Beginners' Guide to Modernist Cooking

Hi there! I'm Jason Logsdon and I'm here to help you get started down the road to modernist cooking! I know how intimidating "Modernist Cooking" can be, especially with so much of the focus on the amazing work done by Alinea, Ferran Adria, Modernist Cuisine and the other great chefs. But don't worry, modernist cooking doesn't have to be that hard or that fancy!

I'm really honored you choose me to assist you with your cooking journey. My goal is to help you get familiar with my website so you can learn everything you need to know about getting started with modernist cooking. Modernist cooking really doesn't have to be any more difficult than other styles of cooking. And most of all, remember to have fun!

What is Modernist Cooking?

From fancy liquid spheres to crazy foams and unqiue gels, people have a lot of different things in mind when they talk about modernist cooking. However, at it's most basic, modernist cooking is just using all the tools at your disposal to make great food.

At some point in the past, almost everything we use in our kitchen was considered modernist. Ovens were thought to destroy the flavors of hearth roasting and made cooking "impersonal". Things we take for granted like baking powder, a variety of spices, and pure salt and sugar weren't found in any but the finest kitchens. Even tomatoes were considered super-modernist and "unfit for eating" at one time.

Some of today's modernist ingredients are actually traditional foods that have been used longer than the tomato! Carrageenan has been used in Ireland to create puddings for centuries and is extracted from seaweed. Agar is just a natural vegetable counterpart to gelatin and has been used in Asia since the 1600s.

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Where to Start

Because of the breadth of knowledge modernist cooking covers it can be intimidating to figure out where to start. I think the easiest place to begin is to focus on a single ingredient or technique and try it out several times until you feel comfortable with it, then move on to the next one. I suggest you first understand how to measure modernist ingredients for modernist cooking. I also recommend some of my favorite techniques and ingredients for beginners and highlight the most popular articles on my site. Or you can choose a specific one that interests you below.

Modernist Equipment

When it comes to equipment you can check out my guide to required modernist equipment and for a nice starter kit with modernist ingredients you can check out my modernist cooking kit reviews, one of which also comes with my comprehensive Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Getting Started book.

Modernist Recipes

For recipes, you can check out some of the easier recipes I have on the site. They will help demonstrate many of the techniques and ingredients with simple-to-follow directions. You can also view all of my modernist recipes.

• Sous Vide Prime Rib Roast Recipe
• Sous Vide Duck Recipe With Blackberry-Port Pudding
• Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Air and Fried Snow Peas
• Black Cherry Sous Vide Infused Rye Recipe
• Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with Lime-Ginger Slaw
• Sous Vide Raspberry Infused Vinaigrette
• Melon Soup Spheres Recipe
• Sous Vide Pork Loin Recipe with Rosemary Caramel Sauce
• Shrimp and Chile Queso Recipe with Sodium Citrate
• Candied Bacon with Chive Air Recipe
• Paloma Recipe with Grapefruit Foam
• Strawberry Daiquiri Agar Gel Cubes Recipe
• Carrot-Ginger Soup Recipe
• Roasted Sweet Potato Soup Foam
• Carbonated Watermelon Salad
• Peanut Butter Custard with Carrageenan
• Classic Gelatin Marshmallows
• Sesame Oil Powder Recipe

Have Specific Questions?

Learning a new subject always leads to lots of questions so I've set up several places you can get help. I have a very helpful modernist forums that cooks of all levels contribute to. You also can contact me directly through email or by posting on my Facebook page.

Thanks For Your Support!

I really appreciate you letting me help you get started on your modernist cooking journey! I'm sure that working together we'll get you comfortable using the latest modernist tools, techniques, and ingredients when you're looking to add a bang to your cooking!

Thanks again and happy cooking!

P.S. If you have found this page helpful, please click one of the 'LIKE' buttons below. Thanks!

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