Tricks And Techniques From The Mad Modernist Scientists?

14 years ago

Here is an interesting article from the NYT about adopting some modernist cooking techniques to a standard kitchen. Well worth a read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/dining/modernist-cuisine-adapted-to-home-entertaining.html?ref=dining

The steak was frozen for an hour, flat on a sheet pan, then seared on one side at highest possible temp on the burners, then roasted at 200F.

This reminds me of something I do when stir frying meat. I marinate the pieces of chicken or whatever, refrigerate for hours, and then bring the cold meat, excess marinade shaken off, into the wok. My theory is the cold interior resists overcooking while the exterior browns. Maybe I will try an hour's freezing next time.

Any other interesting tricks and techniques that can be done at home without liquid nitrogen, a centrifuge, particle accelerator, zero-gravity chamber, antimatter, or magnetic plasma bottle?

Here is a link that might be useful: Link To NYT Article

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Comments (8)

bbstx
14 years ago
I am going to try that method of cooking steaks! So often I find I've forgotten to get them out of the freezer.

John, the article and the slideshow both mention hyper-aeration of the Barolo wine, but there is no further explanation. Do you know anything more about why it is done? What are the results? How long do you whirl it in the blender? I am intrigued!
jakkom
14 years ago
Hyper-aeration is just using a machine to accelerate what decanting a wine manually would do. Air releases the harsher top notes and roughly (very roughly) simulates aging.

It's like opening the cork and letting the wine breathe - but letting it breathe for a week instead of an hour.
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bbstx
14 years ago
I think I'll give it a try next time I open a bottle of red! I wonder if it will get foamy?
pkramer60
14 years ago
Bbstx, you need one of these, a wine aerator. I bought mine at Costco and it works very nicely.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vinturi
bbstx
14 years ago
Thanks, pkramer. I have a lovely aerator decanter, but I'm going for HYPER-aeration! That's the Modernist way! LOL
Lars
14 years ago
I cook previously frozen Ahi tuna in a manner somewhat similar to his fake sous vide salmon: I marinate the tuna steaks in a mixture of soy sauce, black vinegar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, lemon juice, and powdered wasabi. I use enough powdered wasabi that I do not need to add hot chilies, and if I had fresh wasabi, I will use that instead. I first put the tuna out for half an hour to come to room temp, and then I marinate it in a ziplock freezer at room temp for another half an hour. Then I just sear each side in a wide-ridged grill pan for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes (depending on thickness). If I had not let the tuna get to room temp, the inside would be cold, and if I cooked it longer, it would be overdone.

I put the reserved marinade in a glass cream pitcher with as much water plus a bit of cornstarch and microwave this mixture until it has thickened. The last time I made this marinade, I made about two cups of it so that I would have leftover marinade for future use. I use it about once a week.

The reason that I use a marinade on previously frozen tuna is that it has less flavor than fresh tuna, but the wasabi and ginger more than make up for that. This is also about the only valid use I have found for powdered wasabi.

Lars
John Liu
Original Author
14 years ago
I am unwilling to put a >$30 bottle into the blender, and am unsure that it is worth doing on a Thanks for the suggestion about frozen tuna. I get those from Trader Joes but have not found a way to make them anything but healthy fish-like cardboard. The marinade process sounds good.
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
14 years ago
Cooking steak "Low & Slow" is simple to understand why it gives you perfect steak.

Beef overcooks above 130 F (or lower, depending on your preference). Any temperature above 212 F is overcooking, killing the steak, unless you are making stew. The lower the temperature, the less likely it is for anything to go wrong. I regularly quick freeze the steak before I give it the nice crust. This will prevent the meat from going high temperature.

What are amazing about the practitioners of Modernist cuisine/Scientists, many of them are such extraordinary food designers/platters. There are so many of them who are artists and sculptors.

dcarch

Tricks And Techniques From The Mad Modernist Scientists?

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Tricks And Techniques From The Mad Modernist Scientists?

Comments (8)

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