Table of Contents

  • Foreword by Ferran Adrià
  • Foreword by Heston Blumenthal
  • Our Culinary Journeys

Volume 1: History and Fundamentals

Chapter 1: History 2

  • Origins of Cooking6
  • Evolution and Revolution14
  • The Seeds of Modernism32
  • The Modernist Revolution52
  • The Story of this Book82
  • About the Recipes92

Chapter 2: Microbiology for Cooks 102

  • Microbes as Germs106
  • Foodborne Illness110
  • Parasitic Worms120
  • Protists126
  • Bacteria130
  • Bacterial Growth142
  • Bacterial Death148
  • Viruses152
  • Prions156

Chapter 3: Food Safety 162

  • The Complex Origins of Food Safety Rules166
  • Common Misconceptions174
  • Understanding the FDA Rule Book182
  • Simplifying Food Safety with Science190
  • Hygiene196

Chapter 4: Food and Health 208

  • Dietary Systems214
  • Medical Dietary Systems222
  • Nonmedical Dietary Systems240
  • Modernist Ingredients250

Chapter 5: Heat and Energy 260

  • The Nature of Heat and Temperature264
  • Energy, Power, and Efficiency272
  • Heat in Motion277

Chapter 6: The Physics of Food and Water 292

  • Water is Strange Stuff296
  • The Energy of Changing States300
  • Freezing and Melting304
  • Vaporization and Condensation314
  • Sublimation and Deposition326
  • Water as a Solvent330
  • Water Quality and Purity335

Volume 2: Techniques and Equipment

Chapter 7: Traditional Cooking 2

  • Grilling6
  • Broiling18
  • Roasting28
  • Panfrying a la Plancha36
  • Sautéing44
  • Stir-Frying48
  • Covered Sautéing58
  • Boiling62
  • Steaming70
  • Canning74
  • Pot-Roasting and Stewing92
  • Baking100
  • Cooking in Oil114
  • Smoking132

Chapter 8: Cooking in Modern Ovens 150

  • Cooking with Moist Air154
  • Cooking with Microwaves182

Chapter 9: Cooking Sous Vide 192

  • Why Sous Vide?198
  • Packaging Food for Sous Vide208
  • Sous Vide Equipment228
  • Strategies for Cooking Sous Vide242
  • Strategies for Chilling and Reheating252
  • Blanching and Searing for Sous Vide266

Chapter 10: The Modernist Kitchen 280

  • Extracting Flavors288
  • Infusing Essences318
  • Juicing332
  • Filtering350
  • Concentrate!378
  • Cutting ’Em Down to Size398
  • Drying428
  • Cryogenic Freezing and Carbonating456

Volume 3: Animals and Plants

Chapter 11: Meat and Seafood 2

  • How Muscle Works6
  • Converting Muscle into Meat36
  • Cutting48
  • Cooking Meat and Seafood74
  • Cooking Skin and Innards120
  • Salting and Drying158
  • Marinating196
  • Smoking214
  • Restructuring224

Chapter 12: Plant Foods 258

  • Plants as Food262
  • Cooking Sous Vide286
  • Pressure-Cooking298
  • Microwaving310
  • Frying314
  • Preserving344
  • Modifying Textures374

Volume 4: Ingredients and Preparations

Chapter 13: Thickeners 2

  • How Thickening Works12
  • Strategies for Thickening14
  • Starches20
  • Hydrocolloids38

Chapter 14: Gels 64

  • How Gelling Works70
  • Egg Gels74
  • Dairy and Tofu Gels102
  • Gelling with Hydrocolloids124
  • Fluid Gels176
  • Spherification184

Chapter 15: Emulsions 196

  • How Emulsification Works200
  • Methods of Emulsifying206
  • Modernist Emulsions214

Chapter 16: Foams 240

  • How Foams Work244
  • Forming Foams252
  • Kinds of Foams262

Chapter 17: Wine 316

  • What Makes a Great Wine322
  • Tasting Wine334

Chapter 18: Coffee 354

  • From Cherry to Bean358
  • Brewing364
  • Espresso372
  • The Art of Milk and Coffee390
  • Achieving Consistency396

Volume 5: Plated-Dish Recipes

Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking is a beau­ti­ful work but highly prac­ti­cal, too. As an added bonus the set includes a spiral-bound 350-page kitchen man­ual printed on heavy-duty, stain-resistant paper. The man­ual fea­tures easy-to-use, con­densed ver­sions of the para­met­ric, exam­ple, and plated recipes from the book.

  • About the recipes

Chapter 19: Tender Cuts 2

  • Beef Rib Steak
  • Mushroom Swiss Burger
  • Autumn Harvest Pork Roast
  • Rack of Lamb with Garlic
  • Blanquette de Veau
  • Choucroute Royale

Chapter 20: Tough Cuts 40

  • Braised Short Ribs
  • Modernist Pot-au-Feu
  • Hungarian Beef Goulash
  • Osso Buco Milanese
  • American BBQ
  • Cassoulet Toulousain (Autumn and Spring)
  • Historic Lamb Curries
  • Sunday Pork Belly

Chapter 21: Poultry 106

  • Foie Gras à la Vapeur
  • Poularde en Vessie
  • Duck Apicius
  • Pigeon en Salmis
  • Guinea Hen Tajine

Chapter 22: Fish 140

  • Fish and Chips
  • Hamachi Maltaise
  • Monkfish with Mediterranean Flavors
  • Skate in Black Butter
  • Salmon Rus
  • Malaysian Steamed Snapper
  • Black Cod “Frédy Girardet”
  • Hawaiian Poke

Chapter 23: Shellfish 176

  • Shrimp Cocktail
  • Lobster Américaine
  • Thai Crab Miang
  • Pulpo a la Gallega
  • Shellfish Omakase
  • Oyster Stew

Chapter 24: Eggs 208

  • The Breakfast Egg
  • Mushroom Omelet
  • Oeuf en Meurette

Chapter 25: Starches 222

  • Cocoa Tajarin
  • Spaghetti alle Vongole
  • Russian Pelmeni
  • Paella Valenciana
  • Astronaut Ramen
  • Shanghai Soup Dumplings

Chapter 26: Fruits and Vegetables 258

  • Onion Tart
  • Lentil Salad
  • Sweet Pea Fricassee
  • Strawberry Gazpacho
  • Crispy Cauliflower
  • Watermelon Bulgogi
  • Glossaries of Technical And Culinary Terms
  • Reference Tables, Sources, Credits
  • The Modernist Cuisine Team and Acknowledgements
  • Index