Pastry chef with a tray of macarons with various flavors and colors
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 6:58 am
All of this means that culinary sciences are part of our daily lives and we are becoming more and more expert. Now we know how to decipher complicated menus, in which traditional recipes are combined with exotic ingredients and techniques from all over the world.
However, we think we should explain in detail what innovation in the kitchen consists of in order to clarify certain concepts.
Concepts needed to understand innovation in the kitchen
The cuisine we knew has not changed, there are still restaurants that use traditional recipes and they continue to be successful! However, there has been a development of new establishments that adapt to the new times in two different ways:
Those who combine traditional recipes with new ways of presentation or cooking.
Those who move away from tradition and present themselves as 100% innovative .
In the latter, innovative techniques are used, which we must know in order to correctly interpret their gastronomic offer. Some of the concepts used in these new establishments are:
Molecular cuisine
Molecular cuisine deals with the relationship between physics and food, and seeks the most artistic form of presentation, based on how to manipulate a food to present it deconstructed or with unconventional textures .
The basic ingredients of molecular cuisine are additives that help in this unusual handling process. It involves using:
Gelling agents , such as agar agar, which transforms broths and drinks into gelatin when cold.
Thickeners , such as Xanthan gum, to modify the textures of some foods.
Alginate and sodium chloride, to make spherifications.
Emulsifiers , such as Soy Lecithin, to stabilize air.
Vacuum cooking
This method of cooking tries to preserve all the expressiveness of a food. By being packed in a bag and vacuum-sealed, there is no oxidation, the juices of the product are not lost and the flavours and properties are not diluted in a broth, as occurs in traditional cooking.
The ideal utensil for this type of technique is the Roner. This device, designed by Joan Roca, maintains a water bath at a constant temperature, so that vacuum techniques can be combined with low-temperature techniques, ensuring a stable cooking time, in which it is easy to respect the characteristics of the food. Nowadays, appliances that vacuum pack and carry out controlled cooking are within everyone's reach, which is why vacuum cooking is experiencing a boom, also in the domestic sphere.
Vacuum machine for food preservation and packaging
Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a very abundant gas and the key to its use in cooking is its ability to liquefy, and in this state it can reach temperatures of up to -196 degrees. By having a liquid with these characteristics, a cook can instantly carry out certain preparations that would otherwise be impossible. We are referring to refrigerating and freezing all kinds of substances to generate ice cream, snow cones, sorbets or cold soups.
Liquid nitrogen is very dangerous and must be handled with gloves, as it can cause very serious effects when in contact with the skin. However, preparations made with nitrogen are harmless, as they are always presented at a temperature above -18 degrees Celsius.
Chefs working a cream in a bowl with liquid nitrogen
The Foams
The use of foams in cooking is a timeless technique; mousses and soufflés have always provided us with this texture. However, since the success of Ferran Adriá and molecular cuisine, foams have become more important, with more ingredients and a change in the way they are made.
A foam is the union of at least three ingredients, a cream or liquid, a stabilizer (gelling agent, fat, egg whites or starch) and a gas . Don't think of strange or weird things, taking a chocolate mousse as a base, its ingredients are simple and known to everyone: the stabilizer is egg whites and cream, and the gas is blown in by vigorously beating with rods.
The key to the current use of foams is the ease of preparation provided by the Siphon. This device is a container for the cream, with an inlet for a gas charge and an outlet. Thanks to the use of siphons, the plating that includes foams is simple and attractive and the diner gains a new texture and a spectacular service.
Cook serving foam with a siphon
Current Pastry
Currently, the revolution in pastry is not so much due to new techniques as to the fashion in the use of certain preparations. Let's look at some of them that have been in trend for a few years:
Cupcakes . These mini cakes have many bases and thousands of toppings and presentations.
Coulant . The liquid filling of these cakes is surprising and we like them for their combination of textures and temperatures.
Macarons . This is a type of cookie that comes from French cuisine and is made kuwait number example with egg whites, sugar and almonds. It is very attractive as it comes in two parts that can be filled.
Fondant . This sugar paste is very versatile as a cake covering, and can be used to make all kinds of small sculptures, making it ideal for making a dessert in any shape you can imagine.
How do you feel after learning in detail how the most modern establishments apply innovative cuisine? Do you identify yourself as consumers of this type of food? If you are professionals... are you prepared to develop these techniques in your workplace? We'll read you in the comments of this post or on the @cursosfemxa social networks .
