Modernist Cooking Made Easy (20 page)

Tools Needed

Mono and Diglyceride (Glycerin) Flakes

Whisk

Chinois or strainer

Standing or immersion blender, optional

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

215 grams olive oil, about 1 cup

1-2 jalapeno peppers, cut into rings

¼ onion, sliced

Salt and pepper

16 grams mono and diglyceride (glycerin) flakes, 7.5%

Combine the olive oil, jalapeno peppers, and onion in a pan set over medium heat. Salt and pepper them. Heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the peppers and onions soften.

If you want a more flavorful oil you can puree with a blender.

Strain the olive oil to remove the solids. Return the oil to the pot and stir in the glycerin flakes until they have melted then remove the pot from the heat. Let come to room temperature then refrigerate for several hours.

Once cold, and you are ready to use, whisk the oil until it forms the consistency of mayonnaise.

R
OASTED
G
ARLIC
O
LIVE
O
IL
S
PREAD

This roasted garlic olive oil is a great way to change up the textures of a dish without changing the flavors. The spread is simply garlic infused olive oil that has been thickened with mono and diglyceride flakes. This thickened oil can then be whipped into a spread and used as a sauce or spread on a variety of dishes.

This technique can be used on most oils and can result in a wide range of flavors. Infusing the oil with different flavors before thickening them adds a lot of variety.

Tools Needed

Mono and Diglyceride (Glycerin) Flakes

Whisk

A scale with small gram measurements

Ingredients

215 grams olive oil, about 1 cup

7 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

16 grams mono and diglyceride (glycerin) flakes, 7.5%

Combine the garlic and olive oil in a pan set over medium heat. Heat just until the garlic starts to sizzle. Let steep for 5 to 10 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn.

Stir in the glycerin flakes until they have melted. Remove from the heat and strain into a mixing bowl. Let it come to room temperature then refrigerate for several hours.

Once cold, whisk the oil until it forms the consistency of mayonnaise.

O
THER
T
ECHNIQUES

We are always adding new techniques to our website. You can follow all the latest techniques we are exploring.

You can find them on our website at:

www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/info/modernist-techniques

We tried to focus on the previous techniques because we think they are the most accessible to the home cook or chef on a budget. Because of this we had to overlook several techniques, including some more advanced techniques that require more expensive equipment or expertise with handling semi-dangerous chemical.

These techniques are still important and worth keeping an eye on. Here are some summaries of them.

C
ENTRIFUGAL
S
EPARATION

Centrifuges have been used in labs to separate liquids into their component parts, such as removing platelets from blood. Cooks can use the same process to break cooking liquids into their component parts. This can be used to clarify stocks or juices and is probably the best way to strain solids out of a liquid.

C
OMPRESSION

There are several ways to compress foods but the most commonly used these days is chambered vacuum sealers. They can be used to increase the density of foods like watermelon, changing their texture flavor.

D
EHYDRATION

Dehydration is one of the techniques that is accessible to home cooks and chefs because it can be done in the oven or with an inexpensive dehydrator. It has many uses including making beef jerky, fruit leathers, or dried fruits. It can also be used to set foams, such as meringues, or to dry out gels to create flexible or crispy sheets.

F
REEZE
D
RYING

Freeze drying has been around industrial food production for several decades and it is slowly moving into restaurant kitchens. Freeze drying basically freezes food while also removing the moisture from it.

F
REEZING

Freezing has been used in cooking for a long time, both to preserve food and to create new foods. While the old freezing methods are still used there are a few new ways of freezing that are taking precedence in many professional kitchens.

Anti-Griddle

The anti-griddle looks like a box with a griddle on top of it but instead of being very hot it is very cold. Liquids or purees on it freeze almost instantly allowing you to create unique shapes or to just freeze the outside, leaving the inside liquid.

Liquid Nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is also being explored in the kitchen. Its ability to instantly freeze anything that come into contact with it opens up many doors for chefs. It can be used to create solids and brittles from sauces and liquids, as well as freeze liquids into interesting shapes.

R
OTARY
E
VAPORATION

Rotary evaporators use a combination of heat, vacuum, and rotation to create extracts and essential oils of foods. Similar to vanilla extract
^[15]
, these extracts can be taken from a wide variety of foods and used for intense flavors.

S
ECTION
T
HREE

M
ODERNIST
C
OOKING
I
NGREDIENTS

A
GAR

Have a “How To” question about modernist cooking? Check out our “How To” page to see if it is answered, or submit it and we might answer it for you!

You can find them on our website at:

www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/info/how-to

A
GAR
A
T A
G
LANCE

Common Names

Agar, Agar Agar, Agazoon

Basic Ratios By Weight

0.2% soft gels

0.5-3% firm gels

0.5-2% fluid gels when blended

0.3-1% light foams

1-2% dense foams

Dispersion Temperature

Any

Hydration Temperature

100ºC / 212ºF for 3 to 5 minutes

Setting Temperature

40-45ºC / 104-113ºF

Melting Temperature

80ºC / 175ºF

Agar, or agar agar, is an extract from red algae that is often used to stabilize emulsions or foams and to thicken or gel liquids. While many people in America have only heard of it lately it has been used for hundreds of years in Asian cooking.

Agar is also relatively straightforward to work with and easy to find online, making it a great place to start experimenting with modernist cooking.

D
ISPERSION AND
H
YDRATION

In order for agar to be used effectively it has to be properly dispersed and hydrated.

Dispersing the Agar

Unlike many ingredients, you can add agar to hot or cold liquids. It can typically be mixed in using a whisk, though an immersion or standing blender works more efficiently.

Hydrating the Agar

In order for agar to work effectively it first needs to hydrate, or absorb water. To hydrate, agar needs to be brought to a boil at 100ºC / 212ºF and simmered for 3 to 5 minutes.

Agar does not hydrate well in acidic liquids, less than a 5 ph, and should be hydrated first before acidic components are added to the mixture.

A
GAR
G
ELS

Agar is commonly used to create gels of different strengths. It can range from very soft gels to firm jellies, depending on the other ingredients and the amount of agar used.

When used by itself to gel a liquid, agar results in a rigid, brittle gel. This means that it will break down quickly on cutting or biting. To make a chewier, elastic gel, you can add locust bean gum or other ingredients to the agar.

A nice property of agar gels is that they can be used hot or cold. They will not melt until they go above 80ºC / 176ºF which allows you to use them in soups or other hot foods. They can also be melted and re-set multiple times without a loss in strength.

Adding sugar to agar gels results in a shiner gel. Agar also works well for gelling alcohol. However, you cannot freeze agar gels, since freezing causes a loss in liquid and texture, unless you are trying to clarify liquids through the freeze thaw technique
^[16]
.

Agar Gelling Ratios

The amount of agar you will use depends on how firm of a gel you would like to create. In general, you will use a 0.2% ratio for a soft gel, 0.5% for a more firm gel, and up to 3% for the firmest gels. Fluid gels are typically made from a 0.5% to 2% ratio agar gel, with thicker fluid gels using a higher percent.

Agar Gelling Process