The Consultant - Q1 2009 - (Page 27) canada INTERNATIONAL MARKET At Atelier, each dish has many different elements. In this one, raw beef, Santa Fe peppers and marinated cucumbers are interspersed with various sauces. The point is to the ability to create food at a higher level with variety and intensity of flavors and textures making the experience unique. spective. There are plenty of tools you can use to improve shelf life, color and stability.” Regardless of whether one brandishes the label or not, it’s an area that can deliver significant rewards in terms of creative ingenuity, reduced labor costs, improved consistency and overall efficiency. However, it is also an area that requires good planning, extensive research and training, and for those who can’t build their kitchen from the ground up, an understanding of how to integrate newer tools and processes with existing practices. The anti-kitchen For Lepine, kitchen design didn’t require any compromises, since he had the opportunity to go all the way in rigging up his kitchen. “It is definitely atypical. We don’t use gas, we have no stoves, deep fryers or grills.” Lepine’s quest for alternative technologies however was going on long before he man- aged to create the ultimate kitchen. Using liquid nitrogen for example has been a particular favorite tool of his for rapid cooling of soups and creating instant ice cream offerings. It’s also a relatively inexpensive investment for anyone wanting to test the waters. It costs about $3 a liter, plus the cost of a liquid nitrogen dewar for storing it ($500 to $1,000). He also keeps a supply of dry ice on hand for “carbonating things” among other applications. Sous-vide plays a particularly prominent part in his operations, and now accounts for up to 40 percent of his menu – from custards to meats and vegetables. He has three PolyScience portable immersion circulators and a vacuum sealing machine (he claims a household version of the latter can be bought on the cheap from a local hardware store). “There are tons of advantages to doing sous-vide,” he says. “You can be extremely precise with your temperatures, and it lengthens cooking time so you don’t have to limit your menu exclusively to prime cuts.” A CookTek hob induction cooktop replaces conventional gas burners, which can bring eight liters of cold milk to a boil in 15 seconds. Another technology innovation on board is a Thermomix – a multi-purpose food preparation device that can weigh, cut, chaff, knead, stir and heat food items in one pot. He also has portable solar ovens from Global Sun Ovens for use on sunny days. Lepine says Nesco food dehydrators are in constant use for low temperature baking. He also uses heat guns for high-heat broiling needs. “Overall I’d say we can accomplish as much or more than a traditional kitchen in a lot less space,” Lepine says. PERSPECTIVES Getting started Finding equipment suppliers may require some perseverance, since the tools of the molecular gastronomy First Quarter 2009 27
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