My Science School

Molecular gastronomy is a style of cooking in which chefs use scientific principles and technology to enhance the flavours and alter the textures of food. The term 'molecular gastronomy' was coined by Hungarian physicist Nicholas Kurti and French chemist Herve This in the 1980s. This genre of cooking involves specially trained chefs.

One of the well-known techniques is spherification. It is the process of shaping a liquid such as fruit juice into spheres. The liquid is first mixed with sodium alginate, a chemical. This mixture is then dripped, drop by drop, into a bowl of a cold solution of calcium chloride. Each drop turns into a small ball, called a ‘caviar’. When popped in the mouth, these fruit 'caviars' melt, delivering an intense taste.

Using liquid nitrogen to freeze dishes instantly is another technique. Liquid nitrogen has a temperature of -196°C (321°F). So when ice cream is made using this, it freezes very quickly. This reduces the formation of ice crystals, resulting in a creamier ice cream.

Special types of foams can also be created. Traditionally, foams are made with a whisk or an espresso machine (to make coffee froth). But in molecular gastronomy, the substance to be foamed is usually mixed with a stabiliser such as lecithin and then squeezed out through a whipped cream canister fitted with a nitrogen oxide capsule. With this technique, chefs can make truffle foam and top a meat dish with it or make pickle foam to top, well, even rice!

Bite size

Molecular gastronomy a scientific discipline that focusses on the physical and chemical transformations that occur during cooking.

Spotlight on egg

Molecular gastronomy kicked off renewed interest in eggs. It looked at how different cooking temperatures, altered viscosity or even introduction of air can enhance the taste and nutritive value of eggs.

Lab or a kitchen?

Here's a peek into what they use:

Carbon dioxide: For creating bubbles, foams.

Syringe: To fill food with unexpected flavours and fillings.

Maltodextrin: To convert high-fat liquids into a powder.

Liquid nitrogen: To freeze in a flash! Create a shattering effect on food.

Techniques used

Some of the common techniques used are emulsification, smoking, spherification, deconstruction, gelification, meat gluing, flash freezing and creating edible paper.

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Have you ever wondered how the food that lands up on your plate is made? No, we are not talking about the journey of rice or other materials from the time they are sowed in fields till the time they are cooked into food. Instead, we are talking about how food is prepared in the kitchen, either by those cooking at home, or the chefs who prepare the food in hotels.

Culinary math is here

Culinary math is an emerging field that combines kitchen science with mathematics. At the heart of this subject is the understanding that appealing meals aren’t made by just combining ingredients in a haphazard manner. A great cook, in fact, has a lot in common with a scientist and a mathematician.

This is because what is made to look carefree and spontaneous in cookery shows is actually the result of years of hard work and practice. Cooking routines include simple to complex mathematical calculations. From counting portions to increasing the yield when required, there are numbers at play during various stages of the meal.

Computation and geometry

While addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and fractions are involved while computing and working with the ingredients, ratios, percentages, and yields come into the picture when deciding the total amount of a food to be cooked, and then distributing them to people.

When working with spherical roti doughs and cubic paneer portions, a cook is knowingly or unknowingly dabbling with geometry. And by being familiar with units and abbreviations of measurements, and fluently converting them from one system to another, the person who is cooking is also able to borrow from cuisines from abroad.

A number of courses in culinary math has started to develop around the world, targeting students who aim to become chefs in high-end hotels. For, even though it might seem as if a famous chef is just sprinkling a bit of this, grabbing a pinch of that, and garnishing with a little bit of something else, there is a lot of maths applied to it, knowing which makes it easier.

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You wake up one morning. Your mother asks, “What would you like for breakfast -crisps, chips, ice cream, sweets, or lemonade?”

You think to yourself, “Am I dreaming?” Yes, you are.

Your parents try to limit how much junk food you eat for a reason. Too much junk food is not good for your body.

Junk foods are called “junk” because they contain a lot of substances your body does not need. Some contain a lot of sugar. Others have a lot of fat-far more than your body needs.

But many people eat a whole lot of junk food. And if all you ate was junk food, you would soon be very unhealthy. You would not get enough of the things your body needs, such as protein, vitamins, and fibre. And you would have too much of the things you need only a little of, such as sugar, salt, and fat.

