Molecular Gastronomy: Chocolate Pasta

Chocolate Pasta

Molecular gastronomy is defined as the combination of science with the art of cooking (Splice.com). The science aspect of gastronomy is easily overlooked and at times difficult to master because it can be as simple as smoking a steak and jellifying solid foods for the purpose of presentation or as complex as truly understanding the chemical reactions that are occuring. A world renowned chef and physicist named Herve This distinguishes between molecular cooking and molecular gastronomy. This distinction is made clear in an interview where he states “Molecular cooking [is] a culinary trend using ‘new’ tools, ingredients, and methods. Molecular gastronomy is science and science only” (world-gourmet-society.com). A few examples

Spherification is an art form discovered by Ferran Adria at El Bulli, which is a culinary process of shaping a liquid into spheres by adding calcium gluconate. Jellification entails controlling the shape of food by adding gelatin. Dehydration is the chemical process of extracting water from two compounds (Thoughtco.com). In order to utilize molecular gastronomy in the kitchen, any chef requires a basic knowledge of chemistry for tasks such as cutting and temperature monitoring. Chefs may use chemistry for presentation or flavoring purposes. Flavoring and presentation are crucial for a pleasant dining experience and therefore creating a new and innovative sensory experience is a necessity. The use of Chemistry with respect to presentation helps shape the food in a more appealing and presentable artistic fashion. Therefore, all chefs somewhat knowingly or unknowingly use molecular gastronomy in various areas of their

Agar as the plant based replacement to gelatin. Although agar agar can be used for culinary purposes, there are specific types that chefs will want to keep out of their food. For instance, there is one particular type which is generally used in petri dishes in science labs due to the fact that it is not a protein or easily digestible by bacteria. Soy lecithin is a food additive. Examples include pop tarts, jolly rancher chews, most kind bars that have dark chocolate, and icecream which without soy lecithin wouldn’t be nearly as