Honest Review: Cookbook Review Molecule-R

Saying the two words ‘molecular gastronomy’ fifteen years ago and those in polite society may have thought you were swearing at them. Much like the first time I heard the words ‘basil pesto’ some 25 + years ago this somewhat foreign concept was quietly taking the culinary world by storm. Not long after its initiation into mainstream culinary fare it seemed that anyone who was anyone was taking fresh basil leaves and processing it into a green paste with pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil.

Now days, its those in polite society that are throwing around the words molecular gastronomy as restaurant chefs around  the world are creating spheres out of oil and clouds out of foam for their adventurously hungry clientele.

Restaurants have opened and closed, spheres have been slurped and swallowed and this culinary faze seems unlikely to slow down much like the common practise of having basil pesto on your portobello mushroom burger.

A book turned up on my doorstep a couple of days ago, dedicated to this culinary discipline. Appropriately named Molecule-R, its not the first book I have on Molecular gastronomy having purchased my first book on scientific cooking by Ferran Adria in 1998. The sheer brilliance of Ferrans book still sits with me, though applying his incredible principals were not as simple as reading a recipe. His book was more designed as a photographic journey rather than a cooking guide with recipes that would have only been achievable to  those that had an up-to-date professional kitchen fully equipped with all the bells and whistles that one might find in a world class restaurant kitchen. Some 15 years later, I am still to create one recipe from this $445  coffee table book.

I approached Molecule- R with some reservations having experienced more than one Ferran style “cookbook” where there were not many recipes in the book that one could simple head  to the kitchen to cook. I prepared myself for a heavy read, and certainly experienced it in the first 70 pages with explanations of gelification, spherification, emulsifications and other transformations.

Skim reading those first 70 pages, I was about to give up thanks to a head full of biochemistry, but a turn of the page to the first gelification recipe and much like turning liquid chocolate into a jelly like spaghetti, I was transformed.

Here is a book, a scientific approach to cooking with many achievable recipes for those first approaching the idea of creating molecular gastronomy at home or in the restaurant. The recipes are not only approachable, but they require no specialised equipment that would require you to take out a second mortgage on the house with equipment so common place as a freezer, a pot and stick blender.

I was very impressed with how the recipes were set out giving you degree of difficulty, recipe timing, and a well shot photo of each for image reference. The first 70 pages also began to make sense as the recipes were set out dependant on the main molecular technique that was needed to complete the dish with cross reference back to the section of the book that the recipe refers to.

With recipe names like edible margarita, fizzy ravioli, and encapsulated pina colada I found myself mentally checking through my pantry to work out whether I had the ingredients on hand to “run into the kitchen” to get my scientific cook.

Within a couple of pages I learnt how easy it is to make a crumb out of an ingredient you never thought would be able to crumb, make a staple foam using a cream siphon, cola and cream and a create an exquisite fig jelly using 3 very simple ingredients.  Of even more importance for this culinary sponge, I learnt why.

To discover why through a well laid out explanation, I found myself referring to the the first 70 pages often to get that “Ohhh is that why that happens” feeling to solidify the recipe in my mind before attempting. The extreme became the obvious and I was taken back to my chemistry school days, if only they were this delicious!

This book is a great guide for the molecular novice, which im sure 99% of the population sits comfortably within with the molecular arts being a discipline practised mainly by professional chefs. This book makes it possible for the home cook, chef,  foodie, food fan, food blogger and food enthusiast to simply create dishes that will blow their guests minds and challenge the palate.

I’m looking forward to heading to the kitchen to cook something super exciting and very clever for my next dinner party.

 Source: www.theinternetchef.biz

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