Anybody Have a list of Must have ingredients

I am really just getting more involved in "modernist" cooking. Does anybody have a list of "must have" ingredients. I am not talking about food stuff like veg and proteins. I am talking about the MSG and good stuff like that. I figure with Christmas approaching that they might make a good Idea for gifts.

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douglas_bd

It really depends what you want to do. Xanthan is a regular go to that I use. Agar Agar. Sodium Citrate, SHMP, Carageenans, Gellan. Offhand, those are the ones I seem to use most often. Sodium Alginate and calcium lactate gluconate if you want to do spherifications. N-zorbit if you want to make powders out of fats and oils. Transglutaminase if you are looking to bond proteins. Also, basic gelatin. Malic acid, citric acid, Fructose. I'd recommend finding a few applications you are interested in trying out and getting a small amount of what's needed for those, then expand when you're ready. I've built a pretty good supply over time, but there's always something else to get. Try Modernist Pantry for small quantities. The list is nearly endless, so pick a few things you want to start out with and then expand from there.

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Brian's suggestions are a great start. Though there's a lot of white powders and it can seem daunting or expensive to get started, the good news is that you tend to use very small amounts and the ingredients have very long shelf lives. So even if you don't use (say) iota carageenan that often, you can keep it on hand for years until you come across that magic recipe that calls for a few grams. Xanthan is probably the workhorse of hydrocolloids. Gellan is the favorite to make fluid gels because of its clean flavor release. Agar is easy to use to create gels and fluid gels, is cheap, and you can use it to do clarification too. If you want to work with dairy or do a lot of constructed cheese stuff, carageenans are your friend (and you should probably pick up some sodium citrate and SHMP while you're at it). Get yourself some meat glue and play around with it (keep it in the freezer).

In addition to the Modernist Cusine books and the ChefSteps recipes/courses, there are a few other good resources for learning about these ingredients. Khymos has a collection of recipes for different hydrocolloids: http://blog.khymos.org/recipe-collection/

The back episodes of the Cooking Issues podcast is filled with tons of great information about modernist ingredients. Though there's no specific episode I'd point you to, that show has really enhanced my understanding of the different magic powders and how to use them.

T__2156

I would only avoid chemicals for spherification. The process is tricky and can be frustrating if you're not careful, there are arcane rules about pH to follow, and when you succeed, you get vaguely-flavored rapidly-degrading bits that can only be used as a garnish. I'm flabbergasted it's become the "standard demo" for DIY modernist.

Transglutaminase - specifically Activa RM - is my top choice. You can successfully learn the technique from an online video (just dust it over your meat), and suddenly all your bacon-wrapped scallops, your bacon-wrapped rabbit, your cool looking chicken cylinders - all possible. See the CS chicken roulade for just one example.

Xanthan gum for a wide variety of minor uses, sodium citrate for melty cheeses, Pectinex for clarified juices and perfect citrus supremes.

and welcome to the modernist fun!

coryhansen78

I'll throw in Methocel F50-- good for foams and meringues-- as a "maybe" in addition to the other (spot-on) suggestions in this thread (especially xanthan). Also, maybe glucose (not in powder form) for thickening/bulking.

Kyle_Swanbeck_13795

Thanks everyone.I really appreciate the feedback and the ideas.

bkeene12

This was mine... all from Modernist Pantry

Sodium Citrate

RM Transglutaminase

Ultra-Tex 3

Kelcogel F - Low Acyl Gellan Gum

Prague Powder No.2

Sodium Hexametaphosphate

Egg Yolk Powder

Glucose Powder

Methocel® F50 Food Grade