Summer SAVY Session 6, Day 1, Molecular Gastronomy
Good evening parents!
We have just completed Day 1 of Molecular Gastronomy here at SAVY, and I am extremely impressed by each and every one of the students in this class. Not only did they come in excited to learn, but they asked incredible questions and even stumped me a few times! But that just goes to show you that we are always learning in life, and I love that they stumped me!
Today was a very content heavy day. My goal for the day was to introduce the more overarching topics in order to make sure everyone was at an equal level of understanding going into later week content. Topics covered today included- “What is Molecular Gastronomy?” “What are some of the techniques used in Molecular Gastronomy?” “What is the neural basis of our senses?” “What are different food preparation methods” and “Who are some culinary pioneers of Molecular Gastronomy?” So many topics, so little time!
We also did an experiment today that looked at how our senses contribute to our identification of different foods. Students tried 3 different flavored potato chips, 3 different fruit juices, and 3 different condiments with either full senses, blindfolded, and blindfolded with their nose pinched. They then guessed what foods they tried and we compared answers at the end. Everyone did a very good job with their guesses, and I had a lot of fun with it so I hope they did too!
Some key takeaways from today are that the intersection of science and food greatly impacts our perception of a dish and our appreciation for what we are being served. We can take the simplest of ingredients and turn them into something fresh and different that can trick our palette and even make us enjoy foods that we might not enjoy normally! The way that we prepare our food influences us more than you might think, and that is what a lot of modern day cuisine in restaurants take advantage of in their businesses to amplify the epicurean experience!
I can’t wait to see everyone again tomorrow, we will be diving into the world of “weird food combos that work” and starting spherification, the first of four major Molecular Gastronomy techniques!
Cheers!
Greg