SPHERIFICATION, liquid nitrogen, foams and airs. In 1988 we were introduced to molecular gastronomy – a smorgasbord of science-based techniques that transformed cuisine into theatre.
Molecular gastronomy now feels almost as clichéd as the stodgy classical cooking it sought to challenge. So it is interesting to see the chef-cum-chemist behind the idea, Hervé This, promoting a kitchen innovation called note-by-note cooking. The basic concept is to build foods from the bottom up using basic chemical compounds, many of which can be synthesised in a lab, to recreate familiar flavours and textures or invent new ones (see "Chemical cuisine poised to shake up food chain"). Potato meringue, anyone?
This time, though, the motivation goes beyond pure gustatory pleasure and touches on a far more important issue – sustainability. Note-by-note cooking is part of a wider movement of researchers and companies that are looking to create food with the least amount of damage to the environment.
Not all of their creations sound appetising – the much touted "food substitute", Soylent, for example, is a repulsive-looking chemical slurry. But with creative chefs involved, there is hope that we can carry on eating well, in every sense of the word.
This article appeared in print under the headline "A la carte chemicals"
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