Food is more scientific than you think!
The big reveal for my Genius Project has finally come. Druuummmmrooollllll.......Modernist Cuisine! It's a relatively up-and-coming area of the cooking world and it seeks to understand cooking as it pertains to science (it is synonymous with "gastronomy"). Since, my passion is science and I am in dire need of cooking lessons (I can only fry eggs, and boil vegetables and pasta...no judgement please), I thought this would be the right way to go for my project.
Since learning Modernist Cuisine is a long path to travel (in order to reach mastery), and can include lots of fancy and expensive equipment, I'll be "watering it down" (pun intended) by learning five different techniques throughout the next five weeks and putting the techniques to the test--meaning I'll be making five different dishes that correlate with the techniques. In addition to that, I will be perfecting my basic cooking skills, such as chopping, sautéing, etc. Ultimately, I'll be measuring my progress by completing a dish a week, recording how long it takes me to make that dish (after all, efficiency = mastery), and testing the dish myself (to determine if I've created a somewhat tasty meal).
The resources I will use include the Modernist Cuisine at Home book--which is a part of the series of Modernist Cuisine books written by Nathan Myhrvold (& co.), who was the COO at Microsoft and a chef himself--, the Modernist Cuisine website, Harvard’s Science and Cooking Lectures, and online videos of modernist chefs performing the techniques I will be learning throughout the five weeks. (Just an FYI: I don't have a concrete timeline right now, but once I get my hands on the Modernist Cuisine at Home book, I will start formulating one.)
I hope that from this experience, I will be able to improve my cooking skills and understand how science plays a role in the cuisine. My end
product will be a dish that I create that will incorporate all the
techniques I have learned over the course of five weeks.
I even got a new 2015 calendar (long overdue for sure) that is kitchen-themed and hanging in my room! Yay!
See y'all in a week.
~A
Brand new calendar for a brand new me...that can finally cook...
Links:
- The Modernist Cuisine website
- The Principles of Modernist Cuisine
- Harvard's Science and Cooking Lectures
- "Modernist Cooking Made Easy"
- For a better understanding of the connection between cooking and science, check out this vid from Nova (PBS)
My Comments:
Pic Source (top of page): http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/03/09/dining/09modernist-span/09modernist-span-articleLarge.jpg
I am so intrigued by this "modernist cuisine"... very interesting indeed. I even watched part of the Nova video on cooking and science you posted. I've never realized how much science there is in cooking! And there is definitely no judgement on this end because I can't cook for my life either. I'm really excited to see your upcoming cooking videos!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteSo....the most important question: will we be able to eat?? Jokes aside, I think this is a really important project. One of my worst fears is that I'll leave home to go to college, and all I'll be able to do for myself is make pasta, order pizza, and tell other people that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. Even beside the scientific part of your project, it's a useful life skill. I'm excited to see what you make!
ReplyDeleteIf you're nice to me, you can eat. ;)
DeleteThis is a really cool topic! My mom is a baker, so I have grown up knowing that food was a science, but I had never heard of this whole style of modernist cuisine before! Are there any restaurants nearby that feature this kind of cooking? I'm looking forward to seeing the dishes you make!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually not sure if there are any restaurants that conduct modernist cuisine. Perhaps a fancy restaurant in NYC?
DeleteThis sounds so exciting! It's quite a unique path to go down, and I'm looking forward to your creations. One question, though: will you be creating each meal multiple times a week, or will you study the process of making it and then make it once at the end of the week? (Oops that was a badly-structured sentence. Oh well.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, your "limited" cooking skills are still better than mine. I can make eggs and ramen. Needless to say, my parents are proud.
I will be studying the modernist technique that is incorporated in the dish and then I will make that dish at the end of the week.
DeleteWow, that sounds really coll! Maybe you'll make me something at the end of the project... If your dishes don't end up as well as you hope, do you plan to try again, or just move on to the next thing? What dishes are you planning on making? Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIf my dishes end up tasting terrible b/c I completely disregarded or messed up a step, I will most definitely be making the dish again. The dishes I'm planning on making will be revealed in my upcoming blog posts.
DeleteCooking, I feel, is always a fun thing to try. I would have done cooking myself if I did not decide to do programming. I hope that you will be able to make some delicious dishes, and most of all, I hope you have a lot of fun!
ReplyDelete