Artificial intelligence in all sauces: to manage stocks, reduce food waste, make a menu more appealing with gourmet photos... Even the restaurant professions are concerned by this technological revolution. But they did not wait for AI to draw on the best of new technologies to put them at the service of their establishments. The use of so-called connected or smart devices is not new. Yesterday, sous-vide cooking... Take the Thermomix for example. Indispensable in most professional kitchens today, it was originally intended for domestic use since its launch in 1961 by the German brand Vorwek. In terms of cooking techniques, one cannot fail to mention sous-vide cooking, now a non-issue in the gastronomic sphere, although this cooking technique developed by George Pralus in the 1970s had long to wait to end with criticism. After developing his technique in the kitchens of the Troisgros brothers by taking a foie gras terrine as a guinea pig, the Roanne chef taught his know-how to future greats like Michel Bras or Alain Ducasse. "Last night, it was midnight when I started sous-vide cooking some ducks," Arnaud Viel, the chef of the gourmet restaurant Arnaud Viel, La Renaissance, tells us. And to emphasize "the sous-vide technique allows a real concentration of flavors and a very interesting maintenance of textures. It is used for cooking but also for preparing infusions." The advantage is not only gustatory. The use of sous-vide cooking is also part of a more global reflection now engaging professional kitchens to better value raw materials and reduce energy costs. "In this way, we optimize energy consumption," says the three-toque chef. In his Norman kitchen, Arnaud Viel also acquired a Robotcoupe C40 which allows extracting the quintessence of products that generally go to waste: pea pods, scallop beards... "I make consommés and gels with this raw material which contains a lot of taste," says the chef from Argentan. By his own admission, it was his son, Arthur, currently a member of the brigade of Yannick Alléno at 1947 at Cheval Blanc de Courchevel, who shared the discovery with him. "With this robot, the work becomes faster and more regular," he acknowledges, confident that the discoveries of new technological innovations are shared among chefs. But before turning the button on his C40, Arnaud Viel performs a maneuver that his peers would probably never have imagined: cryogenics. Understand: passing a culinary preparation in liquid nitrogen to subject them to an extremely low temperature. At the chef of La Renaissance, this technique generally associated with molecular cuisine allows him to recover the liquid loaded with flavor. Unknown in the kitchens of great restaurants in the 70s and 80s, cryogenics appeared under the impetus of the famous Spanish chef Ferran Adria, in his mythical Catalan restaurant El Bulli. Mousses that disappear in the mouth, airy ice creams, smoke spheres that are eye-catching... Cryogenics has helped make gastronomy an instant spectacle. ...and now 3D printing "The whole goal is to make a memorable dish. A plate must be of quality, it's logical. But for customers to remember it, the visual must be impactful," analyzes Sylvain Renzetti, the Bordeaux chef with a singular universe. In his restaurant Son’Restaurant, the winner of the 2022 Young Talent Nouvelle-Aquitaine award diverts objects he makes with a 3D printer: a cocotte (like the one in paper we made as children), a Lego brick, a bookmark integrating edible ink... "I use technology to support my point," insists this former rocker. The musician turned chef deliberately signs a playful culinary score and therefore assumes integrating material that some might consider superfluous, like this "flavor blaster gun" that Sylvain Renzetti uses to create a cotton candy smoke around his dessert imagined on the theme of The Little Prince. "The whole challenge is to serve food that customers have never eaten in this form," acknowledges the young chef. This openness to technological innovations, Sylvain Renzetti integrated it during the lockdown while reading Charles Spence's book titled "Gastrophysics: A New Science to Illuminate Our Food Choices." "I understood that not everything had been explored yet and that today's gastronomy was ultimately a new art dating from the 90s," summarizes the Bordeaux toque. Are technological innovations in the kitchen really limitless? Chemical, tasteless, lacking in emotions... We already hear the criticisms of those who would oppose this insurrection of new technologies within professional kitchens. "Our job is to seek out taste. These innovations simplify tasks for us. But we must not rely on them to believe that we are making 'new cuisine,'" tempers Arnaud Viel, who defends himself from being a fan of molecular cuisine just because he uses the cryogenics process. In Bordeaux, Sylvain Renzetti even considers it a mistake to view cooking as a technological demonstration. "The limit is that it is not chemical!" he concludes. Anne-Sophie Pic's point of view (4 toques) Are cutting-edge equipment and high-tech tools essential to accompany gastronomic creation? Anne-Sophie Pic: Being in tune with one's time does not mean becoming totally dependent on technology, but knowing how to integrate it intelligently to facilitate the work of kitchen teams. New technologies are a valuable asset in the kitchen. We thus need to combine choice technologies to help us push the limits of culinary creativity. In my laboratory in Valence, the Pic Lab, I chose the equipment of the Swiss brand VZug for their great precision and aesthetics. This includes ovens with ventilation and steam offering unique temperature precisions. These are tools that allow us to precisely control cooking, preserve flavors, and explore different textures. Should new technologies be integrated, just like sous-vide cooking and cryogenics even though they were not initially consensual? A-S P: It is above all the process that is interesting. Regarding sous-vide cooking, I only retained the aspects that seemed relevant to the chef's profession. I diverted certain uses so that this technique integrates harmoniously with the personality of my cuisine. Cooking, like any art, evolves with its time and, as a chef, it is important to adapt to modern tools and know-how. We should not adopt them because they are trendy, but because they enrich the culinary experience. New technologies do not replace work and gestures, but complement them. In my reflection around sauces, for example, I use the ROTOVAP, a low-temperature distiller, which allows me to obtain lighter compositions, and more concentrated in aroma. It is a mechanical tool that allows me to distill, and thus not burn the flavors. It reveals the aromatic depth of the ingredients while preserving their properties. Distillation allows obtaining purer and lighter concentrates, which is particularly interesting for plant-based dishes. The use is double: one can exploit the concentrate of a vegetable juice while using the distillate for a drink. Isn't there a danger of serving dishes that are too technical, preventing emotion? A-S P: yes, there is a risk if the tool becomes exclusive and if we rely solely on it. However, it remains beneficial when used sparingly, for part of the dish and not in its entirety. 3D printing allows pushing the visual of a dish even further by bringing coherence between intention, visual, and taste. They contribute to enriching the sensory experience, to amplifying the emotion felt.
