I went on a bit of a pickle roll when I was at the Modernist Cuisine Cooking Lab... "Can you quick-ferment cucumbers?" I asked. I'd heard they made their own sauerkraut and I wanted to know if there was a way to do it in one day instead of two weeks. Turns out you can't actually … [Read more...] about Vacuum-Sealed Pickles, Quick Fermentation, and Ultrasonic Baths: Cucumbers, Chanterelles, Maple Syrup Pears, Fennel and Chili Peppers
modernist cuisine
Modernist Cuisine Cryo-Shucked Oysters and How to Avoid Embarassment at an All-You-Can Eat Oyster Buffet
In this video, Chef Anjana Shanker of the Modernist Cuisine Cooking Lab in Bellevue, Washington shows me how to shuck oysters the easy way - with liquid nitrogen: Okay, so maybe not the "everyman" method of shucking, but it sure is efficient. All you do is pop them in liquid … [Read more...] about Modernist Cuisine Cryo-Shucked Oysters and How to Avoid Embarassment at an All-You-Can Eat Oyster Buffet
Smoked Maple Syrup and the World’s Best Pastrami in the Modernist Cuisine Competition BBQ Smoker
This smoker has never seen a Carolina BBQ competition as far as I know. But that's what it was built for - the most tender brisket and ribs that side of Texas (I joke!).* It was built for the Modernist Cuisine lab to do exactly this - make the best pastrami I've ever eaten. It … [Read more...] about Smoked Maple Syrup and the World’s Best Pastrami in the Modernist Cuisine Competition BBQ Smoker
The Ultimate Dairy-free Vanilla Gelato and What Seattleites Don’t Know About Coffee
The first sous vide vacuum sealing I did at the Modernist Cuisine lab wasn't to cook anything. It was to reseal an airtight package of vanilla beans. The first time I used a pacojet, however, was to whir up some vanilla gelato. This lab is known for making pistachio gelato. It's … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Dairy-free Vanilla Gelato and What Seattleites Don’t Know About Coffee
On the Hunt for Modernist Cuisine
It's 6:15am and I'm in the Montreal airport. This is much too early to be writing about sous vide machines, centrifuges, siphons and rotary evaporators in any intelligent way. Is there a time for that? According to the authors of Modernist Cuisine it is. Maybe I'll ask them that … [Read more...] about On the Hunt for Modernist Cuisine
My Article in the Montreal Gazette: Molecular Cuisine, Sous Vide, and Montreal Restaurants with Delicious Green Spheres
A few months back I interviewed Maxime Bilet and Dr. Hervé This, one chef/inventor and one chemist on molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine. While the conversation drifted to terminology, we found out way back to talking about the basics of the modernist cooking techniques … [Read more...] about My Article in the Montreal Gazette: Molecular Cuisine, Sous Vide, and Montreal Restaurants with Delicious Green Spheres