A la carte chemicals

摘要

Spherification, liquid nitrogen, foams and airs. In 1988 we were introduced to molecular gastronomy - a smorgasbord of science-based techniques that transformed cuisine into theatre. Molecular gastronomy now feels almost as cliched as the stodgy classical cooking it sought to challenge. So it is interesting to see the chef-cum-chemist behind the idea, Herve This, promoting a kitchen innovation called note-by-note cooking. The basic concept is to build foods from the bottom up using basic chemical compounds, many of which can be synthesised in a lab, to recreate familiar flavours and textures or invent new ones (see page 10). Potato meringue, anyone?