Physics World Names MC in 2011 Top 10 List!

Written by

The British science magazine Physics World has named Modernist Cuisine one of the top 10 books of 2011. Other books on their list include Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene; The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek; and Quantum Man: Richard Feyman’s Life in Science by Lawrence Krauss.

While we love hearing that foodies (and Amazon) have included Modernist Cuisine on their “Best of 2011” lists, knowing that the scientific community regards us as one of this year’s major contributions really gets us excited. When Nathan Myhrvold first envisioned MC, he wanted to make a book that not only explains how to cook sous vide but also why it works, including easy-to-follow explanations of air pressure, the movement of heat, and the properties of water. As the book expanded in scope, so did its coverage of the science of food and cooking. Sublimation, microbiology, the health effects of various foods, and more are all treated in a deep yet approachable way.

To read the Physics World article and listen to the podcast, click here. A free account is required to access the feature.

Prints for Sale!

Written by

Modernist Cuisine First Edition Print: Pot Roast Cutaway

Due to popular demand, we are now selling sets of prints from MC online! For $30 (plus shipping), you can choose one of two sets of prints: those included with the second printing or those included with the third printing of MC.

The first set comes with four 8-by-10-inch prints of the fried egg, pectin orange, pot roast cutaway (above), and levitating burger. The second set comes with photos of the spilling wine glass, wok cutaway, charred pepper, and black cod plate-up.

For a limited time, four lucky winners will receive an additional print from the first set, signed by photographer Ryan Matthew Smith.

Enter to Win a Signed Apron at Nathan’s Talk at Seattle’s Town Hall!

Written by

As you may already know, Nathan Myhrvold will give a lecture at Town Hall Seattle at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, December 5. Some of his topics will include:

  • How Modernist cuisine is like Modernist art and architecture
  • How we made the spectacular cutaways in Modernist Cuisine
  • Liquid nitrogen and cryofrying
  • Why your toast seems to go from light brown to dark and burnt in a manner of seconds
  • Why we love pressure cookers and cooking sous vide
  • Plus much, much more!

Also to be included in his presentation:

  • Photos from the book and behind the scenes
  • Ultra-slow motion videos
  • Recipe videos

But now there’s an even cooler reason to go. We will be giving away two aprons autographed by Nathan at the event. Email us at mcgiveaways@gmail.com with your proof of purchase (tickets can be bought for only $5 here) and you will be entered to win! You have until noon on Monday to enter. We will announce the winners at the event (you must be present to win).

See you there!

Bienvenue! Willkommen! Bienvenida!

Written by

Bienvenue!Bienvenue au site Modernist Cuisine! Maintenant que les éditions française, allemande, et espagnole sont disponibles, nous sommes aussi entrain de mettre tous les aspects de notre site disponsibles dans ces langages afin que tous nos lecteurs aient la plus complete expérience de Modernist Cuisine. Pendant ce temps, nous vous encourageons de visiter la page Modernist Cuisine chez Taschen.com.
Willkommen!Willkommen auf der Internetseite von Modernist Cuisine! Jetzt wo die Bücher in Deutsch, Französisch, und Spanisch erhältlich sind, arbeiten wir daran, die meisten Funktionen unserer Internetseite auch in diesen Sprachen bereit zu stellen, so dass alle Leser den größtmöglichen Nutzen von Modernist Cuisine haben. In der Zwischenzeit empfehlen wir Ihnen die Seite Modernist Cuisine bei Taschen.com.
Bienvenida!¡Bievenidos al sitio de Modernist Cuisine! Ahora que las ediciones del libro en español, francés, y alemán, están disponibles, estamos trabajando para proporcionar todos los beneficios de nuestro sitio web también en su idioma, para que todos los visitantes tengan lo mejor experiencia de Modernist Cuisine. Mientras tanto, le recomendamos que visite la página de Modernist Cuisine en Taschen.com.

Nathan Myhrvold Will Appear on The Martha Stewart Show, November 17

Written by

Martha in The Cooking Lab

Last time Nathan appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, she came to visit us in Bellevue, Washington, at The Cooking Lab. This time, since Nathan is spending a few days on the East Coast, he’s stopping by her studio to talk about Modernist cooking and its adaptability for home use. Nathan will demonstrate sous vide salmon and pistachio gelato, some of our favorite recipes!

Tune in to The Martha Stewart Show tomorrow, November 17, for more!

Chris Gives StarChefs Tips on a Great Thanksgiving Turkey

Written by

Chris Young gave StarChefs the dish on why baking a turkey is so complicated, and how to get around it. His secret? Treat it like a giant Peking duck. Chris told StarChefs:

“The exterior of the breasts may overcook a little, but this two-step cooking process is as close as I’ve come to getting the legs tender and keeping the breast juicy without brine.”

Read all about Chris’s tips and tricks, and find a recipe for his turkey à la Peking duck here.

It’s Time for Top 10 Lists

Written by

As the year winds down, many people are compiling their top 10 lists. Top reality-TV moments, top restaurants, top scientific discoveries. We are happy to say that MC has garnered an honorable mention on Epicurious’s top 10 list.

This has been a year of stiff competition, with new books out by the likes of Blumenthal, Cooks Illustrated, Pépin, Ruhlman, and Momofuku.

Despite this, Modernist Cuisine has made it to the very top of Amazon’s Top 10 books in the cooking, food & wine category. Amazon says it “Pushes the limits of culinary arts and photography…a stunning six-volume set.” Amazon has also recently launched its “look inside” feature for volume two of Modernist Cuisine. You can view the table of contents, scope out photos, and read about grilling.

Max Will Demonstrate Modernist Techniques at Seattle’s Book Larder

Written by

Book Larder, Seattle’s newest food-focused bookstore, is offering a special package that includes both a copy of Modernist Cuisine and two tickets to an event with MC coauthor Maxime Bilet for a discounted price of $550. That’s $75 off the list price! Please join Max at Book Larder on Thursday, February 2, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. for a demonstration of techniques from the book, insights into MC’s creation, and a Q&A session. For more information, click here to visit the page on Book Larder’s website.

See Us in Action!

Written by

Maxime Bilet, Chris Young, and Nathan Myhrvold.

With so many upcoming talks, presentations, classes, and demonstrations, we’ve added an Events page. We’ll also blog about events as we add author appearances to the schedule.

Today, we’re happy to announce that MC coauthors Nathan Myhrvold and Maxime Bilet will be appearing at The Restaurant Show in London on Monday, October 10, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. GST. Click here for more details.

We also have two new events with Sur La Table coming up. At the first, Nathan will turn up at the Sur La Table stall at the Los Angeles Farmers Market on Thursday, October 20. The second event, on Monday, November 14, will feature both Nathan and Max at Sur La Table’s SoHo location in New York City.