Cookbook Design:
Nathan Myhrvold describes his comprehensive cookbook, “Modernist Cuisine,” as a six-volume, 2,438-page compilation with over 1.1 million words. The cookbook contains 150,000 photographs, with 3,200 selected for inclusion, showcasing a high success rate in capturing visually appealing images. The project involved 1,522 recipes, contributions from 72 chefs worldwide, and the full-time dedication of six research cooks for three years. A team of 44 writers, editors, and art staff collaborated to bring the cookbook to life, resulting in a substantial 40-pound tome.

Printing and Aesthetics:
Myhrvold highlights the significant amount of ink used in the printing process, amounting to four pounds. The book’s thickness and weight are attributed to the extensive use of full-page photographs, with each page featuring approximately one-thousandth of an inch of ink.

Digital vs. Print:
Myhrvold acknowledges the popularity of digital platforms but emphasizes the enduring value of a paper-based cookbook for effectively reaching the intended audience. He explains that the decision to prioritize print was made before the advent of the iPad, which limited digital options at the time. Myhrvold anticipates a future digital version of the cookbook, focusing on interactivity and enhancing the user experience.

Quality Control:
The cookbook employs stochastic screening, a technique that produces visually superior photographs compared to traditional halftone screens. Myhrvold emphasizes the importance of high-quality inks to accurately reproduce a wide range of colors captured in digital photographs.

Presentation Matters:
Myhrvold stresses the significance of presentation in elevating the dining experience, extending this philosophy to the cookbook’s design and aesthetics. He believes that the quality of the presentation enhances the overall perception of the cookbook and its content.

Volume 1: History and Fundamentals:
Contains knowledge and techniques not typically found in traditional cookbooks. Covers cooking history, science, and the physics of food. Provides insight into the “why” behind traditional cooking techniques, enabling readers to adapt and innovate. Aimed at passionate and curious individuals, not limited to professional chefs or home cooks.

Volume 2: Techniques and Equipment:
Includes a comprehensive chapter on traditional cooking techniques, explaining the science behind each method. Provides an in-depth understanding of how cooking techniques work, allowing readers to experiment and create new dishes. Suitable for both cooks and those interested in the science of cooking.

Volume 3: Animals and Plants:
Focuses on ingredients, particularly meat and plants. Explores the structure of meat, explaining why some cuts are tough and others tender. Includes innovative recipes and techniques for working with plants and meat, beyond traditional methods.

Volume 4: Ingredients and Preparations:
Examines ingredients such as thickeners and gels, which play a crucial role in traditional cooking. Provides insights into modern and traditional methods for achieving desired textures and consistency in dishes. Explores different types of gels, including cheese and tofu, as examples of protein gels.

The Book’s Structure:
Volume 5 of Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine is a combination of a cookbook and a scientific exploration of various cooking techniques and ingredients.

Coffee and Wine:
Myhrvold emphasizes the importance of coffee and wine in the culinary world, highlighting the lack of attention they often receive. He introduces a technique called “hyper-decanting” for red wine, which involves blending the wine in a blender to improve its taste and aroma.

The Plated Dish Recipes:
The book features a section called “The Plated Dish Recipes,” which provides in-depth instructions for 50 recipes, including garnishes and accompaniments.

Cool Pictures and Illustrations:
Myhrvold utilizes visually appealing photographs and illustrations to demonstrate cooking concepts and techniques. The book includes cutaway images of various cooking equipment and ingredients, revealing the inner workings of the cooking process.

Home Cooking Accessibility:
Myhrvold acknowledges that some recipes in the book require specialized equipment, but he estimates that at least half of the recipes can be easily prepared at home with basic kitchen tools.

Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen:
The book features a section on cooking with liquid nitrogen, highlighting its ability to achieve extremely low temperatures without adding moisture.

Cutaway Photos and Explanations:
Myhrvold extensively uses cutaway photos to illustrate the transformation of ingredients during cooking. Text boxes and explanations accompany the photos, providing detailed insights into the scientific principles behind the cooking processes.

Machine Shop for Cutting Ingredients:
Myhrvold’s company has a machine shop where they cut ingredients in half to capture the internal changes during cooking. A wire EDM machine uses electrical sparks to precisely cut various materials, including metal and glass.

Digital Manipulation for Seamless Visuals:
Myhrvold explains the use of Photoshop to remove glue lines and wires from the cutaway photos, creating seamless and visually appealing images.

The Science of Heat and Energy:
The cookbook includes partial differential equations to understand heat conductivity and diffusion. Most heat in a barbecue comes from infrared rays rather than hot air. The “sweet spot” for even heat distribution is a horn-shaped zone above the heat source.

