By: Martin Lersch

Andy - thank you for your comments. I can understand your objections, but there are a couple of things you should consider (and Erik touches upon some of this). Most of the ingredients I listed are texture modifiers. In a normal (western) kitchen you only have a handful of texture modifers at hand: gelatin, pectin, corn starch, potatoe starch and flour. I didn't include preservatives, colours, anti-oxidants etc. since these are not by far as interesting for molecular gastronomy as they are for the food industry where shelf life is a key paramter. Most of the compounds listed are natural products in the sence that they are purified extracts from plant tissues. Yes - they do have an E-number (and even a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAS_number" rel="nofollow">CAS</a> number, a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EINECS_number" rel="nofollow">EINECS</a> number etc. if you bother to search them up) - and of course they are made up of molecules and atoms. But so does all the other food you eat as well. Food is chemistry! I agree with your statement that "molecular cooking" is not just about the additives used. But the reason I compiled the list is more to let cooks - both professional and at home - see what ingredients are available. These ingredients are not mentioned in cookbooks, grocery stores do not sell them and generally people have very little knowledge about them. Also, many of them are difficult to get hold of in small quantities. That's why I have compiled a list of suppliers. Having said this, I should also add that texture modifiers are only one small aspect of molecular gastronomy. I guess my latest post on how to prepare a <a href="https://blog.khymos.org/2007/01/21/perfect-steak-with-diy-sous-vide-cooking/" rel="nofollow">perfect steak</a> illustrates that temperature alone can also do a lot with the texture of meat.