It would not hurt your body if you never ate any junk foods. They are fun to eat, though. Happily, a little junk food now and then will not hurt you.

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FARM CROPS

All our plant foods are grown on farms of some kind – from the huge wheat and maize fields of North America, to the banana plantations and coconut groves of the tropics. The crops we harvest today are descended from plants that once grew wild, but which have been bred to give high yields of juicy fruit, edible seeds, or rich vegetable oils.

• Maize

The “corn” grown in the Americas is actually Maize, a giant grass that grows well in sunny climates. Its big kernels can be cooked and eaten as they are, or ground into flour to make tortillas and corn chips.

• Soya Beans

High in protein and rich in oil, soya beans were once known only in the Far East. Now popular with vegetarians, they are grown in warm climates worldwide.

• Rice

One of the world’s three staple foods – along with maize and wheat – rice is a type of grass that grows in warm climates. It is usually cultivated in flooded “paddy” fields, which cover large areas of the tropics.

• Cocoa

The main ingredient of chocolate, cocoa beans come from the pods of the cocoa tree, grown mainly in West Africa and tropical America. The beans are first left to ferment in the sun, then dried, roasted, and either ground into powder or made into cocoa butter.

• Potatoes

The potato is the tuber (storage root) of a plant related to tomatoes. It was brought to Europe from South America in the 16th century, and since then it has become one of the world’s main foods.

• Wheat

Wheat is the most important grain crop in mild northern climates, where it is cultivated on a vast scale. A member of the grass family, wheat has been bred to have large seeds for grinding into flour.

• Tomatoes

Closely related to potatoes, and introduced from the same region of South America in the late 1500s, the tomato is now grown almost worldwide.

• Tea

The leaves used to make tea come from an evergreen bush that grows in tropical and sub-tropical climates. It is cultivated mainly in China and India, where the leaves are hand-picked and quickly dried. Leaf tea can be used as it is, or in paper tea bags.

• Grapes

One of the oldest cultivated plants, the grape was grown by Ancient Egyptians 6,000 years ago. Planted in permanent vineyards in warm climates, grapes are harvested for winemaking, eating fresh and drying as raisins, sultanas, and currants.

• Sunflowers

The spectacular blooms of sunflowers are made up of hundreds of big seeds. These can be eaten as snacks, but most are processed to produce oil, which is used in cooking. Bees love sunflowers, and turn the nectar into honey.

• Sugar cane

Grown on plantations in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, sugar cane is the thick stalk of a large grass. More than half the world’s sugar comes from sugar cane. It is also made into alcohol used in biofuels (fuels made from renewable organic material, such as plants).

• Bananas

Bananas grow in bunches of up to 200, sprouting from clusters of huge leaves that shoot up from fleshy roots. They are a valuable crop throughout the tropics, and are usually cut while green so they are perfectly yellow and ripe when sold.

• Coffee

Coffee is one of the most valuable crops produced in the tropics. It is made from the seeds of a small tree. Each red berry contains two seeds, or beans, which are dried in the sun before being roasted and ground.

• Coconuts

The big nuts of the coconut palm are an important crop on many Pacific islands. The fibrous husk is used for matting and rope making. The white “meat” of the nuts is used for food, either fresh, desiccated (dried), as creamed coconut, or as coconut oil.

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When the leaves of the plants turn yellow, they are pulled out of the ground. When the plant has matured and the peanuts are ready for harvest, the farmer waits until the soil is not too wet or too dry before digging. When conditions are right, he or she drives a digger up and down the green rows of peanut plants. The digger pulls up the plant, gently shakes off any lingering soil, rotates the plant and lays it back down in a “windrow”—with peanuts up and leaves down.

Peanuts contain 25 to 50 percent moisture when first dug and are dried to 10 percent or less so they can be stored. They are usually left in windrows for two or three days to cure, or dry, before the next step.

After drying in the field, a combine separates the peanuts from the vines, placing the peanuts into a hopper on the top of the machine and depositing the vines back in the field. Peanut vines can be left in the field to nourish the soil or be used as nutritious livestock feed. Freshly combined peanuts are then placed into peanut wagons for further curing with forced warm air circulating through the wagon.

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Peanuts are legumes. They are a pod of seeds that mature underground. They are protein-rich and contain essential amino acids. On the other hand, a nut is a dry, single-seeded hard fruit, which when mature does not naturally split open to release its seed.

