Ultrasonics for Gourmet Restaurants

Ultrasonic devices made by Hielscher are used by chefs of high-class restaurants for innovative, high-quality cooking. This includes flavor extraction, emusification or modification of texture. Hielscher ultrasonic devices are used for manifold applications and proven for their performance, reliability and effectiveness. Due to their exceptional advantages, ultrasonic processors are applied for long time in the food processing industry, e.g. to emulsify immiscible liquids or to extract intra-cellular molecules and botanicals from plants (e.g. aroma compounds, lipids, and other substances).

The application for sonicators in gourmet cuisine is used for extraction, flavour infusions, emulsification as well as tenderizing and marinating meat. Especially in the high-tech kitchen and molecular cuisine, there are manifold applications to prepare remarkable meals, which surprise the diner with new, intensive flavours.
In March 2010, Sang-Hoon Degeimbre – chef and owner of the famous restaurant Restaurant L’air du temps in Liernu (near Eghezée, Belgium) – presented ultrasound as an innovative technique of preparing extraordinary meals on Starchefs.com.

Degeimbre says he uses the ultrasonic machine for extraction of the favorite components of vegetables, flowers and herbs. He does not want to cook, but he want to have the most perfumed part of the vegetable material. He uses his Hielscher sonicator UIP1000hdT for various applications: By sonication, it is possible to extract the most aromatic and flavorful elements of each ingredients. This allows Degeimbre to reach a freshness of taste that would normally be lost during the cooking process. Furthermore, the star chef does successful experiments with extraction of shrimp and chicken for stocks. With chicken, he achieved good results by sonicating only the chicken meat without bones to get a very pure tasting chicken stock. On StarChefs.com, Michelin star chef Sang-Hoon Degeimbre showcases exemplary on one recipe of his contemporary cuisine, how to use the Hielscher UIP1000hd in cuisine. For the preparation of his creation Ultrasonic Shrimp Stock, the Belgian-Korean chef sonicates all ingredients (shrimps, water, tomato puree, carrot, salt) at 50% amplitude for 10 minutes.

Ultrasound is also capable to emulsify liquids that normally would separate without emulsifiers. Therefore, ultrasonication allows the preparation of smooth vinaigrette, tasty marinades and creamy mayonnaise, without the utilization of emulsifying agents. The outstanding performance of ultrasonics for the flavoring of liquids is also used in the production of sauces, purees, jams, condiments, beverages or vinegar. For instance, ultrasound facilitates the infusion of vinegars with manifold different flavors, such as raspberry, lime, chili, thyme.
To gain maximal results in flavour extraction, Hielscher recommends to macerate or to grind the material before sonication. This way, the material offers more surface area so that more intra-cellular material can be extracted. This enhances the results of ultrasonic flavour extraction and leads to a more intensive taste.

The application of ultrasonics in chef cuisine is very simple. In small batch scale – for up to 2-4 litres – you can use ultrasonic laboratory devices, such as the UP200Ht (see picture left) or the UP400St. For larger volumes, Hielscher offers devices, such as the UIP1000hdT with special sonotrodes optimized for culinary applications.

The table below gives you an indication of the approximate processing capacity of our ultrasonicators: