# Anyone else excited about Modernist Cuisine (book)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 21, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137 "2011-02-21T19:02:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/21 "2011-07-20T13:25:37Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Nope, but you do need a couple ingredients (carrageenan and sodium citrate) that you’ll probably have to order. Other than that, it’s next to no work. Just grate cheese, heat with some liquid and the above ingredients and stir. > > If you’re interested, let me know, I’ll post the recipe. I can’t speak for **gaffa** , but I’m hella interested. Could you post, please? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/22 "2011-07-20T14:30:50Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I can’t speak for **gaffa** , but I’m hella interested. Could you post, please? I hate to “me too” a post, but for creamy cheese of all kinds, I will indeed do so. Not to mention the idea of mushroom ketchup - I think I may be drooling. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/23 "2011-07-20T14:45:40Z")
I would love to see recipes! ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/24 "2011-07-20T16:06:58Z")
Melty cheese: [specific recipe removed] A good source for the sodium citrate and carrageenan is [Willpowder](http://willpowder.net/index.html). Amazon also carries them, but in larger and more expensive quantities. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/25 "2011-07-20T16:15:45Z")
Mushroom Ketchup This stuff is pretty neat - very ketchup yet mushroomy at the same time. Doesn’t make a ton, but it’s not like you need a ton of ketchup all the time. Freezes well. Sorry everything is in grams, that’s what Modernist Cuisine uses for everything. [removed recipe] ## Notes: I think this would be just fine without the mushroom broth; just add a few more mushrooms & water to the original mixture. I also didn’t use the barley malt syrup or dried shitaakes (I couldn’t find them). I substituted additional honey and some dried porcinis. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/26 "2011-07-20T16:19:46Z")
Oo, those both sound lovely, thanks so much for sharing! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/27 "2011-07-20T17:02:38Z")
actually mushroom and other non tomato catsups are an old thing =) they are european based modifications of indonesian original sauces. Walnut catsup is good too. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/28 "2011-07-21T02:46:57Z")
Very cool thread but what on earth is meat glue!? It sounds terrible! ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/29 "2011-07-21T03:26:23Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Very cool thread but what on earth is meat glue!? It sounds terrible! It’s not an actual glue. It’s [transglutaminase](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transglutaminase) - an enzyme that causes amino acids to bond to each other. So if you have meat A, sprinkle on some “meat glue” and then touch it to meat B, the amino acids in the two pieces of meat will bond to each other. Thus you’ve “glued” the meats together, but there isn’t really an additional glue-like substance between the meats, they are actually bonded together. > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Transglutaminase is also used in molecular gastronomy to meld new textures with existing tastes. Besides these mainstream uses, transglutaminase has been used to create some unusual foods. British chef Heston Blumenthal is credited with the introduction of transglutaminase into modern cooking. > > Wylie Dufresne, chef of New York’s avant-garde restaurant wd~50, was introduced to transglutaminase by Blumenthal, and invented a “pasta” made from over 95% shrimp thanks to transglutaminase.[11] Googling for how foodies use “meat glue” I found: [Adventures with transglutaminase](http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/topic/87239-adventures-with-transglutaminase/) ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/30 "2011-07-21T03:36:54Z")
Whew, okay then 🙂 I would have searched for it myself but I was terrified it was either one of two things: highly useful but terribly gross, squicking me out of using it in the future or 2) had gross pictures and/or was already used in things I love. It’s neither, thankfully! ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/31 "2011-07-21T03:42:47Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Whew, okay then 🙂 I would have searched for it myself but I was terrified it was either one of two things: highly useful but terribly gross, squicking me out of using it in the future or 2) had gross pictures and/or was already used in things I love. > > It’s neither, thankfully! Well, #2 might be the case (it might be in foods you love). Apparently transglutaminase is widely used in industrial food processing - things like meat (to improve the texture of ham/hotdogs/sausages), making milk and yogurt creamier, and making noodles firmer. