don't try this at home

It's one thing to have a menu fail but the world of molecular gastronomy opens the door to a world of fails of all kinds.

An experimental German cook accidentally blew off both his hands attempting to concoct a "molecular gastronomy" dish with liquid nitrogen, a newspaper report said on Monday.

The Age

It got me thinking. I'm not saying that all chefs-to-be dropped out of high school at an early age with little by the way of education but I'm guessing university physics and chemistry are unlikely to be in many of their CV's.

So what would make the ideal higher school curriculum for someone wanting a career in cooking? Here are some of my thoughts:

Horticulture - if you want to wildcraft rare herbs, it is a good idea to identify them
Latin - really helps with the botany
French - so you don't confuse your cordon bleu with your gordon blue
English - while we are on languages, those menu fails are getting a bit embarrassing
Science - goes without saying, other than things going bang, cooking is alchemy
Domestic science aka Home Economics - Is this subject still taught in schools? Those Home Ec Mistresses sure knew how to turn out a decent scone.

Forget media studies and all those fancy schmansy things, it's time to get back to basics.

science lab in the kitchen

How do you like you carrots? Raw, steamed, grated, glazed, juiced or as 'caviar'? Molecular gastronomy just aint my thing. I aim to keep my food as close to nature as possible, so shopping for ingredients at a chemistry supply store doesn't appeal. I must also admit a recipe that calls for highly accurate scales sends a shiver down my 'a pinch of this' and a 'handful of that' spine.

But as we are not all food nazi's - for your amusement and culinary enjoyment - here's a link for some DIY, El Bulli style carrot caviar from Instructables. While you are there check out how to make your own cookie (biscuit) cutters - nothing more fun than using power tools in the kitchen!