On this episode, Ragnar speaks with French physical chemist Hervé This, founder of molecular gastronomy, molecular cooking, and Note by Note cooking, three distinct approaches that apply scientific understanding to study, improve, and reimagine the culinary arts. A visionary in culinary innovation, Hervé was recently awarded the prestigious Sonning Prize for his work to renew and scientifically question the foundations of culinary knowledge and gastronomy. Tune in to explore how Note by Note cooking is reshaping culinary creativity and sustainability, and discover the possibilities for chefs to take full control over flavor, color, nutrition, consistency, and texture—one compound at a time on Episode 131: Exploring the Future of Food with Renowned Physical Chemist Hervé This.
Tune in and LEARN:
- Sustainable Innovation: Learn how Note by Note cooking reduces food waste, eliminates the need for refrigeration, and creates new efficiencies by replacing perishable ingredients with stable compounds.
- Why Words Matter: Discover why proper terminology matters in the kitchen and how words can transform meaning and outcomes for culinary professionals.
- Total Creative Freedom: Explore how chefs can take full control of flavor, aroma, color, nutrition, consistency and texture, designing entirely new dishes that reflect the needs, tools, and imagination of a modern culinary era.
Resources
“We are in the 21st century. We need to behave like people from 21st century. The big advantage of Note by Note cooking is that instead of using fresh products that spoil, you use compounds that never spoil. You don’t need a fridge. You’re saving energy, and avoiding fluids that are not good for the climate.”
Understanding the Terminology:
Molecular & Physical Gastronomy (1988): A science for scientists. According to Hervé, cooking will never be a science, it has nothing to do with physics and chemistry.
Molecular Cooking (1999): Cooking with modern tools like liquid nitrogen, water evaporators, etc. A technique.
Synthetic cooking (1994): Cooking with compounds. A technique.
Note by Note cooking (1994): A name created when chefs were not ready to accept the name synthetic cooking. A style.
Note by Note Cooking Recipe
Start with the base:
Take a bowl and add 6 or 7 spoonfuls of water. Add 1 spoonful of powdered protein — like egg white protein or a plant-based alternative. Mix well. This creates the base structure of an egg white.
Build texture:
Add a spoonful of neutral oil (like sunflower oil). Whisk the mixture until it becomes a white emulsion — similar in texture to a whipped egg mixture, but still with no flavor or aroma.
Add taste and aroma:
- For sweetness, dissolve sugar into the water.
- For acidity, add a bit of tartaric acid.
- For flavor and aroma, use odorant compounds or natural extracts.
- Add color if desired.
Cook your creation:
Pour the mix into a cup and microwave for 20 seconds. You’ll get a soufflé — one that’s made entirely from individual building blocks, tailored to your vision.
Using Note by Note cooking, chefs can be more sustainable and have full control over their dish, selecting the flavor, aroma, nutritional components, consistency and more. Hervé imagines the future of food:
“Today, I do not use a horse to go to my lab. When I’m writing a book I’m not using a feather with ink. We have to live in our own century… I will be happy when the chefs are cooking seated, in a cold atmosphere, with no noise and no stress. This is what I want. If you have stress, you cannot think about culinary arts. And this proposal is not so well accepted…Changes are needed in the kitchen.”
– Hervé This
Resources & Events
- International Center for Molecular Gastronomy: Created in 2014 by Hervé This, this center houses free information on molecular gastronomy and has a growing community.
- Hervé’s blog
- Hervé This on World on a Plate (2020)
- The 13th International Contest for Note by Note cooking: This event will take place at the Campus Agro Paris Saclay.
- Stay tuned for more events with Hervé at worldchefs.org/events/
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Hervé This for joining us.
World on a Plate is supported by Nestlé Professional and our podcast sponsors.
