The Father of Molecular Gastronomy Whips Up a New Formula

via Wired: "The name has since been applied to the kitchen wizardry of chefs like el Bulli's Ferran Adria and Alinea's Grant Achatz. But This is interested in basic culinary knowledge — not flashy preparations — and has continued to accumulate his precisions, which now number some 25,000. He also has received a PhD in the field he created, served as an adviser to the French minister of education, published several books, lectured internationally, and even been invited to join the lab of one of his fans, Nobel Prize winning molecular chemist Jean-Marie Lehn.

In 2001, This came up with a formal system of classification for what happens when foods are mixed, baked, whipped, fried, sauteed in lime juice, and so forth. It shows, for example, how the 451 classical French sauces break down into 23 distinct types. More important, the system allows the creation and pairing of billions of novel, potentially tasty dishes."