616610 Fri May 01 23:29:52 -0700 2009 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4647558 Im just wondering what sone of you think of using "foams" on food? I personally dont find the look very appealing abd just cant bring myself to try them, Maybe i will though if anyone here knows a place that does them well, Fri May 01 23:29:53 -0700 2009 286482 alottameat 1 4647594 Whipped cream works for me. Or did, until I developed lactose intolerance. Now I have to settle for the propellant. Sat May 02 00:29:30 -0700 2009 4647558 113696 nileg 1 4647617 Foams are just a technique in cooking and as many other techniques (like the use of alginate, sous-vide etc.) they are not in general good or bad. It only depends how and when they are used. 9-10 often had often some kind of foams in their mercy of the chef menu. I had it also recently in multiple courses at Providence and Craft in LA. Sat May 02 01:52:44 -0700 2009 4647558 13239 honkman 1 4648339 Foam, to me, is like salt & pepper....best for flavor, not for substance. But by all means, don't let the look fool you. You could be missing out! While staying in Solvang, Chef Bradley Ogden's newest restaurant "Roots", served it up as an Amuse Bouche and wowed our tastebuds with it. Here in San Diego, I've ordered the Petrale Sole @ Cavaillon and Chef Philippe Verpiand "foams it up" (aka: emulsion) and I thought this dish was fabulous because there wasn't a salty broth or a heavy sauce overpowering the flavor of the fish. The reason I use the term "foamed up" is because I understand that true foam has some other ingredient in it to keep it foamy...like gelatin. Sat May 02 11:29:02 -0700 2009 4647558 184609 Sampaguita 2 4648939 Thanks! I havent been to any places that use foam but i keep seeing them on tv shows like top chef and thought they just looked like.....well i dont really want to say but they must be pretty good if they are being used. I keep trying to think of them like egg whites but they have lots of sugar and dont look foamy once the sugar is added so it looks as good as it taste. Sam I might just check out "Roots" ive been dying to go to Solvang and i love Bradley Ogden thanks for the tip! Sat May 02 17:40:34 -0700 2009 4648339 286482 alottameat 3 4649102 Roots has 2 lounges and one long dining room. Call ahead and definitely make reservations. They give you a basket of breads and the blue corn mini-muffins were sublime...not kidding. I had the Berkshire pork belly that came with glazed pineapple and the moistest tamale pancakes for an appetizer then ordered the black cod from Morro Bay that Chef paired with local white asparagus and artichokes...so good. We went there twice and were not disappointed. All the wines are from California vineyards close by but they did go outside our country to place Champagne on the list...nice touch. Solvang is much closer than Las Vegas if you like Bradley Ogden. :) Sat May 02 19:19:34 -0700 2009 4648939 184609 Sampaguita 2 4649233 Gelatin can be used to stabilize a foam, such as a soft one with tiny bubbles that you put through a whipped cream canister (isi) - comes out like shaving cream or a bit looser. Lecithin is more commonly added by chefs to thin sauces to get them to foam, then they whip the sauce with a tiny latte-foaming stick or immersion blender. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier found in egg yolks, but commercially soy lecithin seems more common. Sat May 02 20:30:56 -0700 2009 4648339 13150 babette feasts