Molecular Gastronomy

Soft meringue dessert from wd-50 in New York
'Soft meringue' dessert from wd-50 in New York

Molecular gastronomy (also referred to as "progressive cuisine") uses avant-garde cooking techniques and equipment to transform flavors and presentations. Examples include deconstructions, foams and "caviars" composed of reductions that have been converted via calcium baths into textural dollops with tapioca-like consistency. Learn more about the chefs and restaurants merging science with the culinary arts.

AnQi Gourmet Bistro by Crustacean, one of the Top 10 Molecular Gastronomy Restaurants in the United States

FOOD WIZARDRY AT WORK
Experience the best of this exciting epicurean frontier at the
Top 10 Molecular Gastronomy Restaurants in the U.S.

More Restaurants Specializing in Molecular Cuisine:

United States:
Commonwealth (San Francisco, CA)
Eleven Madison Park (New York, NY)
iNG (Chicago, IL)
June (Peoria, IL)
Makoto (Bal Harbour, FL)
Perbacco (New York, NY)

International:
Chez Lena et Memile (Paris, France)
Colborne Lane (Toronto, Canada)
elBulli (Girona, Spain) 8/11 now closed
The Fat Duck (Berkshire, England)
The Krug Room (Hong Kong)
Mugaritz (Errenteria, Spain)
Renoir (Montreal, Canada)
Sur Mesure (Paris, France)
Viajante (London, England)


Scientist Ted Russin, M. Sc. Food Science

Tricks of the Molecular Trade:

My Life as a (Molecular) Blog: Alain Gayot Offers a Look into a Food Science Lab

Get a glimpse of "Top Chef" Winner Michael Voltaggio's Molecular Dishes

Find out why Alinea is "Unlike Any Other Restaurant"

Read about a memorable meal at L2O in Chicago

View photos from the opening of The Bazaar by José Andrés and a tour of the SLS at Beverly Hills

Of Stars and Tripes: The True Story of Nouvelle Cuisine

The Definition of Nouvelle Cuisine from Larousse Gastronomique

An Evening at elBulli

Extreme Cuisine - Meet the New Culinary Vanguard

Try Molecular Cuisine in Your Home Kitchen with Ferran Adrià's Texturas product line

Love it or Loathe it? Chefs & Writers Speak Out:

"All you ever wanted to know about Molecular food and are disconcerted to learn"

André Gayot asks is this "The End of Culinary Alchemy?" after a health scare at The Fat Duck in England

Is Modern Gastronomy Off Course? Frédy Girardet's Critique

Dr. Faust in the Kitchen: Spanish chef Santi Santamaria Shuns the Use of Chemical Additives

Adrià's Audacity: Culinary Genius or Gastronomic Dead End?

Share your Thoughts about Molecular Gastronomy in our Forum


The Alinea Cookbook

Books to Guide & Inspire Your Own Kitchen Experiments:

Ferran: The Inside Story of El Bulli and the Man Who Reinvented Food

The Alinea Cookbook

A Day at elBulli: An Insight into the Ideas, Methods and Creativity of Ferran Adrià

The French Laundry Cookbook

Wild Sweets Chocolate: Savory, Sweet, Bites, Drinks

Where to Buy the Gadgets:

Epicure Imports (Warehouse in North Hollywood, CA, open to the public semi-annually, 818-985-9800)

Le Sanctuaire (Online retail outlet, with by-appointment-only showroom located in San Francisco, CA, 949-331-3727)

Trufflina (Online source for molecular gastronomy ingredients and spherification supplies, 650-485-3663)

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(Updated: 4/4/13 BLS)

RESTAURANT AWARDS 2013

Check out the 2013 edition of GAYOT's Annual Restaurant Issue, which features the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S., Rising Chefs and more.