The Art of Making the Ultimate Hamburger:
The cookbook aims to refine any dish worthy of a cook’s attention, including the hamburger. Aligning the grain of the ground meat vertically improves the texture and crumbling of the burger. The ultimate burger recipe includes a smoky-infused lettuce, a specific meat mixture, and a cooking technique involving liquid nitrogen. The burger is cooked sous vide to medium rare, then frozen in liquid nitrogen, and finally deep-fried for a crispy exterior and a perfectly medium-rare interior.

Video Camera:
The lab has a video camera that shoots HD video at 6200 frames per second. A video of a water balloon shows the balloon pulling away quickly due to tension while the mass of the water takes a moment to fall.

Ballistics Gelatin:
A recipe for ballistics gelatin is included in the book because of its popularity on shows like CSI and MythBusters.

Popcorn:
Popcorn illustrates the principle of water expanding by 1600 times when it boils to steam, causing the popcorn to pop.

Omelet:
Breaking eggs to make an omelet is used as an example of how experimenting with high-speed cameras leads to unexpected discoveries.

Food Styling:
The decision was made not to use a food stylist for the book’s pictures. The goal was to present food in a unique and visually appealing way, rather than relying on common styling techniques.

Initial Outline:
The original outline for the book was for a 400-600 page textbook covering various cooking techniques. The final book grew to 2,400 pages due to the vast amount of information and recipes included.

Printing and Sales:
The initial print run of 6,000 copies sold out before they were even shipped. An additional 25,000 copies have been ordered due to high demand. The author is considering printing more copies for the year based on feedback from readers.

Christmas Sales Prediction:
Predicting Christmas sales is challenging due to the significant increase in sales compared to regular months. The baseline sales used to calculate Christmas sales estimates is uncertain, leading to varying projections.

Restaurant Preferences:
Nathan Myhrvold enjoys various types of food and doesn’t have a single favorite meal. He considers El Bulli in Spain the most interesting restaurant globally, with a unique menu that changes every year. El Bulli, unfortunately, is closing permanently in June.

Barbecue Stall Experiment:
Nathan Myhrvold conducted an experiment to better understand the “barbecue stall” phenomenon. He cooked a piece of meat in a sous vide container, which heated up significantly faster than traditional barbecue methods. The experiment provided insights into the factors influencing barbecue stall and potential ways to mitigate it.

Food Science Innovations:
Nathan Myhrvold highlights the importance of innovation in food science, drawing parallels to advancements in other industries. He emphasizes the need for more experimentation and research to drive progress in the field. Nathan Myhrvold stresses the significance of understanding the science behind cooking to achieve better results and avoid common pitfalls.

Background Information:
Barbecue is a popular cooking technique that involves grilling or smoking large pieces of meat over low heat for an extended period. During this process, a phenomenon called “the stall” occurs, where the temperature of the meat plateaus and remains constant for several hours.

The Stall:
The stall is a common occurrence in barbecue, particularly when cooking large cuts of meat such as brisket, pork shoulder, or whole hogs. The temperature of the meat initially increases as it cooks, but at a certain point, it reaches a plateau and stalls, remaining below the temperature of the air in the barbecue. This stalling period can last for several hours, causing confusion and frustration among barbecue enthusiasts.

Explanations for the Stall:
Traditional explanations for the stall often attributed it to the conversion of collagen in the meat into gelatin, a process that tenderizes the meat and contributes to its rich flavor and texture. However, this explanation was found to be insufficient, as the energy released from this reaction was not enough to account for the significant heat loss during the stall.

The True Cause of the Stall:
The true cause of the stall is the evaporation of water from the meat’s surface. As the meat cooks, moisture evaporates from its surface, causing a cooling effect that prevents the temperature from rising further. This evaporative cooling is similar to the sensation of feeling cool after stepping out of a pool, unless the humidity is extremely high.

Experiment to Prove the Evaporative Cooling Theory:
To demonstrate the role of evaporation in the stall, an experiment was conducted involving two briskets. One brisket was sealed in a plastic bag to prevent evaporation, while the other was left uncovered. Both briskets were placed in a convection oven with temperature probes to monitor their internal temperatures. The uncovered brisket experienced a stall for approximately two and a half hours before the temperature started rising again. In contrast, the covered brisket showed no stall, indicating that evaporation was the primary cause of the temperature plateau.

Humidity and the Stall:
The humidity level in the cooking environment also plays a role in the stall. Initially, the humidity in the oven increases due to the evaporation of water from the meat. Over time, the humidity decreases as some of the air vents out of the oven, affecting the rate of evaporation from the meat’s surface.

Traditional Wisdom vs. Scientific Approach:
Traditional barbecue wisdom suggests applying more sauce during the stall to help tenderize the meat. However, this practice is counterproductive as it adds more moisture to the meat, prolonging the stall by increasing the rate of evaporation. A more effective approach is to use a dry rub instead of sauce, as it minimizes the amount of moisture on the meat’s surface and allows for more efficient cooking.

