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Building a Meal

From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism
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( 83 ratings, 10 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Building a Meal by Hervé This delves into the science behind cooking, exploring the techniques and concepts that transform ingredients into culinary delights. The book takes readers through the preparation of six meals, analysing each step scientifically to reveal the underlying principles that drive gastronomic creativity. Through his insights, Hervé This invites readers to appreciate the intricate connections between chemistry and cuisine.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2899
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the scientific processes behind cooking and how specific techniques can enhance flavours. With an intriguing approach to culinary exploration, it may appeal to those who love experimenting in the kitchen and want to understand the chemistry that makes their dishes delicious.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

An internationally renowned chemist, popular television personality, and bestselling author, Hervé This heads the first laboratory devoted to molecular gastronomy—the scientific exploration of cooking and eating. By testing recipes that have guided cooks for centuries, and the various dictums and maxims on which they depend, Hervé This unites the head with the hand in order to defend and transform culinary practice.

With this new book, Building a Meal, Hervé This's scientific project enters an exciting new phase. Considering the preparation of six bistro favourites—hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise, simple consommé, leg of lamb with green beans, steak with French fries, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate mousse—he isolates the exact chemical properties that tickle our senses and stimulate our appetites. More importantly, he connects the mind and the stomach, identifying methods of culinary construction that appeal to our memories, intelligence, and creativity.

By showing that the creation of a meal is as satisfying as its consumption, Hervé This recalibrates the balance between food and our imaginations. The result is a revolutionary perspective that will tempt even the most casual cooks to greater flights of experimentation.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Building a Meal by Hervé This is praised for blending culinary art with scientific principles in a charming and insightful manner. The book is described as both witty and informative, offering cultural perspectives while celebrating the joy of cooking. It is highly recommended for its engaging exploration of molecular gastronomy, providing an accessible introduction to the subject for novice readers and an enriching experience for those familiar with the field.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780231144674

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 September 2011

Country: United States

Imprint: Columbia University Press

Illustration: 12 illus.

Contributors:

  • Translated by Malcolm DeBevoise
  • Translated by Malcolm DeBevoise

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 600g

Pages: 152

About the Author

Herve This is a physical chemist on the staff of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Paris. He is the author of Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking and Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor, among other books. M. B. DeBevoise has translated almost thirty works from French and Italian in every branch of scholarship, including Herve This's Molecular Gastronomy and The Columbia History of Twentieth-Century French Thought, edited by Lawrence D. Kritzman.

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  • Molecular Gastronomy
    Hervé This (pronounced "Teess") is an internationally renowned chemist, a popular French television personality, a bestselling cookbook author, a longtime collaborator with the famed French chef Pierre Gagnaire, and the only person to hold a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, a cutting-edge field he pioneered. Bringing the instruments and experimental techniques of the laboratory into the kitchen, This uses recent research...
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