Top Chef's Tom Colicchio Is Glad This Food Trend Is Over

When it comes to food, it feels like we hit a new fad every month. Trends like whipped Dalgona coffee blew up on TikTok during 2020 thanks to how attractive the final product looks (via Forbes). Social media has taken the culinary fascination with novelty items to new heights and helped capture our imaginations with matcha, meals from food trucks, and even avocado toast (via Goodman Fielder Food Services). As all of these overnight phenomena are taking the dining world by storm, few items compare to the trendiness of molecular gastronomy. 

Molecular gastronomy entered the public consciousness through the haute cuisine of chefs like Thomas Keller, Grant Achatz, and Ferran Adria and explores the underlying science of how we approach cooking (via Kitchen Theory). Proponents of this culinary ethos find exciting new ways to transform textures, flavor, and even whole dishes into entirely new forms using tools and ingredients you might see in a science lab (via Science Of Cooking). Chemicals like liquid nitrogen flash-freeze ingredients you might never think of eating as a solid, while others transform tea into a foam or parmesan into ice cream. While many applaud this trend, others have found it less than appealing.