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/32 "2011-07-21T13:16:18Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > actually mushroom and other non tomato catsups are an old thing =) they are european based modifications of indonesian original sauces. Walnut catsup is good too. Nobody ever claimed they weren’t old things. Modernist Cuisine has gotten a lot of incorrect press about it being only about making things like foams and various other Frankenfoods. It’s not; it’s about exploring food to find out which techniques work the best for various things, explaining why they work, and giving a lot of background on any number of food-related subjects. The mushroom ketchup wasn’t included as some brand-new “OMG nobody’s ever heard of this!” thing; it was included as a really good accompaniment to a burger. Heck, a lot of the book that I’ve read really has no “modern” bent to it at all. A lot of the first book has to do with food safety and nutrition - they take into account the latest studies, but overall there’s not a lot of purely “modern” stuff there. Just plain ol’ microbiology. > [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Very cool thread but what on earth is meat glue!? It sounds terrible! **Waenara** described it accurately. Probably the most common use of it is processed meat and fish. Like that fake crab stuff - they use meat glue to hold 'em together. My plan for it is to finally make chicken cordon bleu that doesn’t leak cheese all over my oven. That, and I’m going to glue a ribeye to Mr. Athena’s face next time he pisses me off. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/33 "2011-07-21T14:44:44Z")
> [@Waenara](#): > > Well, #2 might be the case (it might be in foods you love). Apparently transglutaminase is widely used in industrial food processing - things like meat (to improve the texture of ham/hotdogs/sausages), making milk and yogurt creamier, and making noodles firmer. Whoops, I musta been tired last night, adding in the “/or” part of it - I was worried it had gross pictures AND was in things I loved :p. > [@Athena](#): > > My plan for it is to finally make chicken cordon bleu that doesn’t leak cheese all over my oven. That, and I’m going to glue a ribeye to Mr. Athena’s face next time he pisses me off. 😃 Ooo, I like that idea. Why a ribeye though, why not something less tasty, like cube steak? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/34 "2011-07-21T17:35:02Z")
I have plans for next years allowance money and molecular gastronomy. I want to make cream and pomegramite juice and blueberry juice pearls, and mix them up and play with meat glue [faux bacon of a white meat like poultry and a red meat like good rare beef] and all sorts of fun stuff. More for my own fun than serving it to people… though a nonleaky chicken cordon bleu would be great fun. Or sealing a stuffed steak or chop back together would be fun too… ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/35 "2011-07-21T18:04:15Z")
Myhyrvold did a [TED talk](http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2011/07/watch_a_ted_talks_video_of_nat.html) (video) about his book, which covers, among other things, how they did those really cool cutaway photos. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/36 "2011-07-21T22:55:41Z")
It arrived! The carton is in my trunk right now! I’m very excited. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/37 "2011-07-21T23:37:43Z")
Recipes with specific amounts and specific step-by-step instructions are copyrighted material, and thus posting them here is in conflict with SDMB policy. I have removed those recipes. **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/38 "2011-07-22T14:25:33Z")
Mine just arrived last week. My wife and I are working our way through the first book. No recipes to report yet, but it is absolutely glorious. I did skip ahead and read a bit about making gel noodles. I loved the remark, “if you happen to have a peristaltic pump, it makes this process a bit easier.” I left mine in my other jeans, sadly. But we are reorganizing our cabinets to make room for all of the new gear we are going to buy. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/39 "2011-07-22T14:59:00Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Recipes with specific amounts and specific step-by-step instructions are copyrighted material, and thus posting them here is in conflict with SDMB policy. I have removed those recipes. > > **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator Actually, amounts are not copyrighted if I understand correctly, nor are instructions - as long as the instructions are written in one’s own words. Claiming that it’s your own creation is also not permitted. This was my understanding the last I looked into the issue, which wasn’t long ago. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137/40 "2011-07-22T15:54:15Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Actually, amounts are not copyrighted if I understand correctly, nor are instructions - as long as the instructions are written in one’s own words. Claiming that it’s your own creation is also not permitted. This was my understanding the last I looked into the issue, which wasn’t long ago. It looked to me that she was just transcribing what was in the book. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-excited-about-modernist-cuisine-book/572137.md?page=3)