Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) [Hardcover]

Hervé This (Author), Malcolm DeBevoise (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History | Publication Date: March 6, 2009

An internationally renowned chemist, popular television personality, and bestselling author, Hervé This heads the first laboratory devoted to molecular gastronomy—the scientific exploration of cooking and eating. By testing recipes that have guided cooks for centuries, and the various dictums and maxims on which they depend, Hervé This unites the head with the hand in order to defend and transform culinary practice.

With this new book, Hervé This's scientific project enters an exciting new phase. Considering the preparation of six bistro favorites—hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise, simple consommé, leg of lamb with green beans, steak with French fries, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate mousse—he isolates the exact chemical properties that tickle our senses and stimulate our appetites. More important, he connects the mind and the stomach, identifying methods of culinary construction that appeal to our memories, intelligence, and creativity. By showing that the creation of a meal is as satisfying as its consumption, Herve This recalibrates the balance between food and our imaginations. The result is a revolutionary perspective that will tempt even the most casual cooks to greater flights of experimentation.

(3/9/09)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. French chemist This, co-creator (with fellow scientist Nicholas Kurti) of the kitchen science discipline known as molecular gastronomy, offers readers a window into his world through this wide-ranging, deeply engaging scientific deconstruction of classic dishes. Those hoping to find recipes for concoctions like wasabi foam or celery "caviar" will be disappointed; This dismisses such cuisine as parlor tricks for foodies. Instead, he examines what he calls "culinary dictums," such as adding salt to water when boiling eggs or starting a stock with cold water, using science to confirm, disprove or update common kitchen wisdom. Beginning with the humble hard-boiled egg, This explains food concepts thoroughly but plainly-among them why creamy sauces "break," the proper time to salt a steak, and the importance of soaking sliced potatoes in water before French frying them. This's tour is frequently fascinating, and his digressions on a host of topics (from cooking trends to proper mayonnaise-beating etiquette to noted French mathematician Blaise Pascal) lend charm and warmth. For anyone expecting a clinical approach buttressed by equations and formulas, the biggest surprise isn't This's dedication to good old flavor, but his insistence that love is a cook's most important ingredient.
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Review

Hervé This takes virtual cliché dishes and tells you what scientific principles go into their successful preparation. His book, while erudite, allusive, precise, and full of cultural insights, also has charm, wit, and brevity.

(Albert Sonnenfeld, translator of Food Is Culture and Culture of the Fork: A Brief History of Everyday Food and Haute Cuisine in Europe 9/1/09)

Hervé This's major contribution is that food is an act of love and is linked to the pursuit of happiness. Building a Meal is the book of a 'bon vivant' and provides an excellent antidote to despair and depression. Its pages celebrate food and life.

(Jeanine P. Plottel, Hunter College 8/1/2009)

[A] wide-ranging, deeply engaging scientific deconstruction of classic dishes.

(Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

A beautifully written treatise on the tenets of molecular gastronomy and cooking's role in modern society.

(Natalie Fasano Eats.com )

This wonderful book by chemist/chef This continues the exploration of this profound way of looking at eating, cooking, and science.

(Choice )

Anyone with a passion for cooking or science is sure to find this a captivating and effortless read.

(Sacramento Book Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press (March 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231144660
• ISBN-13: 978-0231144667
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hervé This is a physical chemist of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique in Paris. One of the two founders of the science called molecular gastronomy, he is the author of Columbia's Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking and of several other books on food and cooking. He is a monthly contributor to Pour la Science, the French-language edition of Scientific American.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The least of This's books, December 16, 2009

By 

Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) (Hardcover)

Being a scientist who loves to cook, I have a deep respect for molecular gastronomy's deconstruction (or reconstruction) of cooking in terms of the simple chemistry and physics of the food. I have read most of the (now numerous) Herve This books in English (and left a number of positive Amazon reviews for them). This book is a rambling mess. Sure, there are some good observations in the book, but much of the raw material appears elsewhere. If you have read a fair amount of molecular gastronomy and are curious about the contents of this book, check it out (briefly) from the library. For everyone else, just skip it.

I recommend the following instead: Kitchen Mysteries: Revealing the Science of Cooking (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History), Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History), or Cooking: The Quintessential Art (California Studies in Food and Culture), all by Herve This. Or another take on molecular gastronomy, On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. I also appreciate The Science of Cooking and The Science of Good Food: The Ultimate Reference on How Cooking Works. Any of these books would serve you better in my opinion.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A rambling egocentric mess, February 6, 2010

By 

A Concerned Reader (Wine Country, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) (Hardcover)

I find the science behind why certain techniques produce better results to be fascinating. I found little of that in this book. Instead, I found a rambling series of unrelated stories about the author's personal achievements and excerpts from his interviews. Interspersed between the short tidbits related to acutal cooking, there were numerous black and white photos of food. Yes, black and white! Why bother? With 120 pages, 20 or so covered by mediocre photos, and another 30 or so interview excerpts, one is left with 70 wide spaced pages of actual content, none of which is particularly interesting. I'm tempted to suggest the need for a better editor, but I think a good editor would remove everything herein....

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ramble much?, December 3, 2009

By 

Ryan W. Newburn (Rehoboth Beach, DE, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Building a Meal: From Molecular Gastronomy to Culinary Constructivism (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) (Hardcover)

I agree that Herve is a brilliant man, but, for most of the book he was rambling on about his accomplishments. Talk about the food and techniques and stop referencing your accolades. Some good informations roughly 90% garbage.