This workshop was held at Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Lisbon on the february 5th and aimed to provide knowledge about the principles of molecular cooking and practical experience on innovative techniques to the students (40 people) of Cooking schools, who participated in the Portuguese Recipes Contest. It was organized by CIIMAR and promoted by Cooking.Lab® .

 

The purpose of the workshop was to understand the basics of molecular cooking and how the future of molecular cooking can be integrated to upgrade sustainable fish species, both from fisheries and aquaculture, by using Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus as model.

 

The programme included an Interactive lecture about the role, use and applications of transglutaminase (an enzyme that catalyses the polymerization and crosslinking of proteins through the formation of covalent bonds between protein molecules) and the preparation of foams created with a siphon (without the use of an emulsifying agent), and spherifications (direct and reverse) that involve creating semi-solid spheres with thin membranes. For this, it was developed a practical experience of making burgers, by using transglutaminase, vol-au-vent with a fish foam, and fish and vegetables spheres. The vent ended with a tasting session.