Whatever you call it, it’s the process of making gels, foams, freeze drying, carbonating, doing all kinds of crazy cool stuff that hopefully makes for interesting dinners.

Here’s a list of everything an aspiring molecular gastronomist can’t do without:

Agar – makes a gelatin-like substance. But don’t mix with fruit, use beef broth (grass fed organic, of course) to create thin beef sticks, or hot pepper sauce or indian spices or good boozes.

What you need to play with your food

Methylcellulose – dissolve this stuff in hot water and it becomes a syrup or a gel. But when it cools, it becomes a liquid again. Use to make cool hot solids. Try a HOT vanilla hot cream (opposite of ice cream) that is hot, but dissolves in your mouth as it cools. Also a very good soluble fiber.

Soy Lecithin - A bonding agent that makes things stick together that shouldn’t. This is what the pros use for asparagus, milk/turmeric and other crazy foams.

Xanthan Gum – helps keep oil and water emulsified for long periods.

Tapioca Maltodextrin – make any fat or oil into a powder that releases its juicy goodness when it dissolves on the tongue.

Activa RM (meat glue) – This stuff will make proteins stick together. Use it to clue different cuts of the same meat together. Or to make a literal surf and turf with a lobster tail seared to a filet mignon.

Sodium Alginate & Calcium Chloride – This is how they make the “caviar” of weird things like wine and chai tea and carrot juice and whatnot. Simply mix a liquid with sodium alginate and immerse the droplets using a syringe.

Or…buy a ready-made kit that includes a lot of these ingredients – and more not mentioned. Either way, have fun!

Also of note, there is one cookbook set which is the DEFINITIVE GUIDE. Definitely read our article about this one…

Wabi Nabe Cast Iron Pot

We love the one pot meals here – so simple, and so delicious when you get all the integrated flavors working together. This hand-poured cast iron pot is produced by ODLCO and done through kickstarter.com – pledges to purchase fund the purchase (you can even just pledge to support the Wisconsin-based company). So contribute to the economy by producing jobs helping this startup get this great little design made. Works indoors or out.

You choose how much to pledge – $150 or more will get you your very own pot.

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Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking

This book, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking by Nathan Myrvhold is nothing short of amazing. Essentially, a successful and technical obsessive compulsive decides he wants to figure out how to make the best…everything. From french fries to burgers, braises and more. Myrvhold worked with chefs Chris Young and Maxime Bilet to determine the science behind cooking just about everything. What is it that gives steak that juicy sear and how is it best attained? How to make the best pasta. What causes color change when cooking? What are the best pots and pans (answer: the cheap ones). All of these he takes on with a scientific mind and the wherewithal you’d expect from a former Chief Technology Officer for the largest software company in the world.

What Myrhvold has created is nothing short of a bible for how to cook and prepare food of all kinds. Sure, he uses a lot of what is referred to as molecular gastronomy. Sous vide and whatnot, but really it’s all in the cause of determining what makes the most tender _______ or the most juicy ________ or the most flavorful _________.

Even better, this book is illustrated (as in the image here) with amazing photographs that explain the concepts in a clear, concise and visually appealing manner.

Is this a glowing review? Yes, it may seem like we are going off a bit. But we are not alone: this book has been praised by just about every celebrity chef out there from Ferran Adra to Wylie Dufresne as well as food writers like Tim Zagat himself.

We think this is a must for every serious home (and professional) cook out there.

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Weird Food Tool #1: The Duck Press

Part I in a maybe-never-to-be-continued series about weird food tools: the duck press.

Purpose: to smash the remains of a duck carcass to pulp.

Usage: You place the duck carcass in the press, crank the wheel, and the top plate compresses the duck, squeezing out whatever liquids (or liquid-y) remains into a bottom pan (not included).

Why?: Proponents contend that the tastiest parts of a duck (surprise, surprise: the French) are in the bone marrow and the only way to successfully extract them with minimal labor is to compress the hell out of it.

Price: $2,000

Verdict: while it seems like a not-so-bad idea – marrow is good stuff, there must be a way to do this for under $2k. It does look kind of cool, though, and would make a conversation piece. That all said, we would have to say: pass.

BUY ANYWAY

Handmade, handblown herb holder by Roost

Keeping herbs fresh is a challenge. Some do well in the refrigerator, others (like basil) wilt and go black. The best way is to – as best one can – keep them alive.

This handy acacia rack (that matches the spice holder we featured earlier) by Roost may just hold a functional, as well as decorative, solution: keep them alive in water just like you would with flowers. The three hand-blown glass vases hold your cut herbs, keeping them fresh and allowing you to see (and smell) their superlative green freshness until you use them in your fine cuisine.

$48

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The Pot is Hot Whether you like it or not

Shabu Shabu is the Japanese word for these hot pots, the Chinese hot pot is called shuan yang rou. It is also known as Mongolian Hot Pot. Whatever you call it, it’s a delicious, fun and social meal. For all the whiteys out there (like myself): think Asian fondue.

