Modernist Cuisine Defined

A new set of cookbooks has come out and they ar e not your mother's Fannie Farmer or Betty Crocker ones. It doesn't even come into the same catagory as Chef Escoffier's.It's Modernist Cooking, which breaks cooking down to exact science . The methods used are for science but not for cooking.It's wild .wacky and informative.

It was the main subject of yesterday's New York Times Dining section. The piece , written by Michael Ruhlman, is about a huge compendium of recipes (1,500 in all) and has the mark of modernist cuisine chefs, the American Grant Achatz, Britain's Heston Blumenthal and Spain's famed Ferran Adria who created foamed food. This is not for the average foodie who occassionally likes to experiment in his or her kitchen. This is for the serious restaurant chef and food geek who is interested in the scientific side of cooking. It's also for those who like to experiment with new cooking techniques.

I don't know if I would recommend these volumes . It does sound like a great however it's geared for the professional. The appliances needed range from a simple pressue cooker for cooking chicken to a rotary evaporator which costs a grand. The books themselves go for $625 .There are five books in all , with them dealing with an overview of food history the chemical processes of cooking, along with the science of cooking meats and vegetables and , adding thickeners and foams. The fifth voulme has all the recipes and again they are elaborate and require not so ordinary appliances.

Is this series worth it? Yes, if you are a very serious foodie, wanting to reconstruct Mr. Ferran's foams. I would rather see professional chefs buy this and experiment in their kitchens. It would add to their restaurants. Just remember , however, some of the world's best dishes are cooked simply in a plain oven or over a burner.