the advent of molecular gastronomy, there was no formal scientific discipline dedicated to studying the processes in regular cooking as done in the home or in a restaurant. The aforementioned have mostly been concerned with industrial food production and while the disciplines may overlap with each other to varying degrees, they are considered separate areas of investigation.
Though many disparate examples of the scientific investigation of cooking exist throughout history, the creation of the discipline of molecular gastronomy was intended to bring together what had previously been fragmented and isolated investigation into the chemical and physical processes of cooking into an organized discipline within food science to address what the other disciplines within food science either do not cover, or cover in a manner intended for scientists rather than cooks. These mere investigations into the scientific process of cooking have unintentionally evolved into a revolutionary epicurean practice that is now prominent in today's culinary world.
The objectives of molecular gastronomy, as defined by Hervé This are:
Current objectives:
Looking for the mechanisms of culinary transformations and processes (from a chemical and physical point of view) in three areas:
1)the social phenomena linked to culinary activity
2)the artistic component of culinary activity
3)the technical component of culinary activity
Original objectives:
The original fundamental objectives of molecular gastronomy were defined by This in his doctoral dissertation as:
1)Investigating culinary and gastronomical proverbs, sayings, and old wives' tales
2)Exploring existing recipes
3)Introducing new tools, ingredients and methods into the kitchen
4)Inventing new dishes
5)Using molecular gastronomy to help the general public understand the contribution of science to society
However, This later recognized points 3, 4 and 5 as being not entirely scientific endeavors (more application of technology and educational), and has since revised the primary objectives of molecular gastronomy
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Classy wrote...
"The scientific study of deliciousness".probably the best kind of scientific enquiry...
Wow - this sounds quite interesting. I had to google some of the words though...
Its quite amazing that there are areas of science in areas which you would normally not associate at all with it.
(like laying bricks - there is a lot of maths involoved with that, and science too O.o)
So now that I feel a bit smarter when cooking, what is your interest in molecular gastronomy?
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it almost looks like you copied and pasted from an info-site lol w/e dun care
can you even go to colege for this? if so is it like a culinary arts school or what?
can you even go to colege for this? if so is it like a culinary arts school or what?
