Learn more about cooking’s key ingredient: science
Whether it’s how you make that perfect soufflé or detect a hint of vanilla in your coffee, knowing more about the physics and chemistry of food may just let you be more creative in the kitchen—and enjoy food more.
To guide people on this gastronomic journey, a biochemist turned pastry chef, a coffee expert and ABC TV’s ‘surfing scientist’ are running public shows and workshops featuring food and science in Sydney next week.
They are also happy to share their love of food and chemistry with the media. See below for details and interview contacts.
Chemistry and creativity in the kitchen
Making tiny edible spheres of flavour is just one of the secrets of molecular gastronomy that food scientist and award-winning pastry chef Galit Segev will share at the Ultimo Science Festival.
“I love food—it’s about creativity and passion. But once you know more about the ‘how’ of cooking, you can experiment in so many ways,” says Galit.
“Take apple juice caviar. You drop one liquid into another and you end up with a thin layer of gel enclosing a burst of flavour.”
Galit Segev left a hectic research career in pharmaceuticals to become a chef and educator.
Galit will be running two workshops during the Ultimo Science Festival: the first on the science of the perfect chocolate soufflé and the second, a molecular gastronomy workshop.
More on the workshops here: http://ultimosciencefestival.com/2012/science-of-chocolate-souffle-workshop/ and http://ultimosciencefestival.com/2012/tafe-science-talk-lunch-and-workshop/
For interviews, contact Galit Segev on 0410 419 359, galit@galit.com.au or Frankie Lee on 0419 448 847, frankie@scienceinpublic.com.au.
Learn the language of taste from a coffee expert
Whether detecting a hint of vanilla in coffee or a woody note in wine, many of us struggle to describe subtle flavours.
Coffee expert Sam Sgambellone will help budding connoisseurs sharpen their coffee-tasting skills in workshops at the Ultimo Science Festival.
“It’s like learning a language: some people have a better grasp than others, but it’s a skill that can be learnt,” Sam says.
“By learning the science behind the senses, we’ll expand people’s vocabulary so they can describe what they taste with more confidence.”
Sam not only runs Sydney’s Mecca Espresso, he has won the NSW Cup Tasting Championship for the past two years and is an accredited coffee tasting judge.
Sam’s running two workshops during the Ultimo Science Festival at Mecca Espresso, in Harris St.
For more information: http://ultimosciencefestival.com/2012/314/
For interviews, contact Sam on 0410 583 581, sam@meccaespresso.com, or Frankie Lee on 0419 448 847, frankie@scienceinpublic.com.au. Media can also attend the workshop, for footage opportunities.
Bubbly science: how to pour that perfect glass
How many bubbles a glass of sparkling wine has and the scientifically proven way to properly pour champers are just some of the surprising bubble science that ‘surfing scientist’ Ruben Meerman will share during his kid-friendly shows at the Ultimo Science Festival’s Big Science Weekend from 25-26 August.
More about the weekend here: http://ultimosciencefestival.com/2012/big-science-weekend/.
Ruben is seasoned talent and a keen surfer who counts Maroubra among his favourite breaks. He has appeared on Catalyst, Sleek Geeks, The Experimentals and Play School – often with slime, fizzing fluids and a bang.
For interviews, contact Ruben on 0414 680 271 or Frankie Lee on 0419 448 847, frankie@scienceinpublic.com.au.
About the Ultimo Science Festival
Ultimo Science Festival 2012 is 11 days of science on Harris St, Sydney: talks, activities, workshops, comedy, exhibitions and films for all ages. More information at www.ultimosciencefestival.com