Skip to Main Content

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY

A guide that covers the special holdings that make our library unique.

INTRODUCTION

Housed in the display case at the circulation desk, the collection of books that compromises the Molecular Gastronomy selection is literally a hefty collection. The collection consists of the Modernist Cuisine, elBulli, The Big Fat Duck Cookbook, and Alinea.

The Modernist Cuisine set is an overview of the techniques of modern gastronomy. Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, and Maxime Bilet  are scientists, inventors, and accomplished cooks in their own right -- have created a six-volume 2,400 page set that reveals science-inspired techniques for preparing food. The authors and their 20 person team at The Cooking Lab have achieved new flavors and textures by using tools such as water baths, homogenizers, centrifuges, and ingredients such as hydrocolloids, emulsifiers, and enzymes.

THE FAT DUCK COOKBOOK

In this enormous, beautiful book, we hear the full story of the meteoric rise of Heston Blumenthal and The Fat Duck, birthplace of snail porridge and bacon-and-egg ice cream, and encounter the passion, perfection and weird science behind the man and the restaurant. - See more here.

ALINEA

Large volume elBulli books

elBulli 2005-2011, by Ferran Adria is a seven volume set coving the full operations of the famous restauranteur and his 3 star Michelin restaurant in Spain.

A Day at elBulli.

elBulli