After Dark: Cooking Contraptions

How does food inspire you? Do you find artistic vision in vegetables, or enjoy the science behind sous-vide? Encounter an array of cooking-inspired presentations and gain a deeper understanding of the tools in your kitchen. Play with your food, experiment with modernist inventions, and visit our new Drink Lab, where you can see lively demonstrations of the science and techniques behind unique drinks also available for purchase.

PRESENTATIONS

The State of Food R&D: How Flavor Works and How Gadgets Can Help
With Ali Bouzari
7:00 p.m.  |  Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio

Delve into the nuts and bolts of flavor with culinary scientist Ali Bouzari to understand how deliciousness actually works, then examine current and coming waves of kitchen gadgets to sort the good from what’s likely to appear at the next garage sale.

Drink Lab: Centripetal Mojitos
With Clay Reynolds and Julie Yu
7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 p.m.  |  Bechtel Central Gallery

Why clarify lime juice? How? Glean the difference between dissolved substances and suspended particles and learn a few techniques featuring a centrifuge while enjoying a beautifully clear cocktail for purchase for $13. 

Champagne and Machete
With Zeke Kossover
8:30, 9:00, and 9:30 p.m.  |  Phyllis C. Wattis Webcast Studio

Napoleon’s officers were known to open a bottle of champagne with their sabers. How about a machete? See Exploratorium teacher Zeke Kossover slice open a bottle of bubbly—and learn the physics behind this beverage bravado.

ONGOING

All ongoing programs are in the Bechtel Central Gallery.

Kitchen Gadget Gallery
With Cookin’
6:00–10:00 p.m.

Explore an elegant array of kitchen tools and utensils, such as apple peelers, manual coffee grinders, whisks, egg beaters, spoons, forks, colanders, spatulas, citrus juicers, can openers, tea infusers, egg slicers, cheese slicers, and more.

The Anti-Griddle
With Jerrel KeyAuthor
6:30–9:30 p.m.

Taste one of Chef Jerrel KayAuthor’s bacon molasses or banana coconut cream lollipops flash frozen on the anti-griddle, a modernist cooktop whose subzero surface transforms sauces and purees into crunchy yet still-creamy confections. 

Commercial-Grade Contraptions
With Tinker Kitchen
6:30–9:30 p.m.

Consider the possibilities of specialized equipment with Tinker Kitchen staff as they extrude pasta, concoct fizzy drinks, whip up butter with a centrifuge, make chocolate with a tempering machine, or airbrush food with edible ink.

Fruit and Vegetable Carving
With Jimmy Zhang
6:30–9:30 p.m.

Watch Chef Jimmy Zhang demonstrate the ancient art of fruit and vegetable carving, and admire his many flowers, animals, and intricate ornamental displays made from melon, daikon, carrots, and other produce.

Slicing and Dicing
With Kevin Godes
6:30–9:30 p.m.

What’s the difference between brunoise and batons? Julienne and chiffonade? A roll cut versus a rough chop? Join Chef Kevin Godes as he demonstrates a range of techniques for one the most important tools in your kitchen.

Food Automata
With Explorables
7:00–10:00 p.m.

Play with your food to explore simple mechanisms and build a moving sculpture from scratch. Use cookie cams, breadstick axles, candies, crackers, and other snacks to create a unique kinetic treat with the help of Explorables volunteers.

This activity is inspired by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, a collection of humorous contemporary automata, founded in 1982.