The art of Molecular gastronomy . I wasn't really sure where to post this topic so I decided to start this discussion off here.

I was watching something on Herve This and remembered so much molecular gastronomy techniques already have been used on TOP CHEF. I have gotten so curious about this technique i'm on my way to amazon ordering books about the science.

Being new to this forum i'm not quite sure if this discussion would be even read by any of the brothers. Going on to my questions, are cooking schools incorporating these techniques into their studies?

Any recommendations on restaurants or chefs in Los Angeles who practice molecular gastromomy?

Where did Michael and Bryan learn this art?

Thanks for your interest in my discussion. Looking forward to hear from anyone and everyone..

-Katrina L.

A great start would have to be the Bazaar...this is a Think Food Group restaurant (Jose Andres spainish chef who worked with Ferran Adria of Elbulli).

The term Molecular Gastronomy was coined by Herve This and is kinda faux pas.

What Michael & Brian are doing is Modern cooking. With the aide of camber vacuums, hydrocolloids, Isi guns, and immersion ciculators you can manipulate food to be @ its peak w/o distorting the end product too far from the original.

Chicago and LA are the biggest Modern cusine cities in the USA. Try purchasing Alinea, The Fat Duck book, and Under Pressure for more info on progressive cooking.

Jeffrey have you bought any of those books?  and if so are you able to make any of the recipes at home without spending more then $500 on new equipment?  Thanks!

"The University for Gastronomical Science and the Center for Gastronomical Research and Innovation, housed in the Basque Culinary Center, San Sebastian, Spain, is set to open in Sept. 2011. The university will focus on studies related to molecular gastronomy."

Katrina,
  Check out ideasinfood.com or Khymos.org, some really cool stuff to read about on either site. Alex Talbot taught a basic MG workshop in San Diego recently and it blew me away. Good luck.  

-Matt 

I have both Alinea and the Fat Duck cookbook, and both are excellent. The Fat Duck probably has the more accessible recipes. Alinea's recipes have so many more components, or at least that was my impression of it,but they also can be done. Try taking a look at http://alineaathome.com/. There are also a lot of places online that have recipes that are easy to replicate in the home kitchen using a lot of the techniques that I think you are interested in. Khymos.org has a great hydrocolloid recipe collection for spherifications, and other things like that. It is definitely possible to make these recipes in your home kitchen given a ~50$ outlay on chemicals (if that is what you are aiming at).

I agree with Jeffrey that it is important to make a distinction between molecular gastronomy and molecular  (modern) cooking. Molecular gastronomy was coined to describe what basically is the science of cooking, and of food. Herve This's book titled Molecular Gastronomy is a great resource for this, and I would heartily reccomend that book as well. Molecular cooking is generally the use of chemicals, isi canisters, and vacuum chambers like we have seen on Top Chef and this website.

 I know that Harvard is doing a lecture series with Ferran Adria on molecular gastronomy.