Terrific scientific

Last December, the man who created snail porridge and headed themolecular gastronomy revolution declared it "dead". Actually, Heston Blumenthal, the British chef whose Fat Duckrestaurant led the way in bringing science back into the kitchen,wasn't hoping to bury the culinary movement, just the term. After all, why read the last rites over the most exciting,cuttingedge concepts to hit our restaurant plates since nouvellecuisine? What's more, the biggest names in the internationalrestaurant business, constantly voted the top in the world, owetheir reputations in part to this scientific approach tocooking. Advertisement: Story continues below We're talking about Ferran Adria from El Bulli in Spain (No. 1on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list compiled by Britain'sRestaurant Magazine), Thomas Keller from The FrenchLaundry in the US (No. 3) and Pierre Gagnaire from Pierre Gagnairein France (No. 4). Blumenthal's Fat Duck restaurant, by the way, isNo. 2. Sydney's Tetsuya Wakuda from Tetsuya's (No. 5) admires theirtechnical achievements, particularly those of his friend, Adria."He understands tradition," Wakuda says, "and he also asks, 'whyare we doing it this way?' He wants to understand the science ofit." This futuristic food is about science and technology. The firstis learning the chemistry of food and flavour so that newcombinations and interpretations can be created. The second isbringing industrial and laboratory tools into the kitchen so thatnew forms of pleasure can be brought to the table. Wakuda has been known to toss together unusual ingredients orreassemble a dish in a surprising way but he doesn't considerhimself a gastroscientist like Adria. "I'm always inspired [by him] but it's not for me," he says.Still, he keeps a close eye on this techno 21stcentury cuisine,sometimes mocked as cooking for Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin) eggheads, as do other highly ranked Sydney chefs. Mark Best at Marque, Peter Gilmore at Quay, Sean Connolly at Astral, Brent Savage at Bentley Restaurant Bar, Daniel Puskasat Oscillate Wildly and Christine Manfield at Universal havesampled the trendsetting techniques of molecular gastronomy. Best uses a thermal circulator to heat water to a precise, lowtemperature and cook food sous vide (in a plastic bag). Connolly has an antigriddle that can freeze sauces and purees so they havea crust on the outside and are creamy inside. Savage usesspherification, a calcium bath that creates a membrane that holds aliquid and explodes when broken. However, like Blumenthal, they are wary of the words. "Molecular makes it sound complicated," Blumenthal told The Observer Food Monthly. "And gastronomy makes it sound elitist." Certainly, but Blumenthal earned his third Michelin rosette while putting white chocolate with caviar on his menu and not longago was on BBC television beating up icecream in a bowl of liquidnitrogen (a trick seen at kids' parties run by the CSIRO). Most innovations begin as complicated ideas that only a fewpeople cotton on to. Then the trickledown effect kicks in. Bestbelieves this modern culinary movement has opened up "an endless world of possibilities". He is less worried about the terminologyand more concerned about the philosophy being bastardised. "Used with restraint, it's a wonderful thing," Best says. "It's not just about putting together unusual combinations ofingredients. To use a different heat source is revolutionary. [Thescience] allows you to do things with texture and temperature offood that was impossible."

Posted in: Rosetta Stone,Rosetta Stone Outlet,rosetta stone software,Rosetta Stone V3