Getting Started with the Recipes

The first ques­tion that many peo­ple will have when see­ing this mas­sive 2,400-page work is: where do I start? We under­stand that a book of this size might seem intim­i­dat­ing at first and that not every­one will have time to peruse every page. Fortunately, the user-friendly design of Modernist Cuisine makes it easy to dip in and out of the book and to read the chap­ters in any order. The exten­sive main index, the new index to the Kitchen Manual, our full-text search fea­ture, and gen­er­ous inclu­sion of cross-references within the text all allow you to quickly dis­cover what is in the book and to delve deeper into areas of par­tic­u­lar interest.

When you’re ready to start cook­ing from the book, the sheer vari­ety of the 1,500+ recipes vir­tu­ally guar­an­tees that there is some­thing to suit your taste and skill level. If you’re look­ing for sug­ges­tions, check out the four lists below of recipes we rec­om­mend try­ing out first. Also, don’t miss our handy recipe finder. If you get stuck or want to share how your MC recipe turned out, please join the con­ver­sa­tion in the Cooks Forum.

Recipes Anyone Can Cook

These recipes don’t require much time, skill, or spe­cial­ized equip­ment, but they really deliver a gourmet expe­ri­ence.
RecipePageKitchen Manual Page
Macaroni and Cheese 3·3876·192
Caramelized Carrot Soup 3·3016·150
Pressure-Cooked Oxtail Pho 2·3076·16
Ham and Cheese Omelet 4·956·240
Goat Milk Ricotta with Compressed Muscat Grapes4·108 and 5·1106·248 and 6·196
Corn Bread and Bacon Jam 5·76 and 4·2296·256 and 6·304
Chicken Tikka Masala 3·2046·118
Crispy Okra3·3386·167

Recipes Requiring Inexpensive Equipment

While you are debat­ing whether to put a Pacojet on your Christmas list or just ask for a new grill and maybe a meat smoker, here are a few recipes you can make in the mean­time, which require inex­pen­sive equip­ment.
RecipePageKitchen Manual Page
Watermelon Chips 3·3286·161
Crispy Dosa with Coconut Chutney Foam and Chaat Masala3·355, 4·282, and 5·2826·181, 6·325, and 6·50
Mandarin Leather3·3696·187
Pressure-Cooked Polenta with Strawberry Marinara4·506·214
Sous Vide Lemon Curd4·2776·304
Sous Vide Salmon5·1626·78
Yakitori3·2016·115
Braised Short Ribs with Crispy Beef Salad5·44 and 5·476·90 and 6·108

Recipes Requiring Special Ingredients

If you are will­ing to hunt about a bit for some ingre­di­ents that are out of the ordi­nary, you can cre­ate some fun, fas­ci­nat­ing, and exquis­itely fla­vor­ful dishes like those below. For help locat­ing hard-to-find ingre­di­ents and tools, see our Modernist Gear Guide.
RecipePageKitchen Manual Page
Flourless Potato Gnocchi4·1196·254
Olive Oil Gummy Worms with Ginger Cola4·147 and 4·2396·267 and 6·311
Pistachio Gelato 4·236 6·310
Frankfurter with Onion Rings and Meyer Lemonade3·242, 3·342, and 2·3406·130, 6·170, and 6·31
Modernist Fried Chicken3·3376·166
Stable Latte Foam4·3926·350
Silken Tofu with Passion Fruit Brown Butter Fluid Gel4·113 and 5·1826·246 and 6·286
Cheddar Soup4·2256·301

Recipes for the Ambitious

Think you’re chef enough to match wits with the culi­nary wiz­ards at The Cooking Lab? Try out these double-black-diamond dishes. If you can pull these off, we tip our toques to you (or we would, if we wore toques).
RecipePageKitchen Manual Page
Short Rib Pastrami 3·2136·120
Ankimo Torchon 3·1476·97
Mushroom Swiss Burger: Emmental cheese sin­gle, mush­room ketchup, shal­lot rings 5·116·299, 6·217, and 6·170
Ultrasonic Fries 3·3256·161
American BBQ Spread5·666·88–90 and 6·219–221
Onion Tart: Gruyère cus­tard, onion arlette, onion gratin5·2616·275, 6·231, and 6·170
Prosciutto and Melon “Raw Egg” 4·194 6·295
Combi Oven Roast Chicken with Jus Gras2·178 and 4·2376·3 and 6·310