When Modernist Cuisine came out in 2011, it was a pretty big deal with food and cooking enthusiasts. Essentially, they authors had taken what was known about cooking and compiled it in one six-volume set comprised of ease-to-read text, wonderful design, and beautiful photography. Unfortunately, initially there were a limited number of copies in print and the $500-$625 price tag for the set placed it a bit out of reach of the general public. In 2012, Modernist Cuisine at Home debuted at $140. This book was a single 450 page volume (plus a spiral-bound kitchen manual) which distilled the exhaustive information found in Modernist Cuisine's 2400 pages into a resource home chefs could easily take advantage of. As of late 2013, Modernist Cuisine at Home is now available digitally through Inkling and it is every bit as amazing as the previous incarnations at a much more accessible price point - $4.99 per chapter or $79.99 for the whole book.

Modernist Cuisine at Home is an excellent candidate for conversion to digital format and Inkling has done it right. Videos demonstrating techniques and procedures augment the book in ways that the printed version of the book was never able to. Tools like a built-in yield converter which scales the recipes for you are an excellent compliment to the detailed recipes and step-by-step guides.

Currently, the Inkling's version of Modernist Cuisine at Home is viewable in browser, on iPads, or on iPhones but an Android version is in the works. With multiple viewing methods, the Inkling app does allow bookmarking, notations, and highlighting to sync seamlessly from device to device as well as offline access.

When Modernist Cuisine was published, it made a huge splash with not only the information it provided but also the extraordinary photography. The digital version of Modernist Cuisine at Home preserves the wonderful imagery by including extremely high resolution versions of the images allowing you to zoom in to see details and includes over 350 new photographs.

Right now, Inkling is providing an introductory chapter to Modernist Cuisine at Home (entitled "A Modernist Meal at Home") for free. This chapter includes a special introduction written for the digital version as well as sample sections from various chapters of the book including equipment and techniques (Pressure Cookers and how to use them), and recipes (Mac and Cheese, Caramelized Carrot Soup, Sous Vide Lemon Curd, and more). Even if you don't plan on buying the book, this free section is worth the ten seconds it takes to make an account on Inkling and take a look at the beautiful photographs, demonstration videos, and explanatory text.

Another example of using a digital platform to enhance the reading experience is the use of clickable / tappable hot spots on photos providing detailed information and explanations.

In addition to the free selections, Inkling has provided to Cooking For Engineer readers these additional sections:
Mac & Cheese
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Potato Puree

Related Articles

Heat by Bill Buford

The Sorcerer's Apprentices by Lisa Abend

Thermoworks Father's Day 2014 Giveaway!

Chicago 2011 Part 6 - Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi, Frontera Fresco, Marc Burger

Contact Cooking For Engineers

Here's a video providing a 30-sec look at Modernist Cuisine at Home from Inkling:

Links:
Inkling home page
Modernist Cuisine at Home on Inkling
Inkling's Food category showing other books converted to digital including the excellent The Professional Chef
Modernist Cuisine on Amazon.com
Modernist Cuisine at Home on Amazon.com