Molecular Gastronomy Newsflash!

My fascination with molecular gastronomy was a major impetus for the creation of this blog, and I am currently engaged in the research phase of a paper that will explore the role this field has had in shaping the public’s relationship to science. This continues to be a remarkably relevant matter, as evidenced by a fascinating article in the science section of yesterday’s New York Times. The article profiles Microsoft’s former chief technolofy officer (and master French chef) Nathan Myhrvold in his latest endeavor. Dr. Myhrvold has created a molecular gastronomy wonderland, a kitchen laboratory equipped with distillation apparatuses, autoclaves, hydraulic presses, and even the ex-food research manager at the Fat Duck – Heston Blumenthal’s world-renowned restaurant in Bray, England. Out of discoveries from this lab, which very nearly replicates my vision of heaven on earth, Myhrvold hopes to author the “authoritative reference for chefs wishing to employ so-called molecular gastronomy — adapting food industry technologies to restaurant cooking.” The book is headed toward 1,500 pages, and doesn’t sound like something most people would pack for a trip to the beach, but this will represent a departure from the only molecular gastronomy-esque instructional books thus far available in English, which are all written from a chef’s perspective (including The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, Under Pressure, Alinea, A Day at El Bulli). Myhrvold’s plans are incredibly exciting, as this type of work is still relatively rare in the United States, and reflect the growing importance of molecular gastronomy as a serious enterprise in this country.