Studiokitchen Reflection

During our visit to Studiokitchen, we were able to watch Chef Shola make chocolate mousse, butterscotch foam, lemon and brie meringues made with liquid nitrogen, fresh pasta and pizza. In addition, Chef Shola took the time to show us demonstrations illustrating different chemical properties, including putting watermelon in the vacuum sealer and letting us taste both the vacuum sealed watermelon and the regular watermelon and cooking a perfect soft boiled egg. Throughout the day, Chef Shola explained what he was doing and the chemistry behind it and answered all of our questions about molecular gastronomy.

            Chef Shola centered the day on showing us differences in texture of food. First, we made the chocolate mousse, since it would take the longest. To make the mousse, we mixed together melted chocolate, heavy cream, and glucose. Next, we poured agar into water and boiled the mixture, since, as Chef Shola explained, the agar needed to be brought to a boil in order to hydrate it. Once the agar and water mixture was boiling for a few minutes, we added it to the chocolate mixture in a blender. Then, we put a sheet of gelatin into the blender with the chocolate and agar mixtures after it had been soaking in an ice bath. Once all the ingredients were mixed together, we poured the mixture into an isi canister and added two charges, and then put the chocolate mousse into a sealed vacuum vessel in the chamber vacuum machine. When the put the mousse into the chamber vacuum machine, the mousse rose as the air was lifted up. To show how the chamber vacuum machine worked, Chef Shola cut two slices of watermelon, both seasoned with salt, and put one of the pieces of watermelon into the chamber vacuum machine. As a result, the vacuum-sealed watermelon changed from a light pink to a dark red, giving it the appearance of raw tuna. When we ate the vacuum-sealed watermelon, it was much juicier and had a slight salty taste throughout, as opposed to the regular watermelon, where you could only taste the salt on the outside.

            Once the mousse filled the container, we froze it in a sealed vacuum container in the blast chiller. After we had eaten the pasta and pizza, the chocolate mousse was ready to eat. After being in the blast chiller, the frozen mousse looked closer to an ice cream than a mousse, but as soon as you ate it, the mousse dissolved inside your mouth. Served with butterscotch foam that resembled whipped cream, the dish featured an intriguing mix of textures.  

            The other dessert that Shola made for us was a lemon and brie meringue. The meringues were made using a lemon and brie mixture that Shola had prepared before we arrived and liquid nitrogen. Once the cream mixture was dropped into the liquid nitrogen, a hard outer shell formed. However, when you bit into the meringue, the shell broke and revealed a liquid interior that dissolved in your mouth.

            Looking back at our discussion on Shola before we left for Studiokitchen, I think that Shola should be considered a chef because of his level of innovation in the kitchen. Though he does not manage a hectic restaurant kitchen, Shola formulates his own recipes, experiments with food science, and consults with budding restaurants to create a menu.