Modernist Cuisine: FirstLook

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We attended a talk at the Museum of Science back in 2014 given by Nathan Myhrvold, the lead author and founder of Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. He is also: the former CTO of Microsoft; a scientist; and a photographer.

In the talk, Nathan discussed his motivation and his approach in the creation of the multi-volume cooking encyclopedia with co-authors Chris Young and Maxime Bilet. The five-volume set of books details the science, equipment, and techniques of modern cooking, in a way that both thrills and educate its readers.

Nathan’s talk was eye-opening, and had a profound influence on the folks in the RainyDayKitchen. We came away from the talk and subsequent discussions with a completely different appreciation of the tools, techniques, and approaches to cooking. 

The Books

In the intervening twelve years, we have looked far and wide for a used set of Modernist Cuisine that we could afford. Last week, we found a local seller who was willing to part with his set for what we thought was a song!

We met up with the seller in the parking lot of the local Staples store, paid what was asked, and are now the happy owners of our very own “new to us” set!

• Scientific Techniques: The books highlight methods like spherification (creating spheres that burst), foams (using stabilizers), gels (using agar or gellan gum), and emulsification (binding oil and water).
• Specialized Ingredients: The books show how to use ingredients such as sodium citrate (for cheese sauce), lecithin (for foams), transglutaminase (“meat glue”), and hydrocolloids to alter textures.
• Equipment: High-tech tools are featured, including immersion circulators (for sous vide), as well as rotary evaporators, chamber vacuum sealers, and liquid nitrogen.
• Unique Photography: Modernist Cuisine is noted for its artistic, cutaway photos of kitchen equipment and food in motion.
• Recipe Examples: Included are recipes for unconventional items, like olive oil gummy worms, transparent ravioli, and perfectly cooked, unfried foods.

A Peek Inside

For those who have never seen these books, a quick look cannot do it justice. However, we will try to give a taste of (see what we did there?) what they offer.

There are 26 chapters in the 5 volumes:

• Volume 1: History and Fundamentals – Explores the evolution of cooking, microbiology, food safety, and the physics of food, water, heat, and energy.
• Volume 2: Techniques and Equipment – Covers traditional (barbecuing, stir-frying) and modern techniques, including sous vide, centrifuges, and dehydrators.
• Volume 3: Animals and Plants – Focuses on the science of meat and plant ingredients, covering both traditional and advanced cooking methods.
• Volume 4: Ingredients and Preparations – Details the use of modern ingredients, focusing on thickeners, gelling agents, emulsions, and foams.
• Volume 5: Plated-Dish Recipes – Contains 48 complex, multi-component recipes, along with the index and glossaries.

What’s Different

Most cookbooks include photos of food, and some have great food photography, but none have photos of food and gear in the ways depicted in Modernist Cuisine. 

In order to capture what they had envisioned, they assembled a crew of chefs, engineers, scientists, and photographers, and in combination with techniques never employed before, created images of amazing creativity, detail, and even whimsy.

The results are innovative images show gear, techniques, and food in fresh ways never seen until the Modernist Cuisine.

FirstThoughts

Reading a chapter of Modernist Cuisine is like taking a Masterclass in something related to the culinary arts, from the history of food, to the preparation of food, to the science behind the cooking of food.

This culinary educational journey is made even more adventurous by all of the imaginative images, detailed explanations, and creative recipes collected in this comprehensive work.

It will take us some time to get through all 2400+ pages in all five volumes. However, we have decided to take on this task for 2026, and will share our experiences with interested RainyDayKitchen and RainyDayMagazine readers!!!

Links to items mentioned:

• Modernist Cuisine