I will do it... for science!

Molecular gastronomy is something of a buzzword these days. Tabasco sauce pearls to annoint clams, fruit and vegetable turned caviar by adding who knows what chemical (okay, so plenty of people do know, and I've heard what it is even if I can't remember).

Ferrera Adria changed the way that some people looked at food, and at cooking. It was revolutionary. It was incredible. It was the next big thing.

Or was it?

Now don't get me wrong, what he does, and much of what so many of his followers do, is very impressive. He, and some of them I'm sure, are charting new territory, breaking new ground.

But it's just not for me.

Call me simple, call me homey, call me whatever you want... but I don't think any of it is really necessary. The food I know, the food I love, is all that it needs to be. A strawberry, picked from a field, is enough to send me into a frenzy of adoration (this is, of course, in the height of strawberry season). Strawberry mousse-foam with CO2 chocolate capsules isn't bad, I'm sure, but it just doesn't hit me the same way.

This is, of course, just one man's rambling opinion. I personally don't feel the need to recreate my food in order to create it.

Along this same vein is a bit of cookery that is (at least relatively) new to the scene. One such implement that I've seen in use is the anti-griddle. Rather than heat, it freezes. It's a very (and I mean very) cold metal plate set on an almost absurdly large piece of machinery (all told, it's roughly the size of a moderate microwave... that is, the one that I came into contact with was).

The idea is that when making something like a lollipop (the only thing I saw it used for), the extreme cold leads to extremely fast freezing which leads to an extremely creamy end result. I've got nothing against a quick, easy, and good way of making a lollipop (or anything, for that matter), but would I buy a multi-thousand dollar piece of equipment for just such a purpose? The practical part of my brain has to consider its uses. As it's flat (with no edges), it is somewhat limited. Those lollipops (or maybe an ice cream pancake, if you're feeling frisky) are all I can come up with off the top of my head (although if you know anyone running an anti-griddle cooking class, I'd be open to more ideas).

The big question is "Can I do the same thing cheaper?". What if I keep a sheet tray in the freezer, drop some of the batter on that and slam it back in (gently, of course, to keep those perfect circles perfect) to freeze? Will I still be able to get the same product? Is it really that much better to be able to do it a la minute? Will holding them for a few hours really kill the flavor? Will the texture be noticeable enough to warrant that little piece of gear who's pricetag could feed me for a year?

All things to consider for those interested in starting up your own restaurant.

Of course, if you're a normal person and just want some ice cream, then sure, check it out. Go to a place with one, order something that uses it, and get a kick out of a frozen confection being made before your eyes in probably less than two minutes.

Another new method ("new" being the exact opposite of the truth, here) is sous vide. It's been around for a while, but Thomas Keller of The French Laundry (and much else) is bringing it back as the "hot new thing".

So what is sous vide? "Under pressure" is more or less a translation. Take whatever it is that you want cooked, toss it in a bag, put the whole mess in the machine, push the button, and walk away.

Ding, fries are done.

I have to be honest, when I think of this, I think of the bagged soups from my days at Ruby Tuesday.

And no, I'm not comparing the food at The French Laundry to anything from Ruby Tuesday. But when I first learned of sous vide, this is the context that I learned it in - commercial production of soups, sauces, and other such items.

Now maybe Chef Keller can take this method and use it to make some great new stuff, doing to sous vide what Adria did to food as a whole. Power to him, if he can do it.

On my end, if you ask me for a bowl of soup, expect it to come from a pot.