Molecular Gastronomy

Exploring the Science of Flavor

By: Herve This

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Paperback | 18 August 2008 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
392 Pages

Age
22+

Dimensions(cm)
20.25 x 15.37 x 2.1

Paperback

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Herve This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent research in the chemistry, physics, and biology of food to challenge traditional ideas about cooking and eating. What he discovers will entertain, instruct, and intrigue cooks, gourmets, and scientists alike.

Molecular Gastronomy, This's first work to appear in English, is filled with practical tips, provocative suggestions, and penetrating insights. This begins by reexamining and debunking a variety of time-honored rules and dictums about cooking and presents new and improved ways of preparing a variety of dishes from quiches and quenelles to steak and hard-boiled eggs. He goes on to discuss the physiology of flavor and explores how the brain perceives tastes, how chewing affects food, and how the tongue reacts to various stimuli. Examining the molecular properties of bread, ham, foie gras, and champagne, the book analyzes what happens as they are baked, cured, cooked, and chilled.

Looking to the future, Herve This imagines new cooking methods and proposes novel dishes. A chocolate mousse without eggs? A flourless chocolate cake baked in the microwave? Molecular Gastronomy explains how to make them. This also shows us how to cook perfect French fries, why a souffle rises and falls, how long to cool champagne, when to season a steak, the right way to cook pasta, how the shape of a wine glass affects the taste of wine, why chocolate turns white, and how salt modifies tastes.

Industry Reviews

"Taking kitchen science to a whole new (molecular) level, Herve This is changing the way France -- and the world -- cooks." -- Gourmet "This has written an interesting and timely combination of our everyday experience with sophisticated science." -- Claudia Kousoulas, Appetite for Books "Mr. This's book will broaden the way you think about food." -- New York Sun "It is a wonderful book... it will appeal to anyone with an interest in the science of cooking." -- O Chef "This's book is for anyone who likes to eat or cook... Highly Recommended." -- Choice "This offers some though-provoking opportunities for play in the kitchen." -- Pagosa Springs Sun "This book, praiseworthy for its scientific rigor, will hold a special appeal for anyone who relishes the debunking of culinary myths." -- Todd Coleman, Saveur "A fresh approach... That will entertain and enlighten anyone interested in the process of cooking and the enjoyment of food." -- Raymond J. Shively, Jr., The Bloomsbury Review "Anyone with an inordinate passion for cooking would love this book." -- Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun "A timely addition... Suitable for both scientists and the lay public." -- Thorvald Pedersen, EMBO Reports "This book is laden with science while rendering a clear approach to flavor." -- Academia "[A] captivating little book." -- Economist

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