How Stuff Works: Molecular Gastronomy

     The inspiration for my ISP came from this article, written by William Harris of the How Stuff Works team. Molecular gastronomy's name alone is rather intimidating, but the tools and knowledge required to perform it are even more surprising. This article breaks molecular gastronomy down in a way similar to how molecular gastronomists break food down.
     Beginning with the history of molecular gastronomy, Harris introduces the reader to Hervé This, who started the field of molecular gastronomy after he failed miserably at a soufflé. Soufflés are notorious for their difficulty, as one is required to follow directions precisely in order to keep the soufflé from being ruined. This was a physical chemist, and naturally his scientific mind wanted to know why he was required to add eggs two at a time, instead of adding them all in at once.
     This found the answer within the molecular structure of food. With his partner, Nicholas Kurti, This created the field of molecular gastronomy. This field has already begun to produce PhDs, and has lead to the creation of many unique foods. 
     Initially, people were unhappy with the molecular gastronomy, thinking that it took the "heart" out of cooking, turning cooking into a boring, scientific field. But I strongly disagree with this point of view. Adding science to cooking has not changed it from an art to a science- it's fused them together, blurring the lines between emotion and logic. This is the greatest feat of molecular gastronomy, because it allows people to put their heart and soul into food while also making it the best it can be.
     The article explains some of the details of molecular gastronomy, and describes some of the tools used while also explaining several techniques of molecular gastronomists. I think the most interesting technique described was "spherification", which creates small, liquid-filled beads out of juice. One combines calcium chloride, water, alginate, and a juice (the article uses olive juice as an example) to create tiny balls of food (liquid olives!) This is a fascinating process which I think I would like to try. It seems the most accessible of the techniques listed, since it requires no fancy, expensive equipment or difficult-to-get chemicals. I liked the example the author used later on, of "apple caviar", where a chef created apple balls which looked similar to caviar. 
     This article got me interested in molecular gastronomy, as it is a new field that is still in the growing process. We can use molecular gastronomy to create fantastic new foods, and pair new flavors. The fact that molecular gastronomy is so new and exciting probably explains my draw to it, as well as my love of both cooking and science.