Is Culinary Skill an Art or Science?
It Begins As An Instinct
The artistry of cooking often begins as a primal instinct. Like an artist's initial strokes on a canvas, a chef's understanding of flavours, textures and aromas lays the foundation for their culinary skill.
Famed French chef and restaurateur of the early 20th century, Marcel Boulestine, believed in that: “Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.”
Signature style: an artistic language that spells individuality
This innate sense of taste — both aesthetic and literal — is entirely unique, influenced by the singular experience of each chef. Culinary instinct evolves into a signature style, much like how an artist crafts a personal language; and is what sets them apart. Every dish then becomes a reflection of their journey, a story told through flavour, a way of communication—a language.
Chef-owner Ivan Brehm of Appetite (Photo Credit: Appetite Instagram)
For Chef-owner Ivan Brehm of Appetite (he also helms the one-Michelin-starred Nouri), this rings true. “A chef's ability to connect and communicate properly with one’s guest is entirely determined by (their) artistic prowess,” he says.
“‘The ‘how’ of good food remains guided by good science, the ‘whats and ‘whys’ are mostly determined by art.”
The plate: Storytelling with a creative canvas
Beyond a language, some chefs view food as an opportunity to tell a story. To present his food at IMAMURA, Chef Imamura uses his personal collection of antique plates rich in history.
Chef Imamura’s antique plate
Restaurant IMAMURA’s dishes are presented on antique plates recorded to be 150 years old, depicting images of China through the eyes of the Japanese in the old days.
The plate then transcends beyond a vessel to serve food, becoming a storyteller and connecting diners to the cultural and historical roots of the cuisine at Restaurant IMAMURA.
Chef Imamura pouring his palate cleanser into an antique Japanese cup
Chef Hirofumi Imamura, who is of Japanese lineage, personally curated this tableware. From serving palate cleansers in 350-year-old Japanese cups, to arranging his own cherry blossoms for the restaurant’s exteriors during spring in Japan, Chef Imamura, like an artist, immerses diners in a different world with his thoughtful details.
A Science That Cannot Be Denied
A precise science in every step
Beneath the stories and aesthetics lies a strong foundation of food. Culinary mastery demands not only artistry, but a profound understanding of chemical reactions, physical properties of ingredients, as well as the precise execution of techniques. What is the difference between Malliard reaction and caramelisation? How do we ferment foods while keeping them safe?
The answer to these questions often involves tedious research and many experiments.
Chef Imamura making his signature dashi
For Chef Imamura, he builds on various theories derived from existing research on Japanese culinary practices.
In the context of creating the dashi as a base for various dishes, research shows that even slight variations in ingredient quantities of dried bonito, small sardines and kelp can significantly influence its overall taste. Through a principal component analysis, each ingredient and its combinations are distinguished by unique taste characteristics.
He also considers the relationships among quantities, time and temperature for extracting kombu components to produce soup stock, taking into account the unique extraction rate of each component.
This knowledge enables Chef Imamura to create a base that is balanced, mild yet complex, with a sweet umami flavour — the perfect stock.
Chef Kevin Wong of Seroja (Photo Credit: Seroja)
Meanwhile at Seroja, cooking is a scientific exercise of all the senses.
“When we cook the fish in front of you on the stone, we will first bring the stone up to 250 degree Celsius, then pour in a broth below 100 degrees. This causes heat to get trapped in the pseudo-oven, creating an ideal temperature and pressure for fish. Since fish cooks precisely at 60 degrees, this requires an understanding of temperature in order not to overcook it. The theatrical aspect — the smell and sound of broth sizzling on the stone — is not only art, but a useful piece of (scientifically-backed) information to understand when it will be cooked,” said Chef Kevin Wong.
This precision in measuring, timing and temperature allows chefs to perfect their dishes and consistently produce quality food.
The science behind food pairing.
Additionally, the seemingly “artistic” choices are actually grounded in principles of science.
Chef Bjoern Alexander of Matera
Chef Bjoern Alexander of Matera enjoys exploring the science behind culinary techniques through books like The Art and Science of Food Pairing. The book delves into the history and science of food pairings, and why they work. In its introduction, it notes that most ingredient pairings we encounter are intuitive.
“That’s not a bad thing, but intuitive pairings are generally limited to familiar combinations, based either on our personal preferences or on classic pairings with some cultural basis.”
It’s the reason why many of us grow bored with our own cooking. For dishes to be exciting and intriguing, chefs are expected to produce the unexpected, and sometimes even create peculiar ingredient pairings. These pairings are not simply intuition, but involve knowledge of science to make them work.
The book also detailed that “Being able to identify the aromatic connections between ingredients is an effective way for chefs [and bartenders] to refine their pairings. Eventually, we arrived at the theory that synergistic pairings share certain key aromatic links that result from the complex interactions that occur between aroma molecules in ingredients.”
That’s the reason why extra virgin olive oil is drizzled over gelato, and why lemon sauce goes well with chicken but not beef: High-quality olive oil and vanilla gelato share floral, spicy and woody notes, while lemon is a chemical relative of chicken.
The marriage of art and science
Balancing creativity with precision.
Art and science then have a symbiotic relationship. It calls for both tenets of culinary skill to create a unique and well-executed dish. For Chef Mano Thevar of Thevar, it is his beautifully glazed and vibrant Pani Puri dish.
Thevar’s Pani Puri (Photo Credit: Thevar)
“Crafting this delicacy demands a meticulous balance of specific ingredients to shape the puri shells. Each ingredient contributes to the overall quality of the puri shells, and even a slight variation in the amount or type of ingredient used can significantly affect the final outcome. For example, too much juice might make the shells too soft, while too little juice could make them too hard,” he says.
“Achieving perfection in this process took me approximately three to four months of dedicated practice. With the right balance of ingredients, the puri shells turn out just right—crisp and delicious.”
How science can enhance artistic expression
Understanding the science behind reactions and ingredients can help chefs push the boundaries of their culinary art.
In the late 90s, British Chef Heston Blumenthal of the three-Michelin-starred The Fat Duck in Bray had experimented with sweet and savoury combinations using ingredients such as cured duck to juxtapose against the bitter-sweet nuances of chocolate.
To understand the science behind this, Blumenthal worked together with food chemist François Benzi and found that chocolate and caviar share some aroma molecules.
Intuition is paramount.
Like him, the exploration of food science allows many chefs to develop a more complex understanding of food to hone their signature style. Oftentimes, lines blur and appear to some as something more intangible – a Chef’s intuition.
Chef Nicolas Tam of Willow restaurant filleting Amadai fish (Photo Credit: Willow)
“I think it is more of an instinct,” echoes Chef Nicolas Tam of the one-Michelin-starred Willow, one of The Culinaire’s List restaurants, on whether cooking is an art or science. “If something makes sense, it makes sense.”
The Culinaire’s List is a celebration of Singapore’s vibrant culinary scene through our partnership with both Michelin-starred restaurants and hidden gems. Be updated on Singapore’s fine dining scene through our monthly editorial series, The Culinary Canvas, where we bring you the narratives of each chef, their dishes, their inspiration for a finer appreciation of their culinary creations.
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