Garde Manger Mad Science

Of all the things that I have learned already this semester, Molecular Gastronomy is by far the most interesting.  It is the mad scientist version of the culinary world.  It pushes the boundary of what is commonplace and uses the most innovative method of cooking at the forefront of cuisine.  What started as a desire to apply scientific methods to the common cooking experience, ended in the development of new and cutting edge cooking techniques?  Whether one is making some desert foam that is to be dipped in liquid nitrogen, or a pseudo- caviar out of some sort of fruit juice, this type of cuisine isn’t for everyone, from a cooks perspective…  The better the cooks knowledge of the scientific processes that are happening, the better the chances of success.  Most culinary students would be able to use agar-agar to congeal a tomato reduction into a solid noodle form.  However, I doubt that the average culinary student would   be able to operate a rotary distiller to extract the essence of a chili pepper.  Beyond that, if you understand the nature of what you are trying to do, you should most likely succeed.  This method takes what we know scientifically and pushes as far as it can.  Conferences for molecular gastronomy have included acts such as cooking a sausage by bridging it across a battery pack and whipping a meringue within the confines of a vacuum.  The discipline that was supposed to tell us something knowledgeable about cooking and its methods has proven to develop methods, in and of themselves, which each have their own science.  The cooks seek to know something about their food and the future of cuisine is born.   If the culinary community continues to be curious, who can imagine what method will arise next, and what effects it may bring.