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Modernist Cuisine

Ozzie_Isaac
Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 20,511
in Off Topic
Does any one have the 5 volume modernist cuisine set?

I am curious to get your thought on it.

Maybe your purpose in life is only to serve as an example for others? - LPL


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Comments

  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,833
    I think @paqman might
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,815
    If you have disposable income, go for it.  If you don't, PM me.

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • jeffwit
    jeffwit Posts: 1,348
    paqman said:
    If you have disposable income, go for it.  If you don't, PM me.
    If you're handing out disposable income, can I PM you, too?  ;)
    Jefferson, GA
    XL BGE, MM, Things to flip meat over and stuff
    Wife, 3 kids, 5 dogs, 4 cats, 12 chickens, 2 goats, 2 pigs. 
    “Honey, we bought a farm.”
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    I was going to buy it but decided to cheap out and got the @ Home version a few years ago as it was 1/5th the price (of course for 1/5th the volumes :)).

    Thought I would one day pick up a used copy of the multivolume set but used prices still aren't much lower than new.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    No.  More fly by pants ;)
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    I've currently got MCAH from the library. It's a pretty fun read. I like how the recipes are very precise. The book itself is huge. 
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,815
    jeffwit said:
    paqman said:
    If you have disposable income, go for it.  If you don't, PM me.
    If you're handing out disposable income, can I PM you, too?  ;)
    @jeffwit Too late, I already gave away everything I could :)

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,523
    Had the opportunity to view (borrow from a friend) the set (five volumes and the kitchen handbook). One of the books has a pretty extensive coverage of BBQ which I thought was quite good. I was about to pull the trigger and buy  the set when I saw the Reader's Digest version, MC at Home, at a local Chapters. I settled for it. My kids were pissed as they would have been pretty much assured of getting a mostly pristine copy of the five volume set when they split up my estate, as it is they will get a slightly used copy of MCAH. More than enough info for this old brain.
    If you have the time and coin, it would be a great investment. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 20,511
    Good point on library.   I might check tomorrow. 

    I'm a sucker for the science based cook books.  I loved The Food Lab by Kenji.

    Maybe your purpose in life is only to serve as an example for others? - LPL


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  • The Cen-Tex Smoker
    The Cen-Tex Smoker Posts: 23,132
    MCAH is more than you will ever use. It's great and we haven't even scratched the surface of that one. Most of the their stuff is available online 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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  • U_tarded
    U_tarded Posts: 2,060
    If I remember right tweev was sending out digital torrents of it a few years ago 
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  • paqman
    paqman Posts: 4,815
    U_tarded said:
    If I remember right tweev was sending out digital torrents of it a few years ago 
    @U_tarded Quite possible.  Is he still on the forum?  He was quite an entertainer!

    ____________________
    Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. •Niccolo Machiavelli
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I have the 1st edition, and MCAH. MC is very wide ranging. I found most of the book really valuable. The section about  the "Modernist" movement is historically interesting. The section on food safety should be required reading. Tho' its somewhat passé already, it at least provides a foundation for reconsidering how one approaches cooking. Volumes 2 and 3 were the most useful to me, as most aspects of cooking are broken down, and explained quite clearly. The last volume, plated dishes, was mostly beyond anything I could attempt. Ingredients that are rare and extremely exact production methods.

    At the time, a fully equipped MC kitchen might have cost at least 20K. Probably more like 40K. There are no cheap centrifuges.

    MCAH is much more approachable, and requires equipment and skills that are more inline with what many cooks can manage.

    I've borrowed McGee's "On Food and Cooking," and he covers much of the same fundamental stuff, just without the spectacular photography, extensive graphics, and sumptuous recipes.

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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    Similar to McGee is "Cooking for Geeks"  by Jeff Potter.  Worth a look.  Used copies from Amazon are less than $5 now.  
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    seems to be a range of prices, with some book dealers offering the whole set at around $600-800 (scroll down)

    https://www.vialibri.net/cgi-bin/book_search.php?refer=start&sv=fHxtb2Rlcm5pc3QgY3Vpc2luZXx8fHw=&since=40&wt=20&fr=s&sort=pr&order=desc&lang=en&act=search&cty=US&hi_lo=hi&curr=USD&y=7061


    sometimes these links die after a while (time out), so if you get the "expired" page, just search by title 'modernist cuisine' and 'sort by prices high to low'

    i tend to ignore amazon results, but in all cases, due diligence is required!



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  • Raymont
    Raymont Posts: 710
    I also have the home version but have to admit I haven't been using. Time to dust it off and try something new.

    Small & Large BGE

    Nashville, TN

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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    seems to be a range of prices, with some book dealers offering the whole set at around $600-800 (scroll down)


    I missed the pre-order price by a few days, but was able to get the 1st edition for $500. Shortly thereafter, I had to download the rather extensive list of corrections (1 of which I helped to create.) Nevertheless, it is a spectacular set. So heavy that the plexi case containing the volumes had a special packing designed to keep it safe during delivery. Despite all the technical info, the set is sort of the ultimate coffee table book. At the time, they didn't consider doing it digitally as displays were not up to their standards for the images, which evidently are all giclées
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