If you like these innovative cooking approaches, but you see all this as something very complicated, do not despair, we can help you through Training for Employment. Through various online cooking courses you can learn all these techniques or expand your knowledge on other current problems related to cooking: Allergen management, Cooking for catering services, Food handling and preservation.
However, we think we should explain in detail what innovation in the kitchen consists of in order to clarify certain concepts.
Concepts needed to understand innovation in the kitchen
The cuisine we knew has not changed, there are still restaurants that use traditional recipes and they continue to be successful! However, there has been a development of new establishments that adapt to the new times in two different ways:
Those who combine traditional recipes with new ways of presentation or cooking.
Those who move away from tradition and present themselves as 100% innovative .
In the latter, innovative techniques are used, which we must know in order to correctly interpret their gastronomic offer. Some of the concepts used in these new establishments are:
Molecular cuisine
Molecular cuisine deals with the relationship between physics and food, and seeks the most artistic form of presentation, based on how to manipulate a food to present it deconstructed or with unconventional textures .
The basic ingredients of molecular cuisine are additives that help in this unusual handling process. It involves using:
Gelling agents , such as agar agar, which transforms broths and drinks into gelatin when cold.
Thickeners , such as Xanthan gum, to modify the textures of some foods.
Alginate and sodium chloride, to make spherifications.
Emulsifiers , such as Soy Lecithin, to stabilize air.
Vacuum cooking
This method of cooking tries to preserve all the expressiveness of a food. By being packed in a bag and vacuum-sealed, there is no oxidation, the juices of the product are not lost and the flavours and properties are not diluted in a broth, as occurs in traditional cooking.
The ideal utensil for this type of technique is the Roner. This device, designed by Joan Roca, maintains a water bath at a constant temperature, so that vacuum techniques can be combined with low-temperature techniques, ensuring a stable cooking time, in which it is easy to respect the characteristics of the food. Nowadays, appliances that vacuum pack and carry out controlled cooking are within everyone's reach, which is why vacuum cooking is experiencing a boom, also in the domestic sphere.
Vacuum machine for food preservation and packaging
Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a very abundant gas and the key to its use in cooking is its ability to liquefy, and in this state it can reach temperatures of up to -196 degrees. By having a liquid with these characteristics, a cook can instantly carry out certain preparations that would otherwise be impossible. We are referring to refrigerating and freezing all kinds of substances to generate ice cream, snow cones, sorbets or cold soups.
Liquid nitrogen is very dangerous and must be handled with gloves, as it can cause very serious effects when in contact with the skin. However, preparations made with nitrogen are harmless, as they are always presented at a temperature above -18 degrees Celsius.
Chefs working a cream in a bowl with liquid nitrogen
The Foams
The use of foams in cooking is a timeless technique; mousses and soufflés have always provided us with this texture. However, since the success of Ferran Adriá and molecular cuisine, foams have become more important, with more ingredients and a change in the way they are made.
A foam is the union of at least three ingredients, a cream or liquid, a stabilizer (gelling agent, fat, egg whites or starch) and a gas . Don't think of strange or weird things, taking a chocolate mousse as a base, its ingredients are simple and known to everyone: the stabilizer is egg whites and cream, and the gas is blown in by vigorously beating with rods.
The key to the current use of foams is the ease of preparation provided by the Siphon. This device is a container for the cream, with an inlet for a gas charge and an outlet. Thanks to the use of siphons, the plating that includes foams is simple and attractive and the diner gains a new texture and a spectacular service.
Cook serving foam with a siphon
Current Pastry
Currently, the revolution in pastry is not so much due to new techniques as to the fashion in the use of certain preparations. Let's look at some of them that have been in trend for a few years:
Cupcakes . These mini cakes have many bases and thousands of toppings and presentations.
Coulant . The liquid filling of these cakes is surprising and we like them for their combination of textures and temperatures.
Macarons . This is a type of cookie that comes from French cuisine and is made kuwait number example with egg whites, sugar and almonds. It is very attractive as it comes in two parts that can be filled.
Fondant . This sugar paste is very versatile as a cake covering, and can be used to make all kinds of small sculptures, making it ideal for making a dessert in any shape you can imagine.
How do you feel after learning in detail how the most modern establishments apply innovative cuisine? Do you identify yourself as consumers of this type of food? If you are professionals... are you prepared to develop these techniques in your workplace? We'll read you in the comments of this post or on the @cursosfemxa social networks .
If you like these innovative cooking approaches, but you see all this as something very complicated, do not despair, we can help you through Training for Employment. Through various online cooking courses you can learn all these techniques or expand your knowledge on other current problems related to cooking: Allergen management, Cooking for catering services, Food handling and preservation.