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Please tell us about Modernist Cuisine. What inspired it, and how did you do the research?

We had an idea to create a book that would explain the science of cooking in an approachable way by combing clear and highly readable text with visually stunning photography. we wanted this book to be a source of sound information for professional chefs and home cooks alike. The object was to demystify the counter intuitive aspects of cooking and give people knowledge that empowers them to be more confident and creative in their cooking. Although the project began as an in-depth study of sous vide cooking, it grew rapidly, and we ended up covering the entire scope of the culinary arts, including sections on history, physics, traditional cooking, and hydro-colloids.

Who is your audience, and how has the book been received?

Originally, we set our sights mainly on the realm of professional chefs. But as the scope of the book expanded, it became clear that what we were creating would appeal to a far more varied audience. Modernist Cuisine does have many recipes for professional chefs, but the majority of the recipes and techniques can be used at home by passionate cooks. We've heard from many home cooks who have purchased affordable sous vide equipment so that they can delve deeper into the book. A few have even gone as far as purchasing centrifuges - but that is certainly not the norm.

What are some of the best-tasting new foods and dishes you've discovered using the modern cooking techniques described in the cookbook?

One of my favorite recipes produces a seemingly simple result - pea butter - that actually requires a fairly complex process. The pea butter is a concentrated form of the small amount of fat that naturally exists in peas. It has the intense flavor of a thousand peas condensed into one, and the texture of soft butter. We serve it on toast.

You talk about many new ingredients in the book. What new ingredients do you think will make their way into mainstream cooking?

Xanthan gum is a fascinating and very versatile thickener, and you can find it now at lots of grocery stores and food coops. It is a polysaccharide thickener that adds no flavor of its own to the liquid that it thickens. A tiny amount goes a long way.

The Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Pressure Cooker is noted in Modernist Cuisine as an invaluable Modernist tool. Why is this, and why did you choose the Kuhn Rikon model as your favorite?

The pressure cooker is an incredibly useful and versatile tool. When you cook food in high-pressure steam, the food experiences a very moist environment but at temperatures that can rise far above the usual boiling point of water. The temperature inside a pressure cooker running a 1 bar / 15 psi above can reach 250 degrees F, so all kinds of foods - from grains to legumes to braised meats - cook faster and more efficiently. We get consistently good results from the Duromatic, and we find it is easy to use and to follow the instruction manual.

there is a "How to" in Modernist Cuisine that describes the technique of cooking stock in a pressure cooker. Why do recommend using the pressure cooker for making stocks?

Pressure-cooking stock has two big advantages. First, you can make the stock much faster because of the high temperature: one hour instead of three hours for chicken stock, and two hours instead of eight hours for beef stock. Second, this approach extracts more flavor from the ingredients and protects the complex flavors that are created during cooking. Because the pressure cooker is sealed, the volatile aromatic compounds that are typically blown off into the air instead condense back into the stock as the cooker cools. And because the water doesn't boil in the pressure cooker, the stocks also come out extremely clear and having a very clean flavor.

There are several stock recipes in Modernist Cuisine that recommend a pressure cooker. What are your favorite recipes, and why?

All meat stocks and poultry stocks are best made in a pressure cooker. We find it better to make fish stocks and shellfish stocks sous vide because these foods are so delicate. But for any of the basic meat stocks or more complex recipes like pho broth, a pressure cooker is the tool to use.

From your experience, what are some of your favorite foods and dishes to prepare in a pressure cooker?

Pressure-cooked risotto and paella are great. Making them this way cuts the cooking time from 25-30 minutes down to 6-8 minutes. And the grains take on an incredibly even bite instead of the typical al dente texture. It is really something people should experience.

What food trends do you see for the future?

Precise cooking is definitely catching on, and it will be an important part of what we'll be seeing in the future. By precise cooking, we mean the approach of cooking with weight measures instead of volume measures, and cooking with accurate temperatures rather than relying on timing or trial and error. to cook with precision, you really need the insights and depth of knowledge provided by basic science, but it can tremendously increase your creative capacity and confidence as a cook.