Ultrasonic cooking [General]
2011 Jun 15
This just in from Scientific American. Actually, it's from June 21 so this is literally from the future haha.
www.scientificamerican.com
So according to the article, the ultrasonic process is one step before the actual deep-frying.
I'd be curious to try out this cooking method, although I must say that bit about 'mashed potato'-like consistency on the inside does not sweeten the deal for me. I find that texture is representative of frozen fries.
This all reminds me of infrared barbecue. I wonder if anybody has tried that.
www.scientificamerican.com
So according to the article, the ultrasonic process is one step before the actual deep-frying.
I'd be curious to try out this cooking method, although I must say that bit about 'mashed potato'-like consistency on the inside does not sweeten the deal for me. I find that texture is representative of frozen fries.
This all reminds me of infrared barbecue. I wonder if anybody has tried that.
2011 Jun 15
Found this:
www.spiegel.de,1518,758156,00.html
SPIEGEL: Mr. Myhrvold, what is wrong with the ordinary French fry?
Nathan Myhrvold: There is nothing wrong with it, but most French fries are just not perfect. They're too greasy, they're underdone, they're not crispy. And most of them wind up being soggy.
SPIEGEL: Definitely a culinary affront. Are you able to offer any help with your new scientific cookbook, "Modernist Cuisine"?
Myhrvold: Yes, and this is a subject many people are obsessed with. The traditional technique is that you fry French fries twice -- first at a lower temperature, then at higher temperature, letting them cool in-between. We decided to follow a totally different approach to create a French fry that was crisp on the outside, that had a very light fluffy texture on the inside and that would stay that way for some time. First, we steam the French fries so that they are basically cooked. Then we put them in an ultra-sonic bath ...
SPIEGEL: ... an appliance that is normally used for cleaning jewelry or glasses?
Myhrvold: Well, yes. It produces very high frequency soundwaves that cause tiny bubbles to form in water, which are so powerful that they can actually rip holes in aluminium foil in a process called cavitation. In the case of the French fries, it pokes little holes in their surface. That makes the exterior rough. If we now fry them, we get an extra crispy experience because of the extra surface area.
SPIEGEL: Yum! And how long does it take to make them?
Myhrvold: Two hours. But really, the extra time is the ultra-sonic bath. It sits in there for 45 minutes and you don't have to care.
---------------------------------------------
tinyurl.com/3hkjvj9
“Any dish, no matter how humble its origins, can be perfected. A hamburger is no less worthy than langoustine. If food is poetry, comfort food is a nursery rhyme.”
Mushroom Ketchup
Oh yes? So how would he make a hamburger with fries?
The answer to that question takes several minutes. When baking the bun, he incorporates a protein called L-Cysteine to make it soft. He makes his own cheese slices (using Comte and Emmental) with an emulsifying salt so they melt perfectly. The meat (short rib and hanger steak) is ground with the grain aligned in long strands. The mayonnaise is a beef-suet mousseline, the ketchup prepared with mushrooms; the lettuce is infused with liquid smoke and the tomato is compressed.
He cooks the burger sous-vide -- meaning in a bag, in a water bath -- only he leaves the bag unsealed. When the burger is medium rare, he plunges it into liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds, freezing the outside, then drops it in a deep fryer.
“Our fries are even better than Heston’s,” he says. “We steam them first, then we put them into an ultrasonic bath, which is used to clean watch parts, jewelry and dentures. The ultrasonic waves beat the hell out of the outside and make it rough. Then when we fry it, it’s impossibly crispy.”
Myhrvold is chuckling with pleasure and I’m feeling lost. Am I ever going to learn anything from him that comes in handy when cooking at home?
www.spiegel.de,1518,758156,00.html
SPIEGEL: Mr. Myhrvold, what is wrong with the ordinary French fry?
Nathan Myhrvold: There is nothing wrong with it, but most French fries are just not perfect. They're too greasy, they're underdone, they're not crispy. And most of them wind up being soggy.
SPIEGEL: Definitely a culinary affront. Are you able to offer any help with your new scientific cookbook, "Modernist Cuisine"?
Myhrvold: Yes, and this is a subject many people are obsessed with. The traditional technique is that you fry French fries twice -- first at a lower temperature, then at higher temperature, letting them cool in-between. We decided to follow a totally different approach to create a French fry that was crisp on the outside, that had a very light fluffy texture on the inside and that would stay that way for some time. First, we steam the French fries so that they are basically cooked. Then we put them in an ultra-sonic bath ...
SPIEGEL: ... an appliance that is normally used for cleaning jewelry or glasses?
Myhrvold: Well, yes. It produces very high frequency soundwaves that cause tiny bubbles to form in water, which are so powerful that they can actually rip holes in aluminium foil in a process called cavitation. In the case of the French fries, it pokes little holes in their surface. That makes the exterior rough. If we now fry them, we get an extra crispy experience because of the extra surface area.
SPIEGEL: Yum! And how long does it take to make them?
Myhrvold: Two hours. But really, the extra time is the ultra-sonic bath. It sits in there for 45 minutes and you don't have to care.
---------------------------------------------
tinyurl.com/3hkjvj9
“Any dish, no matter how humble its origins, can be perfected. A hamburger is no less worthy than langoustine. If food is poetry, comfort food is a nursery rhyme.”
Mushroom Ketchup
Oh yes? So how would he make a hamburger with fries?
The answer to that question takes several minutes. When baking the bun, he incorporates a protein called L-Cysteine to make it soft. He makes his own cheese slices (using Comte and Emmental) with an emulsifying salt so they melt perfectly. The meat (short rib and hanger steak) is ground with the grain aligned in long strands. The mayonnaise is a beef-suet mousseline, the ketchup prepared with mushrooms; the lettuce is infused with liquid smoke and the tomato is compressed.
He cooks the burger sous-vide -- meaning in a bag, in a water bath -- only he leaves the bag unsealed. When the burger is medium rare, he plunges it into liquid nitrogen for 30 seconds, freezing the outside, then drops it in a deep fryer.
“Our fries are even better than Heston’s,” he says. “We steam them first, then we put them into an ultrasonic bath, which is used to clean watch parts, jewelry and dentures. The ultrasonic waves beat the hell out of the outside and make it rough. Then when we fry it, it’s impossibly crispy.”
Myhrvold is chuckling with pleasure and I’m feeling lost. Am I ever going to learn anything from him that comes in handy when cooking at home?
Francis
I saw ultrasonic fogging devices on sale on eBay for just a few dollars. They are 1.6MHz (yes MHz !) sonic transducers.
I'd like to try them for doing marinades and for making Myhrvold's famous ultrasonic fries.