Sometimes people outgrow some food allergies over time (like milk, egg, soy, and wheat allergies), but peanut and tree nut allergies are lifelong in many people.

When someone has a nut allergy, the body's immune system, which normally fights infections, overreacts to proteins in the nut. If the person eats something that contains the nut, the body thinks these proteins are harmful invaders and responds by working very hard to fight off the invader. This causes an allergic reaction.

Even a small amount of peanut or tree nut protein can set off a reaction. But allergic reactions from breathing in small particles of nuts or peanuts are rare. That's because the food usually needs to be eaten to cause a reaction. Most foods with peanuts in them don't allow enough of the protein to escape into the air to cause a reaction. And just the smell of foods containing peanuts won't cause one because the scent doesn't contain the protein.

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For the overall growth and development of children, it is important to give them a healthy, balanced diet. The food they eat not only contributes to their physical growth, but also towards the development of their brain. It helps make the mind sharp and boost memory power. In fact, the brain is an energy-hungry organ that absorbs nutrients from the food they eat. What you feed children in their initial years may help improve their brain function, memory and concentration. Unhealthy food can impair memory and learning. So, here we list some memory-boosting foods.

Berries: Colourful berries such as strawberries and blueberries are a rich source of antioxidants, which are associated with improving cognitive performance, learning capacity and memory.

Nuts and seeds: Packed with protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, nuts and seeds may boost mood and strengthen the nervous system. You can give children peanut butter or sunflower butter. Sunflower seeds are rich in folate, vitamin E and selenium. If children can't cat seeds, use the spread on whole grain crackers or bread. Make pesto combining nuts, olive oil and dark leafy greens and serve it over whole grain pasta.

Eggs: Eggs contain helpful traces of selenium, omega-3 and several other nutrients tied to neurological health. Plus they can be relished at any time of the day as a meal. Kids can have boiled eggs, and omelettes on a regular basis. The egg yolk is packed with choline, which helps memory development. Eat scrambled egg and toast, egg muffin, or just fried egg on top of a toasted English muffin and a slice of low fat cheese.

Beans: Beans are special because they are rich in protein, complex carbs (such as fibre), vitamins and minerals. These are an excellent brain food, as they keep children's energy and thinking level at peak all afternoon if they enjoy them with lunch. Kidney and pinto beans contain more omega-3 fatty acids than other beans. Sprinkle beans over salad, mash them and spread on tortillas or fill pita pockets with beans, shredded lettuce and low fat cheese.

Oatmeal: A healthy, nutritious breakfast option, oats boost brain health and mental performance in growing years. They also contain vitamin E potassium and zinc all good for the brain.

Milk: Milk and milk products are generous sources of protein and vitamin B, which are vital for the growth of brain tissues and neurotransmitters. Cheese sticks are a great snack item, low fat yoghurt are also fun topped with berries, fresh fruits and nuts.

Fish: Fish like salmon, trout, sardines and mackerel are full of essential and omega-3 fatty acids which boost brain development. The more omega-3 the brain gets, the better it will function. Fish can be had either grilled or made into tacos and sandwiches.

Whole grains: Whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat and millets are rich in vitamin B, trace minerals and glucose which the brain needs for proper functioning. Since they are filling, they can give children the energy they need during long study hours.

Veggies: Green leafy veggies like spinach and kale are rich in folate and vitamins which promote growth of new brain cells. They are also high in iron content that helps improve concentration and memory. Some children may not like greens. So, rather than serving as a salad, you may whip spinach and kale into a smoothie for snack time, add spinach to omelette or make kale chips.

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You read it right. It was way back in 1834 that a doctor named John Cooke Bennet added tomatoes to ketchup and claimed that his concoction had medicinal properties that his diseases such as diarrhea, indigestion and rheumatism. Following this, tomato sauce and related products were sold as a form of medication.

We've all eaten ketchup, and know that's clearly all nonsense, but until 1850, people were flocking to ketchup to cure their ills.

The reason this scam eventually ended was because imitators started making their own bootleg ketchup medicine, making even crazier claims, saying it'd cure scurvy and mended bones, and people eventually started calling bullshit.

Tomatoes do carry antioxidants and vitamin C, but don't expect to chug a bottle of ketchup and feel like a million bucks after. 

 

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