The Chinese have been cooking in this way for a dozen centuries. Seriously. And just about anything is cooked in the broth. Vegetables: Napa cabbage, daikon, mushrooms, ginger, tofu (or tofu skin), you name it. Meats and seafood: Fish, offal, sea cucumber, pork, cuttlefish, chicken, beef, lobster, and many more things you may or may not have heard of. Often times, frozen meats are used because they can be easily sliced thinly and will curl nicely when dropped in the broth. Sometimes noodles are thrown in. The Chinese also accompany this with an array of condiments: mustard, chili sauce, soy sauce, scallions, etc.

Some of our recommendations: pork belly. wagyu beef. pumpkin. scallops. prawns. chard. get creative. have fun. invite others.

The Japanese traditionally cook thinly sliced meats and vegetables (though mostly meat – Kobe or any Wagyu beef is a fantastic idea), cooked in broth (or dashi), and are optionally dipped in Ponzu or sesame sauce afterwards.

This particular pot looks traditional and sexy.

$125

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Sprouting sprouts sprouting freely

It’s so easy to grow your own sprouts year round. And that earthy, crunchy delicious flavor they add to salads is unbeatable.

Also, cooking with hydrated beans, like garbanzos and black-eyed peas, is a snap. They hydrate much faster than their un-sprouted peers, making it easier to whip up bean dishes without having to resort to canned.

Sprouting trays are available and make it easy to grow your sprouts at home, are easy to clean and easy to stow away (we like the top of the refrigerator).

The advantages of sprouts:

• Activated enzymes may make them easier to digest
• Low calories, low fat, no cholesterol
• High in fiber
• Good vitamin and trace mineral content as well as chlorophyll
• mmm…delicious

Try these:

Mixed sprouts with garbanzo, green pea and lentils turn bagged lettuce into a really good salad.

Cress, a strong, spicy micro-green.

Arugula (aka rocket), great as a micro-green.

Fennel – add a light anise-y flavor to soups and salads.

Pink Kale – great as a micro green.

Tray is only $17

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Photo courtesy flickr.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/66176388@N00/ / CC BY 2.0

Hmmmm.

We think we know what the answer is…but we are still seriously considering purchasing these onion goggles from RSVP. Foam padding around the glasses creates a seal that protects even the most sensitive eyes from harmful onion rays (o-rays in science speak). Anti-fog lenses insure you can see, helping you get those finely diced shallots for your vinaigrette.

Should be one size fits all. Comes with a case. (They won’t fit over prescription glasses though.)

We have friends that use these (no joke…thus our consideration) and swear by them and RSVP makes good stuff.

$20

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Gold dust: fennel pollen

Fennel pollen is, simply put, golden goodness. Because it is the harvested pollen from dried fennel flowers, it is potent stuff, offering a lightly floral, honeyed, heady, herbaceous aroma (and flavor) that is akin to fennel, but yet different. It is extremely versatile and a little dash goes a long way to making the simplest of dishes more complex and more interesting.

A few things to try:

• Sprinkle on roasted chicken or pork
• Mix into your vinaigrette – a little olive oil, fennel pollen and some fresh squeezed lemon, with a shake of salt and pepper is awesome
• Sprinkle on your vanilla ice cream to add a light fennel flavor
• Add a dash to pasta along with olive oil, parmesan and some fresh seasonal vegetables
• Shake it on potatoes and roast in the oven
• We like it best just lightly dusted over just about anything before serving

You get the idea. But really, you can’t understand until you’ve tasted it…

This particular brand is wild harvested in California.

$10

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Recipes? We don't need no stinkin' recipes

Personally, I almost never follow recipes. Yeah, sure, you have to when you’re baking a cake. But I don’t bake cakes, so there. That said, I love cookbooks. I love the ideas I  get and I love learning about different ingredients and mixing and matching them and coming up with new menu ideas, new techniques and wicked combinations.

The problem with recipes is that you don’t really get an understanding of how and why something tastes good – you simply get a blueprint to follow. There’s no learning, just imitation. But what if you want to be an architect? What if you want to make your own blueprints?

It always seemed to me someone should make a cookbook that talks about simply that: here is what bread (or riboletta or chicken paprikash) is, how it works, now go figure out how you want to it. Isn’t it true that all these items are as different as the people who make them?

What I’ve discovered is that there are a few great cookbooks out there who celebrate flavor and technique – and not recipes:

1. Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking is a book that came out last year by author Michael Ruhlman. In it he describes just that: the ratios of different types of foods. Bread? 5 parts flour, 3 parts water. You get the idea. He discusses doughs, stocks, sauces, sausages and custards.
2. The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs is simple a resource on flavors and ingredients. What work together according to some serious chefs.  Think of it this way: you have some halibut, you look it up, it tells you ideas of what might work with it, both as complementary dishes and seasonings.
3. Culinary Artistry (Roughcut) is similar to the flavor bible in that it discusses the processes of composing flavors and crafting fine dishes, though it is meant to be a sort of snapshot of the culinary trends of the time (mid-90s), it is classic in many ways that hold today (it’s not that long ago…).
4. Cooking Beyond Measure: How to Eat Well without Formal Recipes is more like a recipe book, as it deals with specific dishes, but it doesn’t have strict formulas and reminds cooks to rely on one’s taste when formulating foods.
5. How to Break an Egg: 1,453 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, Emergency Substitutions, and Handy Techniques is basically a compendium of cooking techniques and an excellent substitution to figure out how to finish your cake if your (gulp) out of eggs…and time to go to the store.

Happy cooking…