Modern Techniques for Barbecue:
The author’s high-tech approach to barbecue involves a combination of smoking, sous vide cooking, and the use of liquid nitrogen and a deep fryer. Smoking at low temperatures, followed by sous vide cooking, helps tenderize the meat and develop complex flavors. At the end of the cooking process, the meat may be smoked again to create a bark or crust, or it can be deep-fried after being frozen with liquid nitrogen for a unique and crispy texture.

Cooking Enthusiast from a Young Age:
At the age of nine, Nathan Myhrvold expressed his interest in cooking by declaring his intention to cook Thanksgiving dinner. He pursued his passion by teaching himself through books and successfully prepared the entire meal independently.

Aspiring Chef and Seeking Professional Training:
While working at Microsoft, Myhrvold decided to pursue formal culinary education in France. He sought approval from Bill Gates for a leave of absence to attend chef school.

Gaining Practical Experience at a French Restaurant:
To meet the work experience requirement for chef school, Myhrvold worked one night a week at Rover’s, a French restaurant in Seattle. He learned valuable skills, particularly in boning ducks, which impressed his chef instructor in France.

Scientific Background and Technological Curiosity:
Myhrvold’s interest in technology and science led him to pursue a PhD in physics and work with Stephen Hawking. He temporarily left academia to work on a software project, eventually leading to the founding of a company that Microsoft acquired.

Retirement and Return to Cooking:
After retiring from Microsoft, Myhrvold dedicated more time to cooking and experimenting with cutting-edge techniques. He sought out the most advanced culinary technologies, resulting in his exploration of liquid nitrogen and other innovative methods.

Centrifuges for Culinary Applications:
Myhrvold discussed the availability of centrifuges, commonly used in medical settings, for culinary purposes. He suggested that laboratory supply places are suitable sources for obtaining centrifuges.

Omelets and Scrambled Eggs:
To enhance the texture of omelets or scrambled eggs, discard one egg white per three-egg recipe. Cook the eggs at a low temperature, ideally in a water bath or steam oven, to achieve a consistent texture.

Coffee Techniques:
Precise temperature control is crucial for brewing the perfect cup of coffee. Machines like the Seneso and La Marzocco offer excellent temperature control for espresso preparation. Pressure profiling allows for fine-tuning the pressure during espresso extraction, but no widely available machine currently offers this feature. For regular coffee, the AeroPress is a budget-friendly option that delivers great results. Heat water to 175 degrees Fahrenheit and use a medium drip grind for the best AeroPress coffee.

Dream Team Selection and Current Activities:
Nathan Myhrvold selected co-authors for his books based on their expertise and passion for food. After the book’s publication, the co-authors continued to pursue their culinary interests and expertise. Some co-authors have pursued careers in culinary education and research, while others have focused on writing, recipe development, and food consulting.

The Significance of Teamwork in Writing:
Nathan Myhrvold emphasizes the importance of teamwork in creating the Modernist Cuisine book, as it allowed for a comprehensive coverage of topics and the combination of expertise from various individuals.

Assembling a Diverse Team:
Myhrvold assembled a team consisting of a Fat Duck restaurant employee with a chemistry background, an editor from Scientific American, and a Photoshop expert who had recently graduated from art school.

The Unique Style of Photography:
The book’s distinctive photographic style was developed thanks to the lack of deep experience of the Photoshop expert, allowing for the creation of unique and visually appealing images.

Revolutionizing the Art of Cooking:
Myhrvold explains how engineering and science empower chefs with new techniques, enabling them to create art through food.

Modernism and Cooking:
The book draws parallels between modernism in art, architecture, and literature and the concept of modernist cuisine, arguing that cooking had not yet experienced its modernist period until now.

Cooking as an Art Form:
Myhrvold emphasizes that cooking is an art form, capable of engaging emotions and creating thrilling experiences, much like architecture can.

Exploring Nutrition in the Book:
The book includes a chapter on food and health, covering controversial topics such as what foods are beneficial or harmful. It also provides guidance on interpreting scientific studies and understanding statistical terms.

Myths About Unhealthy Fats:
The assumption that trans fats are harmful and saturated fats like butter are bad for health lacks substantial evidence. A study called the Nurses Study revealed that margarine eaters had a higher death rate than butter eaters due to the use of trans fats in margarine during that era.

Modern Cooking Techniques:
Traditional cooking methods often start with a very high heat source, which can result in uneven cooking and burning. Modern approaches emphasize low-temperature cooking to prevent overcooking and ensure consistent results. Low-temperature cooking methods like steam or water baths allow for precise control of the internal temperature of the food.

Grilling and Infrared Rays:
Grilling involves cooking with infrared rays, which are emitted from hot objects. Gas flames are not an efficient source of infrared rays, so most grills use a metal plate to generate heat for cooking. Charcoal grills produce infrared rays from the heated particles surrounding the coals, not from the blue flame.