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‘Times’ Discovers Molecular Gastronomy; Invite Yourself to Thanksgiving

Cooking as chemistry has never had more meaning with the use of “hydrocolloid gums — obscure starches and proteins usually relegated to the lower reaches of ingredient labels on products like Twinkies … helping Mr. Dufresne make eye-opening (and critically acclaimed) creations like fried mayonnaise and a foie gras that can be tied into a knot.” [NYT]

Marco Pierre White claims he never reads reviews, and Thomas Keller knows blogs are out there but doesn’t read them. [Epicurious]

These tips for dining in high-end restaurants insist that while some may consider it crude to ask the price of a special, even the owner of Aquavit believes “it’s tacky if the waiter does not volunteer the information without having to ask.” [Bottomless Dish/Citysearch]

Mario Batali writes his blog as stream of consciousness like this October example: “Start the day with rain and a swim, some tech difs to get the cars rolling and then off to Toledo with gogo driving mostly fun and real conversations, Charlie pushing for come contrived dialog did not really hurt, arrive in Toledo and then realize we did not want to arrive in Toledo a little shit fit from chucky…” [Snack]

The ten steps for getting yourself invited to someone else’s apartment for Thanksgiving include asking a hint-laden recipe question like “how long those obscenely rich mashed potatoes made with tons of butter and heavy cream will keep — because, eating alone, you’re going to have tons of leftovers.” [Serious Eats]

There may not be any trans fats in your Oreos anymore, but they’ve been replaced with palm or canola oils, also high in saturated fats. [WSJ]

‘Times’ Discovers Molecular Gastronomy; Invite Yourself to